Page 51 of Pleasure Island
17
Liam
After what was probably one of the worst nights of sleep I’d had in my life – and I didn’t always sleep well anyway – I was up at dawn.
We had a full day ahead of us, and if the tension remained between Mila and me, it was going to make that day even longer.
I was ready to go back to New York, but we didn’t fly out until morning.
Another day, trapped in close quarters with Mila, wanting her like I did. I thought about what she’d offered and told myself I’d done the right thing. I shouldn’t have slept with her anyway – I could lose my job if my boss found out, and rightfully so.
Getting distracted by the client wasn’t part of the job.
I might be new at this, but even I knew that much.
Yet all Mila did was distract me.
The quiet of the bungalow seemed to close in around me. Needing to get away from it, I dressed for a run and headed out.
I kept to the paths close to the bungalow, although my gut told me that the biggest threat to Mila right now was herself. I still couldn’t believe how close she’d come to drowning.
If I wasn’t a strong swimmer, I wouldn’t have gotten to her in time. It would have been too late.
It was a thought that was totally unacceptable, and not just because I wasn’t big on failure. She’d gotten to me, right under my skin, and I couldn’t stand the thought of her being hurt.
The sound of my shoes slapping against the stones of the walkway was almost hypnotic, and I tried to focus on the run and nothing else.
It wasn’t working.
Mila, her smile, the way she’d pulled me to her…it kept playing over and over in my head.
I ran harder, pushing myself to my limit, and it wasn’t until the burn in my lungs was almost intolerable that I let up. Slowing my pace, I jogged for another five minutes then slowed to a walk.
As I turned up the pathway that led to the bungalow, somebody called out my name.
I turned and met the bright green eyes of Mila’s grandmother. Millie Thatcher came rushing toward me, her hands outstretched. I took them automatically, and she squeezed my palms then let go of my hands and pulled me into a hug. “Liam…I’ve been up half the night waiting to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay?”
She pulled back and cupped my face in her hands. “I heard about what you did…that you saved Mila.”
I blinked.
The slim, genteel older woman pulled me down to her level and pressed a kiss to my right cheek, then my left. “You saved my girl,” she said, her voice hitching a little.
“I was just doing my job,” I said, uncomfortable now. I eased back and tugged free of her hands. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“You saved my girl,” Millie said again, shaking her head. “I can’t ever repay you for that.”
“There’s nothing to repay.” I shifted from one foot to the other, ready to head back to the bungalow, but unable to leave while this woman looked at me with such emotion in her eyes. “I was just–”
“Your job, yes, I know.” She waved a hand, then used that same hand to dab a handkerchief under her eyes. “One of the guests who was out in the water with Mila told me what you did. I can’t bear to think what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.”
“Don’t do that to yourself,” I told her, shaking my head. “I was there. That’s what matters.”
“Yes.” She smiled at me now, and the smile took on a warmth as she held my eyes. “She watches you, you know. And I’ve seen you watch her.”
I fought down the blush that threatened to scald my face.Be professional,I told myself. “It’s my job to watch her.”
