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.