When He Reads To Me

36. Lissie

Chapter 36

Lissie

Six months later…

I haven’t been back to my hometown.

And I don’t intend to go back anytime soon.

Letti is due to arrive any minute, and Mason and Milo will be with her. I have a small apartment with two bedrooms, though I haven’t fully furnished the spare room yet. So I went out and bought a bed for it, now that I have friends coming. That feels weird to say in my head. I’m not used to having close friends, but Letti is exactly that—my closest friend—and I hope she’ll meet my sister and brother, who I have hung out with regularly. My father, who I am not comfortable calling “Dad” just yet, has been trying, and his wife is actually the sweetest lady ever. Her kids are proof of what a great human she is by how kind they are. Rebecca looks a little like me, whereas Jackson looks exactly like their mother. It’s been nice getting to know them. I didn’t realize I missed having a family until I finally had one.

There’s a knock on the door, and I startle. I take a moment to calm myself down and then go answer it. I’m tired. I’ve been working at a local bar for the last few months. I fix a smile on my face, take a deep breath, and grip the doorknob. When I pull the door open, arms surround me, and Letti tackles me in a hug before I can even say a word.

“Oh my gosh, I almost died,” she says dramatically.

“You did not,” Mason says, stepping past us. “Hey, Lissie.” He nods, holding her bag.

“What happened?” I ask.

“Turbulence,” mutters Milo, standing back, hesitating.

“The worst,” Letti adds.

“Yeah, so bad that she dumped her steaming hot coffee over us,” adds Mason from behind me as he places the bags down.

“Is anyone hurt?” I ask, hugging her tighter.

Letti pulls back and huffs. “Who cares about them, it’s me who’s hurt. Milo had the window seat and would joke about a bird flying into the thingy that flies the plane on the side.” She waves her hand around, then steps out of my view so I’m now facing Milo.

“You can come in,” I say, opening the door wider in invitation.

He looks me up and down. It’s then I realize I forgot to change out of my work clothes. I’m dressed in a pencil skirt, with stockings that have a pinstripe at the back, and a black blouse that is partly unbuttoned. My hair is tied up in a tight bun on the top of my head. The bar where I work is high class, and we are required to dress in the proper attire. His gaze falls to my heels, and the corner of his lips lifts in a smirk.

“Nice heels.”

I lift one slightly toward him.

“Told you I had a pair.” I grin at him. We’ve kept in contact in the months I’ve been gone, but it got less and less as we got busier and busier. But I still see him every night when I close my eyes.

“I see that.” He finally steps inside, and I shut the door behind him.

“You two can have the spare room. Sorry, it’s small.” I open the wooden door to the second bedroom. “New sheets and mattress. Hopefully, it’s comfortable,” I say as Letti and Mason walk in.

“This is really cute, Lissie. You decorated it all yourself?” she asks, looking around.

“I did,” I say, pride lacing my words.

I leave them to it and find Milo wandering around. He stops at some photos on the wall. One is of me and Letti from our trip to Thailand. All the rest are photos I took when I traveled to other places like Japan and Indonesia.

“I have two options for you,” I tell him, and he turns to me.

He’s dressed in black jeans and a dark gray shirt that showcases his beautiful muscles, and it’s weird not to see him in his leathers, but it’s refreshing all the same.

“Options?” He raises a brow, and his lips lift, his scar moving with it. “Interesting,” he mutters.

“I have this couch, though I can say from experience it’s not all that comfortable.” He glances at it, then back to me.

“I’ve slept on worse.” He shrugs.

I bite my lip and shift my gaze away from him. “Or my bed,” I manage to say. It feels like a pin could drop, and everyone would hear it. I wasn’t sure if I was going to offer him that, but after seeing him, I knew I would. He steps closer—one step is all he takes—and he invades my space.

“Which do you prefer?” he asks, the timbre of his voice low and sexy, and I shiver.

“My room.”

He sweeps a hand in that direction and says, “Lead the way.” I can feel him behind me as I open the door and step inside. He follows me in and places his bag on the floor in front of the bed.

“Lissie,” Letti calls, and I poke my head out of the bedroom door to see her opening the fridge. “I’m starving. I haven’t eaten because I was too nervous. Can we eat?”

“Yep, let me get changed. There’s a cute Mexican restaurant down the road within walking distance that serves the best tacos.” I smile, and she claps her hands and runs to her room. She is so happy that it makes me warm inside.

I go back into my room and shut the door behind me, and I see Milo sitting on the edge of the bed. As I walk to my closet, I feel the heat of his stare all over me. It’s like fire licking my skin but it’s too dangerous to touch. I unbutton my top and discard it in my laundry basket, then I do the same with my skirt, shimming it down my legs, before removing my stockings. Now, all I have left on is a matching pink G-string and bra. I don’t dare turn around as I reach for a clean shirt. Slipping it on, I turn for my drawers and pull out a pair of jeans, and it’s then I see his dark, hooded eyes locked on me.

“Dangerous game, Pretty Lady,” he growls, standing, his hands at his sides and his tongue sliding over his teeth.

“I remember how you like to play games.” I wink at him before I pull on my jeans.

“Only with you.” He lifts a hand to touch me, but he stops with it in mid-air before he lets it drop. I hoped he would touch me. He glances at the closed door. “We should go. Your friend is hungry and can be very annoying when she wants something.” He saunters to the door and holds it open, those ravenous eyes assessing me, eating me up.

“Are you hungry?” I ask him, and his hand tightens on the handle as he looks me dead in the eye.

“That’s a loaded question,” he answers as Letti appears.

“You two ready? I’m starving.” I give a quick “yep” and grab my jacket as Milo waits for me. Walking past him, I catch his sandalwood scent—it floats everywhere around him.

Leading us out, I shut and lock the door, and then we make our way down the street to the restaurant. Letti places an order without even looking at the menu, including drinks, as soon as we’re seated.

“Everything going good with you two?” I ask Mason and Letti.

Mason pulls her into a one-armed hug and kisses the top of her head. “Yep. Though I know to never fly with her again. She’s a freak,” he says, making her face go red.

“I’m not that bad.” She looks to Milo for help, and he holds up his hand and turns it over, revealing claw marks. Letti’s eyes go wide, and she covers her mouth. “Okay, well, maybe the next time, it won’t be as bad.”

“I don’t think it works like that.” Mason chuckles. “I thought Lissie was exaggerating when she said you were a bad flier, but I stand corrected.”

I disguise my smile by covering my mouth, knowing she was terrible to fly with.

Our food and drinks arrive shortly after. Mason and Lissie are across from Milo and me. I notice Milo’s hands on the table, both of them closed in fists as Mason speaks, and not once does he look my way.

“So, tell us. Letti mentioned some of the things you’ve been up to, but not everything.” Mason smiles as Letti puts a taco to her mouth and bites into it.

“Family, work.”

I feel Milo’s eyes on me.

“How’s the club? I haven’t asked because, to be honest, I didn’t want to. But have you found Cody?” My question is directed at both Milo and Mason.

Neither answers me.

Milo picks up his cell and starts sending messages. I say nothing more on the subject as we continue to eat our food and make small talk.

Milo doesn’t ask me anything at all.

And to say I’m getting a little annoyed with him would be an understatement.

His cell dings a few times throughout dinner, and he doesn’t excuse himself once or ignore it; he just continues to pick it up and type. I don’t bother asking him who he’s speaking to. I just sit there, getting angrier and angrier. At one point, Letti tries to bring him into the conversation. He nods, and that’s as good as it gets. I know Mason won’t say anything because, technically, Milo is his boss, though I’m not really sure how all that works. I just know that despite him being the big, scary man that everyone thinks he is, to me, he never has been.

“I’m tired.” Milo finally speaks.

We’ve all finished our meals, and I’m on my second margarita.

“I could use a good sleep,” Letti agrees, leaning her head on Mason’s shoulder.

Milo pays the bill without even asking, and we all get up to leave. On the walk back, he stays next to me but says nothing, and Mason and Letti are behind us, hand in hand.

When we arrive at the apartment, Letti kisses me goodnight before she heads to the guest room with Mason. I walk to my room, and Milo follows. He kicks off his shoes next to the bed as I grab my pajamas and head for the shower. I let him be the whole time, wondering why he hasn’t touched me or spoken more than a few words to me.

Does he not want to be here?

Is he with someone else?

Maybe I should have asked that question before inviting him into my bedroom.

All these thoughts run rampant through my head.

As soon as I’m clean, I wrap a towel around myself and pull open the door to find him climbing into my bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. His eyes find mine, and he pauses.

“Are you with someone?” I blurt out. One brow raises, and he looks at me as if I’ve gone mad. Maybe I have. “You aren’t, right? I mean, I doubt you’d be sleeping in my bed if you were.” He shakes his head, and I take that as his answer before I shut the bathroom door, finish getting dressed, and comb my hair. Turning the light off, I step out and climb into bed. I listen as I lie down and hear a soft snore.

He fell asleep.

Without saying one word.