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Getting close to her has bad idea written all over it...but I want to do it anyway. Want to know what she was thinking about when she bit her lip.
I want to bite her lip.
Jesus Christ.
"Nice to meet you," I mutter, taking another step back.
Tahani snags Mila's attention, allowing me to take a much-needed breath. I can still smell her. I rake a hand through my hair, trying to get my shit together. It doesn't matter how gorgeous she is or what she was thinking about when she bit her lip…she's off-limits.
I live my life by a carefully constructed set of rules. They keep me alive, keep my daughter safe, and help ensure my team makes it home at the end of the day. It's been five years since I added a rule to that list, but I'm adding one now. Stay the fuck away from Tahani's friends, specifically the sexy little blonde standing not three feet away, talking to my daughter like they've known each other their entire lives.
"Is someone bringing your shit up?" I blurt out.
Mila and Tahani both turn to look at me.
"Do you need help bringing your stuff up, or are your parents bringing it up?"
"Oh, um…" Something close to sorrow flits through her expression before her teeth sink into that bottom lip again. "It's just me. My parents aren't here. Um, my mom is dead."
I want to ask her about her dad, but instinct honed from years of use tells me not to push, that he isn't a good memory for her, nor is he something she wants to talk about right now. I want to know, though. Because I'm almost certain that look in her eyes wasn't just because her mom is dead. She's too goddamn young and innocent to be alone in this world, but I already know she is.
I also know by the dismayed little gasp from my daughter that Mila just became family.
Fuck. My. Life.
Chapter One
Mila
Now
"Mila?"
I glance up from the pile of used tissues on my lap and squint, trying to see through the tears blurring my vision. My eyes are gritty and swollen, but Tahani McPherson's face swims into focus in the dimly lit room.
Her dark hair is in a messy pile on top of her head; her hazel eyes clouded with concern as she surveys my suitcases piled inside the living room. Her things are packed, too. Unlike me, though, she's off to bigger and better things.
I thought I was, too…right up until my asshole of an ex shattered that illusion. If I never see Damien Wentworth again, it'll be too soon.
"Hey," I whisper, dashing away the tears pooling in my eyes as my voice quivers. I hate that I'm crying.
"What did he do?" Tahani asks, dropping her purse beside the door and hurrying across the living room toward me. She drops down onto the couch beside me and puts an arm around my shoulders.
I rest my head against hers and sigh. "I stopped by his place this morning to drop off my stuff before work and found him and Lizette in bed together.”
"Lizette? You mean your boss, Lizette?"
"Yep. She fired me."
"You're kidding me."
"Nope." I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to force out the image of my boyfriend's bare ass as he thrust into Lizette Hicks, his gray sheets twisted around them. I snort my disgust. "I guess they've been sleeping together for a couple of months now."
Ever since I introduced them to one another at a cheesy Valentine's Day party, I thought they'd like each other. It never crossed my mind that they'd jump into bed together, and it certainly never crossed my mind that I’d catch them just weeks after he convinced me to move in until I found my own place.
I guess they were having one last hurrah before I ruined their fun. They were both shocked when they saw me standing in the doorway. Damien actually had the nerve to say I was early.
I solved the problem by tossing his stupid key at his head and walking out. He tried to chase me, begging me not to leave him, so Lizette fired me. As if I asked him to tell me he'd end things with her immediately. As if I’ll ever look at him the same. She can have him. Which is precisely what I told him.
