Her words twist my gut like a pipe wrench. She’s still holding the coffee, so I take it from her and set it down before I grab her again and drag her to me.
“Cut me loose? You think you don’t deserve me? I don’t deservethat.”I’m sure she hears the edge in my voice. I’m not angry. Just afraid of what she could do to me.
“But it’s too—”
“It’s fucked up is what it is.”
She blinks, startled. “What do you mean?”
“You thinking about dumping me because I want to help you.”
Millie stares at me for a second. Then she closes her eyes and exhales. “You’re right. I’m just…”
I’m gripping her upper arms, but now I ease my hold and stroke her. “You’re just what?”
She opens them again. “Scared.”
Any tension—and all fear—drains right out of me. She’s scared. More scared than I am. I already know this. I shouldn’t let it rattle me. “I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head. “You’re not the one who should be apologizing.I’msorry.”
I watch her face. She looks contrite, conflicted, and completely miserable. I give her a wry look, hoping to make her smile. “Was that our first fight?”
She wrinkles her nose, looking at me like I’m crazy, but at least the corners of her mouth turn up. “We fight all the time. We fought the first day you came over.”
I laugh. She’s right. “I meant our first fight as a couple.”
Her brows leap. “Oh. I mean… Are we—Did we—”
“Yes.” I grip her arms again. “We are. And we did.”
Color rises to her cheeks because we’re both thinking of Thursday night and the time alone we haven’t yet been able to duplicate. I’d pay the kids again if Millie would let me, but she’s forbidding it. For now, anyway. I know I don’t really need to pay them. At least not fifty dollars each. They’d accept less to follow the rules and keep us updated, but Millie’s hesitant to leave them again so soon.
I’m sure that’s true. But I also have my suspicions that she’s a little afraid to be alone with me again.
I,Dios ayúdame, find it hard to think about anything else.
So, it’s no wonder when I let my hands glide down to her hips. The way her tights cling to her curves is maddening. I grip her ass with both hands. Millie gasps when I tug her against me. By the way her eyes widen, I know she feels it.
Feels how I want her.
I brush my lips over hers, and they part. My tongue is seeking hers when she whispers, “Emmett will be down any second.”
I lick her bottom lip. “We’ll hear him.”
Acknowledging the logic in this, she relents and opens for me. Our lips meet, tongues reuniting after the too long night. She tastes like heaven. I want to slip a hand down the back of her tights and discover just what kind of bewitchinglenceríashe’s wearing today.
I keep an ear trained on the stairs. Is there enough time? Enough time to reach down between us, tuck my hand into her panties, and find her eager little pearl?La joya.
I’m imaging having her scent on my fingers all day when the kitchen door opens behind me. We spring away from each other, and I wheel around to find Sam, slack-jawed and going pale, standing in the doorway.
“Sorry, boss! Donner said to be here for seven o’clock.” He gulps and drops his gaze to the floor. “The cabinets are being delivered.”
I spare Millie a quick glance. Her knuckles are pressed to her lips. She’s beet red. But I can tell her fist is hiding an embarrassed smile. She doesn’t look pissed.
I breathe a sigh of relief just as I hear a door upstairs. Emmett.
“You’re right,” I say to Sam. “They should get here first thing. Glad you’re on time. But it never hurts to knock.”
