My Favorite Souveni- Penelope Ward , Vi Keeland Page 0,53

by room service,” he said. “I’ll get the door.”

• • •

For the rest of the night, we steered away from the road we had started down before dinner. Without discussing it, we both seemed to know it was for the best. However, I was certain the vision of me riding him would be seared into my brain for a long time. We talked for hours, and around midnight, after I’d yawned and caused Milo to yawn, we decided to watch a movie.

He laid on his back on top of the covers with one hand behind his head. Crawling up next to him, I rested my head on his chest. “Is this okay?”

He ran his fingers through my hair. “Yeah. It’s perfect.”

I thought I would have trouble falling asleep while lying so close to him on the bed. But listening to the sound of Milo’s heartbeat as he softly stroked my head was better than a rocking chair and lullaby.

• • •

Morning came too soon. My flight was at nine, which meant I needed to be at the airport by seven, and on the road by six thirty. When the alarm on my phone went off at five thirty, Milo rustled in the bed, but didn’t wake up. So I shut the bedroom doors and let him sleep while I got ready. He’d offered to drive me, but there was really no reason for him to run out so early in the morning. Calling an Uber was just as easy.

I packed the last of my things into my suitcase and looked around for anything I forgot. Taking a deep breath, I checked the time on my phone and called up the Uber app. Thirty seconds after punching in the airport as my destination, a message popped up that a driver had been located and would arrive in six minutes.

Six minutes.

I broke out in a cold sweat as I opened the door to the bedroom. Milo looked so peaceful sleeping that I was tempted to leave a note and not even wake him. But I knew how I would feel if he did that to me—robbed of the opportunity to say goodbye. So I walked to his side of the bed and gently shook him.

“Milo,” I whispered. “I have to go.”

His eyes fluttered open and came into focus. Leaning up on his elbow he said, “What time is it?”

“It’s six thirty-five. Don’t get up. I called an Uber already. It will be here in five minutes, so I need to head downstairs.”

His eyes were so expressive. Pain lanced through me, seeing how he felt.

“Why didn’t you wake me? I wanted to drive you.”

“I thought it would be easier this way.” I shook my head. “For so many reasons.”

“Fuck.” Milo dragged a hand through his hair. “I need more time to say goodbye.”

I smiled sadly. “But we’re not saying goodbye. I’m going to see you in a few months, remember?”

He blew out a deep breath. “Yeah, okay. But just give me one second.”

Milo hopped out of bed and jogged to the bathroom. He came out a minute later and took me into his arms. I smelled mint on his breath, so he must’ve brushed his teeth while he was in there.

“We didn’t get souvenirs from Atlanta,” he said.

I smiled. “It’s okay.”

“No. It’s not. I want you to have something to remember every stop we’ve made.”

“I can pick something up at the airport.”

He cupped my cheeks with both hands, and his eyes dipped down to my lips. “I think I have something better.”

I licked my dry lips.

Milo groaned. “God, I’ve wanted to do this for so damn long.”

Before I could respond, he tilted my head and sealed his mouth over mine. His lips were surprisingly soft, but his touch was firm. He nudged for me to open and wasted no time dipping his tongue inside when I did. All hell broke loose after that. The coat that had been in my hand fell to the ground, and my arms wrapped around his neck. Milo growled and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and I didn’t realize we were moving until my back hit a wall.

Milo pushed his hips into me, and I could feel his steely erection even through our clothes. Unable to get enough, I moaned into our joined mouths and threaded my fingers through his silky hair, giving it a good, hard yank to bring him even closer. I could feel the rapid beat of his heart through