6. Miles

SIX

MILES

The night before, the firm had received a request for a new assignment. It was, of course, right in my wheelhouse. A woman's husband had run off with their babysitter and every bit of their seven-hundred-thousand dollars in savings. He'd cleaned her out, and she wanted him found. Sadly, it was typical. I got similar assignments at least twice a year. A rich wife ran off with the pool boy, or a rich husband ran off with the nanny. If the jobs didn't pay so well, I'd probably stop accepting them because it was getting boring.

Needing to get in early and talk to the guys about it, I was in my truck and on the way before the sun was fully up. Not only did I need to tell them about the assignment, but I had to let them know about Celina. So far, the only one who had any inkling was Blayne. He'd have put two-and-two together by now, but Steff and Tate needed to know. Plus, they needed to give me advice on what to do.

The job had sent my wolf into hysterics because it was in Chicago. My beast was not excited about being that far away from Celina, especially since we knew she wasn't going to be in town much longer. Time was growing short. Cheating spouse jobs usually only took a week, but it was a week too long.

The same old thoughts crept into my mind. Was I wasting my time? Would she even want a mate like me? The negativity continued to plague me. I couldn't believe I was even entertaining the idea. Not only was I entertaining it, but I'd pretty much decided to pursue her, and I couldn't get the thought that she'd reject me out of my head. It was another reason I needed to tell the guys.

The office was quiet when I got there. We were almost always the first ones in, with our employees showing up between eight and nine. These early mornings were the best time for us to discuss things like the pay structure, bonuses, and shifter things—basically anything the employees didn't need to hear. I found the guys huddled around the coffee pot in the break room.

"Did you guys get that email last night?" I asked.

Tate nodded. "The horny guy running off with the nineteen-year-old babysitter? Yup. We gonna take the job?"

I poured myself a cup and sat at the table. "That's what we need to talk about. There's been a development."

Blayne's eyes lit up. "I knew it."

Steff and Tate glanced at each other, and frowned. Steff sat beside me. "What development?"

"My mate found me. Well, I guess we found each other."

"Oh shit," Tate said. "I win the bet."

"There was no bet," Steff said.

"Mmhmm, you only say that because you thought Blayne was gonna be next," Tate muttered before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Can we focus, please?" I said.

"Okay," Steff said. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"My new neighbor."

Steff and Tate both laughed.

"Wonder if Emily put that as a prerequisite of the curse?" Tate asked. "You must mate with your new neighbor."

I grunted. I wasn't in the mood for their jokes. All I could think of was Celina and how everything that lay before me seemed impossible.

"How do you feel about it?" Blayne asked, his tone and expression serious.

I looked at each of them in turn. "If I'm being truthful, I think she'll reject me."

Tate and Steff groaned, and from the look on Blayne's face, he was already contemplating his own fate. He was the last one left. I didn't blame him for looking nervous. I was knee deep in it, and it was as terrifying as I'd thought it would be.

"You can't think like that," Steff said. "Remember what you told me when I was actively trying to force April to reject me? You basically called me an idiot. You were right. You can't assume she's going to reject you based on past experiences. We all know your history. Same as you know ours."

I nodded. "I know, I know. It isn't a conscious decision. I think I'm just fucked in the head. From the moment I saw Liz in bed with my alpha's son…the instant I saw that, all my love and adoration wasn't enough? Every ounce of confidence vanished. There's a mental block there that I can't get through. My wolf's emotions and desires are the main thing pushing me forward. Without them, I'd probably give up, let her go, and die."

"My dragon was difficult to ignore, that's for sure," Tate agreed.

Steff took a deep breath, rubbed at his face, then rested his elbows on his knees and looked me in the eyes. "Look, bro. I'm about to say something, and I don't know how you're going to react. But it needs to be said."

I frowned. "Okay. I can take it."

"Liz was a bitch and a whore. There I said it." Tate made a hissing sound, but Steff waved him off. "I'm fucking serious. Miles, you're one of the best guys I know. You loved that girl, gave her your entire heart, did everything she wanted, and made plans for the future. How did she repay that? By sitting on that dude's dick the first chance she got. I don't use this word very often, but that's slut behavior if I ever heard it. If you ask me? She wanted to knock boots with the next alpha so she could be his little pack queen. Fuck you and your feelings. You can forgive her for that if you want, but I won't. Especially now that we've seen how much she fucked your head up."

Steff leaned back and crossed his arms, waiting for my response. I'd wanted to bite back when he first started talking about her like that. How crazy was it that I still wanted to defend her? The woman I loved had fucked someone else. I'd walked in on her, begging him to go harder and faster. She'd pissed on my heart, and here I was twenty years later still wanting to defend her? How pathetic was I?

I nodded to Steff. "You're right. I'm scared, though."

"Scared of what?" Blayne asked. "It's time to put it behind you. You were eighteen when that went down. Plenty of years in between to put it in the rear view."

"Right, but what if that screwed me up so bad that I fuck up whatever relationship I end up having with Celina? Am I going to be some possessive, jealous asshole? So insecure that the first time I see her even talk to another guy, I decide she's probably banging him behind my back? That's a great way to push someone away. She already seems shy and innocent, and, in the short time I've spent in her presence, I can tell she's easily rattled. I'd hate for her to hate me, or even worse, fear me."

"Listen…" Tate said, "…you're worrying about something that probably won't happen. Miles, you are basing all these fears and objections on a situation that happened when you were a kid. You are a grown ass man now, more mature, and more in control of your feelings and actions. You aren't ruled by your hormones and emotions like you were back then. I guarantee if the same thing happened now, you wouldn't attack the alpha's son. You'd be able to control yourself. I have no doubt that the same control will make sure you don't screw things up with this woman."

Steff added, "You are an alpha. All four of us are. We're protective by nature, especially with our mates, but we aren't protective to the point of treating them like a possession, like something we own instead of a partner we live with. Out of all of us, you are the most level-headed. You're a natural born leader, which is why we almost always defer to you on business matters and other stuff. Avoid the drama Tate and I went through, and you'll be fine."

Everything they'd said made sense and spoke to me in a way my own thoughts didn't. They seemed to have more faith and trust in me than I had in myself. I had to dig my teeth into the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions at bay. It was good to know what my friends thought of me, and that it was all good.

Letting my vulnerability show, I asked, "What happens if I do pursue her and give her everything I have to give, but she rejects me anyway?"

Tate swore under his breath. "Bro, I never hit women. I'm not that kind of dude. That said, if this Liz chick was here right now? I'd slap the hell out of her for what she did to your head, man."

Blayne finally spoke up. "She won't reject you. That's not something you need to worry about."

I looked at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "It's fated. She was meant for you. The spell forced you together, but it was fate that chose her. Why would fate choose someone who would reject you? The only way that happens is if you force her to."

Steff and Tate nodded. The logic made sense—too much sense to really argue against. There was still one problem. A problem I wasn't sure how to get past.

"She leaves in less than two weeks, though."

Blayne shrugged and looked unconcerned. "Looks like you better move fast."

Despite my worry, I laughed at that. "Okay. Got it. I guess I need to turn down this job that came in, huh?"

Tate nodded. "I'll take care of letting them know and tell them we're booked solid. I'll recommend a few other companies that can handle it."

I couldn't remember a time when I'd ever turned a job down. It simply wasn't like me. Since we started the company, I'd always been a little bit of a workaholic. But my priorities have changed. Now all I could think of was Celina and how to make things work with her.

The team had started to arrive, so we left our conversation at that. Even though we'd talked out all the stuff I needed to let out, I still had a lot to think about. After finishing my coffee, I left the guys in the break room and decided to work from home for the day. There was too little time left for me to spend half the day in the office. Who knew when Celina would cross my path again?

Blayne's comment about fate came to fruition when I pulled into my spot at the apartment complex. Celina was trudging across the parking lot, her arms once again loaded with bags. I was beginning to think she had something against driving. It seemed like she enjoyed walking everywhere. She was struggling like the last time. I hopped out of my car and locked it before hustling over to her.

I was about six feet from her when I said, "Can I help?"

She jumped and squealed. "Jesus!"

"Sorry," I said with a self-conscious grimace, "Let me get that." Without hesitation, I took all her bags from her arms. I couldn't figure out why she was so skittish. Every time I saw her, I either startled or surprised her.

She put a hand to her chest and took a shaky breath. "How the hell are you so quiet?"

She wasn't wrong. I was a wolf and naturally covert and silent, even when running. The only one more quiet than me was Blayne. Steff and Tate were fast and powerful, but bears and dragons weren't known for their stealth. The fact that she had noticed had my wolf preening as if it was a compliment. As an answer, I simply shrugged and gave a rueful smile.

Celina shook her head and turned away from me. "I can't figure it out," she whispered to herself.

I wanted to ask what she meant by that, but her words had been a faint whisper meant for herself. There was no way I could have heard her without my wolf-hearing. It would probably spook her if I let on that I had heard. Instead, I let it go and walked her up the stairs.

On the walk up, I stole glances at her from the corner of my eye. She seemed to be deep in thought about something, her lips were moving silently. I grinned as her hands twisted together at her waist. She was nervous as hell about something. I wished I could read her lips to figure out what she was trying to say. Was she rehearsing something? Trying to work out the politest way to tell me to get lost? Probably.

When we got to her door, Celina unlocked it and started taking bags from my hands and setting them on the floor. When she took the last one, she put it down, stood straight, and looked at me. She on one side of the threshold, me on the other. After several seconds of silence, I raised my eyebrows in question.

"Um," Celina said. "What…uh…what are you doing for dinner?" She was sweating like she'd run a marathon.

I grinned, and my wolf chuffed in delight. "I hadn't really thought about it. Why?"

Her hands were still twisting together like crazy. If she kept it up, she was going to draw blood. Without looking up from my shoes, she said, "Do you want to come over for dinner? As a thanks for all this bag carrying you've been doing."

Her cheeks went tomato red. Man, she was so adorable. She blushed so easily. It was cute, and it told me she was nervous asking me. It had probably taken a lot of courage. Did that mean she liked me? I hoped so.

"I'd love to."

"Oh good." She sighed, then slammed the door in my face.

Blinking, I frowned at the door. That was abrupt.

From behind the door, I heard a muffled, "Shit."

The door opened again, and an even redder-faced Celina stared out at me. "Sorry. Got…uh, ahead of myself. Sounds great. I'll see you then."

"Are you really sure you want me to come over?" I asked.

She nodded, her ponytail bouncing wildly. "Yes. Yes, I do."

I smiled in response. Her eyes flicked to my mouth, and she licked her lips before making a sighing sound and closing the door in my face again. This time, I laughed when I heard her curse behind the door.

For the second time, she opened it a crack and leaned out. "I'm an idiot. Sorry. Knock at seven. See you then."

I grinned. "You aren't an idiot. I'll see you at seven."

Her door closed again as I opened my own. The next ten hours would probably be the slowest of my entire life, but it would be worth the wait. Even though I did my best to busy myself with work on my laptop, I still caught myself staring out the window by the door at Celina's apartment every few minutes.

I couldn't wait to have dinner with her.