15. Vice Blackwell #3
I wasn’t letting them take anything else.
Milan’s eyes moved over my face before she looked away. “You always sound so sure.”
“I am.”
“That must be nice.”
“It is sometimes.”
She gave me a small smile, but it didn’t last. “You didn’t have to leave the other night?”
I frowned. “What?”
“After we kissed.”
“You told me goodnight.”
“I know.” She looked down at her hands again. “I wasn’t asking you to leave, though.”
“You closed the door.”
Her eyes lifted to mine as chuckled. “Honestly, I got nervous.”
“I figured that.”
“But not because I didn’t want you there.”
I held her stare.
The room got quieter, or maybe I simply stopped hearing everything else.
Milan shifted slightly on the couch. “I haven’t been with anybody since Evan.”
“I know. You told me he was the only man you were with for ten years.”
“That doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything after.”
“Nah. But the way you looked at me told me.”
She let out a nervous laugh. “That obvious?”
“To me.”
Milan looked toward the windows, and I gave her time to decide what she wanted to say next.
“I’ve been thinking about that kiss,” she admitted.
“Me too.”
Her eyes came back to mine. “You have?”
“Every gotdamn day.” Something in her face changed. The fear was still there, but it wasn’t about the picture anymore. I moved closer, but not enough to touch her. “You scared?”
“A little.”
“Of me?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Of myself...”
“What that mean?”
“It means I spent ten years thinking I knew what love was supposed to feel like. I trusted somebody completely, and he made me look stupid. Now I’m here with you, and everything feels like it’s moving fast even though part of me doesn’t want it to slow down.”
I let her words settle before replying. “You don’t owe me nothing because you staying here.”
“I know.”
“You ain’t gotta do anything you don’t wanna do.”
“I know that too.”
“Then what you scared of?”
Milan looked at me for several seconds before saying, “Wanting you this much.”
That answer went straight through me.
I had spent the last few weeks trying not to push her, giving her space every time she needed it and pretending I wasn’t losing patience with how much I wanted her. Hearing her admit she felt the same made keeping my distance harder than it had been all night.
Still, I didn’t move.
“This ain’t the picture talking?” I asked.
Her eyebrows pulled together as a confused look washed over her face. “What?”
“You had a bad night. You scared. I’m not about to take advantage of that.”
Milan’s expression softened before she shook her head. “This started before tonight.”
“You sure?”
“Yes...”
I watched her closely, looking for any hesitation, but there wasn’t any.
Milan moved first.
She leaned toward me and pressed her mouth against mine, slower than she had the first time but with more certainty. I gave her a second to change her mind before sliding one hand around the back of her neck and kissing her the way I’d wanted to since damn near the moment I saw her.
The kiss quickly deepened. Milan shifted closer until her knee pressed against my thigh, and when my hand settled at her waist, she moved into me instead of pulling away.
I broke the kiss long enough to look at her. “Tell me if you want me to stop.”
She quickly shook her head and said, “I don’t…”
“You sure?”
“Vice…”
The way she said my name let me know she meant that shit.
I kissed her again, and this time there was nothing between us except the little bit of space we kept closing. Milan’s hands moved over my chest before sliding around my neck, and when I pulled her onto my lap in a riding position, she came willingly.
Her mouth left mine long enough to catch her breath, but I kissed along her jaw and down the side of her neck, feeling the way her body softened against me.
She smelled like soap and whatever lotion she used, and every small sound she made pushed me closer to losing the control I’d been holding onto.
Milan leaned back enough to look at me. “We’re not doing this on the couch.”
I smiled. “Who said we was?”
“I’m just letting you know.” She laughed, but it faded the second I stood with her in my arms.
“Mmmm,” a soft moan escaped her lips as her legs tightened around my waist anyway.
I carried her down the hallway toward my bedroom while she kissed me again, and by the time we reached the bed, whatever nervousness she’d been holding onto had started disappearing.
I set her down slowly, giving her one more chance to decide whether this was really what she wanted. She stood in front of me with her hands resting against my chest, her eyes moving over my face.
“I’m sure,” she said quietly without me even having to ask. “I been sure about this…”
I nodded and kissed her again, brushing my thumb across her cheek, trying to memorize her face. I wanted to remember this version of her—the one that wasn’t running… wasn’t looking over her shoulder… wasn’t pretending she had everything under control.
Just Milan…
She’d spent weeks acting like I got on every nerve she had. Now she was dying to give me the pussy.
I ain’t gon’ lie…I liked winning.