Page 84 of Fighting Fate

I stride toward the dock stairs, my emotions a whirlwind of irritation and self-reproach. I'm done with this rollercoaster of hope and disappointment. One moment, Miles is there for me, like some kind of fairytale hero, and the next, he's back to insisting we're just friends.

How do you even stay "just friends" after everything we've shared? After all the intimacy, the passion, and those intense moments?

"Hey, Mills, hold up a sec?" Miles calls out, just as I'm making a beeline for my jeep.

It's freaking cold, and, of course, I didn't think to bring a towel. Typical. But really, who carries around a towel in their car when it's 60 degrees outside?

"Mills, stop, please," he begs, his tone soft but filled with an urgency that's hard to ignore. His footsteps squelch on the dock behind me, and then his hand is on my elbow, stopping me in my tracks.

I know I should let her go, but I'm torn. My head and heart are at war, debating whether we should continue pretending nothing's changed between us.

I try to turn her to face me, but Milli's resolute, like a rock. "My stubborn girl," I mutter with a sigh, my emotions tangling up inside me. Logic tells me to keep things under wraps, to prevent any further complications.

But logic's always been a bit overrated, hasn't it, Miles?

"Can I just go, Miles?" she asks, her voice barely above a whisper, still not looking at me.

Letting go feels impossible. She's been my constant in a life filled with chaos.

My Mills.

With everything else in my life up in the air—my health, my future, what Luke might think—it's hard to see what lies ahead. Will I even be around to see it?

"Do what makes you happy, Miles. Just this once," I whisper to myself.

"No, you can't," I tell her, my decision made.

As she turns to me, tears streaming down her face, my heart clenches.

Damn it, Chasen.

Acting on impulse, I scoop her up in a fireman's carry. She starts to struggle, her fists pounding against my back.

Those marks better last.

When I slap her ass, she freezes, stunned. "Did you just slap my ass?" she asks, disbelief in her voice.

The grin that takes over my face is unstoppable. "Yeah, I did. You got a problem with that?" I say, a playful challenge in my tone. Setting her down beside my truck, she avoids my gaze, but I reach for her face. She blocks my hand, so instead, I intertwine my fingers with hers, lifting our hands against the truck. Her sharp intake of breath is all the encouragement I need.

I lean in, bringing our bodies closer, our hands still above our heads. "God, you're so beautiful," I say, and she blushes, her eyes avoiding mine.

I find myself unable to look away from her—the captivating blend of blue and green in her eyes, the way her strawberry blonde hair cascades around her face, and those lips, oh those lips, becoming all the more fucking enticing as she nibbles on them. My gaze drifts down to her chest and I notice how her nipples press against her shirt, betraying her arousal. I inch closer, her breath catching.

Milli's been a force in my life since we were kids, an attraction I've tried too hard to resist. What if this is my last chance to be with her like this? To show her how much she affects me?

Her gaze locks with mine, eyes alight with desire, silently pleading for my next move.

The restraint within me crumbles. I yearn to immerse myself fully in this instant, casting aside thoughts of what lies ahead. As her lips part ever so slightly, I close the distance between us, initiating a kiss that is both deep and fervent, a testament to the intensity of the moment.

Milli

This is unreal.

It's happening again.

I told myself I wouldn't, couldn't, but here I am, getting lost in his kiss, a kiss that feels like it's pulling me under, drowning me in want and need.

And I'm not fighting it.

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