<em>~Mila taking the bull by the horns, so to speak~</em><br/><br/>Mila had just sat back when Nicci came forward, taking the chocolates.  She sputtered when the other woman accused her of not stepping up to the plate.  "Not st--," she said, but Nicci was looking at her with such intensity that Mila's words were lost.<em>Let all of us in.</em>She bit down on her lip, her eyes closing as if to make the words go away.  And then Nicci was putting her hand in Bo's.  Mila's eyes flew open as she felt the callused, rough skin of someone who was used to hard work.  Feeling a little frantic, she looked at Mari and then at Nicci, her support system, and then she looked back at Bo.<br/><br/>His words were kind, and they made her heart melt.  Whatever the problems were between them, whether they were real or only something perceived by her, she knew in that moment that she and Bo would be okay.  Her misgivings that Bo didn't want to kiss her and that Nicci wouldn't like it if she did it had both just been put to rest.  She had no more excuses to make.  Mila knew that she had to either commit herself to this experiment or follow Vince's footsteps out of the castle.  A line had been drawn, and she had to choose which side of it she was going to land on.<br/><br/>Absently, her tongue flickered out and licked the corner of her mouth as she gathered her courage.  "I think that the time is right now, Bo," she said, her voice sounding hoarse to her own ears.  Kneeling before him, she leaned in, one hand clasped in his and the other caressing his cheek.  Her eyes closed as her lips brushed against his.  This time, though, she didn't pull away, instead parting her lips just a bit and deepening the kiss.  Her lips lingered against his, learning the contours of his mouth.<br/><br/>Finally, she pulled away and sat against the sofa, crossing her arms casually over her chest to hide that her nipples had become erect from arousal.  Her voice was husky when she said, "I don't think I'll be doing<em>that</em>with Angus."<br/>