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)
I love you. Don’t go to London. Stay here with me forever.
All the things I yearned to say to her got stuck in my throat as she breathed, “Derek? What time is it?”
“Almost twelve. We slept late.”
“Oh,” her pretty lips formed a rounded shape as she shifted off my chest, and I mourned the loss of her.
I stared down at her, amazed by how beautiful she still was, even sleepy eyed and hungover.
“Was there somewhere you needed to be?”
“What? No, I just … didn’t expect to wake up in your bed.”
I frowned. “Do you remember last night?”
“Bits and pieces,” she confessed. “I went a little harder on the vodka than I normally do.”
“We didn’t have sex,” I was quick to inform her. “Just in case you were wondering.”
“I know that. Pretty sure I’d feel it if we’d had sex last night,” she blurted then immediately covered her mouth. Her face crinkled in a wince. “Oh, God. Forget I said that.”
“You don’t have to be shy with me.” My voice was gruff as I forced myself not to think of all the ways I wished to be with her. Selfish instincts. Milly might not be ready for sex. It took a long time for some people, and I’d rather castrate myself than force her to do anything she wasn’t ready for. I was relieved I hadn’t given in to my desires last night, glad I’d merely held her while she’d slept instead of trying to kiss her. Because there was no way kissing Milly in my bed while half naked wouldn’t lead to other things, especially when we were both less inhibited due to alcohol.
“Yes, well, anyway, thank you for being a gentleman. You always are.”
She gazed up at me, her eyes full of adoration. My heart gave a swift thud when her hand went to my forehead, gently smoothing my hair back. It was an automatic touch, one of affection. I let my head fall to the side, giving her full access to caress me as much as she wanted. There was nothing she could ask of me that I wouldn’t be willing to give. “I’ve always wanted to do this,” she said, her expression one of longing.
“What?” I asked, my voice heavy with arousal. “Touch my hair?”
She giggled lightly. “Pretty much. It has a very touchable texture.”
“You can thank my barber,” I responded then groaned when her nails scraped gently at my scalp. Just like that, her eyes rounded. She hadn’t expected me to make such a pleasured noise. I cleared my throat. “Sorry,” I murmured. “It just feels really good.”
Something about the statement sparked a curiosity in her, and she continued running her fingers through my hair, like she was enjoying this just as much as I was. Fuck, when she left, it was going to break me. But maybe … maybe things didn’t have to be that way. I’d never dream of trying to convince her not to go to London, but we wouldn’t be separated if I went with her. I was certain I could transfer to a college over there and finish my degree. I could get a part-time job at a hotel to pay my way, find a flat or a room close to where her aunt lived. It could work.
I wanted to blurt out my plan right away, but I held my tongue. There was no point getting her hopes up if I couldn’t transfer. I needed to research what courses I could qualify for and where I’d be accepted first.
Instead, I said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Want to go grab some doughnuts for breakfast? They do these maple bacon ones that Tristan says are amazing.”
Milly smiled. “Sure, let me get dressed.”
We drove to the doughnut shop in my car, stuffing ourselves with deep fried sugary goodness before I dropped her off at her place. She seemed in a bit of a hurry to get inside, swiftly waving me away, and I noticed her aunt’s car was parked out front. Milly was probably just embarrassed about going home in last night’s outfit and was in a rush to get inside before her neighbours spotted her. She’d mentioned that the lady who lived two doors down was particularly gossipy.
Returning home, I found my sister in the living room watching a period drama in her pyjamas. She sipped on a beige, disgusting looking smoothie she’d probably convinced herself was a hangover cure.
“How’s your head?” I asked with a grin as I passed by the doorway.
“Killing me,” Nuala replied, wincing. “But last night was the best. So worth it.” She paused to study me. “Where did you and Milly go? You disappeared almost as soon as we got back here last night.”
“We fell asleep,” I told her, and a grin tugged at her lips.