Wrath #2
“How’d he seem...”
“He was fine.” She shrugged. “A little outdone with me, but he’ll get over it.”
“And you?” I walked over and sat down next to her. “How are you making it?”
“Better now that I’m not going to jail.” She motioned her head towards Rosa’s place. “You get everything sorted with her?”
“Yeah, I think so. Just hate I didn’t do it sooner. Maybe then, all of this could’ve been avoided.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s hard to tell.” Mia grimaced as she said, “She really liked you and hoped that things would work out. Can’t really blame her for that.”
“Yeah, but she had no business taking her hurt out on you. I should’ve made sure that didn’t happen.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was, and I’m sorry about that. Will you give me a chance to make it up to you?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I could take you to dinner and maybe out for a few drinks?”
“That sounds great, but a couple of pizzas and a bottle of wine sounds even better.” She gave a little stretch, then admitted, “It’s been a bit of a day.”
“Yeah, it has.” I stood, then held out my hand. “Let’s get you inside and settled, and then, I’ll run to town and grab dinner.”
“Are you sure? I could go with...”
“Yeah, you could, or you could take a minute to catch your breath.” I led her inside and over to the sofa. Once she was nestled in her spot, I grabbed a blanket and tossed it over her legs. As I offered her the remote, I asked, “You still do the whole pepperoni and mushroom thing?”
“You remembered that?”
“Hard one to forget.”
“It’s actually really good. You should try it.”
“Um-hmm. We’ll see.” I grabbed my keys, then started out the door. “I’ll be back in a few.”
As soon as I got out to the truck, I called the pizza place and put in our order, then started driving towards town.
On the way, I thought about everything that had taken place with Mia and Rosa, and something Mia had said kept playing over and over in the back of my mind—‘You need to stop trying to mess around with what’s mine! ’
Mine.
It was a word I never dreamed Mia would use in reference to me, but now that I knew she had, I wasn’t sure what to do about it.
Mia was an amazing woman—beautiful, smart, and sexy as fuck.
Any man would be lucky to have her. I knew that.
Her father knew it. Hell, everyone fucking knew it.
I had to do right by her, even if that meant walking away.
That wasn’t something I wanted to do.
I liked spending time with her a lot more than I ever expected.
I enjoyed her humor and quick wit, and the fact that she was tough and could handle her own.
Hell, she definitely proved that today. It was hard to make sense of it, but there was something about her that made me feel better.
I didn’t feel weighed down by the constant nightmares and regret, and that meant something to me.
She meant something to me.
I picked up the wine and pizza, then headed straight back to the house. When I walked in, I placed everything on the kitchen counter, then started for the living room. I was about to announce my arrival when I noticed that Mia was still on the sofa.
Her head was tilted back and her eyes were closed, and she looked absolutely beautiful. So innocent and vulnerable. I felt drawn to her, like a moth to a flame, and before I realized what I was doing, I was hovering over her, staring down at her mouth.
It had been ages since I’d kissed a woman.
Even longer since I’d actually wanted to, but at that moment, I couldn’t imagine wanting anything more.
I could feel the warmth of her breath as I inched closer.
I could smell the soft scent of her perfume as my eyes drifted over the curves of her beautiful face, tracing the delicate lines of her lips—the lips I was about to taste.
I leaned in closer, and my pulse quickened as I brushed my lips against hers. It was just a touch, soft and tender, but I knew right then and there I wanted more—much more. There was no way in hell I could walk away from this woman. She had me completely spellbound, and she didn’t even know it.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure she knew I was in the room.
I quickly pulled back, checking to see if she was awake, but her eyes remained closed.
Unable to resist, I kissed her again—ever so lightly, and I’d never felt anything so incredible.
Time seemed to stand still, and everything around me faded into a blur.
I continued kissing her until she started to stir.
Her eyes opened and a light gasp slipped through her lips when she saw me hovering over her. “Wrath?”
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I placed my hand on the nape of her neck, pulling her mouth back to mine, and I kissed her like I’d never kissed anyone before.
She didn’t resist. Instead, she kissed me right back, making it clear that her busted lip wasn’t an issue—not in the least. The scent of her skin, the warmth of her mouth and her body so close to mine had me spiraling. She felt too good, too right.
Every touch of her tongue only made me want her more.
Hell, it was all I could do to keep myself from taking her right there on that fucking sofa.
Having her mouth on mine set me on edge, making every nerve in my body burn with need.
Feeling the heat surge through me as I deepened the kiss, our tongues twisted, tasting each other, and we were both quickly losing control.
I liked the feeling.
I liked it more than I thought possible.
With my mouth still fixed on hers, I snaked my arms around her and pulled her close, then carefully lifted her into my arms. I carried her into the bedroom, then slowly lowered her feet to the floor.
I reluctantly pulled my lips from hers, and she looked up at me and stilled.
She was waiting patiently for me to make my next move, but I stayed put.
I needed a moment to find the right words to say to her, but there were none.
“I’ve tried, Mia. I’ve tried so damn hard. I’m not a fool. I know you deserve better than me.” I brought my hand up and rested my palm on her cheek. “But I can’t let you go.”
She slipped her arms around my neck as she pulled me close and whispered, “Then don’t.”
Without saying anything more, Mia eased up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine, so eager and full of hunger. Her lips opened in a small gasp, giving me even better access to her mouth, and I delved deeper, letting all the passion I’d been holding back come pouring out.
She ran her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer and returning my kiss with fervor.
She moaned into my mouth as my free hand grabbed her ass and pulled her closer.
I felt a slight smile play on her lips as she ground her hips against mine, clearly enjoying my growing arousal—just as I was enjoying hers.
I trailed my lips down her throat, nipping and sucking at the sensitive flesh. Her breath caught as I reached the dip between her neck and collarbone. Her hands gripped my hair, and I could feel her heart hammering in her chest.
Fuck.
I couldn’t remember ever wanting anything like I wanted her at the moment. For reasons I couldn’t begin to explain, I burned for this woman, and with every touch, she stoked the fucking fire. She shifted her hips forward, grinding herself against my ever-hardening cock.
I guided her over to the bed, and we spent the next few hours tangled in each other’s arms. We’d been lying there for several minutes, catching our breaths and all, when Mia rolled over on her stomach and batted her eyelashes. She was clearly up to something, so I asked, “What?”
“I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Okay. What’s on your mind?”
“It’s about the kitten.”
“What about him?”
“Well, first of all, his name is terrible. You cannot keep calling him Shitstain.”
“I don’t see why not. That’s what he is.”
“Wrath!”
“About names... When it’s just you and me, you can call me Charles or Charlie or whatever you wanna call me. But Wrath is for when we’re at the club or with the brothers.”
“Okay, I can do that.” She smiled as she confessed, “But it might take me a minute. I’ve only known you as Wrath for as long as I can remember.”
“It’ll come to you.” I gave her a wink, then laid back on my pillow. “So, back to the cat.”
“Yeah, I was thinking you could name him Harley or Cletus or even Frank seems much more appropriate.”
“Frank?”
“It’s better than Shitstain!”
“Okay, fine. You can name him whatever you want, but he stays outside. And if he gets in my garbage...”
“You’re not shooting him, Charles.”
Hearing her say my name, even with sass, got me right in the gut, and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to hear it again—even if that meant putting up with a damn cat. “Fine, I won’t shoot the damn thing, but I’m not promising that I won’t put a boot in his ass.”
“You’re terrible.”
“Says the woman who nearly beat the neighbor to death.”
“I did no such thing!”
“Maybe not, but you roughed her up pretty good.” I chuckled as I teased, “Bet she’s still trying to get the tangles out of that hair.”
“Stop.” She giggled. “It’s not nice to make fun of the less fortunate.”
“Less fortunate?”
“Well, I am the one lying here in this bed next to you.”
“And you think that makes you fortunate?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“You keep talking like that, and we’ll never get to that pizza and wine.”
“I’d be okay with that.”
She gave me one of her smiles, and that’s all it took.
The pizza and wine would just have to wait.