Page 101 of Pleasure Island
35
Liam
The talk with Jake had given my temper a chance to cool down, although I was still frustrated and pissed off.
Mila’s stubbornness was one of the things I appreciated about her, but right now, it wasn’t doing anything but making things worse.
You’re not helping. Try to understand where she’s coming from.
I wanted to silence the voice, but I couldn’t.
Ididget why Mila wasn’t happy, maybe even more than she did. Mila appreciated being in control, in being able to control the things around her. Now she was in a situation that was completely out of her control, and there was only so much she could do.
As somebody who appreciated control myself, I could understand how that was frustrating to her.
On top of that, the helplessness she probably felt was only going to make it worse.
I sure as hell had some of those feelings of helplessness surging inside me, along with a whole bunch ofwhat ifs. What if I’d been a little faster getting to the bungalow? What if Mila had gone back there, unaware of the danger, and the guy who tossed her place was lying in wait?
What if we weren’t able to find who was responsible before he went after Mila again?
The answers to those scenarios did nothing to help calm my thoughts, and I made myself stop thewhat-ifgame.
There was no winning that game, and all it would do was complicate matters when I needed them to be terribly simple.
I needed to go back to the bungalow and talk to Mila – talk, not dictate.
And somewhere along the line, I needed to figure out how to tell her what I’d just figured out.
I’m in love with her.
I didn’t know when it had happened. I don’t knowhowit happened.
But it had happened, and now I needed to figure out how to handle what I felt for her and still be objective enough to take care of her. Personally, I’d be fine with locking her in a room and lying in wait for anybody who didn’t belong to dare come near her.
But Mila was pissed off enough just being asked to keep a couple of security guards with her and to be careful. She’d probably pelt me with whatever hard objects came to hand if I suggested she lock herself inside until we had this dealt with. That wasn’t the woman I knew.
It wasn’t the woman I’d fallen in love with either.
We’d find some way around this – something we could do to keep her safe without her feeling like she was stifling.
* * *
The two securityguards outside Mila’s temporary bungalow nodded at me as I approached.
“It’s been quiet,” the older of the two told me. “I think she’s been watching some TV.”
Swiping my keycard, I slid inside.
The TV was on, but a quick look at the couch told me Mila wasn’t sitting there watching.
I spied an empty wine glass on the coffee table as I walked through the room.
Had she gone to bed?
It wasn’t really late, but she’d had a rough day. I knew I was worn out.
If she was asleep…
