Page 119 of Vengeful Princess

Apart from Dar.

Thatstronzohad made it more than clear he hated me, so I had no choice but to respect his wish that I stayed well away from him.

His loss.

The more I thought about it, the more riled up I got. I needed to know where I stood with Milo. So I rolled over around to face him.

He lay on his side, still dressed, glasses on, staring at me. There was enough light in my room for me to see the outline of his face, but not enough to make out his expression. Did Milo not sleep? Was he a vampire?

That thought made me snort with amusement.

“Something funny?” he asked in his customary low, melodic voice.

“Not really. I was just wondering if you were a vampire.”

“Huh?” He sounded confused, which made me smile even more.

“You don’t seem to sleep much,” I explained.

He hummed in response and then spoke. “I do have trouble sleeping, but it’s usually easier for me to sleep during the day, so I often nap while the guys are in class.”

“What about your classes?” Surely he had to study too?

“I don’t really need to attend. I’m only here so I can be with my friends. If I took my final exams tomorrow, I’d pass easily.”

“So why don’t you take them early?”

“Because then I’d have to leave. And I’d rather stay for now.”

I’m sure to Milo it made sense, but if I was clever enough to earn a degree two years early, I wouldn’t be sticking around. But whatever. This wasn’t the conversation I wanted to have with him.

“Do you like me, Milo?” I asked carefully.

He tensed up but made no attempt to leave.

“Yes,” he replied in a voice so faint I had to strain to hear him.

“As a friend?” If he friend-zoned me, it would be fine. I already had Landon and Kyril. Juggling more than two guys was just plain greedy.

“No.”

Oh. Well, at least he was being honest. He probably saw me as a pity project. Or a curiosity.

Given the shit he’d witnessed so far, it was a fair assumption.

“Totally get it,” I muttered, squirming with embarrassment, grateful it was too dark for him to see my face.

“No,” he blurted. “I meant I see you as more than a friend!”

“Um, what? Like very good friend? Friend with benefits?” OK, so that was a stretch, given his issues around touching.

“More than that.”

He shuffled a bit closer. Not quite close enough that he was touching me, but close enough that I could smell the shower gel he liked to use and know he’d drunk coffee recently.

“How much more?” I felt bad pushing him, but my emotions were all over the place and I wanted to know where I stood.

He leaned forward, eliminating the remaining distance between us, brushing his lips across mine. Sparks flew and the chemistry that had been simmering for weeks exploded.

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