Page 2 of Stick Games
But that’s another reminder I can’t let anything happen between Millie and me. The Bang brothers would also kill me.
I kick off my jeans and tug on the pants. Also snug, but they’ll do in a pinch. I take the jacket off and slip into the crisp white shirt. After doing my tie, and pulling my jacket back on, I work hard to push down my apprehension. I turn to find Ryder’s fingers racing over his phone, a mischievous grin on his face.
“What time does the prom end?” I ask.
“Midnight, I think.” He tucks his phone away. “Don’t wait up for me.”
“At least one of us will be going to bed with a smile on his face.”
He fixes my tie, and arches a brow. “You’d better not be going to bed with a smile on your face, dude.”
I laugh at that. “Come on, you know me better than that.”
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I asked you to take Emilia to the prom. I don’t trust her with any of our other friends.”
“You can trust me,” I say quietly, as guilt grips my nut sack and squeezes. Okay fine, I might dream and fantasize about Millie, but I’m never going to act on it, which means I have nothing to feel guilty about, and in no way does that break his trust, right?
“All right. Let’s go put a smile on my sister’s face.”
As soon as those words leave his mouth, my mind goes down a path it shouldn’t, and I instantly visualize all the other ways I’d like to make her smile. Fuck, man, she’s a grown-ass woman ready to compete in the Olympics this year. But she’s still Ryder’s sister and off limits.
With Mom and Dad gone away for the weekend, we head outside, and I lock up behind us. Honestly, I wish they were home, so I wouldn’t be tempted to bring Millie home for the night. Ryder’s house is only two doors down, but I hop in my car and meet him in his driveway. I want to have my car ready and waiting if Millie decides to go through with this.
I work to tamp down my nerves, not at all sure how she’s going to react to Ryder’s idea. A part of me hopes she tells me to go to hell. It’s the other part, the part that wants to hang out with her, that worries me.
We head inside, and I’m greeted with smiles from Ryder’s parents, who raised me as much as my folks raised Ryder. Judging by the way William is putting his hand on my shoulder, in much the same way Ryder did earlier, it’s clear they’re privy to this plan.
“Thanks for doing this,” Williams says, a mixture of gratitude and worry on his face. I’m sure he’d love to tear the douche bag a new one too.
“Here.” Ryder presses the corsage into my hand. “Give me a minute with her.” With that, he darts up the stairs.
Amy takes my hand. “Come on. Let’s go sit in the living room and give Ryder a minute with Emilia.” She guides me to the room off the hall, and I drop into my favorite chair, one I spent many hours in over the years when Ryder and I were into video games. They ask about my parents’ mini vacation to Cabo, and then the conversation quickly shifts to hockey. We spend the next fifteen minutes chatting, and I’m well aware that my gaze keeps straying to the doorway. Another five minutes pass, and when I hear only one set of heavy footsteps pounding down the stairs, I relax. Yeah, Millie isn’t going through with this and really, it’s for the best.
Ryder walks into the room, his brows furrowed, and I push to my feet. “Is she okay?” I ask quietly.
A smile spreads across Ryder’s face when another set of footsteps on the stairs echoes around us. Ryder moves to the side as Millie takes his place in the doorway, and I nearly swallow my fucking tongue as my gaze lands on the most beautiful woman on the planet. Jesus, tonight might just be the death of me. As my body burns with want, my words get lodged in my throat, and while I want to say something, do something, I’m completely immobilized.
Millie’s gaze drops and she begins to back up. “You don’t have to do this. It’s ridiculous,” she blurts out, and that statement prompts me into action.
“Millie.” I move toward her, take her hand and her big green eyes lift to meet mine. “Not ridiculous at all. I just…” I step back, her hand still in mine and I let my gaze race over her emerald dress that compliments her gorgeous red hair, and green eyes. The fabric hugs her curves, and the way it fits her to perfection, messes with my ability to form a coherent sentence. “You just look so beautiful.” I’ve seen her in skating outfits that showcase her firm, athletic body, but this…this not only brings out the dark flecks in her eyes, it brings color to her fair cheeks.
She relaxes a bit. “You like the dress?”
Like? That’s a fucking understatement.
I lean in my words for her ears only. “Let’s go show that douche bag what he’s missing.” As my warm breath wafts across the shell of her ear, a shiver goes through her. Christ, if the others in the room can feel this electricity between us, they’ll toss me out on my ass. I clear my throat and step back holding my arm out like a gentleman. “Shall we, Millie?”
She slides her arm in mine. “You look really nice too, Gigi.”
I shake my head as I slide the corsage onto her arm. “I never should have told you my middle name was Gerard.”
“When you stop calling me Millie, I’ll stop calling you Gigi.”
I laugh, because suddenly it feels like old times, when we got along and used to tease each other.
“Millie suits you.”
“Why is that?”
