Page 120 of The Flirty Vet

"Really?"

Col nods, sliding his hands towards my neck, and somehow I know he's not going to strangle me like I'm sure he's imagined doing on so many occasions since I stumbled into his life.

"Yeah. My boss is actually pressuring me to transfer here. It makes sense to be closer to the area I'm in charge of."

I let out a shaky breath. "And?"

"I'm thinking about it." His eyes flick to the kids' closed doors, which remained closed. "See, I've met this guy."

"Is that right?"

Col's fingers trace over my Adam's apple. "He's a bit of a dick, but he makes up for it in other ways."

"By having a big dick?"

He smiles, his fingers moving northward until they reach my jaw. "Yeah. But that's not the thing I like most about him."

"What is?"

His eyes lock on mine. We stand there looking at each other for a really fucking long time before Col starts talking again.

"It's a surprisingly long list," he says. "He's kind. He's real. He's adventurous. He's loyal. He works hard. And when he loves, he loves with all his heart. He'll protect the people he cares about with everything he's got. They're all really rare qualities that most people don't possess, much less in a body that's…so-so."

I pinch his nipple through his shirt. "I'll give you so-so."

He giggles, then covers his mouth to not wake the kids. "So, to answer yourhypotheticalquestion, yes, I could see myself living…here."

I gulp.He means this country, you idiot, not here-here… Doesn't he? I'm too chickenshit to clarify. I'll take it as a mini victory, because, hey, even if Col was based in Sydney or Brisbane, it's a helluva lot closer than bloody New York City.

I go to bed with a big smile on my face…which lasts until just before midnight when a certain little munchkin wanders in and steals the sheets, then ends up kicking me out of bed—literally—the next morning.

As I go through my usual morning question routine with Kolby from the floor, I realise something…

I'm smiling again at the thought of getting to spend another day with Col.

25

Col

"You're a legend for doing this," I say as the line shuffles forward.

"Yeah, I know," Wilby replies, smiling widely. "But because this has become my favourite thing in the history of all favourite things, feel free to fill me in on why I'm such a legend. Be as detailed as you like."

I bite back a grin. "I knew listing all the things I liked about you would come back to bite me in the ass."

"Hmm." He taps his chin. "Biting Col's arse. Need to add that to the to-do list."

I laugh, because how can I not? It's been two days since we had our hypothetical conversation, and we've spent most of the time since then driving from Scuttlebutt to Brisbane. That's a long time to be in a car with someone who's riding an ego high.

And, honestly, I wouldn't take back anything I said. I did that once, and I feel so bad about the boyfriend question that slipped out in Airlie Beach.

Wilby and I are in a weird place, straddling the line between professional boundaries and straddling of the way less professional kind.

It's messy and complicated and completely uncharted territory for me. I'm in way over my head. This whole thing, since the first night we met in Sydney, I've been all over the place. Liking him. Wanting to spend time with him. Even when he's frustrated the fuck out of me, made me fly unnecessarily, and made my job ten times harder than it needs to be.

I'm actually having fun. I have no idea what's happening, or what's around the next corner, but life with Wilby is an adventure filled with all sorts of unexpected twists and turns.

And I like it.