Chapter Seven

The dismissal bell rang and her students practically leapt to their feet. They all waved bye to her and she waved as they all filed out of the classroom. As Circe started to clean up, putting crayons, pencils, and papers away, the night before last flashed through her mind. Truthfully, she hadn't been all that surprised to see him. Some distant part of her had to have known it would only be a matter of time once she came back to the shifter world.

He looked exactly the same, so beautiful he almost hurt her eyes. He still made the butterflies swarm though her body and fire burn through her blood. Damn him.

A cough sounded behind her and she spun, her heart racing. Only to realize it wasn't Miles. It was Alpha Jericho. She immediately bowed her head.

"You don't have to do that," he said. "I came here because I had a visitor last night trespassing onto pack lands."

She closed her eyes briefly, muttering under her breath. "He's not here to issue a challenge, Alpha."

He held up a hand. "I know. He said as much. I want to know why you lied to me."

"I didn't lie."

"You said you had no mate."

"I said I no longer had a mate. And he's not my mate. He chose someone else."

"I don't need to psychoanalyze the history between you two. He asked for time to change your mind and I gave him a week."

She shook her head. "It's not that easy."

"Forgiveness rarely is." Jericho headed toward the door. "There will always be highs and lows in any relationship, even among the strongest. All I can suggest is to listen to your heart. Listen to his. This moment won't be repeated so be sure you can walk away without regrets before you tell him goodbye."

He turned toward the door.

"Would you?" she asked, halting his retreat. "Would you forgive him?"

Slowly, he turned back to her, looking thoughtful. "Do you remember what you felt when you walked away from him?"

She gave one, lone nod.

"Are you willing to feel that way again?"

Circe had no answer because if she were completely honest, then no, she didn't want to ever feel so broken again. He must have seen the answer on her face.

"I would listen to his explanation," Jericho continued. "And then I would forgive him."

****

Miles sat on the stoop of her front door, patiently waiting, watching as she approached. She had taken her time, needing to think about the future and what she wanted out of it. All she could focus on was that moment up on the balcony, watching Miles as he greeted guests, and silently said goodbye. She'd cried for days. Had hated him. Then loved him. Then hated him once more. It was a tiring seesaw of emotions. Love, hate. Hate, love. The two emotions danced together for years, and now she wasn't sure which one had emerged victorious.

When Miles spotted her, he stood. His dark eyes were carefully blank, so she wasn't able to discern what he was thinking. She stopped in front of him, and they studied one another.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked.

"Yes."

She hurried up the steps and unlocked the door. He followed her inside.

"Coffee?"

"All right," he replied. "I feel like we're going to need a lot of it."

A wry smile lifted one corner of her mouth. She gestured to the small table. "Have a seat."

It didn't take long for the scent of coffee to fill the small kitchen. Once two mugs were filled, she placed one in front of him and then she sat down, wrapping her hands around the other.

"I met your alpha last night," he said.

"I know. He came to talk to me today."

"Ah." He took a deep breath. "Did he warn you against me?"

"Actually, he told me to listen to you."

Miles's eyebrows rose. "Interesting."

"And … he said he'd forgive you."

"Are you going 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. I shattered."

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

"The biggest problem, though, is that I'm afraid I never stopped 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. He felt 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.

She drifted for a moment on a sea of blissful content, watching as he stood and unzipped his jeans. Now she was frantic for more, so she helped him ease his long, thick cock from its confinement. Miles grabbed her ass and scooted her forward, until her bottom hung halfway off. There was no finesse. No smooth movement to their frantic need to feel each other. Circe placed him at her entrance, and a moment later, he pushed inside her with one quick thrust.

Both moaned in sync at the incredible feeling. Miles leaned his forehead against hers, breathing deep. She placed her hand on his pectoral and felt the staccato beat of his heart, matching hers in perfect rhythm.

"I've dreamed of this," he whispered. "Of you being in my arms once more. Every night I lay in my bed, praying to the High Luna you were okay. That you were safe. That you'd come back to me. I tortured myself wondering who you were with. If you were happier with him instead of me. Hoping you weren't, and then feeling guilty about that. I love you so fucking much, Circe."

His words shredded her heart, and she could no longer hold back. Tears poured down her cheeks as she angled her head and kissed him. The heat of his body melted into hers.

"I love you, too," she managed to gasp through all the emotions crashing through her. For the first time in fifteen years, she felt whole. Complete. She never wanted to lose that feeling. "Please don't break my heart again."

"Never," he vowed. "Oh God, babe, you are so tight and hot. Are you ready for me?"

"Please, Miles. Make me yours again," she pleaded. "Don't hold back. Give me everything you have."

He braced against her, and any hesitation he might have had disappeared as he gave her exactly what she wanted. The table creaked as he thrust into her again and again, until all she could hear were wet smacking sounds as he pounded into her pussy. She dug her nails into his back like an animal. A wild, savage creature needing nothing else but to fuck and be fucked. Excitement mounted with each breathtaking plunge. Miles's body quivered against hers, and she knew he was going to come the second before he did. His fingers dug into her ass and he yanked her close, over and over, until he let out a roaring cry and spilled deep inside her body. The intensity of his release triggered her own, and she tumbled headlong into a kaleidoscope of colors. Sublime. Exhilarating.

She never wanted this moment to end.

"Wrap your arms around me," he said, his voice low and gruff.

When she obeyed, he lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom. Through the night he showed her over and over just how much he had missed her.