“Grant access,” Mia said weakly, already regretting not coming up with an excuse for why he couldn’t visit right now. Maybe she should have just pretended she wasn’t home.
“Mia?” Calum’s voice called as he stepped into her apartment. Mia realized that it was mostly dark in her apartment right now. The only light was the soft blue glow from the television screen. Maybe it was better that way. Calum wouldn’t be able to see how much of a mess she was.
“In the living room,” she called out. Moments later, Calum appeared in her living room, holding a large brown paper bag. Mia’s heart caught in her throat at the sight of him. He was so gorgeous. He must have come straight from work, because he was wearing a button-down shirt and a pair of neatly pressed black slacks. His dark hair was neatly combed, and she could make out just the tiniest hint of stubble. Mia forced herself to tear her eyes away from his lips, which were parted halfway in the most alluring way possible. She mentally reminded herself that those weren’t her lips to kiss.
“Why is it so dark in here?” Calum asked.
“The light hurts my eyes,” Mia said. “I’m sick. That’s why I wasn’t at work today. Although you probably didn’t notice I was missing.”
“I did notice,” Calum said. “That’s why I’m here, actually. I wanted to check on you and make sure you were all right. I tried calling and texting you several times, but you never answered I got a little bit worried.”
“I’m fine,” Mia said. “I turned my phone off. “Does Angela know you’re here, by the way? She probably wouldn’t be too pleased with you. I’m pretty sure she sees me as a threat.”
Calum sighed and sat down on the armchair across from the couch where Mia was lying.
“Mia, I know what you saw yesterday probably led you to think that Angela and I are a thing, but we’re not. She kissed me without warning, and against my wishes. You just happened to come to my office at the worst possible moment.”
“I’ll say it was the worst possible moment,” Mia said, her voice bitter. She knew she should stop acting so petty, but she couldn’t help it. Her heart tightened in her chest at just the thought of Angela’s lips on Calum’s.
Calum crossed his arms and gave her a sharp, disapproving look. “Mia, I’m not going to sit here and defend myself like I’m on trial or something. May I remind you that I’m a grown ass man and can kiss anyone I want? I’m telling you that Angela forced a kiss on me. It’s the truth, but it’s honestly no skin off my back whether you believe it or not. I think the real question is, why do you care so much?”
Mia was speechless. She hadn’t heard Calum raising his voice very often, and she had known him for a long time. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a moment to try to process everything he was telling her. Was it true? Angela and Calum weren’t a thing? A small flutter of hope rose in her heart.
“You’re really not dating her?” Mia asked.
“I’m really not dating her,” Calum said, his voice softening a bit. “Why do you care, Mia?”
Mia shrugged. “I don’t like her. She’s not good enough for you.”
Mia could have added that she wanted Calum for herself, but the words stuck in her throat. She wanted Calum to want her. She wanted him to be the one to say it. If he didn’t feel strongly enough about her to chase after her, then what was the point?
Calum sighed. “She’s not that bad,” he said, then winked at Mia. “Not that bad for a wolf, anyway.”
Mia cracked a smile. Calum had been good friends with a wolf shifter when they were kids growing up in Alaska. He and his wolf friend always had a friendly argument going on about whether bears or wolves were better. The memories of their good-natured banter warmed Mia’s heart a bit. What she wouldn’t give right now to have just one more day running around the Alaskan tundra as a carefree cub. Those had been the days. Like most kids, she had been impatient to grow up, and hadn’t even realized at the time how lucky she was.
“What’s in the bag?” Mia asked, wanting to change the subject at this point. She didn’t want Calum to press for further details on why she cared about Angela. Calum’s face brightened.
“I thought you might want some comfort food,” he said. “So I brought you chicken noodle soup.”
Mia’s stomach growled audibly at just that moment, and her cheeks turned red. Calum laughed.
“Sounds like you are hungry,” he said.
Mia smiled sheepishly. “I am, actually,” she said. “I don’t have much food in my apartment, though, and I couldn’t figure out where I could find someone who would deliver soup to my apartment for me. Did you make that yourself?”
Calum shook his head no, and reached into the bag to pull out a large, clear plastic container that was filled to the top with soup.
“No, I hate to break it to you but I’m not all that talented in the kitchen. That’s why I always find somewhere else to be when anything remotely related to cooking is going on. I am, however, quite good at handing over my credit card to a restaurant cashier in order for them to package up some delicious soup for me, so today is your lucky day. Do you want to eat here, or at the table.”
“Here,” Mia said. “The thought of standing up and walking right now, even just across the apartment, sounds completely unappealing.”
Calum frowned. “Are you really feeling that badly? Should you go see a doctor?”
Mia shrugged and shook her head. “It’s just a bug. I’m mostly just tired. The last few weeks at work have been pretty exhausting.”
Calum nodded in acknowledgement. “You’re telling me,” he said. “I could use a vacation. Let me go put this in a proper bowl for you, and I’ll be right back.”
Mia settled her head back on the couch’s throw pillows while Calum went to the kitchen to prepare the soup. She closed her eyes and tried to sort through everything she had just learned. Angela and Calum weren’t a thing, after all. She had overreacted when she saw them kissing. Although, to be fair, what was she supposed to think when she came across two people making out? There weren’t too many things that could mean besides the pair being interested in each other. But Mia believed Calum that Angela had forced the kiss on him. Angela had a sneaky, pushy personality, and that totally seemed like something she would do.
The question now was whether Mia should try to push for something to happen between Calum and her. But she already knew the answer to that was no. She had already decided she wanted him to be the one to make a move, and he didn’t seem to interested in doing that. Besides, she was about to move to Texas, and he didn’t want to leave D.C. While she felt relieved that Angela and Calum weren’t together, it was almost silly for her to feel that way. It didn’t change the fact that there was no future for her and Calum.
Calum came back into the room with a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup, and Mia sat up to take it from him.
“Thank you,” she said. “This was a really sweet thing for you to do.”
Calum shrugged. “I care about you, Mia,” he said. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
The tone of his voice was so soft and caring that it made Mia’s heart skip a beat. She looked down at her soup to avoid making eye contact with him. She almost laughed when she thought about the dream she’d had about him showing up unannounced to make love to her. She wondered for a moment if this visit was a dream, too. She considered pinching herself to make sure, but then she looked up at him and realized pinching wasn’t necessary. This wasn’t a dream. If it had been a dream, he would have rushed in with the soup, told her he couldn’t live without her, and then made love to her. But there weren’t going to be any confessions of love tonight—not from him or from her. Even if he did feel something for her, it wasn’t strong enough for him to want to act on it. At least not beyond bringing her food when she was sick. Mia sighed and slurped up a giant spoonful of soup, once again avoiding eye contact with Calum. For several moments, she ate in silence, until he finally spoke,
“Why are you leaving, Mia?”
he asked. His voice was low and husky, and its intensity startled Mia. She looked up at him with a surprised expression.
“To Texas?” she asked dumbly.
He nodded.
“I already told you, I want a fresh start.”
“It makes no sense, Mia,” he said. “You don’t even know anyone there. You’re just running away.”
Mia looked down again. He had no idea how right he was. She was running away. But he was the one she was running from. She couldn’t keep playing this game, where she saw him every day and acted like they were friends.
“My decision is final,” she said, then set the bowl of soup down on her coffee table. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m pretty tired. I think I’m going to take another nap. Thanks for the soup.”
She was clearly giving him his cue to leave, but he raised his chin stubbornly. “Are you kicking me out?” he asked.
Mia rolled her eyes. “No, stay if you want. But it’s going to be pretty boring because I’m going to sleep.”
With that, she flipped over so her back faced Calum, and she squeezed her eyes shut. If he wanted to be stubborn let him. She was done talking.
Chapter Eight
Calum watched Mia’s chest rise and fall in the rhythm of sleep, but he knew she wasn’t sleeping. Her movements were too obvious. Too exaggerated. She was pretending.
But why? Why didn’t she want to talk to him. He knew she’d been mad about Angela, but she seemed to accept his explanation that Angela had forced the kiss on him. Calum leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his hair. If he was smart, he would let this whole thing go. There was no need for him to smooth things over with Mia when she was moving away soon. But maybe that was part of the problem. He couldn’t bear the thought of her moving away, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her being mad at him.
Was it possible that his feelings for her were deeper than he wanted to admit to himself? Watching her back as she pretended to sleep, he couldn’t keep himself from thinking about how beautiful she was. Her curves were enticing and perfect. Her hair was glossy and shiny, reflecting the blue light from the television screen, which had been paused on the same movie scene for well over an hour now. Calum felt something for her—that was undeniable. But was she worth shaking up his comfortable, bachelor lifestyle? Calum wasn’t sure. How could he be? It had been a long time since he’d had a girlfriend, and his last relationship had ended badly. He didn’t want to end up in a situation like that with Mia. If nothing else, her friendship was too special to him.
His phone buzzed, and he looked down to see a text from Grant.
Darts and beer again tonight? I could use a chance to blow off some steam.
Calum frowned. Technically he could leave right now and go meet up with Grant. In fact, that’s probably what he should do. Mia would be happy that he was gone, and Grant would be happy to have a drinking buddy. But something was keeping Calum here. His heart wouldn’t let him go.
Sorry, buddy. Busy tonight. Raincheck for tomorrow? Calum texted back. Then he chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip while he waited for Grant to reply.
Busy with Mia? Grant asked.
Calum was floored. How had Grant known? Was that supposed to be a joke, or was Grant serious? But suddenly, Calum had a moment of clarity. So many times, Calum had seen friends try to act like they didn’t have feelings for each other when they clearly did. Was he doing the same thing right now? Were he and Mia dancing around the truth?
Calum honestly wasn’t sure, but he did know one thing. He had to find out. Mia was about to move away, and something was tugging at his heart strings. If she was meant to be his lifemate, then he needed to find out now. Otherwise, he was going to end up with a restless bear, pining away for its lifemate who had just moved halfway across the country.
Calum set his phone aside without answering Grant. Then he took a deep breath, stood, and walked over to the couch. He knelt on the floor beside Mia, then gently reached out and shook her back.
“Mia. Mia?” he said.
“Go away!” she muttered. “I’m sleeping.”
Calum almost laughed at the ridiculousness of her reply. She clearly wasn’t sleeping. And he wasn’t so sure that she did actually want him to go away.
“Mia, look at me,” he said. For a moment, she didn’t move or say anything. But, finally, she turned around to look at him. She propped herself up on her left elbow and gave him what was probably intended to be a severe look, but it was hard for anything to really look all that severe on her lovely face. Her hair was a mess, her skin was pale, and her eyes had that watery look that eyes tend to get when someone is sick. But she looked beautiful nonetheless. There was a certain essence to her that drew you in, even when she was sick and tired.
“Mia, why did you care so much whether Angela and I were a thing?” Calum asked. He was hoping she would say something to indicate that she had feelings for him. If she could just say something that indicated that she might possibly be interested in him, it would make his task so much easier. But instead, her eyes darkened and she furrowed her brows angrily. She wasn’t going to throw him a bone.
“I’m done talking about this,” Mia said. “Is there something else, or can I get back to sleep now?”
Calum took another deep breath. This was it. It was time for him to man up. Mia wasn’t going to give him any help or make this easier. If he really wanted to know how she felt, he was just going to have to put it out there. If she rejected him, he would just have to take it like a man.
“Fine fair enough. But then maybe I’ll just tell you why Angela and I aren’t a thing. We aren’t a thing because I couldn’t possibly pretend to love her when I’m falling for you.”
Calum paused and waited, watching Mia’s eyes carefully. A shocked expression crossed her face and she widened her eyes, but she didn’t say anything, so Calum continued.
“I’m not the best romantic in the world, Mia. And I’m not the best with words, so I’m not sure I can really put into words the depth of what I’m trying to say here. All I can tell you is that ever since you told me you were moving away, my heart has been twisted into a thousand knots. I can’t stand the thought of being far away from you. Especially not when I haven’t taken the time to tell you how beautiful and amazing you are, and how happy it would make me to know that there might be a chance that you’re falling for me too.”
Calum paused again, waiting for a response from Mia. Her eyes were still wide and she still had a shocked expression on her face. But she said nothing. Calum didn’t know what else to say so he leaned in ever so slowly and put his lips on Mia’s. He didn’t want to startle her or force a kiss on her like Angela had done to him. But he wanted to see if there was a connection between them.
To his relief, Mia didn’t pull away from him. In fact, she closed her eyes and seemed to drink in his kiss. And what a kiss they shared! As soon as their lips met, Calum could almost feel the sparks flying between them. Angela’s kiss had felt stiff and uninviting to him. Kissing Mia was completely different.
Mia’s lips were warm, and they felt electric. A hot, passionate heat radiated from Calum’s lips all through the rest of his body. Whatever thoughts he might have had about not being attracted to Mia disappeared. He felt a stiffening between his legs as his desire grew stronger, and he couldn’t hold back a low growl of passion when he heard her let out a little moan.
He could have pushed for more. He would have loved to tear her shirt off right then and there, and cover her breasts with his mouth. But he held back. He might be a beast of a man, but he was still a gentleman. He still wanted to respect the fact that Mia was tired and not feeling well. So he forced himself to pull back. He smiled down at Mia, and kissed her forehead, then scooped her up off the couch into his arms and started walking toward her bedroom—not to make love to her, but to make sure she got some rest.
She settled nicely into the crook of his arms and he smiled down at her. She was undeniably beautiful. He
’d always thought she was attractive, even when they were teenagers. But he’d never taken the time to really look at her. Now, he did, and she took his breath away. Her skin was soft and perfect. Even the paleness of being sick didn’t diminish her beauty.
When they reached the bedroom, Calum gently lay her down on the bed, and then covered her with the comforter. He took off his dress shirt and dress pants, leaving only his boxers on. Then he climbed into the bed next to Mia, spooning her. His body wanted her so badly, and he was sure she could feel his stiff erection poking through his underwear. But he wasn’t here to get anything from her. He only wanted to be close to her, and to make sure she got some sleep.
“Rest,” he said. “You need to recuperate.”
She snuggled in closer to him, pressing her back firmly against his chest. It wasn’t long before he felt her breathing turn steady. This time, the rise and fall of her chest was genuine. She was really asleep.
A lifetime of memories with her flooded his mind. He was a few years older than her, but he didn’t remember her as a baby. The earliest memory he had was of her as a toddler, knocking over the Christmas tree in his parents’ cabin one year. After that, things were mostly fuzzy until late elementary school. They had spent a lot of time together in the summers. Calum’s twin sister, Hope, had been good friends with Mia. A few other bears had been part of their regular crew, and they spent most of their free time gallivanting around the Alaskan wilderness, shifting into bears when they thought they could get away with it. Their parents didn’t like for them to shift, for fear the town’s full humans would see them and freak out. But the cubs had all loved to run around as bears.
Calum had briefly lost touch with Mia when he moved to Chicago, but had been thrilled when he discovered that she was moving to the Windy City as well. They’d had some good times there, day drinking on summer weekends or playing in the snow during the cold winters. But the thing that had brought them the closest together had been the recent war on shifters and the flu epidemic. Mia had been right there beside him, fighting bravely when they were threatened with death just for trying to get a cure into the President’s hands. She had never faltered in her bravery or in her dedication to helping people. She had never complained when asked to give her all, and Calum had been deeply impressed by her bravery.
Homecoming in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 6) Page 5