Page 15 of Prudence
“I’m up for that,” Theo said, noticeably eager. I was thoroughly aware of his crush on my sister. So far, though, he hadn’t made a move. Wise lad.
Tristan shot me a look that said,Don’t thank me, and for once, I was grateful to him because I wanted to go back to our house something fierce. I just didn’t want to give Aidan the satisfaction of knowing how gone I was for Milly. He could be particularly insufferable when he found out one of us had a crush on a girl.
Once it was unanimous, we all squeezed into my car, and I drove us back to our house.
“What are you all doing here?” Nuala complained as soon as we walked into the kitchen. She, Charli and Milly were sitting by the counter sipping on fruity cocktails. I made a beeline for the empty stool next to Milly, bumping her shoulder with mine.
“Hello.”
Her gorgeous blue eyes lifted. “Hi Derek.”
“Having a good night?”
“Mm-hmm,” she replied quietly.
God, she was so pretty. I was distracted staring at her, vaguely aware of Rhys tasting some of Charli’s cocktail and exclaiming, “That’s strong.”
“Of course, it’s strong,” my sister replied. “I stole a bottle of Grey Goose from Dad’s liquor cabinet. Oh, and some triple sec.”
I frowned down at the pink cocktail, worried about Nuala plying Milly with alcohol. She had a petite build, and she’d mentioned during one of our car rides that she didn’t drink a lot. “Christ, have you been drinking this, too?” I asked.
She nodded sheepishly, a flush to her cheeks that indicated she might be tipsy. “Yep.”
“You okay? My sister hasn’t been peer pressuring you into drinking, has she?”
“Not at all. I’ve been enjoying myself. You don’t need to worry.” She reached up, and I was a little transfixed by her touching me. Her finger went to my forehead, smoothing over my frown lines as she tutted. “Such a worrier.” Okay, so she was kind of an adorable drunk. “You smell good,” she went on, her gaze fixed on my collar for some reason.
“Yeah?”
“It’s a little frustrating,” she continued quietly, and every part of me perked up.
“Why’s that?”
Her flush deepened. “Because I really shouldn’t …” she trailed off then appeared to censor herself. “Just is.”
I let the subject drop, not wanting to embarrass her. Besides, she’d shifted closer to me on her stool, and I could smell her flowery perfume. It was sweet and delicate, just like her. I kind of understood her statement because her scent made me want to bury my face in her neck and inhale. Frustrating, indeed. I mean, I’d always liked how girls smelled, but I’d never been struck with such an animalistic urge. It took me off guard a little.
For the next while, I kept an eye on Milly, enjoying her company while also ensuring my sister didn’t force too much booze on her. Then events transpired, and everyone ended up in the pool on the basement level of our house. I usually swam in the pool at my dad’s hotel because it was much larger, but our home pool was decent, too. What I wasn’t ready for was seeing Milly in the bikini my sister loaned her. It was a deep blue colour and supposedly brand new, which was relieving because I definitely didn’t want to be having such impure thoughts about anything my sister had worn.
“I can’t believe you have a swimming pool in your house,” Milly said as she floated next to me.
“You like to swim, right?”
She nodded, her blue eyes still bright, cheeks flushed from the alcohol. “Remember you said I could come join you at the hotel whenever I liked? I thought about turning up, but I was way too nervous.”
“Why would you be nervous?” I asked, enjoying her candour. “It’s just me.”
“Right, but I was self-conscious about you seeing me in a bathing suit. I was worried …” Her words drifted off as she frowned to herself.
I touched her chin with the tips of my fingers, coaxing her to look at me. “Worried about what? How perfect you look in a bikini?” I was brazenly flirting now, but I couldn’t help it with her.
Milly barked a laugh then covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh, my God, that wasso loud,” she chuckled. “Sorry. I just can’t with you, Derek. You’re way too good at flirting.” A pause. “I bet you have lots of practice.”
“It just comes naturally around you,” I countered with a confident grin.
She twisted her lips, suppressing a smile. “What about Francesca? Have you ever flirted with her?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
