Chapter 35
MONTE CARLO, MONACO
“ H ave you told him yet?”
“Sorry?”
Obviously, Indy had heard Ava’s question just right. She just needed to pretend she couldn’t hear through the loud bass of the music to find a way to tell her friend that she hadn’t done what she needed to do.
Ava leaned closer, Rowan still standing behind her with an arm draped across her collarbones. He was swaying to the music, wearing sunglasses—yes, in a damn club—whilst sipping on his drink. “Did you tell Miles about you-know-who?”
Indy winced. “I have not.”
“Indy!” Both Ava and Rowan exclaimed in unison.
“You know about this?!” Indy aimed her finger at Rowan’s chest.
He shrugged sheepishly. “She’s my best friend! We tell each other everything.”
“You two are so lucky that you’re cute and I love you both.”
“We love you too, Ind, but you need to tell Miles. He’s noticed you’ve been acting weird,” Ava said. “He’s worried that you don’t want him anymore or something.”
After the mind-blowing sex they’d just had? She frowned. “Is that why he kissed me in front of all the cameras?”
“He thinks he needs to express his love loudly.”
But Indy did not need to have cameras aimed at them or the public watching over them to know about the feelings he had for her.
She blew a raspberry and looked around the crowded club to find Miles. He was standing by the bar, surrounded by women begging for his attention, but he was talking to Charlie.When a brunette tapped on his shoulder and leaned in to whisper something in his ear, Indy’s chest tightened. He nodded, then her hand brushed his upper arm. He took a step back, and whatever he said next made his interlocutor throw her head back and laugh.
Kamari joined Indy’s group, her fingers laced through Thiago’s. “Did you and Miles talk yet?”
“God, guys, no! This is not just something I can blurt out like that. He had to focus on his race, and I couldn’t just go up to him and say ‘ hey, baby, did you know your ?—’”
“He’s coming this way,” Rowan warned before kissing Ava’s neck.
As if her body had sensed his presence, her skin pebbled when Miles’ hands found her hips, pulling her into his chest. His warm breath fanned across her cheek as he leaned in. “Hey. You okay?”
Indy could feel the tension pulling her shoulders taut. She really needed to tell Miles about his mother. It had happened three days ago, and keeping the secret was destroying her.
She turned around, her palms finding his broad neck, sliding upwards to tangle through his hair. He smiled down at her, with tenderness and adoration, and she felt the anxiety evaporate from her veins for a few beats.
“Can we go home? I need to tell you something.”
They walked through the streets of Monaco holding hands, doubling over in laughter when Indy reminded him of a childhood memory. They just fitted together perfectly, seamlessly, and there wasn’t a shadow of doubt in the back of Indy’s mind that Miles was it for her.
When they arrived at the penthouse, Rosie was soundly sleeping by the sofa, and Indy pulled Miles out on the patio.
He didn’t flick the lights on, only letting the street lamps illuminate the area. In the distance, thunder rumbled in the sky, and it was a matter of minutes before the city would be engulfed in a downpour.
Miles sat down on a lounge chair, then pulled Indy on his lap when she tried to sit next to him. With her legs dangling to the side, she wrapped her arms around his neck, kicking her high heels off.
“Hi,” he whispered, meandering his gaze over her face. The soft smile pulling at his lips made guilt burn through her vessels.
God, she loved him so unconditionally—she always had. So deeply and fiercely. No one had ever made her feel this way, and she hated herself for the pain she would cause. “Hi, Golden Boy.”
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in a while.”
A knot tightened in her throat. “We’ve been so busy this week. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologise.” His calloused palm delicately caressed her thigh. “Are you okay? Did I do something wrong? Is this about the whole Tara thing?”
“No,” she whispered, toying with the pendant on his chest—her initial. “This drama isn’t important as long as it stays between us.”
“She violated our privacy, Indy. You have to tell me if she makes you uncomfortable.”
“I’m okay for now.”
The ball in the pit of her stomach started expanding with sorrow, anger, and perhaps fear. Indy took her time to remember every feature of his handsome face—the beautiful green of his eyes, those long and thick lashes, his nose, the shape of his lips she loved so much, that square jaw. He was beautiful, it was no secret, but she loved his kind heart more than anything.
Gently brushing her thumbs over the stubble dusting across his jawline, she exhaled shakily. “Huxley, I want you to know that you’ve changed my life. You have no idea how happy I am that we finally have this. That we’re finally us. I love you. I love you beyond measure. I love you so much that I can’t breathe, and?—”
“Baby,” he cut in with a whisper. His eyes were already brimmed with emotion, and it made the ache in her chest deepen further. “You’re scaring the crap out of me. Are we—is this over?”
“No, no.” Her words were strangled in her throat, but he still exhaled in relief. “I’ve been in love with you for a decade, I’m not going to let you go that easily.”
“That long?” For a beat, his smile took over the worry etched on his expression.
Indy nodded. “I’ve always been yours.”
“You’re choosing me?”
“Every minute of every day.” Gently, she kissed his lips, and he melted into her. Fell into her. “You’re my whole world.”
After swallowing deeply, he frowned. It was evident that he was too anxious about the direction this conversation was headed in to react to her confession. “What is it then?”
She took a deep breath, holding his gaze. “On Thursday morning, a woman came up to me. A woman who claimed to be your mother.”
The soft caresses he’d been branding upon her skin ceased. “Sorry?”
At that moment, thunder exploded in the sky. Miles jolted, but kept his focus on her.
“She said she needed to speak with you.”
“But—” The confusion and distress were evident in his gaze. “Why?”
“Well—”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” The question was barely audible, the words resting on his lips.
“Because you had a big weekend ahead and I didn’t want it to distract you. I know I shouldn’t have kept that from you, but I needed to protect you.”
Irritation wove into his words as the muscle in his jaw ticced. “I don’t need you to protect me, Indy.”
He lifted her off his lap, and she took a step back to give him the space he needed. His chest rose and fell as he passed his fingers through his hair, his brows knitting in confusion.
“You always protect others,” Indy whispered. “But there’s no one to take care of you.”
His shoulders fell—subtle, but there. “Before you, I didn’t have anyone taking care of me, and I surely didn’t have anyone who would walk through a fire to keep me safe. But baby, what if this woman hurt you? What if?—”
“I’m okay. I was with Ava and Kam.”
Miles paused. “Ava? Ava knows about this, too?”
Indy nodded. Absentmindedly, she started to rub the skin between her thumb and forefinger— something she hadn’t done in a while. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Please. I need you to understand why I didn’t want to tell you yet.”
Settling his gaze somewhere behind her shoulder, the absence of emotion in it made her want to reach out and pull him into her. He’d gone from turmoil to shock, and what she needed to do was to give him more space, even if it broke her heart.
“Yeah.” He ran his fingers through his hair again, pulling at the roots. “I need to be alone for a while.”