Mia sighed deeply as her hover came to a stop in front of her apartment building. She felt silly for being so worried about a love interest when there were so many other important things happening in the world. She should have been focusing her attention on something important and realistic, like helping Jim find a way to streamline their operations.
But the heart wants what it wants, and Mia’s heart wanted Calum Pearsons something awful.
Chapter Three
Mia took a sip of her coffee and winced at the strong flavor. She preferred creamer in her coffee, but she had forgotten to go to the grocery store yet again, so black coffee it was. She was also down to her last few frozen waffles. She needed to make a trip to the supermarket a priority within the next couple of days, or she wasn’t going to have anything at all left for breakfast.
Mia scrolled through the headlines on her tabletop’s computer screen. She had programmed her table’s computer to show her the weather and front page news every day, but neither one of those things changed much from morning to morning. The forecast called for yet another hot, steamy August day, and the news was reporting more labor shortages across a variety of industries. It wasn’t easy to keep the world running with half the population dead. Even though many things had been computerized, there were still plenty of tasks that called for an actual thinking human being.
Mia raised her coffee mug to take another sip, but her hand froze in midair when her security system’s computer announced that someone was at the main door to her apartment building.
“Calum Pearsons is here. Grant building access?” the computer asked.
Mia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Grant access,” she said, then jumped up quickly and ran to her guest bathroom at lightning speed. She took in her reflection in the mirror, thankful that she had already showered, done her hair, and put on makeup. She looked sleepy still, but otherwise was reasonably presentable. She felt her heartrate increasing and her cheeks flushing pink with excitement. Why in the world was Calum showing up here unannounced on a random Wednesday morning? Fear gripped her heart momentarily. Were all of their friends okay? Had something happened to one of the clan members? Mia ran to the front door and flung it open. Calum had already made it up to the fifth floor where her apartment was located, and he was walking down the hallway.
“Calum!” Mia said. “What in the world are you doing here? Is everyone okay?”
“I had to see you,” he said, his voice so deep and husky that it took her breath away. Mia felt a rush of warm energy flood through her body as her cheeks turned even redder.
“You had to see me?” she repeated. “But it’s Wednesday. A workday. You’ll see me at work in an hour.”
“I couldn’t wait that long,” Calum said, stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him. “Besides, I had to see you alone.”
With that, he pushed Mia up against the door that he had just closed and put his lips over hers. The flood of warm energy in Mia’s body turned into an ocean as a rush of passion overcame her. Calum took Mia’s face in his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumb as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, letting it dance with Mia’s tongue. Mia could feel herself growing wet between her legs as the feeling of ecstasy in her body grew. She was shocked at this sudden turn of events, but in the best way possible. She wanted to know what had possessed Calum to come over to her house early on a weekday morning, but at the same time she didn’t want to interrupt his kiss. But when he pulled back and started pulling her toward the couch, she couldn’t resist questioning him.
“Calum, what is this all about? Why the sudden display of affection? Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy about it. I’ve wanted this for years. But I don’t understand why you’ve treated me like a kid sister or something until now, only to show up on my doorstep this morning with deeper feelings.”
Calum let out a low growl as he pushed Mia onto the soft, wide couch. “I realized last night how much I care for you,” he said. “Standing there in that conference room, with Angela hanging off my arm, I realized how annoying she is. How desperate she acts. And how much she’s not like you. You’re quiet, but you’re smart. You don’t need a man, but goddammit if that fact alone doesn’t make me want to be your man more than anything. I can’t believe you’ve been right here in front of me all this time and I never saw it. You’ve always been one of my best friends, but it never occurred to me that you could be my lover. Possibly my lifemate. Once I opened my eyes and my heart, I realized that I have deep feelings for you that I’ve kept buried for so long.”
With that, Calum bent over Mia and started kissing her again. Mia melted into his kiss, feeling like she was in a dream. She was unable to resist, and why would she have wanted to? She closed her eyes and ran her hands down the length of his arms, starting at his broad shoulders. She relished the strong, muscular feeling of his biceps, and the sturdiness of his forearms. He was so perfect. The stubble on his chin tickled her face, but she didn’t mind. She was lost in the perfection of this moment. When he paused his kiss to pull back and look deep into her eyes, she felt her heart melting.
“I’ve wanted this for so long,” she whispered, surprised by how much her own voice was shaking.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Calum asked. “I had no idea. I’ve always thought you were beautiful, and a real catch. But I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, so I held back. If I had known you wanted me…”
Mia’s heart felt full as Calum’s voice trailed off. She shrugged and smiled. The past didn’t matter anymore. She didn’t want to think about all of the time she’d wasted trying to pretend she didn’t care about Calum. The important thing was that he was here now, in her arms.
“Does this mean you want to…date me?” she asked.
Calum let out a low, primal growl. “I want to date you. I want to love you. I want to make love to you. I want us to be together, Mia, in every sense of the word.”
“I want that, too,” Mia whispered. Calum’s eyes looked so intense and hungry that she could hardly breathe. She wanted him to tear her clothes off and make love to her right then and there, but she couldn’t find the strength to voice those words out loud. Would he think she was crazy, for wanting to sleep together so soon? And for wanting it when they were both due at work in less than an hour?
But she didn’t have to wonder for long, because the next thing she knew, Calum was growling again as he reached to start unbuttoning her soft pink blouse. His big fingers fumbled with the buttons, but he worked diligently until the last one was undone. He pushed the blouse back off her shoulders and Mia wriggled it off her arms, her heart beating wildly as Calum slid his hands behind her back to unclasp her bra. He quickly pulled it off and tossed it aside, leaving Mia naked from the waist up, except for a simple gold necklace that had a golden north star charm hanging from the chain, a reminder of her roots in Alaska. Calum traced his finger along the necklace’s chain, his touch sending shivers of delight up and down Mia’s spine.
“You’re beautiful,” he said. Then he reached to tug down her skirt, catching and snagging her hose as he pulled the skirt down and off. He started to apologize but Mia shook her head no. There was no need for him to apologize. She didn’t give a damn about a pair of pantyhose right now. Her mind had become completely focused on the impressive bear who was undressing her. And it didn’t take long for him to finish undressing her. He pulled off her panties, along with the ruined hose, and Mia was now completely naked on the couch in front of him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with her breathing. She wanted to make a joke about how it wasn’t fair that he still had all of his clothes on, but the words caught in her throat. She was so overcome with passion and emotion that she couldn’t speak. Hot liquid spilled from between her legs as her body responded to its desire for him. He ran one of his hands up her bare leg and then let it rest on the soft mound of her pelvis.
“You want me,” he said, pleased.
Mia still could
n’t speak. Her chest continued to rise and fall rapidly with her breathing, and she merely nodded. Calum had a satisfied smirk on his face as he slipped two of his fingers inside of her. Mia moaned as the feeling of desire within her grew hotter. She was so ready for him, and so sensitive right now. Every slight movement of his finger set off a fresh wave of tingling heat within her body.
“You’re so wet for me,” he said, smiling as he spoke. He pulled his fingers out of her, then traced a line around her bellybutton with them, leaving a wet trail of her own juices on her stomach. Mia trembled at his touch.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked, starting to unbutton his own dress shirt. “You know that two shifters mating is a serious thing. If we’re lifemates…we’ll be bonded.”
He pushed off his shirt and reached to unbutton his dress pants. Mia didn’t answer, so he looked over at her quizzically.
“I’m sure,” she whispered. “I want to be bonded to you. I want so badly for us to be destined for each other. I’ve wonder for so long whether I might be lucky enough to one day become your lifemate.”
Calum smiled as he stepped out of his pants and started pulling down his tight, black briefs. Mia gasped as she got her first glimpse of his rock-solid dick. It sprang free, proud and erect, and pointing straight toward her. His lower abs formed a perfect, tapered “V” that pointed directly down to his erection, and Mia was so full of desire that she could barely breathe.
He was flawless.
He moved toward her, slowly and purposefully. Mia’s heart continued to pound wildly in her chest, and she closed her eyes as he climbed on to the couch and straddled her legs with his. He didn’t move for several seconds, and she opened her eyes to look up at him with a questioning expression. What was he waiting for?
“You’re sure?” he asked.
Mia nodded. “I’m sure,” she whispered. “Make love to me.”
Calum nodded, and then began lowering himself down toward her, his massive dick inching closer and closer to her slick, dripping entrance. Mia felt like he was moving in slow motion, and she wanted to yell at him to hurry up. But her voice stuck in her throat, and all she could do was hold her breath and wait for that glorious moment when he would enter her.
When that moment finally came, it was better than she could have imagined. The bulging tip of his erection pushed against Mia’s entrance. Even though she was quite well lubricated by this point, it took a fair bit of pressure for Calum to push into her. He was so large that he had to take his time, pushing gently against Mia’s sensitive skin.
Mia was trembling violently by this point, thanks to the crazy flood of ecstasy and emotion that she was feeling.
“Are you okay?” Calum whispered.
Mia nodded. “Yes,” she whispered back with a smile. “I’ve never been better. Don’t stop.”
Calum smiled back and then pushed all the way into her. Mia gasped as he filled her. He was enormous, and his sheer size pushed against her inner walls. The heat and tingling in her body intensified, growing stronger as Calum started slowly thrusting. Every gentle movement of his body sent a fresh wave of thrills across her body, and it didn’t take long for Mia to lose herself into a tsunami of ecstasy. Her body grew impossibly hot as her inner muscles spasmed and clenched over and over and over, and she let out a long, low moan. She looked into Calum’s eyes and smiled as she relished the pleasure filling her body—pleasure he had given her.
Then, suddenly, a loud, insistent beeping interrupted their lovemaking.
Beep, beep, beep.
Beep, beep, beep.
Mia woke with a start, sitting up suddenly and violently. She was still trembling as the last spasms of her inner muscles rocked her body. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, and her whole body felt hot.
But Calum was nowhere to be seen. Mia was alone in the dark, with only the sound of her alarm clock for company.
“Computer, alarm off!” Mia barked out, angry that the perfect moment had been interrupted, even if it had been only a dream. The beeping ceased, and Mia buried her head into her hands. She moaned in frustration. She should have known it was a dream. It had all been too wonderful. Calum showing up at her door with a desire to make love to her was too much to hope for. He was an amazing friend, but he wasn’t in love with her. If he hadn’t noticed her yet, after almost three decades of knowing her, he wasn’t going to suddenly notice her now and show up unannounced.
Mia stood wearily, glancing at the digital time display on her wall computer. It was just after six in the morning. Time to get up and face another day. She would shower and get dressed, then drink her coffee and read the morning news, just like she had in her dream. And just like in her dream, she would find that she was out of coffee creamer and breakfast food.
But, unlike her dream, Calum wouldn’t be knocking on her door this morning. She would only see him in his office once she got to work, and there was a good possibility that Angela would already be there fawning over him by the time Mia arrived at work.
Mia turned the water on as hot as she could, fighting back the hot tears that pushed insistently against the back of her eyelids.
Maybe it was time to think about leaving D.C. behind. There wasn’t much here for her except the love of her life who didn’t love her back.
Chapter Four
Mia couldn’t get herself together this morning. Despite waking up on time, she had dragged all morning, unable to focus on a task as simple as brushing her teeth. She was late to work, but only by twenty minutes. This wouldn’t have been too bad on a normal day—no one paid very close attention if someone was late now and then. But, of course, today happened to be the day the President showed up for an unannounced meeting. Three seconds after Mia had settled in to her office and pulled up her email, she was swearing and making a beeline for conference room 5B.
The cryptic email announcement had been sent just fifteen minutes ago. All it said was “Please put all of your other work on hold and join us in Conference Room 5B at 8:30 sharp for a special meeting with the President.”
Mia made it into the conference room, huffing and puffing and ignoring the disapproving looks from the secret service guards standing at the door. She might be a sweaty, disorganized mess, but she was here. Calum sat at the far right corner of the room, and, of course, Angela was sitting next to him. The seat on his other side was still open, but, for once, Mia didn’t want to sit beside Calum. After the dream she’d had last night, she wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye. Sure, he had no idea where her subconscious had gone last night. But she knew, and her cheeks turned red just thinking about it.
Mia pushed a few stray strands of hair back behind her ears as she unlocked the screen on her tablet and prepared to take notes. She did her best not to glance in Calum and Angela’s direction. Angela had a smug look on her face, no doubt pleased with herself for having the chance to sit beside Calum. Mia told herself to get over it. If Calum wasn’t interested in her then he wasn’t the right person for her. And, as his friend, she should be happy for him if he found a woman to love.
Mia’s stomach turned at the thought of Calum loving someone else.
She clearly wasn’t handling this situation very well. Her best bet was probably to avoid Calum completely, but that was a little hard to do when they were in the same office every day.
Thankfully, the President showed up at that moment. Everyone in the room stood to welcome him respectfully, and Mia finally had something to distract her from the frustrations churning around in her head.
“Thank you, everyone, please sit down. I’m sorry I didn’t get you more notice about this meeting. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it back from Europe with enough time to spend time in D.C. before I have to go on to South America. I’ve been working with government leaders from all over the world to rebuild society. As you know, there have been quite a few problems with supplying transportation, food, and other goods due to the sharp drop in population. These are trying times, but
exciting times. In my sixty-seven years on this planet, I’ve never seen people come together the way they have in the last several months.”
Cheers rose from around the conference room, and Mia joined in. She had been so wrapped up in her petty problems lately that she had forgotten how much everyone had to be thankful for right now. She vowed to do better, and focused her attention completely on the President as he continued his speech.
“I’m here today to discuss the progress the Bureau of Shifter Relations is making. You are all doing wonderful work, so first let me commend you on that. But there is more to do. We are falling further and further behind on processing requests for government compensation to shifters who lost their homes. I understand you are doing everything you can, but I’m here to implore you to work as hard as you possibly can, and to always be thinking of ways to speed up the process. One great suggestion that we’ve had is to open up more local offices, so that shifters can make in-person appointments to come in and request compensation. This would cut down on the time we’re wasting tracking down information for forms that were filled out incorrectly. The only problem is that opening these offices will be expensive, so we’re limited right now in the number of offices we can open. Our plan is to start with offices in the areas that have the highest populations of shifters. The first office will be in Central Texas, and we’re looking for volunteers to move there and help staff it.”
Mia saw the older shifter from Texas perk up in his seat. Her own eyes widened with interest as well. Was it possible that this might be the opportunity for escape she had been hoping for? The allure of moving away and starting over was undeniably strong. She could go to Texas, where no one knew her name, and make new friends. Maybe she would even meet a handsome new shifter who would sweep her off her feet and make her forget about Calum. It would be easier to move on and let her feelings for him die when she didn’t have to see him every goddamn day.
Homecoming in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 6) Page 2