Page 10 of Prudence (Balfe Family #1)

Derek

Something had changed. Ever since Milly’s parents and aunt had come home, I’d felt her withdrawing from me, and I had no idea why. We’d sat at her kitchen table talking for ages, and I’d felt like we’d broken down a barrier, gotten closer. But then, nothing.

I didn’t hear from her for days.

When Nuala asked if I’d invite Milly to her girls’ night in with Charli, I took a chance, and surprisingly, Milly agreed to go.

The lads and I were at Aidan’s hanging out.

Our parents were away at an event and the plan was to let my sister have the house for the night, but I was struggling to stick to that plan.

I wanted to see Milly, speak to her, reassure myself that the connection we shared wasn’t all in my own head.

“How about I call Francesca and a few of the girls to come over?” Aidan suggested.

“No,” I said grouchily. “I’m still pissed at her for how she acted when Milly got drenched with the ice water at your party.”

Tristan threw his hands up. “Can I just say I’m still feeling particularly shitty about that?”

“Good. Your guilt should last until Christmas at least,” I said and noticed Aidan smirking at me.

“Don’t you like Fran? She’s a big fan of yours.”

“No, I do not like her. She was a bitch to Milly when it took me weeks to get the girl to agree to come to a party with me in the first place.”

“First world problems,” Theo said with a chuckle. “Poor Derek. So many pretty girls to choose from.”

I lifted my middle finger in response then noticed my brother was scrutinising me for a long moment before he said, “I think we should go back to our house. Hang out with Nuala, Charli and Milly for a while.”

“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 was so 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.”

“Good. I don’t like the way she looks at you.”

Something thrummed in my chest. The very thought of Milly being jealous over me was too satisfying.

I moved a little closer, and my chest brushed hers.

I’d been having a terrible time keeping my gaze focused on her face, but it dropped for a second, her perky tits a distraction I couldn’t resist. In less than a second, I managed to drag my gaze away.

Thankfully, Milly hadn’t noticed me ogling.

I swallowed thickly, grateful my lower half was under water.

“What way does she look at me?” I asked low.

Milly frowned, staring at my chest for a second before she looked up. “Like she wants you to be hers.”

“Well,” I said, my fingers leaving her chin to tiptoe along her jaw.

“I never will be.” I paused, my eyes hypnotised by the small water droplets clinging and dripping down her neck only to disappear into the fabric of the bikini.

Curiosity got the better of me when I asked, “How do you look at me, do you think?”

At my quiet question, Milly’s breath hitched, her wide eyes flaring as our gazes latched. She didn’t respond, a deep flush staining her cheeks. A beat passed, and then my sister’s voice broke through whatever bubble we’d been locked in.

“I’m starving!” Nuala announced. “Let’s go upstairs and order pizza.”

Milly blinked and drifted away from me. “Pizza actually sounds good. I haven’t eaten in a while.”

“Let’s go have pizza, then,” I murmured, not even trying to resist watching her climb from the pool, water dripping down her petite yet curvy body.

Her perfect, grabbable arse. I wasn’t far behind her, lifting two clean towels and first wrapping one around her shoulders before throwing the other around my own.

“Thank you,” she whispered, peering up at me, her dark lashes framing her bewitching eyes.

***

My siblings weren’t done with their hijinks yet.

After we made short work of several pizzas, Tristan decided we should all play a game of “hide and seek in the dark.” It was difficult to resist pulling Milly into my bedroom and asking her if she’d let me kiss her.

Just once. I was silently moving up the stairs when I spotted a dark silhouette just ahead.

It was Milly. She opened the door to the storage closet near my parents’ bedroom and slipped inside.

“Mind if I join you?” I whispered as I slid in behind her, and she emitted a quiet gasp.

“Derek!” she whisper-shouted. “You frightened the life out of me.”

“Sorry,” I smiled down at her in the dark. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” she allowed. “And yes, you can share my hiding spot if you must.”

“I must,” I replied hotly, unable to take my eyes off her lips, the shadows tipping over her exquisite face.

She sucked in a breath when she realised how close we were standing.

Surrounded by shelves of towels and spare bedding, the narrow space allowed barely two inches between us.

The quiet that followed was so thick with tension I could barely stand it.

I wanted to touch her so badly but worried it might be unwelcome.

That was the problem with being a worrier and thinking things through so much.

In the end, I almost always decided against taking action.

Hell, I’d driven by Milly every day after school for almost two years before I’d finally found the nerve to offer her a lift.

“This has been a fun night,” she whispered, breaking the quiet as she peered up at me in the dark.

I’d never been more aware of our height difference.

Outside the closet, I could hear Aidan stomping around searching for everyone.

It sounded like he’d already located Nuala because my sister complained loudly about being discovered.