Page 93 of Brambles and Bellflowers
Oh well. At least I could say I tried, but it would take a lot for him to—
“Okay.” Miles turned his attention back to me, resolve etched sharply in his expression. His movements were quick and stilted as he peeled off his jacket and shirt and slipped off the ugly camo pants.
My pulse soared in my ears. He was doing it!
A silent scream echoed through my thoughts as Miles turned from me, now completely naked, and laid out his shirts and pants alongside mine. I didn’t close my eyes fast enough to miss the expanse of his well-muscled back, which, technically, even though I’d seen it before, was no less impressive with every new viewing.
Thankfully, I had the fortitude to keep my eyes from… the front. But it was impossible to look away from the curve of his butt. The man even had a dimplethere.
Then I spotted it, and my long-held question was finally answered.
Right in the middle of the curve of his backside washismark.
“It’s on your butt?” I covered my mouth in surprise. What a curiously embarrassing spot for such a mark. I hoped there would never come a day when he’d have to bare it to the world for authenticity.
Miles paused, an eyebrow arching as he turned to catch my gaze. “Are you seriously looking at my ass?”
“But it’s onyour gluteus maximus!” I pointed at him.
“Please stop.” Miles frowned. “Do you need to do this every time? It’s just an ass.”
He wasn’t embarrassed anymore; in fact, that was annoyance flickering in his eyes. A sense of déjà vu briefly blackened my vision—a dream of another time and place.
“Bianca?” Miles’s voice sliced through my reverie, and the warm press of his hands steadied my shoulders. “Are you okay? Do you need me to—”
No.
I reached out, pressing my hand against his chest before he could think to flee. This moment wasn’t just about my usual quirks or fears.
“We’ve done this before?” I whispered, feeling the edges of the memory slip away as quickly as it had surfaced. It sifted through my fingers like trying to hold on to a handful of sand.
This wasn’t new. We’d had this conversation once long ago, and in a location very much like this one.
Miles’s expression morphed from white-faced horror to scarlet mortification. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You said so yourself,” I reminded him. “What happened?”
What a strange, dizzying experience. A haze had settled over my thoughts, and my body didn’t feel like mine.
That changed abruptly when Miles grunted. Without warning, he settled beside me and pulled me into his lap. My mind was elsewhere as he wrapped the blanket around us, and I barely registered the sensation of his skin against mine. My thoughts scrambled to catch up.
By the time I fully grasped the situation, I was already snuggled against him, warm and comfortable, with my cheek pressed to his chest. The opportunity for embarrassment had passed before I even had the chance to react.
“Miles!” I exclaimed a bit belatedly.
He looked apologetic. “One of us had to make the first move,” he explained.
I might have argued, but as he held me, eyes closed, head resting against the stone wall, a different sense of discomfort tugged at my awareness.
It wasn’t about him holding me or even that we were naked together. Strangely, now that it was happening, I felt too comfortable to be anything more than slightly embarrassed. He hadn’t made any further moves, just kept me close, and Miles, by his nature, wasn’t threatening.
This was almost nice.
Yet, something felt off.
Why had Miles suddenly grown so bold? He had been so hesitant before. His shift only came after I mentioned the possibility of something forgotten between us.
He was trying to distract me, and I couldn’t help but wonder…why?
