Chapter 9 #2
Part of his brain was screaming, “Finally!” but rushing wasn’t his style. From everything she’d shared with him about her past, she was used to guys pouncing and simply taking, so he was very conscious of his next move.
Just like he knew he would be.
He smiled at her. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured before lifting his hand again, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to.
But he already knew she wouldn’t.
His fingers brushed lightly along her jaw before settling there.
When she didn’t move—when she leaned into the touch instead—something steady and certain unfurled in his chest. Confidently, he pulled her impossibly closer, close enough that he could feel the warmth of her, the quiet hitch in her breath.
Their foreheads touched briefly, a pause that felt almost reverent, before he tipped his head and kissed her.
It was unhurried, careful at first, like he was learning the shape of her mouth, letting the moment settle.
When she responded—soft but sure—he deepened it just enough to tell her he was there with her, fully.
Not rushing. Not pulling away. Just present, letting the kiss say everything he hadn’t yet found words for.
Her arms came around him as she hummed seductively. And before he knew it, they were slowly making their way across the room. At first, he thought she was leading him to the couch, but she wasn’t. They didn’t stop until they were in her bedroom and next to her bed.
By then, both his hands anchored in her hair as one kiss led to another, each one going deeper and wetter. Nora’s hands fisted in his shirt as she kicked her sneakers off, and when she finally broke the kiss, she looked sexy and like a woman who had been thoroughly kissed.
Her hoodie went flying without him even realizing she was taking it off, and then she was standing there in her dark yoga pants and a tiny little tank top that left little to the imagination.
And he’d been imagining her a lot lately, but the reality was so much better than anything his mind had conjured up.
They were both quiet, but he could sense that Nora was holding back.
“Say it,” he quietly urged. “Whatever you’re thinking, say it.”
A smile tugged at her lips for a moment before she stepped in close and smoothed her hand under his shirt.
“I’ve been thinking about this all week,” she told him, her voice soft with just a hint of vulnerability.
“I’ve thought about touching you and you touching me and now that we’re here, I can tell that you’re being very… cautious.”
He nodded.
“Stop it,” she said bluntly. “You’re here because I want you here. I’m kissing you and touching because it’s what I want.”
“Okay, but…”
Her finger over his lips silenced him. “No buts, Milo. You have no idea how much it means to me that you’re being so considerate. But that’s not what I want right now. I don’t think it’s what either of us wants.”
He swallowed hard. “Tell me what you want, Nora. Anything, and it’s yours.”
Her smile grew into something mischievous even as her hand continued to gently caress his chest.
“I want to see what you’re like when you lose control,” she murmured against his lips. “I want to see what happens when you’re not all neat and tidy.”
“You think I’m neat and tidy?”
Groaning, she rolled her eyes before focusing on him again. “I want to be the one who makes you forget all about being cautious. I want…”
He never let her finish.
They had a way of talking too much, and he was done with it. The last thing he wanted Nora thinking about was how he was a careful, cautious, and tidy man. If she wanted to see him lose control, he would gladly give her that fantasy.
He silenced her words with a kiss that bordered on brutal.
In his entire life, he’d never felt this kind of urgency—need—to claim a woman.
But that’s what he wanted. And apparently, Nora wanted that from him because she was wrapped around him like a vine.
In the blink of an eye, they landed on the bed with a soft bounce.
Rolling Nora beneath him, he tore his mouth from hers as he braced himself above her.
“Don’t you dare pull away from me, Milo,” she murmured.
But he shook his head. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured her.
“Good.”
When her hands fisted in his shirt again, he let her pull him down to her; let her be the one to kiss him. And after that, it was hard to say who was in control. It was all passion and madness and the best day of his damn life.
She cried out his name, and he assured her once again. “I’ve got you.”
And he did.
The rain was still pounding on the roof, and Nora was more than okay with it.
It sort of matched the pounding of her heart.
Right now, she and Milo were naked and tangled under the blankets, and it was just about the most perfect thing in the world.
Beside her, he was just as breathless as she was, and it made her smile.
She’d made Milo Keene lose control.
And he was so freaking sexy when he did that and she couldn’t wait to make him do it again.
They lay like that for several long moments, neither wanting to move right away.
But the quiet was getting to her, and she casually shifted, rolling onto her side, but keeping their legs tangled together.
She loved having him close enough that she could still feel the warmth of him, like it had soaked into her skin.
The storm outside was starting to quiet to a steady rain, and something in her felt settled too, the sharp edge of anticipation replaced with an easy, unfamiliar calm.
Unfamiliar but completely lovely.
Ugh…lovely? Who am I?
She let out a soft breath, almost a laugh. “Well,” she said, glancing up at him, “that escalated in the best possible way.”
Milo smiled, relaxed in a way she had never seen before. “Yeah,” he said. “No complaints.”
The silence that followed wasn’t awkward. It felt earned. Nora tipped her head back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. “I rarely do impulsive,” she said. “At least…not anymore.” It wasn’t meant as a warning, just the truth.
“I know,” he said gently. “Me neither. I like plans. Structure. Knowing where I stand.”
She smiled at that because that was an extremely accurate description of him. “I figured that out about you pretty much from the start. You’re a guy who lives by schedules and spreadsheets.”
He huffed a quiet laugh, then sobered. “I think that’s why I didn’t push,” he said after a moment. “I didn’t want this to feel like something we penciled in.”
That landed deeper than she expected. Nora turned her head, really looking at him now. “I appreciate that,” she said. Then, after a pause she didn’t quite plan for, “I don’t trust easily.”
His gaze stayed steady on hers, no pressure there. Just listening.
“I’ve been the girl who jumps in even when I know I shouldn’t,” she went on, her voice softer. “The one who convinces herself that chemistry is the same thing as a connection. It took me a while to learn the difference.”
Something shifted in his expression. “I get that,” he said quietly. “I tend to overcorrect. Keep things contained. Safe.” A beat. “Sometimes I wait too long.”
Nora felt the weight of that settle between them. She nodded once. “Maybe this is us meeting in the middle.”
His smile was slow and thoughtful. “I like that.”
She let her shoulder brush his, deliberate this time, grounding herself in the moment. His arm went around her, gently hugging her close. Whatever this was, it felt different. Not rushed. Not fragile. Just real. And for once, that felt like enough.
So many questions floated through her mind: What did this mean? Where were they going from here? Was this serious? Did he want it to be? Did she?
“I can’t wait to show you Seattle,” he said after a few quiet moments. “Although I have a feeling you’ll really get a kick out of how out of my element I am here.”
She knew he was going for light and teasing, but it made something in her ache. Like…she wanted to go back and kick herself for ever making fun of him.
“If you were really uncomfortable in this element, I think you would have found a way to do all the things you’re doing remotely,” she reasoned. “I think you keep telling yourself that you’re out of your element, when really, it’s not as bad as you make it sound.”
She felt him shrug. “Maybe. Still, I’ll bet you’ve never felt out of your element. You seem like the type of person who feels comfortable no matter where you are.”
That was an interesting observation, and he wasn’t completely wrong.
“There’s a difference between feeling comfortable and adapting. Because of what I do for a living, I’ve learned to adapt to my surroundings. We’ve talked about the places I’ve traveled to and the things I’ve done, but it’s not like I wanted to settle down in any of them.”
“Do you ever think about that? Like…putting down roots somewhere?”
Oof …that was something she didn’t think she would share with him, but her mouth didn’t get the memo.
“Okay, so…I love what I do, but feel like I’ve hit a point where I’d really like to do a little less guiding and adventure stuff and see what having a normal life is like. That was the appeal of coming here to Harbortown.”
“Really?”
Nodding, she explained. “Slater told me about the resort, but he really made the town feel like the kind of place where I could slow down and maybe experience the next phase of my life without living out of a suitcase. Or a backpack,” she added with a small laugh.
“But then again, I don’t know if I’d be happy slowing down completely.
Being here—working at the resort—offers me the best of both worlds. ”
He made a noncommittal sound.
“My siblings are all married and have settled down, and while all the adrenaline activities are still hobbies for them, none of them made a career out of them.”
“You don’t strike me as a follower. If you feel you’re ready for a change, I’d like to believe it’s because it’s something you feel strongly about, not because it’s what your siblings have done.”
And she knew they were only partly the reason she was thinking about slowing down.
“It’s a lonely life,” she admitted. “I’m with groups of people all the time, but they’re always there with their friends or families and I’m just the outsider leading the group. It used to be fun and fulfilling, but not so much anymore.”
And that’s all she was going to admit to. She’d already told Lexi, Maisie, and Harlow about how much she wanted to meet someone, fall in love, and have the house with the picket fence.
There was no way she was going to tell Milo that.
Especially after spending the last hour having the best sex of her life.
Ugh…how awkward would that be? Like, “Oh, hey. Thanks for all the orgasms. Have I mentioned how I’m looking to fall in love and settle down with a nice guy like you?”
Um, no.
“I get the loneliness,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.
“I work so much that I just forget that there’s a world outside of the office.
I’ve spent so much of my life on this trajectory—one where I’m at the top of my game with technology—that it’s all I think about.
” He paused. “Other than the guys here, you’re the only person I’ve ever allowed myself to be distracted by. ”
Oh, wow. That was…
“It’s the same for me,” she told him. “I’ve had a lot of…not great interactions with people I’ve met while doing this job. Not here, specifically, but…”
“No, I know what you’re saying.”
“Sometimes it was the guests, but sometimes it was other guides or bosses, so…” She sighed. “Thank you for showing me that not every guy is a creep.” Smiling up at him, she added, “Thanks for being one of the good ones.”
They both grew quiet again, and she had a feeling he didn’t know how to respond to the compliment.
But then he did.
“Most of my life I’ve been told I’m a nice guy, a good friend. I’m smart. I’m a pioneer in my field. And while those are all very kind compliments, they always felt generic and one-dimensional. But what you just said? I know you meant it. Like…deep down meant it. So…thank you.”
They could probably lie there thanking each other all morning, but that wasn’t what she wanted.
Slowly and deliberately, so he knew exactly what she was thinking, Nora maneuvered herself until she was straddling him.
Smiling, she leaned down and kissed him—sweetly at first but she didn’t bother pretending she was just testing the waters.
She wanted him again and took the kiss deeper.
When his hand reached up and anchored ever so roughly in her hair, it thrilled her.
That’s right. I made him lose control.
And I’m going to do it again.
With one hand in her hair and the other braced on her lower back, holding her to him, she wanted to assure him she wasn’t going anywhere.
She was exactly where she wanted to be.