Page 47 of Worth Risking It

“I know, I know.”

Unblinking, I was unaware my nails were digging into her side until she sucked on her teeth, prying my fingers off. Mouthing, What’s wrong, I gulped, knowing Meyers got off easy. If Milo found out about me and Chastity, I would not fare as well. He would torture me and make me plead for death.

Patting the side of her thigh, I jutted my chin to motion her to get up. I scooted to the end of the sofa and rested an elbow on my knee to cradle my forehead.

“Milo’s out of town. I gotta call him so he can make arrangements for me to send him Chazzy. As soon as I can, I’ll head your way.”

“All right, brother. Let me know.”

“Mm hm.”

I tapped the screen, releasing my hold just enough to let the phone slide down my palm. Sniffing, I rubbed at my temples, closing my eyelids again.

“Baby?”

She petted my back, so I tipped my head to gaze at her. Knowing she was trustworthy, I whispered, “My brother’s dead.”

Her eyes bulged, a shallow breath catching her throat. Covering her mouth, she shook her head. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.” She leaned toward me, her arm sliding across to grip my opposite shoulder, laying her chin on the other.

Heaving a sigh, I closed my eyes and rested my temple to her forehead. I lifted my phone and pulled up Milo’s contact. I had to send Chastity to him so I could travel to Wisconsin and bury my oldest brother.

A clock started ticking in the back of my head, counting down the minutes until I was in the same position as Meyers. Time was running out.

Chapter 19

Chastity Monroe

To my surprise, the rental property Milo and Frank were staying at in Miami was rather quaint, considering the many places I’d seen him opt for since meeting him. A simple, one story midcentury home with white stucco siding consisting of three bedrooms and two bathrooms, there was nothing too elaborate about it, nothing glitzy. It was a beautiful home, but it wasn’t glamorous like I was used to with his tastes.

I did enjoy the pool, however. It, too, was just a basic rectangle surrounded by a herringbone patio, all under a glass enclosure that was covered with thick palm trees.

Floating on the surface, staring through the ceiling to the cloudless, black sky dotted with stars, I searched my soul for answers that seemed to elude me at every turn.

When I rounded the corner at the airport and saw Milo waiting for me, his arms loaded with flowers, my heart had soared.

There’s my sexy fiancée! he had shouted for over a hundred people to hear. Breaking out in a run, he had grabbed me, dropped the bouquet, and buried his hands in my hair to give a passionate kiss that had me melting inside.

Throughout the airport, from the terminal to the luggage claim, to the loading area outside where Frank picked us up, we couldn’t keep our hands off one another, stealing kisses and hugs and touches.

The moment Frank pulled the SUV to the curb, Milo was shoving me in the backseat, leaving my luggage for him to load. Before I even sat down, his hand was beneath my shirt, his tongue filling my mouth. By the time Frank was behind the wheel, pulling away, my jeans were around my knees and Milo between my thighs, his tongue bringing me to an orgasm in no time.

How could I be so in love with Milo, and in love with Wyatt, as well? Both men made me feel whole, and I felt empty whenever they were gone.

Milo brought me confidence, excitement, hopes, dreams, stability. When he looked at me, I felt lightheaded and tingled everywhere. When we were intimate, I felt sexy, beautiful, and loved.

Wyatt gave me peace, security, protection. I was cherished and worshipped by him. When my sight met his, my entire world stopped, my breath caught, and we were in a whirlwind where only the two of us existed in our private universe. Sex with him satisfied a need deep inside my soul, a need I never even knew I had until he opened my eyes.

If I lost either, I would die inside. I would never recover from the loss. I could not survive without either.

How was that possible? How could I whole heartedly, unconditionally be madly in love with two people at once?

Normally, when I was with Wyatt, I didn’t sit around, thinking about Milo, and vice versa. Tonight, was different. Tonight, Wyatt was in Wisconsin, burying his brother.

So many emotions swirled in my head. The man I loved needed me, and I couldn’t be with him. He was mourning the loss of his brother, and there was nothing I could do to console him, for we were barely even supposed to be on friendly terms. If I behaved too distraught over his sorrow, it would make Milo suspicious.

A notion occurred to me, and my insides turned to liquid ice. Would that soon be our future? Would Milo find out about us one day and get revenge on Wyatt? Would I be right behind him?

So far, there was very little chance of our affair being discovered. When we were in public, we never flirted or touched, we acted as if we were just friends, as we always had been. Sometimes, we even bickered, to hold the pretense of how our relationship started on animosity.