Page 14 of Unwritten Rules

I step forward, slinging my arm over her tiny shoulder. Mila is well over a foot shorter than my 6’5”, so it doesn’t take a massive effort, in fairness.

“Let’s get back to the party, Mouse.”

She stiffens before pulling out of my hold. “Don’t call me that, Nathaniel.”

Widening my eyes at her severely hostile tone, a wholly new sound to my ears, I can’t help crinkling my brow as I stare at her in confusion.

“Henry calls me Mouse. It’s a pet name for a little girl. And in case you haven’t noticed it – I’m far from being little anymore.”

It’s hard to miss her thrusting her considerable chest forward, and I curse myself for taking note.

Sick fuck.

She steps closer, her head tilting questioningly as her eyes narrow in what I’m guessing is astute speculation.

“Have you noticed, Nate?”

She closes the distance with another bold step, then another, while I step backwards, my eyes never leaving her face.

She quirks a perfectly shaped brow, one side of her mouth drawing up in a smug, knowing smirk. I need to steer this conversation to safer waters sharpish!

I clear my throat, shrugging. “Henry has you all wrong, littlest DeMarco. You’re no mouse.” I can’t stop my mouth from twitching with a threatening grin.

Her smirk blooms into a fully loaded smile, her eyes twinkling mischievously. “That so, Nathaniel?”

“It sure is. He can keep calling you Mouse, but we both know you’re not the prey.”

The words lay unspoken between us. Fierce, funny, tough, strong-as-fuck Mila DeMarco – takes no nonsense from anyone, and woe betide if you mess with someone she loves when there’s a loaded gun at hand!

“You’re the predator, Mila. A real hellcat.”

A name I’ve kept to myself for some time now, but I can’t help the small relief I feel at just speaking the word aloud.

Stepping forward, I link her arm with mine to escort her back to the festivities, optimistic that whatever sent her flying heedlessly into the darkened woods has passed, but she remains rooted to the spot. Unmoving.

“I slept with Simon.”

She turns her head to find my eyes blown wide, and a sick feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. I don’t know if I want to vomit or kill this fucking Simon – either way, I don’t like it.

Her eyes glisten with tears. “I just did it because everyone else – all my friends, I mean – had already had sex, you know? And the person I truly want…never mind. Anyway, it was absolutely awful, and the worst part was when he… finished—”

I openly grimace, closing my eyes as though to block out this conversation I want no part of before I nod for her to continue, knowing she needs to tell someone. And a twisted part of me is rejoicing at being the person she goes to when she needs to talk.

“Well, he got up and…disposed of the…condom, but then he said, ‘We need to break up.’”

My jaw clenches so tightly that I think my teeth might just chip until the next words leave her mouth.

“He said he’s been sleeping with his best friend, Erick, and he’d only fucked me to make sure he wasn’t into girls.”

“Oh, Hellcat.” I gather her against my chest as she soaks my dress shirt with tears, her small frame shaking underneath my hold. I feel utterly incompetent, and it’s a feeling I’m not at all too keen on. “Do you want me to kick his dumb ass, littlest DeMarco?”

She nods in my hold, still quivering.

“Your wish.” I whisper our special words against the top of her head, and her body loosens slightly.

“Am I ugly, Nate?” Her voice is muffled against my chest. “Am I such a turn-off to the opposite sex that I can make a man gay just by sleeping with him?”

Instinctively, I place my hands on either side of her head, tilting it back until my eyes meet hers.