Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 468(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
I lowered my head and nuzzled her lips. “Thank you.”
She yawned and I smiled. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning. I’m not due on set until twelve.”
“You won’t leave?” she asked, drowsy and soft.
“No, baby. Not until you tell me to.”
“Okay. I guess you’re stuck with me forever, then.”
Forever. I could live with that.
I woke up the next morning alone. I slid my hand across the still-warm sheets, but Mila was gone. I sat up, relaxing when I heard the water running in the shower. I got up, stopping in the doorway, watching her. Her hair was wet, streaming down her back, the color darkened by the water, reminding me of the first time I saw her in the pool. Unable to help myself, I stepped in behind her, wrapping my arms around her and dropping my head to her neck, nuzzling the skin.
She jumped, then relaxed back into my embrace. “Hi,” she whispered.
I spun her in my arms and covered her mouth with mine, kissing her until she was breathless. “Hey, Shortcake.”
She snuggled into me, and I kissed her head. “Okay this morning?”
She leaned back, the water sluicing through her hair. “Last night was amazing.”
“You don’t regret it?” I asked, my words quiet, my eyes beseeching hers.
Please don’t regret me.
“No. You—we—were everything I dreamed of and more.”
“Yeah, we were.”
She slid her arms around my neck, rolling up on her toes. “Can I wash your back?”
“You can wash anything you want.” I waggled my eyebrows at her, and she laughed, the sound warm and sweet.
“You seem to be poking me with something.”
“Ignore it.”
She pressed her mouth to mine. “What if I don’t want to?”
I had her pressed against the tile in a second. “You’re not too sore?”
“No.”
That was all I needed.
We ate on the balcony, my appetite ferocious. Mila watched me eat, her gaze indulgent. She laughed when I snuck the bacon off her plate, slapping my hands away.
“Mine,” she protested.
I leaned forward, grasping the back of her neck and kissing her deeply. “Mine,” I growled.
A throat clearing broke us apart, and I tried not to smirk as Andi walked outside and sat down. She looked between us and shook her head as she poured her coffee and picked up a muffin.
“I see you two made some decisions.”
Mila blushed but straightened her shoulders. “We did.”
Andi met my eyes. “Her identity is private. That is not an option.”
“I understand.”
“I love her like a sister.”
“I’m glad.”
“I’ll do everything I can to help you, but God help you if you hurt her.”
Her words and quiet support surprised me. MJ would have already gone off the rails.
“I don’t plan to.”
She sat back. “How is this playing out, kids? We’re supposed to leave, Mila. Is this just a scratch-the-itch sort of thing, or are we attempting a long run?”
We had already talked about it in the night. Mila looked at Andi, leaning her elbows on the table as she spoke.
“I’m going to stay for a few more days, Andi.”
“On your own?”
“I’ll be here,” I interjected.
Andi flashed me a “duh” look and focused on Mila. “Is that a good idea, kiddo?”
“It’s what I want. I’m not ready to leave just yet.”
“How long?”
“A week. Then I’ll come home and get ready for when the crew arrives for filming.”
Andi nodded. “And has accommodation been discussed for Port Albany?”
“Not yet.” Mila glanced my way. “Nick can stay with me or at the hotel with the crew. Whatever he prefers.”
“For propriety’s sake, I’ll stay at the hotel,” I said, secretly thrilled that Mila wanted me with her. “But I might not be there a lot.” I lifted her hand and kissed it. “We’ll see how that plays out.”
“Your dad?” Andi asked her.
“I’ll talk to my parents.”
“What about your agent?” Andi asked me pointedly.
“She never goes on shoots unless I request it. And I will not be. She hates travel and being inconvenienced. She’ll stay in touch via Zoom and cell phone.”
“She won’t be happy about this development between you. Her opinion of Mila—”
I cut her off. “Doesn’t matter to me. She has no say in who I am involved with. I’ll make that clear to her today. I won’t let her near Mila.”
Mila’s phone rang from the other room, and she jumped up. “That’ll be Sammy. I’ll just be a minute.”
Andi tilted her head, studying me. “She’ll never move to LA, Nicholas. She would die here.”
“I know. I wouldn’t ask her to.”
“Where do you see this going then, if I can ask? She isn’t a fling kind of girl, no matter what she might think. And she’s not an elixir.”
“I already know that. My disorder can’t be cured, only controlled. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but she makes me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time. Hope. I don’t have to hide anything with her. She accepts me for me. Disorder and all. She makes my world better. She makes me want to be better. Do better.”