Page 65 of The King Contract
When I eventually make it back to our tent after getting Dan in his and brushing my teeth, Millie is perched on the bed, in her pyjamas, a flashlight providing an amber glow to the space. Her face is freshly washed, her big eyes filled with concern as I zip us inside.
“Is Dan alright?” she whispers.
“He needs some sleep,” I reply. “We can get emotional once the booze starts flowing.”
“He’s had his heart broken, hasn’t he?”
I sigh. “His high school sweetheart, Sarah. He thought they would get married and have babies. We all did.”
Millie hugs her knees to her chest. “What happened?”
I shrug. “She left. Said she wanted to experience other things. Wanted to see more of the world, not just where the best waves were.”
Millie tilts her head. “Dan didn’t want to go with her?
“She didn’t invite him,” I reply grimly, whipping off my shirt. “Last I heard, she was working some corporate gig in London.”
Millie looks sad as she gingerly tucks herself into one side of the bed. “That sucks.”
As I lower myself onto the mattress, I realise one of the blankets and a couple of items of clothing lie down the centreof the bed, effectively splitting the mattress in half. “Did you do this?”
Millie lifts her chin. “Yes.”
I grin. “What an impenetrable force.”
“It’s a reminder.”
“A reminder of what?”
“To keep our hands to ourselves,” she quips, snuggling into her side. “So it doesn’t get weird again.”
“Right,” I say slowly. “Nothing like a blanket and a pair of your denim shorts to remind me not to cross the threshold.”
The mattress bobs as I lie down to face her, and Millie laughs as she jostles. “I didn’t say it was perfect.”
“At least you’re acknowledging it without blushing.” I prop myself up on my elbow, resting my head against my hand.
“Sometimes too much booze is helpful,” she says with a smile. “It makes some people emotional, but it makes me brave.”
“It’s also made you put a clothing barrier between us.”
Her smile fades slightly. “I thought it was the right thing to do.”
When her chocolate eyes meet mine from under her thick lashes, it takes every bit of willpower to not lean in and kiss her. She said she’s had too much booze after putting a barrier between the two of us because it was the right thing to do.Think with your head, not your dick.
“It was,” I assure her, resting my head on the pillow.
Before I can register her expression, Millie turns her face towards the torch and flicks it off, plunging us into darkness.
“Have you and Cammie ever hooked up?” she asks.
I chuckle. “You’re not so brave you couldn’t ask me with the light on?”
Millie tuts under her breath. “Well, have you?”
“No. Never.”
“Oh.”
