My Destiny (16 page)

Chapter 26

E
lliott won the four-hundred-dollar pool and decided to treat the gang to a dinner at which Destiny and Miles were the hot topic of discussion.

“Did anyone ever think that when those two finally slept together that our lives would be miserable?” Jared asked, nursing his beer.

“I sure as hell didn’t,” Wes admitted, sliding an arm around Lu Jin. “This past week, Miles has had a temper out of this world.”

“So has Destiny,” Lu Jin mumbled. “I mean, that’s my girl and all, but she’s a walking time bomb.”

“Isn’t there something we can do?” Debra asked as she slumped back against her seat. “I feel almost responsible for this mess.”

“I hear ya,” Monique agreed.

Theo stabbed another piece of his steak. “Frankly, I don’t think we should be so quick to throw in the towel.” With that comment, he successfully grabbed everyone’s attention.

“Have you lost your mind?” Lu Jin asked, frowning. “Those two are ready to start World War Three.”

He shrugged and chewed his food slowly before responding. “The question you have to ask is why are they mad?”

“Because Miles doesn’t want to take things slow,” Lu Jin supplied her answer.

“No,” Wes corrected, shaking his head. “It’s because Destiny has completely ignored my man’s feelings.”

“What?” Lu Jin’s hands flew to her hips and she swiveled to look at him.

“Now don’t you two start,” Monique piped up and rolled her eyes. “Go on with what you were saying, Theo.”

“I was saying that, even though Lu Jin and Wes brought up two good valid points, the problem is much deeper than that. This goes beyond physical attraction—these two are in love with each other.”

“Which is exactly what Miles told Destiny,” Wes said, his gaze, however, was focused on Lu Jin.

“And Destiny just wants a little more time to analyze her feelings. Why is that such a crime?”

“Because she’s had ten years. How much time does she need?” Wes asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Lu Jin snapped back. “They haven’t been sleeping together for ten years.”

Juan cleared his throat and grabbed the bickering couple’s attention. “Is there something going on with you two that you want to share with the rest of us?”

Lu Jin crossed her arms. “Of course not.”

“Not likely,” Wes added, shifting in his chair.

But, judging by their friends’ suspicious, narrowed gazes, none of them looked convinced.

Embarrassed, Lu Jin suggested, “Can we please get back on the subject of what we’re going to do about Destiny and Miles?”

* * *

Destiny was working late in the office. She didn’t know how, but somehow she’d managed to get behind in her work. And even as the hours grew late, she realized that she still lacked concentration. It was probably in part because Miles, too, was working late in his office.

In the past week, their working relationship had become just as strained as their friendship. And a large part of her was sorry for that.

She rifled through some more of her paperwork and stopped short when she ran across the list of women she’d made a week ago when searching for Miles’s perfect match. A corner of her mouth lifted in amusement. Had that been only a week ago?

At the knock on the door, she jumped as her gaze flew up to meet Miles at her door.

“Here are some of the updated proposals for Mr. Michaels’s settlement,” he said, entering her office. He crossed the large span of her office, carefully keeping his eyes averted.

Destiny’s heart begged her to call a truce to this mess, while her head reminded her that he was the one who’d started this. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

Miles dropped the folder on her desk and his eyes caught a glimpse of the title on her notepad:
Finding Mrs. Miles Stafford.

“What are you doing?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Her eyes followed the direction of his gaze and she was suddenly embarrassed.

“Oh, nothing. This was—”

“You’re not still actually thinking about doing that are you?”

“N-no. I just happened to come across this a few minutes ago.”

He didn’t believe her. “So, you’re still looking to pawn me off on someone else. Is that it?”

She frowned. “What are you talking about? This was your idea, remember?”

“That was before we slept together,” Miles reminded her. “Oh, I forgot. That doesn’t make a difference with you.”

Destiny bolted up from her chair. “Now, wait just a minute. I never said anything of the sort.”

Miles stepped back, but his blood still boiled in his veins. “You’re right. While I was busy pouring my heart out to you—you didn’t say much of anything.” With that, he turned and stormed out of her office.

Destiny dropped back into her chair. “I’m getting sick of him walking out on me.”

* * *

Back at his apartment, Miles put his body through the grind in his home gym. He desperately wanted to banish all thoughts of Destiny. But the harder he worked out, the clearer his thoughts and her image became in his head.

He finished with the bench press and sat up. His body was drenched in sweat and he didn’t feel any better after having done the punishing workout. It was just as well, he thought, Destiny was probably going to be the death of him. Love. He shook his head, he never saw it coming. Even now, as much as he wanted to hate her, he couldn’t.

He reached down and retrieved a discarded towel from the floor and wiped the perspiration from his face. “Maybe I should calm down and just go talk to her,” he mumbled to himself.

He stood and carried his troubled thoughts to the shower, where he practiced a speech. “Destiny, we need to talk,” he said, and shook his head. He needed a softer approach.

He dipped his head beneath the showerhead, halfway wishing he could wash his jumbled thoughts down the drain. This was probably the most difficult and important thing he’d ever have to do.

* * *

Destiny had just finished washing the deep conditioner out of her hair when she heard the doorbell. She twisted a towel around her head and looked at the clock. It was
nearly midnight
and she wondered idly who could be visiting her so late.

Dressed in a two-piece, cotton pajama outfit, she opened her door and was surprised to see Steven Barrett.

“Good evening,” he greeted with a broad smile. In his hands he held a bouquet of flowers.

“Steve, what are you doing here?” she asked. Had she forgotten a date or something?

“Actually, I was in the neighborhood when I realized I hadn’t heard from you in a while. Did I come over at a bad time?”

It was an odd answer, but she smiled all the same. “No, come on in,” she said, reaching up to touch the towel on her head. “I’m sorry you caught me doing my hair.”

Steve smiled and waved off her concern. “You look beautiful.” He handed her the flowers.

“Thank you. They’re beautiful,” she exclaimed and inhaled the carnations’ scent.

“Sorry, they’re not fancy, but they were sort of an impulsive purchase.”

“They’re perfect. Won’t you sit in the living room, while I look for a vase to put these in?”

“Sure,” he said and turned in the direction she’d indicated.

She walked away, but before she could disappear into the kitchen, her doorbell rang again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get it,” Steven told her, since he was closest to the door.

* * *

Miles rocked nervously on his heels as he continued practicing his speech under his breath. When the door flew open, words eluded him at the sight of a grinning Steven Barrett.

Chapter 27

“M
iles?”

Miles caught Destiny’s voice, but he was already heading back toward his apartment.

“Miles—wait!”

He didn’t wait. Instead, he entered his apartment and slammed the door behind him. This time, he did throw something. In a fit of anger, he grabbed a nearby vase and hurled it across the room. Its crash against the wall was a replication of the explosion inside of him.

At the knock on the door, he didn’t need a crystal ball to tell him who it was. “Go away!”

Instead, the door flew open and Destiny stormed inside. “I will not go away. This time you’re going to talk to me.”

Miles turned on her. Even in cotton pajamas and damp hair, she was able to claim his heart. “There is absolutely nothing I have to talk to you about. So please, feel free to return to your prey across the hall.”

“I told Steve to leave.”

“Well, that makes it all better now, doesn’t it?”

Destiny’s fists jabbed at her sides as she glared up at him. “Will you shut up? You sound like a complete ass.” She shook her head. “What happened between us last week was a mistake. We should have never crossed the line.”

Miles clenched his jaw, in part, to prevent himself from spitting fire.

“Just look at us,” she demanded. “We went five years without fighting. One weak moment and we can’t stand to be in the same room for more than five minutes together.”

Miles stepped toward her. “Is that all it meant to you—a weak moment?”

She exhaled. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Sure you didn’t,” he said coldly. “Are you finished?”

Her eyes glossed with sudden tears. “So you’re still not going to talk to me?”

He exhaled in a long, slow breath. “How about I ask you a question instead?”

She straightened and lifted her chin, but her eyes refused to desert his. “Okay.”

He moved closer. “How do you
feel
about me?”

“What?” She gave him an incredulous look.

“You heard me.” Miles wasn’t going to let her off the hook. He was tired of pussyfooting around and he wanted an answer.

Destiny retreated as Miles bore down on her.

“What’s the matter—is it a
difficult
question?” he asked. At this moment, even he was surprised by his intense emotions.

“N-no. Yes,” she finally admitted. “My feelings for you are complicated.”

He stopped. “You’re not going to give me some ridiculous crap like you can’t separate me from your brother again, are you? Because if you are, what we did last week was illegal in most states.” He never saw her move, but her powerful slap jarred him. Panther-quick, he snatched her wrist and held firm.

Destiny responded by slapping him again with her free hand and, just as fast it, too, was seized.

“Fine. You want to know how I feel? I hate you. You’re nothing but a selfish ass—”

Miles silenced her with a deep, hungry kiss. The sweet taste and warmth of her mouth was all it took to calm his temper and soothe his soul. In truth, this was all he wanted—to have her in his arms again.

Backed against the front door, he released her hands and pulled her against him. Her breasts pressed against his chest as his mouth took total possession. He didn’t want to hear that she hated him. Hell, he didn’t want to hear that she liked him. He wanted nothing less than her love. When he’d made love to her, he’d made up his mind that he could no longer settle for being just her friend or business partner.

Miles dragged his mouth from her swollen lips to nuzzle her neck. “Stay with me tonight,” he said, raggedly, and braced himself for rejection.

In answer, she curled toward him and reclaimed his lips with a kiss as hungry as his own.

Leaning down, he swung her up into his arms and carried her to his bedroom, where a king-size mahogany sleigh bed awaited them.

Gently, he placed her onto the bed and positioned himself above her. For the past seven nights, he’d yearned for this moment and was afraid that it would never come again. Now that she was there, he planned to savor every kiss and touch as though it was the last.

But as much as he wanted to take his time, their clothes flew off in a flurry of movement.

Moonlight poured through the bedroom windows and illuminated the lovers’ bodies.

Miles groaned as he kissed and caressed Destiny and took great pleasure when she shivered and trembled beneath him. Every sound she made heightened his passion and deepened his obsession.

Destiny, meanwhile, floated languorously on lofty clouds of sweet ecstasy and was unable to remember their previous discord. How could her body readily forgive him for his cold behavior toward her this week?

Miles took his time, subjecting her to a slow, delicious torment that threatened Destiny’s sanity.

“Miles, please,” she begged in a thin, hoarse whisper. Her pride be damned.

“Please what?” he taunted; his lips had moved to pay homage to her sensitive breasts.

Destiny tossed her head back onto the pillows and Miles slid down the bed, his lips and tongue burning a hot trail down her skin.

“Please what, Destiny?” he asked again. His mouth traveled farther south where he gently parted her legs.

Destiny arched and gripped the pillows as tears swelled and slid from the corners of her eyes. She was completely unprepared for the jolts of dizzying pleasure that shot through her—unprepared for her very breath to evaporate from her lungs.

He took his time with this gentle assault and just when she thought she’d die from the sheer ecstasy of it all, her body erupted in a series of explosions while she withered helplessly beneath him.

Miles slid back to hover above her. She could feel him hardened against her. He rained more kisses across her breasts, along her collarbone, and settled into the nape of her neck.

She slid her arms around him, drawing him closer, yet he still didn’t enter her.

A dull ache pulsed in the core of her being. As the slow torture continued, the ache became a hard throb, and she felt, once again, her pride leave her. “Miles, please.”

“Please what?” he asked in the same teasing tone as before.

More tears slid from Destiny’s eyes. “Please, make love to me,” she pleaded in a passion-filled voice. She could feel his smile against her neck.

“Are you sure?”

“Dear God, yes,” she panted.

He shifted his weight, and effortlessly, smoothly, he slipped on a condom and entered her.

Destiny gasped as her body played a familiar song that only she could hear and soon her hips rocked to its rhythm.

Miles took her in sleek, powerful strokes and the room was filled with their heavy breathing. His heart soared when she called his name in a mindless continuum, but he still ached to hear those three simple words.

His hands moved over the curves of her back, then held firm to her small hips. His pace quickened as his breath hitched and the promise of a glorious release loomed on the horizon.

Destiny clawed at his back as she tensed; her muscles tightened exquisitely around him. He clenched his teeth and gave into the powerful force that rocked and bound them.

When he slumped over her, their breathing still labored, he heard the words his heart longed to hear.

“I love you,” she said. She turned her head and kissed him tenderly. “I’ve loved you for years.”

His smile was bright in the moonlight. “I knew it,” he said and kissed her back, and then asked, “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Destiny snuggled closer. “No. I guess not.” Her gaze probed his. “When did you first know?”

“Honestly?”

She nodded.

“That night of the blackout five years ago. We spent the night in a room lit with candles and I kept thinking how beautiful you looked.”

Playfully, she pushed him away. “Please. I remember that night. I looked like who did it and what for.”

Miles chuckled lightly. “Yeah, you were looking a little rough, but that’s not what I meant.”

She grew warm beneath his gaze. “What did you mean?”

“You were funny, smart, and easy to talk to. But I have to tell you. I was physically attracted to you the first day we met—gay or not.”

“Oh, my gosh.” She covered her mouth with her hands, and then spoke through the open gaps of her fingers. “I totally forgot about that.” She laughed. “That really was a bad joke they played on you.”

He laughed along with her. “Yeah, well. You certainly didn’t win any brownie points when you pepper-sprayed my eyes.”

She lightly hit his chest. “You deserved it and you know it.”

“What?”

“You did. I hardly knew you and you’d cornered me in an elevator talking about how you thought I was attracted to you.”

His laugh deepened. “When you say it like that, it does sound bad.”

“It was bad. It’s a good thing you’re good-looking, because if you had to depend on your pickup lines, you would be a forty-five-year-old virgin.”

His rumble of laughter shook the bed.

Destiny laughed, too, and then leaned over to kiss his chin. “You know I’m right.”

“Probably.” He tilted her chin up and stole a feathery kiss. “Tell me you love me,” he said. “I want to hear it again.”

“I love you,” she responded without hesitation. “I love you.”

This time, his mouth covered hers in a sweet hunger and for the rest of the night they explored every inch of their bodies and their love.