21. Chapter Twenty-One - Millie
Luca and I step into my apartment and immediately change into jogging pants and shirts before we make ourselves comfortable on the couch and watch TV. Or, pretend to. Truthfully, I couldn”t even tell what we are watching. My thoughts continue to circle back to what happened today, rubbing my aching wrist with the fingers of my other hand.
At least it doesn’t seem to be broken. When Luca realizes I’m rubbing it like a dog would a wounded paw, he jumps up to walk into my kitchen, returning with something frozen wrapped up in a towel.
Worry lays heavy in my stomach. If today showed me how individual people react to seeing me, do I need to be scared of what might happen at the match when there is a bunch of them? I know there”s going to be more security, but I had security with me both times today, too.
There have always been people who don”t like me, people who let the whole world know about how they want me to disappear while hiding behind the curtain of anonymity that the internet provides. But this is taking everything to a whole new level, a very scary one.
”Hey,” Luca whispers against my temple, tightening his arms around me. ”What”s going through that pretty head of yours?”
”Worries,” I admit, tracing a path over his forearm with my fingertip. ”Annoyance. Do you think Asher”s plan will work?” A glimmer of hope has sparked inside me, but it doesn”t lift the weight on my shoulders.
”Honestly, I don”t know,” he admits. ”It makes sense to me, but from what I know, social media is a beast that”s hard to tame. Even if it doesn”t, we”ll think of something new.”
I give him a low hum and snuggle deeper into his arms. This is where I feel safe. Like we”re the only ones in the world; like all my problems don”t exist. Nobody can touch me here. I”m safe. And before I know it, the day catches up with me, and I fall asleep in his arms.
I wake up with a start. Fuck. I didn”t mean to fall asleep. But judging by the sunlight streaming into my room, I”ve slept through the night. And judging by the messy covers on the other side of my bed, Luca spent the night here with me.
What did I do to deserve him? I”m sure that when we started dating, he didn”t think that it”d be this much of a mess. But he”s taking it in stride, not only tolerating the whole circus, but making sure I”m okay, doing his best to show his support and help out. Like the super sweet livestream yesterday that I’m hoping someone uploaded to YouTube so I can watch it again when I’m in a better frame of mind. And then he even carried me to bed! I wish I”d been awake for that. He even took off my pants, knowing I hate sleeping in them. What a gem.
I reach for my phone to check the time. Fuck. It”s so late already. I need to hurry if I want to get to the stadium on time. But before I can get up, the notification for a message from Kayla pops up, and I hurry to open it.
Kayla:Told Naroa to pound sand and let Mike know. We have the day off. Dress rehearsal is tomorrow, and then we”re ready to go.
I stare at the message, relief washing over me in a bone-breaking wave.
Millie: You”re the best. Thank you.
Kayla: Good morning. Sleep okay?
Millie: Like a baby. Anything exciting happen?
Kayla: Go have breakfast and then check your socials.
I sigh. Breakfast sounds like a wonderful idea, but that means I”ll have to leave this perfectly warm bed and leave these cozy covers behind. I pull the blanket up to my chin. Not happening yet.
The door to the bedroom opens, and I glance toward it. My face breaks into a smile when I see Luca entering the room. It stretches even wider when I realize he”s only wearing his shorts and holding two steaming mugs in his hands.
”Good morning, Sunshine,” he says with a cheeky grin and sits down on the bed. ”How are you feeling?”
”A lot better.” I stretch my arms over my head before I sit up and take the mug he offers me. Even my wrist doesn’t really hurt anymore. There’s a numb, pulsing sensation going on, but I just take that as a sign of healing. ”Thank you.”
”Anytime.” He waits until I take my first sip and release a happy sigh. When I lift my chin and purse my lips for a kiss, he complies, and I smile at the taste of coffee creamer on his lips. He hands me his mug, then climbs behind me, until I”m sitting between his legs and lean my back against his chest.
”Did you get today off, too?” I ask him and sigh happily when his arm sneaks around my middle, while he takes his mug back with the other one.
”Only the morning,” he says sadly. ”I need to go in around one.” I check the time on my phone and nod. That”s still quite a bit off, so I relax against him and take another sip of my coffee.
We drink them silently, each of us trailing after our own thoughts. Mine are circulating around our show, as I force myself not to think about yesterday.
There”s that one piece of choreography that I can”t reconcile with where the cameras are and where I”m supposed to look. It wouldn”t be the end of the world if I can”t manage it, but I”m trying to come up with a way to make it.
When my mug is empty, Luca takes it from my hands and puts it next to his on my nightstand before snaking his now free arm around me as well, sighing contentedly as he buries his face against the crook of my neck. Goosebumps spread on my skin, and I shudder when he starts kissing me there, his breath blowing over my sensitive skin.
”Luca?” I whisper, anxious that speaking loudly will break this little bubble of intimacy we find ourselves in.
”Yeah?”
”I think I”m falling in love with you,” I confess, keeping my eyes straight ahead. His breath hitches, and I feel him gulp, his arms tightening around me, and now he puts his legs over mine as well, clinging to me like a koala, making my heart flutter like a bird’s wings. “No. I’m certain of it.”
”I”m pretty sure I”m already there, too,” he whispers, and my breath hitches, emotion building in my throat. ”You”re very easy to love, Sunshine.”
”And you”re very easy to fall in love with,” I giggle and squirm, turning until I straddle him, and I can look into his eyes. His cheeks are flush, and his hands are nervously kneading my thighs.
God, he”s so handsome. The small freckles scattered across his face, the small wrinkles at the corners of his eyes from laughing so much, I want to memorize all of it, burn it into my brain so I can pull his image in front of my eyes when he’s not next to me. I”m attracted to him like a moth to the flame, and like flowers to the sun; his absence dulls my sparkle.
I don”t even realize that our faces are moving toward each other until our lips meet. With a happy sigh, I cup his face with my hands as he kisses me until my whole body begins to tremble, my fingertips gently digging into his scalp while his tongue asks for entrance. We kiss like two people who are starving for each other, and maybe I am–starving for his attention, for his touch.
I draw in a sharp breath when his hands wander up my body, under my sleep shirt, to trace a path over my naked skin. I gasp when he reaches my nipple, breathing a small moan when he rubs it between his fingers, pleasure shooting straight from my breast to my core.
A surge of heat spreads in my body like wildfire, and I squirm in his lap. His fingers dig into my ribs at the friction, and with one swift movement, my back hits the mattress, legs locked around his waist as he kisses me like a man finding water in the desert.
Grinding his hard length against me, he swallows my moan, sending sparks through every single inch of my body. And when his hand reaches between my legs, he sets my insides ablaze.
”You”re so perfect for me,” he whispers against my lips, his fingers finding my folds. ”I want to take you apart, piece by piece.”
All I can answer is a whine, as his lips trail down my throat.
”I want to remember every inch of you for when we”re apart.” With his nose, he trails a light path down to my shoulder. ”Want to memorize every curve of your body, every spot that makes you sound like this.”
His lips close around my nipple, and I whimper, making him chuckle around it.
”Hmmm, such a pretty sound,” he growls with a smile playing at his lips, his fingers gently teasing my entrance. ”You”re so ready for me already. Fuck.”
I groan when he slips his fingers inside me, stretching me until I”m ready for him.
Kissing his way further down my body, I twist and turn under his touch. It”s too much, yet not enough at the same time. Then again, it’s never going to be enough. I will never have enough of him.
His fingers pumping inside me, his thumb circling my clit, his warm breath on my nipple, and his hand kneading my breast. I want to feel him everywhere, let the fire inside me explode, but I don”t want to come yet.
”Come on, Sunshine. Show me that pretty face of yours when you cum.” He rubs his chin with rough morning stubble over my nipple, and I yelp. Fuck, why does this feel so good? His words register somewhere deep inside me, and my body listens to him. Suddenly, fireworks explode behind my eyes in colorful sparks, and I come apart under his touch, convulsing around his fingers and shouting his name. ”That”s it, Sunshine.”
I”m still trembling when he pulls his fingers out of me, a sound of protest escaping my throat. Even through my delirium, I see him reach for my nightstand, where I keep the condoms, and swat his hand away.
”I want to feel you, Luca,” I press out, digging my fingers into his hips. ”I”m on the pill. Got my bloodwork done recently. I”m all clear.”
”Are you sure?” he asks, and I nod fervently, putting my hands on his butt to pull him against me. “I got the all-clear when they tested my blood for the match.”
”I”m fucking sure,” I say and nod vigorously, reaching up to bury my hands in his hair and pull his face to mine. “Now hurry up, Luca. I really fucking need you.”
”God, Millie,” he groans, reaching between the two of us to line his head up with my entrance. ”You”re so beautiful when you beg. Going to make you do that for hours one day.”
Slowly, he pushes inside me, and I tense, before I force myself to relax and take him. It’s not easy, but it doesn’t hurt as much now that I know what to expect. He stays still once he bottoms out, his pulsing length a warm presence inside me. ”That”s it, Sunshine. You”re doing so well.”
His praise touches something deep inside me, deeper than his cock could ever reach. And it reaches fucking deep already. Fuck. I want to hear more of it…want him to keep saying sweet things.
And I want him to keep looking at me the way he does. Full of admiration and affection, so much that it brings tears to my eyes and makes my heart feel light like a feather.
”Luca,” I whine and let my hands explore his back. I”m not even sure what I want. What I need from him.
But he does. That man can read me like a book, and it”s amazing. Slowly, he starts moving, the pain in my core subsiding as the air fills with his grunts and my whines and moans, along with the sound of him thrusting inside me. It”s obscene and primal, and it turns me on like nothing else. Fuck.
”You drive me crazy,” he mumbles against my throat, as he starts to pick up his pace. ”I swear to God, I could spend all day inside you and still not get enough.”
He reaches between us and presses his thumb against my clit. My back arches involuntarily, and he uses the opportunity to catch one of my nipples with his lips again.
Before I know it, the familiar pressure in my core announces itself once again. ”Luca, I”m cumming.”
”Almost there, too,” he grits out, and his pace becomes hectic and erratic. “Going to cum inside you. Now, do it, Sunshine. I”m right there with you.”
At once, I come apart, shouting his name and digging my fingers into his back as my whole body starts shaking again, pulsing around him as he continues to drive into me.
”Fuck, Sunshine,” he growls and bucks inside me only a few more times before I feel his warm cum spurting inside me. ”You feel so fucking good.”
It feels weird. I”ve never let any of my former boyfriends fuck me without a condom, but Luca? I want him without any borders and with nothing separating the two of us. I only fear that I might become addicted to this feeling.
With a deep, happy sigh, he becomes still, a drop of sweat running down his throat as both of us try to catch our breath.
”You”re amazing, you know that?” He presses a kiss to my lips, and I can”t help but smile into it.
”You”re kind of amazing yourself.”
When he pulls out of me, I start giggling at the obscenely squelching sound. ”I need a nickname for you too.”
”Oh yeah?” He lies down next to me, capturing one of my curls and twisting it around his finger. ”Like what? God?”
”Muffin?” I giggle, and he shakes his head, letting his hand wander between my legs.
”I”m officially veto-ing Muffin,” he lets me know, and then he curses. ”Feeling my cum drip out of you is really fucking hot, by the way.”
”It feels really fucking hot, too,” I say with a smile. I don”t think I”ll be able to wipe this smile off my face all day.
I eye Luca as he steps out of my bathroom, wearing nothing but a towel around his hips. God, what did I do to deserve a man like that? I”ll never get tired of looking at him and his muscles as they move while he walks.
Let”s be honest, he could sit in a chair covered from head to toe, and I”d still find him hot as fuck.
Just out of the shower is definitely a bonus, though, so I lift my phone and raise my eyebrow at him in question, giving him my best attempt at puppy eyes. Instantly, he smiles and strikes a pose, with his arm behind his head and flexing his abs. What an idiot. My idiot.
With a little ”oof,” he throws himself onto the couch next to me, laying his head on my shoulder and snaking his arms around my middle. I love that he always reaches for me, always has the need to touch me in some way.
”Kayla told me to go online today,” I tell him, and he stiffens.
”Do you... want to?” He lifts his head to look at me. ”I can look and tell you…if you don”t want to check it out yourself.”
I take a deep breath. His offer is sweet, but I don”t think that would work for me. I need to see it for myself.
”Let”s look together?” I propose and he nods, pulling me into his lap so he can look at my screen over my shoulder more easily. My heart pounds in my chest. It’s because of his arms around me, the way his thumb caresses my hip reassuringly, and because I”m really fucking nervous about looking at social media.
But what I see pushes the air out of my lungs. But in a good way.
AdamWalker: This is atrocious. Millie has such a pure soul, and she doesn”t deserve this. Leave her alone!
MadReed: Violence is never the answer. What kind of loser do you have to be to attack a celebrity? #StayStrongMillie, we love you!
Both of them have shared an article detailing yesterday”s incidents.
”What the–” I scroll through even more posts from Asher”s and Luca”s team members, and their opponents. All of them have posted some lovely words about me and share the same hashtag. It doesn”t stop there, though.
Luca reads over my shoulder silently, but I can feel him grin against my skin. My eyes widen the more I read. People I”ve worked with years ago came out to join the campaign, and I’m pretty sure they aren’t among the people that Kayla, Asher, and Luca called yesterday.
Joe9837: Worked with her on the ”Love is in the Air” music video, and she was beyond lovely. Always looking out for us and making sure we had enough to drink in 35-damned-degree Celsius heat. She”s a gem, and y”all should treat her like it. Beyond disgusted at what happened. #StayStrongMillie
A$hley3: I”m the barista who was at the first attack. She only came in to quietly order her coffees, and if she doesn”t drink 18 of them at once, they were for their whole team. The tip she left me bought my groceries for the week. #StayStrongMillie, 10/10 would die for her.
”Look, even Mary came to your defense,” Luca chuckles and points at a post further down from where I”m reading.
MarysPottery: Such a lovely girl, and thanks to her, I don”t have to close my shop. Can”t express my gratitude enough. She deserves all the love in the world.
The screen blurs as my eyes fill with tears. Happy tears, though. I don”t know what all of this means for the future.
I know I won”t ever be able to please everyone. There will always be people who hate me. But this is giving me the tiniest glimmer of hope that, ultimately, I will be alright.
”You deserve this,” Luca whispers into my ear, and I wipe away one of the tears rolling down my cheek. ”And so much more.”
And you know what? Coming from him, I believe it.