Page 14 of Mate Forsaken

“Actually, he told me to listen to you.”

Miles’s eyebrows rose. “Interesting.”

“And … he said he’d forgive you.”

“Areyougoing to forgive me?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” she replied honestly.

An awkward silence fell, hanging heavily between them. After taking a fortifying sip of her coffee, Circe braced herself.

“Truth is, I’m scared,” she said softly. “I’m afraid to give you that much power over me once more. I’m afraid to have my heart broken again. You chose the pack over me, like I was easily disposable. Easily replaceable. I tried moving on. Tried to remove you from my mind. Tried to rip you out of my memories, but you were always there.”

She took a deep breath.

“Guess it’s my time to ramble. You said you’ve loved me your entire life, but I’ve loved you my entire life, too. I never even thought anything would come between us, and when I saw you with her at your engagement party, that illusion shattered.Ishattered.”

Looking in his dark eyes, she decided to lay it all out.

“The biggest problem, though, is that I’m afraid I neverstopped loving you. You still have the power to destroy me, and I don’t think I’m strong enough to pick up the pieces again.”

“I live in your house.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I moved into your house.”

“Why? The alpha’s house is huge.”

“But it didn’t smell like you,” he said. “Everything is exactly where you left it. Except for the dishes. I had to wash them.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I needed to be surrounded with your scent. Your possessions. I couldn’t have you, but I could be close to you.”

“I’m not quite sure what to say to that,” she murmured. “Where do we go from here?”

“I thought it would be easy to convince you to come back to the Shadowhide Pack with me.”

“I have a job here. A contract with Alpha Jericho that I can’t break.” She shook her head. “No matter what, I’m here for the duration of the school year.”

He rose and came around the table, then turned her chair around to kneel between her legs. “I’ll wait a lifetime for you, Circe.”

Then he slid a hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her close, fusing their mouths together. She didn’t want to relent, at first. Wanted to prove she could withstand his charm and magnetism. But all her good intentions disappeared as soon as he swiped his tongue across the seam of her lips.

It had been so long and this felt so right.Hefelt right. In an instant, she realized there was no way she could resist him because something more than attraction lay between them. It was biology. Spirituality. Destiny. A soul-deep ache that only Miles could heal. They would always be bound together in a primitive, if not visceral, way.

Did she want to fight it? No. Not really. She was so tired of shutting off her thoughts about him. Tired of fighting her desire. Her needs. She missed him so damn much, she wondered how she ever thought she wouldn’t miss him. Despite everything, she couldn’t deny her love anymore. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she opened for him.

The kiss ignited, sending jolts of pleasure shooting through her body. He rose, dragging her up with him, and sat her on the table. He slid his hands over her thighs, parting her legs so he could fit between them. They broke apart and he placed kisses along her cheek and down her neck. Circe gasped and threw back her head, the bristles on his jaw gently scraping her sensitive skin.

Down he went, pushing and pulling her clothes out of his way. Her skirt bunched around her hips and he allowed the claws on one hand to form so he could rip through the flimsy material. Then he grabbed her ass and buried his face between her legs.

Hot breath blew across her center, causing her to gasp as she watched the top of his head. He licked through her slit and his tongue found the nexus of nerves that had her eyes rolling back in her head. So good. She had missed this. Missed him. Her moan echoed through the room as he gently sucked on her clit. He moved as if to leave her, and she gripped his hair to hold him against her.

Miles let out a soft chuckle. “I’m not going anywhere, my love.”

Then he resumed his sweet, erotic torture. Spreading her legs even wider, he eased one finger inside her, curling it up and hitting a very sensitive area. Waves of pleasure engulfed her and she splintered apart. Crying out as her climax crashed through her like a hurricane.

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