Page 16 of Milk For The Billionaire's Little

Standing in front of me was not just a man with a good job. He wasKennan Millerson. As in…theCEO of Millerson. He was the one who gave people the good jobs. The person whose name showed up in Forbes, in billionaires’ lists, and all that kind of stuff. He was the antithesis of me.

“Oh,” I breathed. “That’swhy you wore a mask.”

He nodded.

“I’m just… me, though. I work at a nursing home. I’m just me.”

And just like that, even with my little glow-up, my freshly styled hair, my tailored suit, my fancy shoes, I suddenly didn’t feel good enough.

“I know, James,” he said gently. “That’s why I’m here... for you.”

Something in the way he said it broke through the fog in my head. Heknewme. Not in the celebrity gossip way. Not in the flash-and-glamour way.Me.The Little who looked to him for his milk.

I stood on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“I’m glad you are.”

9

KENNAN

James stood on his toes and pressed a kiss to my cheek. A quick brush of lips, light and adorable. It startled me, not because I hadn’t wanted it, but because of how much Ihad.

“I’m glad you are,” he whispered.

I nodded, trying to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at me the way he just had, not with recognition, not with ambition, but with warmth. With want.

He fussed with Rosco’s food and water while I stood in the center of his tiny apartment with the fancy box still in my hand, unsure what to do with myself. The place was cluttered in the way of someone who was always on the go but still took care of what mattered. The hedgehog. The cartoon mug on the counter. The blanket thrown just so on the couch.

Everything about James screamed real. This wasn’t a display piece, the way my home had become. It was his safe space.

I gave him his mask, one that complimented my own, and instead of saying thank you, he threw his arms around me and said, “Just like Daddy’s.”

It was difficult not to read too much into those three words, especially when I loved hearing them. But James was quick to say things he felt when he was most comfortable, and this felt like one of those moments. I refused to do anything that might embarrass him or make him start second-guessing everything he said to me in the future. Instead, I tucked those three words away like the gift they were.

When he was ready, we walked down together. The car was waiting out front.

His eyes went wide. “I saw this car… that first day at the motel. It’s your car?”

I nodded. “One of them.”

“You don’t do anything halfway, do you?” He chuckled.

“Not usually.” And definitely not with him. There was something about him that tugged at every Daddy instinct I had. I’d be a fool to let him go without giving us a real chance.

His mask was tucked under his arm, and I saw him running his thumb along the edge like he wasn’t sure he deserved it. I wanted to say something reassuring, but we were already sliding into the back seat, and the driver was pulling into traffic. I didn’t mind speaking freely around my staff. I trusted them all completely or they wouldn’t be on my payroll. But it would be ridiculous to expect James to feel the same already.

As we approached our destination, I put my mask on and then helped him with his.

This man was something to treasure. He was a man who didn’t know who I was when I’d walked into his home. Who’d let me meet his pet. Who’d kissed my cheek like I was a person, not a name on a list.

This was dangerous. I knew it. I just didn’t know how to stop. No. That wasn’t it. I refused to stop it.

The ball was held at the City River Hotel—a place known for its velvet staircases, gilded doorframes, and champagne that cost more than most people’s rent. I hated events like this. I always had. The weight of expectation was suffocating. But tonight, with James at my side, it didn’t feel like pressure.

It felt like possibility.

Inside, everything glowed. The lights were low and golden, casting the whole room in an amber haze. Seth was getting far more than a vacation for setting this up. He took a stuffy hotel and somehow made it magical.

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