21. Will
CHAPTER 21
Will
A s the sun rises and I wait for Millie to stir awake, I let my thoughts wander to everything that led to this point. The minute Grandpa wanted to talk with me, I had a feeling that he was going to ask me to take over the shop. And at the time, I was excited. I was looking forward to it.
A month ago, I wouldn’t have been.
But as of this week, everything seems to have fallen into place.
I didn’t feel lost, but I’ve been wandering around for a while, looking for a place to land, to call home, and it was always right in front of me.
Grandpa thought he told me about the state of the store.
He couldn’t remember.
He couldn’t fucking remember.
I should have known something was wrong. All the signs were there.
And I didn’t notice. Did others? Is this why Jeremy and Miss Jane keep asking me about him?
Regardless, it’s too much. The debt is overwhelming. It’s not a month or two of unpaid bills. I could do that. But it’s months and months of debt, piled with interest .
When Grandpa asked me about taking over the store, I was over the moon. You mean, I could have the girl and a dream job? That’s essentially what was being offered.
The store needs work. I knew the chance of being profitable was next to nothing, but I had a vision to change it. Add lessons, bring musicians here for intimate shows, make this small town a place for music and rare finds.
I blame myself for signing blindly. It wouldn’t have mattered though because I’m the owner of the shop in his will anyway. I would have found out eventually.
Millie shifts next to me in bed, wrapping her arm tighter around my waist. She nestles into my chest, my chin resting on top of her head. I plant a kiss on it and sigh.
We still haven’t talked about us. We have both been so busy with our lives that there hasn’t been time to discuss it. It’s almost like we’ve fallen into the deep depths of the ocean, and instead of fighting the undertow, we let it take us.
This fake-dating scheme doesn’t feel fake anymore. How can it when we’ve known each other for so long? It would be impossible for me to pretend like I don’t know everything about the girl lying next to me.
She stirs again, her eyes opening to small slits.
“Hi,” Millie whispers.
“Hi, love.” I hug her tight, afraid she will want to slip out and get up if I don’t.
“What time is it?”
“Too early to be awake.”
There must be an expression on my face because the corner of Millie’s mouth lifts in a lopsided grin. “I’m going to help you get through this, Will.”
I shake my head. “This is for me to deal with, Mills. I’m not going to drag you into it.”
“It’s not dragging me into it. I want to help. You know you should let me help, right? Now’s not the time to be stubborn. ”
I let Millie slide out of my arms. We appear to be done sleeping, and I’m not sure I could fall back asleep anyway with my mind racing a million miles a minute.
“You’re one to talk, Millie.”
“Hey, that’s not fair.”
Shit. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. It’s…hard…I don’t know. The one person that raised me is mentally declining. And I want to stay, Mills, I do. But I might have to go back to the city.”
“Wait. You were still thinking of leaving?”
"I—” I sigh and sit next to her, running my hand through my hair. “I don’t know, Millie. I’m responsible for this debt. How can I make enough money to pay off the debt if I stay here?"
“But—”
“Can we talk about this later?” I plead.
She takes a moment to chew it over, and I don’t blame her. We have a lot of history that we are working through. But eventually, slips out of bed to get dressed without saying a word.
My gaze goes to the ceiling as she shuffles around, but as soon as she sniffles, my eyes snap back to her.
“Millie,” I say.
“I’m fine.”
“Rose.”
“I’ll be fine, okay?” she exclaims, turning to me. Tears streak her puffy face.
“Millie Mae…” I say her name slowly as I rise out of bed and walk over to her. I press my hands to either shoulder and squeeze. I don’t speak until she looks at me. “You’re important to me. This is important to me. Okay? I don’t want you to believe it’s not. We haven’t talked about us yet, but fuck if I lose you again. That’s not going to happen. I need more time to consider every angle.”
She sucks in her lips and nods, her gaze dropping back to the floor.
With a finger, I lift her chin and bring my lips to hers. If I can’t tell her how I feel, I’ll show her. Yes, I need to figure things out with the store, but I can worry about that later.
Millie melts into my touch. What started as a pensive kiss evolves. We are taking our time figuring each other out. We’ve had ten years to pine and want one another. I’ve kissed Millie hundreds of times, each better than the last.
Her tongue slips in between my teeth, finding mine. The taste of her is enough to elicit a moan from my mouth. This was only meant to be a kiss to show her I still care, but the longer we kiss, the more I want her. The more I need her.
I grab her hair and pull, removing my lips from her mouth and placing them on her neck. She moans as I pull her hair, applying pressure to keep her neck open to me.
“Will,” she says with a loose sigh.
I bite her neck. She yelps, then whimpers as I press my tongue over the bite to soothe the pain.
“I want you,” Millie whines, trying to tilt her head, but I don’t let go of her hair.
“Patience, love,” I croon. “Let me have my way with you.”
I bite her neck again, hoping I leave a mark, and she lets out that pretty noise I love. That I’ve come to crave.
“That’s it, love,” I praise. And I’m rewarded with that sound again.
I drag my teeth across her collar bone and make my way back to her mouth, letting go of her hair as I grab the back of her head to press her into me. Our kiss deepens as she twists her head to the side.
My body pivots hers so I can back her toward the bed. Carefully, I guide us onto the mattress and settle myself between her legs.
She reaches to grab my length, and I hiss when she touches it.
“I’ve been wanting to do this again ever since our recent first kiss,” she says into my mouth.
I chuckle. “Been dreaming about me, love?”
Millie tugs at my lip with her teeth. I groan as she slips her hand beneath my boxers.
“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell.” She smirks.
“You’re a cheater. I was supposed to have my way with you,” I say.
She tugs at my cock and my head drops to the crook of her neck. Her hand moves the best it can with me laying on top of her.
“Flip,” she commands.
“No,” I say as she tugs. Harder. Faster.
“Now.”
Millie somehow manages to push me off her. It’s possible I let her, hard to say. I’m enthralled by her at this moment. I can’t begin to imagine what it’ll be like to be inside her.
God, now I have that vision. My cock in her pussy. Fuck.
“Millie.” My eyes flutter as I say her name.
“Lift your hips for me,” she says.
Who’s in charge here? It’s not me, and I’m not mad about it. It’s sexy as fuck.
I do as she commands, lifting my hips. As she pulls down my pants and boxes, her body follows until her head is at my hips. My cock ready for her as she grips the base and teases the head with her tongue.
I have no control over the sounds that come out of my mouth. My gaze drops to her as she takes my length between her lips, slowly bringing her mouth to the base of my shaft. Her pretty blue eyes land on me as she circles the head again with her tongue.
Millie wraps her hands around my balls and squeezes lightly as she thrusts her mouth over my dick. Over and over again. Her hand sometimes switches to my length to give her a break, but she doesn’t slow.
I grab a fistful of her long hair, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I tug to slow her down. She obeys my motion, slowing until she’s matching the pace that I’m pulling and pushing her head .
She removes her hand from my cock and hollows out her mouth as I fuck it.
It’s almost enough to make me come.
Almost.
“Fuck, come here.” I moan, but she doesn’t listen.
Of course she doesn’t listen.
She keeps her mouth hollowed as she quickens her pace.
“Millie, I’m going to come if you…” I trail as she sends me over the edge.
A moment later, I’m coming in her mouth. And she takes it all, only gagging from the initial shock since I wasn’t able to prepare her.
She swallows and makes eye contact as she drags her mouth up the length of my cock and licks her lips.
“Come here. Please,” I beg, wanting her closer.
She appeases my request, crawling to me, placing her lips on mine.
I taste myself on her, something I never would have thought was hot, but knowing she enjoyed it and wanted to do it has me ready for more.
My leg wraps around her body, and I apply pressure to roll us, needing her on her back. Her hands dig into my shoulders, her nails likely leaving marks.
“I need to taste you. Tell me we have time,” I say in between kisses on her jaw.
My hands slip beneath her tank top and she lifts as I slide it over her body, dipping my head to take her breast into my mouth. My other hand finds her other nipple, rolling it between two fingers until it pebbles and she moans. I switch breasts, circling the other with my tongue.
“Do we have time, Millie?” I ask again.
She wriggles as I dip back down and bite. Not hard, but enough to have her crying my name in pleasure and want.
“You’re going to have to answer me. ”
“Fuck,” she says, blindly reaching behind her for one of our phones that are somewhere near our pillows. “I can’t concentrate when you’re doing that, Will.”
“That’s kind of the point, love,” I say as I drop my hand to her center over her shorts. “You’re soaked for me.”
“We have…” she starts, but trails off as I apply pressure onto her clit.
“How long, Millie? I’m not going to allow myself to taste your pussy until I know I have time to make you come.”
“We have time. Fifteen minutes.” She sucks in a breath as I move my finger between the fabric of her underwear and her skin. “Make it count,” she sasses me.
I can’t help but chuckle as I slide down her body.
“Bossy.”
I press kisses on her soft skin, making my way between her legs. My mouth is watering at the sight of Millie spread open for me.
I press my thumb against her clit. Her breathing deepens, and I find myself staring at her, watching her eyes flutter and her teeth disappear beneath her bottom lip. I press one finger against her entrance.
She pushes her hips toward me. Between the combination of thrusting her with my finger and my thumb on her clit, Millie releases soft moans, her breath quickening.
She needs more.
My gaze tears away from her as I dip my head between her thighs. I alternate between small kisses and bites on her inner thighs as I move closer to her pussy.
“So fucking good, Millie,” I purr.
My tongue replaces my thumb, and at the same time, I insert two more fingers and fuck her hard with them.
This intimacy with her is what I’ve missed. When she’s vulnerable, letting me see all of her, hear all of her, knowing I’m the one she’s chosen to spend time with. My eyes meet hers, and there are so many unsaid words between us as she brings her hand to the top of my head.
Fuck. I need her closer, so I slip my left hand under her to pull her to me.
Millie’s hand finds my hair and tugs.
“Will,” Millie says my name like she’s been holding in a breath for the past five minutes.
I lift my gaze to hers to find her watching me as I pleasure her.
My fingers curl, and she throws her head back from the sensation.
Her thighs shake and her walls clench around my fingers.
“Like that, yes,” Millie says. “Don’t stop.”
Like I could stop right now. Not when I have her beneath me, watching her as she comes.
Her phone goes off, the ringtone blaring loud and cutting the moans and heavy breaths.
“Fuck,” she says.
I remove my mouth for a brief moment to say, “Ignore it.”
And immediately dive back in, flicking her clit with my tongue.
“I—I’m close,” Millie says.
Her phone keeps ringing, which only motivates me more.
Because like hell am I going to stop now.
Not when Millie is so close to finishing.
My fingers thrust harder and harder until finally she screams my name.
I keep my pace fast as her thighs tremble. My name falls from her lips, while her hand grips my hair, tearing strands.
“Okay, okay, Will, fuck,” she moans as I slow.
I remove two of the three fingers, leaving one in as I pump in and out of her as her breathing slows. As she untangles her fingers from my hair, I remove the single digit and replace it with my tongue with soft pressure.
“Come here,” she pleads .
And I do.
My mouth finds hers, and I move both of my hands to wrap her close to me, not wanting to let her go. Not wanting to face today. The last thing I want is to recall yesterday, to try and make sense of what happened and when everything fell apart.
So, for now, for these last few moments, I’ll pretend yesterday didn’t happen. I’ll pretend everything is finally working out, the shop is doing well, and I get to stay in Willow Pines. And I’ll especially pretend I have a real chance of having forever with Millie.