“You’re not—”
“Wait.” Milo uses both his hands to cover my mouth and stop me from talking. “I can’t ignore things the way I did with Sully. I can’t let this go unspoken.”
My heart pounds in my ears. Has he noticed my feelings for him and how deep they actually run? If he’s comparing me to Sully, does that mean that he doesn’t want the regret of letting things continue until it’s too deep to climb out from?
My hands grip him tighter. I knew things had to end eventually, but I thought I had more time than this.
I nod anyway. If this little time is all I get with Milo, then so be it. I can’t let myself become another regretful memory.
“I love you,” he blurts, and that’s thelastfucking thing I expected to come out of his mouth.
I thinkmy brows are to my hairline, but I can’t really focus on anything besides Milo right now. He’s still looking at me with determination in his eyes, and his hands still covering my mouth.
Why are they in my way when all I want to do is kiss him now?
“And I know you only see me as your client. Sure, we’re having sex, but I’m sure that’s all it is to you, but I—”
I break free of his hands and don’t let him continue by claiming the kiss that I need to fuel my soul. Milo is instantly soft in my arms, melting into the kiss. His tongue dances with mine, calling to me like this is how we were always meant to be.
“I love you,” I murmur when I have enough brain cells to remember that I still haven’t actually said the words out loud.
Milo leans back to look at me with the expression I was probably wearing just moments ago.
“You do? Then why did you keep pushing me away?”
“Well, because this doesn’t change the fact that it’s inappropriate. It’s so unprofessional to fall in love with your client. In fact, I was thinking that after all this is over, I should talk to Price about assigning you someone else.”
“No, absolutely not!”
“Milo.” I say his name helplessly. “How can I do my job properly when all I can think about is you?”
“Doesn’t that mean you’ll do whatever it takes to keep me safe?”
“Yes, of course I will, babe. I’ll always keep you safe, but it’s different.”
“Are you saying you trust me in the hands of someone else?” he asks. I know it’s a taunt, and I fall right for it.
All the guys who work for Price are good at their job—Price wouldn’t keep them on if they weren’t—but it doesn’t change the nasty swell inside of me at the thought of anyone else spending time with Milo like this.
“There’s Jack,” I try to reason.
“He’s retiring. That’s the whole reason you were hired, remember?”
I bite my lip, unable to come up with another excuse. Milo laughs and loosens my lip from my teeth.
“That’s my bad habit. Don’t go learning it from me now,” he says and kisses me as if offering me a consolation prize.
As always, when his lips are on me, I get lost in him. Everything else drifts away as every single cell inside me screams for him.
I lean in for a deeper taste, but Milo pulls back. His forehead is on mine, and his hot breath tickles against me.
“I’m selfish, Rowan,” he whispers. I’m about to argue his point, but he continues before I can. “I want it all; you as my lover, going on tours with me as my bodyguard. I want everything with you. I don’t care if it’s ‘right’ or ‘appropriate.’ It’s you and me. And that’s what I want.”
Milo has kept me on my toes since practically the moment I met him, but he’s outdone himself this time. Swept me off my metaphorical feet and knocked all words out of existence.
“Wow, I… I don’tknow what to say,” I tell him honestly.
“Say yes. Tell me you want the same thing too,” he murmurs.
