Page 13 of Miles
He always lingers in the back of my thoughts, lives in my dreams, in my diary, and in my heart, but he isn’t my prince.At least several years older than me and a criminal mastermind, my godbrother Miles is talented and wanted by every woman in Vegas and back in Steeleville, where his parents live and where my mother is from.
I pull in alongside his vehicle, cutting off the engine, lingering in my seat and building up the courage to go inside. With my head down, I hear the front door open. Lifting my gaze, I spot my reason for staying back. It’s Miles.
As soon as I step out of the car and walk to the portico, he says, “You’re more than a few minutes late, Elsa.”
“Excuse me? Since when are you my daddy?” I question, pressing my hands on my hips.
“I’m teasing, Princess,” he says with a devilish smirk. “I wanted you to meet the new lady in my life.” My heart drops into my stomach.
I swallow hard. “Why would—” I cut myself off before I say something stupid, and it’s good because a cute little chocolate puppy comes running up to us yapping with a pretty pink collar around her neck. He scoops her up before she can run out the front door and then leads us inside the house like it’s his home.
“Come inside. I don’t want her to get out, Princess.” He knows I hate when he calls me that. I don’t really hate it, but I hate the way my body reacts to it. “I haven’t picked a name for her yet. What do you think we should name her?”
“We?” My brows raise in what I’m sure is a comical way, especially because I catch my father quickly mask his expression, but I don’t miss it. My teeth clench and still, I redirect my attention to Miles.
“Yes. Your dad offered your assistance in helping me care for this little girl,” Miles says, scooping her up in his arms without any concern for his overly priced, well-tailored suit.
“You said you wanted some responsibility,” my father adds, daring to speak after his betrayal.
“Yes, like a job. Not a puppy that’s clearly not mine.”
“Come, now, don’t be mean. Just think of it as shared custody,” Miles says, leaning in a little too close to me. Why does he smell so good? Even with a puppy in his arms, I can still smell his own personal scent. It’s imprinted on my nostrils. I swear I can tell every time he’s within breathing distance.
“Fine, but let me hold her,” I huff, reaching out to grab her without invitation.
“Be careful. I’d hate for her to scratch you,” he warns.
“It will be fine. She’s a baby,” I coo as I pull her from his arms. Our hands lightly touch, and I swear he intentionally lets them linger a little too long. That’s surely not the case since he doesn’t like me.
“What shall we name our baby?” he asks, petting her back, leaning in a little closer. She wags her tail, looking up at us with so much joy. I try not to like this feeling too much, so I create some emotional separation since he refuses to allow any physical kind.
“Hmm… that’s a difficult one.” I tap my chin. “Surely you can’t give them one of your mistresses’ names. We wouldn’t want you to confuse them, so you’ll have to think of something else.”
He chuckles. “I love that sass, Princess. Any name you want because I have no mistresses.”
My dad leans in and interjects, “Actually, Mistress would be good.”
“It’s perfect,” I tease.
“I like it, too.” He looks into my eyes, and for a moment I can’t pull my gaze away.
“Come on. We need to have our meeting. Sweetheart, can you keep an eye on little Mistress for now?” Miles forces himself to step back.
I nod.
“Don’t spoil our little girl too much.”
“Please.” I roll my eyes and scoff. “I’m sure your daddy is going to spoil you rotten,” I say to the little puppy. A growl comes from behind me.
“We need to discuss some matters, Miles,” my father insists.
“Yes,” he answers, gives me one last look, and then walks away. I start playing with the little girl in my arms as the men’s footsteps head down the hall.
“Maybe we can find her a master one day,” I tease, forgetting myself for a moment. I don’t think they heard me, but I’m wrong.
“One day,” Miles says, closing my father’s office door behind them.
I suck in a quick breath, grateful that they’re already in his office so he couldn’t hear or see me. “Okay, pretty girl. It’s just you and me for now, so how about you and I get to know each other? But first I need to put my school things away and get a little more comfortable.” It’s late, and I haven’t had dinner. I’m actually starving, since I’m pretty much running on coffee and a protein shake today.
