Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
For the next while, I kept an eye on Milly, enjoying her company while also ensuring my sister didn’t force too much booze on her. Then events transpired, and everyone ended up in the pool on the basement level of our house. I usually swam in the pool at my dad’s hotel because it was much larger, but our home pool was decent, too. What I wasn’t ready for was seeing Milly in the bikini my sister loaned her. It was a deep blue colour and supposedly brand new, which was relieving because I definitely didn’t want to be having such impure thoughts about anything my sister had worn.
“I can’t believe you have a swimming pool in your house,” Milly said as she floated next to me.
“You like to swim, right?”
She nodded, her blue eyes still bright, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “Remember you said I could come join you at the hotel whenever I liked? I thought about turning up, but I was way too nervous.”
“Why would you be nervous?” I asked, enjoying her candour. “It’s just me.”
“Right, but I was self-conscious about you seeing me in a bathing suit. I was worried …” Her words drifted off as she frowned to herself.
I touched her chin with the tips of my fingers, coaxing her to look at me. “Worried about what? How perfect you look in a bikini?” I was brazenly flirting now, but I couldn’t help it with her.
Milly barked a laugh then covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh, my God, that was so loud,” she chuckled. “Sorry. I just can’t with you, Derek. You’re way too good at flirting.” A pause. “I bet you have lots of practice.”
“It just comes naturally around you,” I countered with a confident grin.
She twisted her lips, suppressing a smile. “What about Francesca? Have you ever flirted with her?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Good. I don’t like the way she looks at you.”
Something thrummed in my chest. The very thought of Milly being jealous over me was too satisfying. I moved a little closer, and my chest brushed hers. I’d been having a terrible time keeping my gaze focused on her face, but it dropped for a second, her perky tits a distraction I couldn’t resist. In less than a second, I managed to drag my gaze away. Thankfully, Milly hadn’t noticed me ogling. I swallowed thickly, grateful my lower half was under water.
“What way does she look at me?” I asked low.
Milly frowned, staring at my chest for a second before she looked up. “Like she wants you to be hers.”
“Well,” I said, my fingers leaving her chin to tiptoe along her jaw. “I never will be.” I paused, my eyes hypnotised by the small water droplets clinging and dripping down her neck only to disappear into the fabric of the bikini. Curiosity got the better of me when I asked, “How do you look at me, do you think?”
At my quiet question, Milly’s breath hitched, her wide eyes flaring as our gazes latched. She didn’t respond, a deep flush staining her cheeks. A beat passed, and then my sister’s voice broke through whatever bubble we’d been locked in.
“I’m starving!” Nuala announced. “Let’s go upstairs and order pizza.”
Milly blinked and drifted away from me. “Pizza actually sounds good. I haven’t eaten in a while.”
“Let’s go have pizza, then,” I murmured, not even trying to resist watching her climb from the pool, water dripping down her petite yet curvy body. Her perfect, grabbable arse. I wasn’t far behind her, lifting two clean towels and first wrapping one around her shoulders before throwing the other around my own.
“Thank you,” she whispered, peering up at me, her dark lashes framing her bewitching eyes.
***
My siblings weren’t done with their hijinks yet. After we made short work of several pizzas, Tristan decided we should all play a game of “hide and seek in the dark.” It was difficult to resist pulling Milly into my bedroom and asking her if she’d let me kiss her. Just once. I was silently moving up the stairs when I spotted a dark silhouette just ahead. It was Milly. She opened the door to the storage closet near my parents’ bedroom and slipped inside.
“Mind if I join you?” I whispered as I slid in behind her, and she emitted a quiet gasp.
“Derek!” she whisper-shouted. “You frightened the life out of me.”
“Sorry,” I smiled down at her in the dark. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay,” she allowed. “And yes, you can share my hiding spot if you must.”
“I must,” I replied hotly, unable to take my eyes off her lips, the shadows tipping over her exquisite face.
She sucked in a breath when she realised how close we were standing. Surrounded by shelves of towels and spare bedding, the narrow space allowed barely two inches between us. The quiet that followed was so thick with tension I could barely stand it. I wanted to touch her so badly but worried it might be unwelcome. That was the problem with being a worrier and thinking things through so much. In the end, I almost always decided against taking action. Hell, I’d driven by Milly every day after school for almost two years before I’d finally found the nerve to offer her a lift.