Shit.
Throwing on the pair of board shorts, I take my time before making my way out onto the deck. Someone moved the buffet outside, under a striped awning, and piled it high with enough food to feed a small army.
Loading my plate, I grab a cup of coffee, before carrying it to the table, setting it down before claiming the chair across from her. Sitting, I unroll my silverware, placing my napkin in my lap to hide the fact that while my hard-on has relented a little, it’s not entirely gone. It never is when I’m around her.
That’s the problem—or at least one of them—when it comes to me and Millie Blackwell.
“Morning,” I say, barely sparing her a glance while I spread cream cheese on my bagel.
“Good morning.” No longer able to pretend I don’t exist because I’m suddenly back to invading her space and we promised to behave withcivility,Millie offers me a quick, awkward smile before popping a fat blueberry into her mouth. “I’m surprised to see you. You’re usually gone when I wake up.”
Watching her roll it across her tongue, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like to feel it roll over the head of my cock.
Jesus Christ, Mercer. Is that all you think about?
When it comes to her?
Yeah. Basically.
“I’ve been drunk for four days straight, Minnesota Fats,” I inform her with a caustic chuckle. “My liver is getting ready to jump ship.” Reaching for my coffee, I take a healthy swallow while contemplating dumping the scalding hot brew in my lap. When she doesn’t follow it up with more pleasantries, I tellmyself to let it go. I was polite. I did my part. Now we can move on to theignoring each otherand the fact that you watched me jerk off in the shower last night while I thought about fucking youportion of the program. Because I never fucking listen, my mouth is open and moving before I can stop it. “How’d you sleep?”
The question must remind her of what happened last night because her cheeks flush and her lips part just enough to make my cock ache.
Shit.
I’m going to have to ask Mateo for some duct tape and a pair of compression shorts.
Before I can grab my plate and run like a little bitch, Millie looks up at me, her clear hazel eyes finding mine, a slight smile lifting the corners of her generous mouth. “Well, I didn’t wake up to the sounds of my bedmate jerking off next to me, so I’d say I slept better than expected.”
I blink.
Once.
Twice.
Trying to reconcile the words I just heard with the woman who just said them, and I can’t.
I just can’t.
Finding my spoon on a chuckle, I look down to hide the fact that I’m on the verge of laughing. “I’m at a loss, Milquetoast, so help me out—” Spooning some capers on to my smeared bagel, I cover them with Lox. “Was that an insult?” Sitting back, I take my bagel with me. “Because I think it might’ve been an insult.”
“I don’t know?” She gives me a shrug while blowing a few strands of stray hair away from her flushed cheeks on a haughty huff. “Do you feel insulted?”
Thinking about all the things I could make her do aspunishment for insulting me—all the things she couldn’t say no to.Wouldn’tsay no to—I want to say yes. Ireallywant to say yes because my cock isn’t aching anymore.
It’s throbbing so hard I can feel it in my toes.
“No.” Taking a bite of my bagel, I give her a shitty smirk to cover up the fact that the only thing I want to eat at this table is her. “I guess I don’t.”
“Then it wasn’t an insult,” she tells me with another shrug. Picking up another blueberry, she rolls it between her fingers, gaze dropping to her plate. “Look, about the other night…”
Heart hammering my chest, I think she’s talking aboutlastnight. That she’s decided to face what happened head on, instead of doing what we do, which is ignore the fact that we both very much want to fuck each other. “The other night?”
“Sunday night.” Lifting her gaze from her plate she frowns at me. “Our first night here. You?—”
“I kissed you.” Forcing as much indifference into my tone as I can muster, I give her a shrug. “We’re both adults. Neither of us is currently attached. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless wemakeit a big deal.”
“Okay.” She gives me a head bob, her gaze filled with equal parts confusion and relief. “No big deal.”
