Miles’s Redemption

Chapter 3

The scent of Kareena’s arousal and the feel of her under him had Miles wound tight.

His cock ached with the need to take her, but he ignored it as much as he could. He was going to pleasure his would-be mate first before he thought of himself. He wanted to hear her cries of passion as he brought her to climax.

He finished undoing the buttons on her blouse and peeled it off her with Kareena’s help. Once she lay back down, he stared at her chest. Her breasts looked to be more than a handful and were covered in a simple white cotton bra. It wasn’t meant to be sexy, but it turned his crank.

Miles made sure to keep his gaze lowered as he ran a finger down between Kareena’s breasts to the front clasp of her bra. His eyes would assuredly be mutedly glowing. They only did that when he was very aroused or angry. He was most definitely aroused. Kareena didn’t need to see them like that just yet.

He undid the clasp and brushed the material away. A low growl rumbled out of him.

Her breasts were perfect, tipped with rose pink nipples that were taut, just begging for him to suck on them. He lowered himself to his other arm, coming closer to the objects of his desire.

Miles bent his head and licked a nipple before he blew a breath on it. Kareena moaned and arched her back. He did it again then took the tight bud into his mouth. Her fingers sank into his hair as he sucked, her breath coming in pants. He loved how responsive his would-be mate was to his touch. It also made his cock strain against the front of his jeans.

He released her nipple and kissed a trail across her chest to the other one. He sucked it into his mouth. Kareena’s nails scraped against his scalp as she ground her pussy against him. The scent of her arousal grew stronger. She was wet. He’d bet anything her juices were soaking into her panties. He was going to lick her, lapping it all up like a cat did with cream.

The need to taste her coursing through him, Miles let go of her breast and shifted to his side. He undid Kareena’s pants and peeled them down her long legs. He hooked her panties with a finger and took them off as well. He then gazed down at what he’d revealed. She took his breath away.

Settling between her legs, he inched lower on her body until he reached her pussy.

He used his hands to spread her thighs even wider, opening her up to his gaze. Her sex glistened with her juices. He couldn’t hold back another soft growl. His cock jerked in his pants. The urge to tear them open and sink into her wetness was almost too hard to ignore. He managed to beat it back.

Using his thumbs, Miles spread her pussy lips and took his first lick. Kareena gasped, fisting the blanket under her. He closed his eyes and groaned. Her taste went straight to his head. He wanted to throw it back and howl. Instead, he lapped at her pussy, swallowing down her wetness. Kareena moaned, her hips lifting off the bed.

He licked and sucked, making sure to pay attention to her clit as he did so. The sounds Kareena made turned into keening moans as she ground her pussy against his mouth. Miles focused on her clit and pushed a finger inside her. Her inner walls clamped down around it as he slid it in and out. He soon used two as he worked her. She was close. So very close.

Miles set a faster pace and sucked on the little bundle of nerves that was the center of her pleasure. Kareena rode his fingers, the movement of her hips jerky. He felt a rippling along her inner walls, and then she was there. She moaned loudly as her pussy rhythmically clutched the digits he still moved inside her. He didn’t stop until he’d wrung everything out of her.

Pulling them free of her body, he licked his fingers clean as he rose from between her legs. Miles buried his face in the crook of Kareena’s neck. His body was on fire for her, his cock aching for release. The thought of sinking deep inside her pussy made it ache even more. If she’d been a werewolf, he wouldn’t have held himself back. He’d have taken her without a second thought. But she wasn’t. She didn’t know what would happen if he did. Once the mating bond formed between them, neither one of them would be able to stand to be apart from the other. Separation anxiety would ride them hard, and any absence would make them think something terrible had happened to their mate. All they would be able to think about was being together again.

Kareena shifted under him. “Miles? You stopped. You don’t have to.”

Oh yes, he did. “It’s all right.” He reined back on his arousal and mating urge. Sure his eyes would no longer be mutedly glowing, he lifted his head to look down at her. He brushed her lips with his. “This one was all for you.”

“But you’re still hard.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll be fine.”

“At least let me give you some relief.”

She reached for the button on his jeans, but he caught her wrist and lifted her hand away. It was very tempting. The only problem with letting her make him come was he really wouldn’t get any relief. That would only happen when he made love to her fully.

Any other way would only cause his mating urge to ride his ass harder. Plus, it wouldn’t get rid of his erection. As a male werewolf, he could keep it for hours, coming multiple times before he’d soften.

“No,” he said softly. “That will just make my good intentions fly out the window.

There’s no need to rush. I’d like to get to know you better before we go any further.”

“Wow.” She blinked up at him. “Are you for real?”

He gave her a cautious look, not sure if she was being sarcastic. “What do you mean?”

“Most guys I know wouldn’t have stopped. They wouldn’t have given a damn and would have taken it all the way.”

He smiled. “Then you must know a lot of jerks.”

“Well, that about sums them up, especially my ex. He was the biggest one of them all. I guess I attract that kind of men.”

Miles cocked an eyebrow. “You didn’t this time.”

He watched her cheeks turn a becoming shade of pink. “Crap. I didn’t mean you were a jerk. I know you aren’t. Damn. I sometimes don’t think before I open my mouth and say whatever is on my mind. I haven’t put you in the same class as my ex.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” he said with a chuckle. “And it’s okay. I was just having a bit of fun with you, but since you really don’t know me that well, you wouldn’t realize that.”

“You’re right.”

He pulled away and slid off the bed to stand next to it. “Why don’t you get dressed while I go and get us something for breakfast?”

“I really don’t know if my stomach will be able to handle food just yet. If you have tea, I’d love a cup or two of that.”

Miles smiled. “I do have tea. I’ll put the kettle on.”

He turned and walked out of the room without a backward glance. Seeing Kareena naked and lying on his bed made him want to forget what he’d told her. Miles went to the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil.

It had been a long time since he’d awakened to a woman under his roof, at least one that he cared about. The last one had been Jaden’s mother. And even though he knew relatively nothing about Kareena, he did care about her. The mating urge had made sure of that. It wouldn’t have been set off if there weren’t a chance of him falling in love with Kareena. The only thing that still niggled at the back of his mind was the fact she was mortal. He could possibly have a hard time getting her to accept what he was. But what he really was worried about was the fact he was so long-lived, and she had what seemed like only a handful of years compared to his lifespan.

He didn’t know if he could stand the thought of losing her so soon. It had been hard enough when Sarah, his daughter’s mother, had walked out on him. Giving Kareena his heart, then having death claim her, would hurt even worse. The mating bond would make it so.

Arms wrapped around his middle as Kareena came up behind him. “You must be lost in thought about something serious. I said your name, but you didn’t hear me.”

He turned and dragged her closer before he gave her a quick kiss. “I was lost in thought, but nothing too serious. Why don’t you sit at the table? The kettle should be just about boiled.”

She dropped her arms and did as he’d suggested. “You have a great place here. Is it a penthouse?”

The kettle shut off once it reached a boil. He took out a teapot and put a teabag in it before he filled it with the heated water. “Yes, it is.” Miles brought the pot and two mugs to the table then sat next to Kareena.

“I told you what I do for a living, but you haven’t said where you work,” she said.

“I don’t have what you would call a job, though I’m easing my way back into my sister’s protection business. I used to work with her many years ago.”

“The bodyguard business must be good. Do you enjoy it?”

“It’s nice to be doing it again, and to work with my sister once more. Saskia and I haven’t been close for a long time because of the way I left. I’m trying to remedy that. Do you like being an ER nurse?”

“Yeah, though it can be stressful at times. And the long shifts can be a killer, especially the night ones. I’ve been a nurse for a while. I went to San Francisco State University’s School of Nursing right after high school.”

Once they mated, Kareena would have to give up her career. There was no way either one of them would be able to handle the separation while she did a long shift at the hospital. And he had more than enough money to financially support both of them.

The tea steeped, Miles poured some into their mugs. “Do you want milk?”

Kareena nodded. “Please.”

He got the jug out of the fridge and poured some into a creamer before he returned to the table. He waited until after Kareena had used it then added some milk to his tea.

Miles watched her take a sip of hers. She sighed.

“Going down okay?” he asked with a smile.

“Yes. I’ll say it again. I don’t normally drink as much as I did last night. I should have probably not had those last two drinks. They did me in.”

“You and your friends looked as if you were celebrating something.”

Kareena smiled, and Miles resisted the urge to drag her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually sat with a woman and had a conversation. Since Sarah, he’d made sure not to form any attachments to the opposite sex. Much to his shame, he’d be the first to admit he’d been too busy doing despicable things that he was not proud of. He’d let his lust for power get the better of him.

“We were celebrating,” Kareena said. “It was Alice’s birthday. And Lacy had dumped her asshole boyfriend.”

Miles had known both those things. Werewolf hearing was so acute he’d had no problem hearing the conversation at Kareena’s table. “So your friend breaking up was a cause for celebration?”

“Most definitely. We all hated her boyfriend. He didn’t treat Lacy very well. It took her a while to see it, but in the end, she did.”

“What about you and your ex? Were you together long?”

Kareena blew out a breath. “You could say that. He’s actually my ex-fiancé. We were engaged for seven years before he decided he didn’t want to get married after all.

That was about a year ago.” She gave him a shy look. “I haven’t dated anyone else since then, except you, of course.”

“Well, we really haven’t had a real date, have we? That’s something I want to have with you, though. Are you free this evening?”

“Yes. I’m off work for the next two days.”

“Then how does going out to see a movie or something sound to you?”

She turned toward Miles and kissed him, just a mere brush of her lips that left him wanting a whole lot more. “It’s a date. A movie sounds good. I haven’t been to the theatre in ages.”

“A movie it is.”

Kareena finished her tea then placed the mug on the table. “I really should go home so I can change out of these clothes. Plus, I need to get ready for our hot date.”

Miles chuckled. “I’ll drive you. Your purse is still in the bedroom. I guess I could have gone through it to check your ID for your address, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate it if I did. It also gave me an excuse to bring you to my place.”

“Yeah, we women have a thing about our purses,” she said with a laugh. “And I’m glad you didn’t look for my address. I wouldn’t have had the chance to get to know you better.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t have gotten rid of me that easily. I would have showed up at your door today, no matter what.”

She wrapped her hand around his nape and brought his mouth to hers. Kareena gave him a thorough kiss that jacked his libido up another level. It had been at a low simmer as it was.

After she pulled away, she said, “I’m glad I met you, Miles. I’m looking forward to this evening. Maybe we can take up where we left off earlier.”

Miles groaned. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? Now I won’t be able to think about anything else but that for the rest of the day.”

Kareena stood. “Anticipation is a good thing. I’ll go get my purse, then we can leave whenever you’re ready.”

He watched her walk out of the kitchen. God, he wanted her. He just hoped like hell he’d be able to hold her off for a little while longer. If it looked as if he couldn’t rein back on his instinct to claim Kareena as his mate, he’d have to tell her the truth about him tonight. Considering how well things were going with her right now, he’d hate to have that throw it off. But it wasn’t something he couldn’t do. He’d have to tell her. It would be a test to see just how strong his control was.