Page 98 of Miles Apart
Justice kisses the top of my head and gets up. Tears cloud her vision. “Take it from me, Em: don’t run from what you want. Even if it scares you.”
She and Terrence head inside hand in hand, fooling no one. They’re about to ride Tony Stark’s headboard into the next cinematic universe, and good for them. The backyard wakes with shimmering lights as Sade’s “By Your Side” croons through outdoor speakers.
Subtle.
I guess they finally found the controls.
Miles moves to the edge of the outdoor daybed, the long planes of his muscles at rest after a night swim. Moonlight filters through the canopy and dips over his freshly cut waves and broad chest. He’s watching me with a fixed gaze that stokes a fire inside my belly.
He sees all of me.
My strengths.
My weaknesses.
The soft parts of me I push away to be resilient.
The two of us in the same space are magnetic. I’ve tried to fight the pull, but I come alive when I’m with Miles. He unlocked a part of my heart I never wanted to uncover, and now I want it to be free.
So I stop fighting and allow my heart to lead—straight to him.
Miles lifts his head when I stand between the power of his legs. All the features I love are on display, but it’s the love reflected in his eyes that shines the brightest.
I caress his cheek and bend down for a kiss. He yields to my lips, which move slowly against his. Warm hands slide down my arms to my waist and anchor me in place. I don’t rush the stokes of our tongues but can’t get enough.
My mouth raises, inches from his. “I love you,” I say above my thundering heart, which is whirling at the declaration I’ve never given any man other than my father.
Miles clasps his arms around my body and buries his face against my belly. He holds me there, his lashes fluttering against the eyelet pattern of my cover-up. Every one of my curves molds to the contours of his muscular frame. In a single motion, I’m in his arms, bearing witness to the deep longing in his gaze.
“I love you beyond this lifetime, Emma.” Miles presses his lips to mine and eases me onto the outdoor daybed.
I suppress a sigh and let go.
Between each “I love you,” he plants kisses on my neck and collarbone. Our kiss deepens once his mouth is back on my lips. His tongue massages mine through long, surrendering moans. Desire flares in Miles’s eyes. He frees me from my dress, unable to control his need to touch me.
He lifts to release his board shorts. His dick bobs free and taps my stomach as he nudges my legs farther apart with his knees and pushes through my entrance. Pleasure tightens and explodes with every inch he takes.
Miles swallows my gasps and thrusts harder, angling his position to trigger a fire that burns my skin. My lips tremble at the vow he repeats with every glide into my soft flesh.
To love me.
To protect me.
To be my safe place.
Skin to skin, under the arena of stars, we step over the threshold and into the unknown.
Together.
Chapter 46
Emma
Miles and I spent the night at the superhero compound, as he now calls it. We christened the guest bedroom and made breakfast with Justice and Terrence, the latter of whom stepped away shortly after to train his client. It was the perfect start to the perfect weekend, doing nothing and everything. We stayed in with movies, went out for dinner, and watched the sunset over the Pacific. On Sunday night, Miles and I took them to the Santa Monica Pier for our first double date, which ended with him and Terrence chasing me and Justice after we lit them up with our bumper cars.
Having my best friend here unlocked another part of me. I miss Jay and wish we lived closer. We see each other at least twice a year, but I want more memories. I’ve spent so much time creating distance in my life. I’ve missed out on a lot in an effort to dodge the hurt. But I get her for the rest of the month—Miles too with Terrence, who thanked me for finally keeping him in one place long enough.
True to his word, Miles hasn’t left for more than a week. He hopped back to Jersey a few days ago to check in on his businessinterests on the East Coast but calls and texts every day. He thinks he’s slick coming back with extra clothes to pop into my closet, but I roll my eyes and look the other way. Miles has been filling up space in my life, and I love it.
