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  “Our arrangement is at an end,” she murmured.

  This was it. They didn’t need to see each other again. She thought she’d have at least a couple of months to prepare herself - to get over her silly crush. She thought living with him might actually cure that. Sharing a bathroom with a guy had killed a lot of romances over the years. But it was already time to say goodbye.

  Branch slowly moved towards the door. Was he trying to run away? But no, rather than bolting, he was blocking the door – blocking her exit. Did he think she was going to run away?

  “Wait, when did you find out?”

  They’d been together for about three hours and as far as she knew he hadn’t received any phone calls – never mind any life-changing phone calls.

  “This afternoon,” he replied slowly.

  “Before you called me, asking me if I wanted to go shopping?”

  The flicker of guilt that passed over his wary face told her yes.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she murmured.

  “I…” He grimaced. “I wanted you to stick around.”

  Hope blossomed. “Did you think I wouldn’t want to?”

  Branch snorted. “Why would you? I’m a… a grumpy Grinch and you’re… perfect.”

  Mira snorted, too. “How hard did that woman hit your head?”

  During the scuffle for the star, the elderly lady had hit Branch on the head with her umbrella several times. He was too much of a gentleman to retaliate, but the woman was escorted away by security. Not just for hitting Branch, apparently there had been an incident earlier involving a set of matching candlesticks decorated with angels. The less said, the better.

  Branch moved towards her, and she held her breath.

  “I mean it.”

  The fiery look on his face suggested he wasn’t kidding around. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. It was incredible.

  “Branch…”

  She surged forward, and he caught her arms.

  “I… I do care about you, Mira. But… my mate... I still…”

  The look of anguish on his face nearly tore her apart.

  Mira swallowed and pressed her hands against his chest. He quivered under her touch.

  “Branch, I care about you, too, and I want to stick around. You don’t have to promise me anything. Why don’t we just spend time together and see what happens.” She laughed lightly. “Who knows, in a couple of months we might be completely sick of each other and ready to see other people.”

  “No!” he snarled pulling her flush against him. “I don’t want you seeing anyone else.”

  He buried his head in her hair. Mira inhaled his glorious, spicy scent.

  “I don’t want to see anyone else,” she murmured. “I want you.”

  Feeling bolder than she ever had in her life, she pressed a kiss to his neck, her lips brushing against his delicious skin.

  “Mira.”

  Her name shuddered out of his lips as a plea.

  “Too fast?”

  “I…”

  His hardness pressed against her stomach. He wanted her – she could feel the proof. She didn’t want to force him to do anything, but she wanted them to have a chance. She wanted them to move forward. Honestly, she just wanted him.

  “Branch.”

  She cooed his name. He let out a loud, animalistic sound and crushed her to him. Mira wrapped her arms and legs around him as Branch tore through his house – each room a blur as he sought out his bedroom.

  He tossed her on the bed, and before she could even let out an eep, he was above her, his body caging hers. His lips came down on hers, taking and demanding and sending fiery pulses to her nether regions.

  Mira grasped at his shirt, pulling him closer, nearer. Yes, this was what she needed, what she wanted. She’d felt something inside her since the moment she first saw him. How on earth she had managed not to leap on him all this time, she had no idea. But it was more than just lust for a handsome man – so much more. She knew somehow that she wouldn’t feel complete without him. She could just imagine Temp’s reaction if she said that thought out loud. The image of her disapproving sister was enough to elicit a laugh against his mouth.

  Branch pulled back, nearly growling. It wasn’t quite enough to wipe the smile off her face, but it certainly made her quiver in anticipation.

  He reared back, and for a moment, she thought he had changed his mind, but no, he was merely trying to divest her of her clothes. Something she was more than happy to help with. She pulled at his shirt with such vigor she actually tore it.

  “Oops!”

  Would he be mad? Nope, he was actually smirking. While he had taken care of her clothes, he followed her lead and none-too-gently ripped the rest of his off.

  “Oh, my!” she exclaimed.

  Had there ever been a more perfect male specimen than the one standing gloriously naked before her? It seemed extremely unlikely. He was the stuff dreams were made of. But perhaps the sexiest thing about him, the thing that Mira loved the most, was the way he was looking at her. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever imagined a man would look at her with such a passionate, tender lust in his eyes. It made her shiver all over.

  He moved over her, his body over hers and his lips claiming hers. His tongue pushed into her mouth as his fingers ran up her thighs. His fingers caressed her slit as he devoured her mouth. Mira moaned as he pushed a digit inside her, taking her knuckle-deep. She clenched around the invading finger, her inner muscles seeking to curl themselves around him, to find their pleasure. But it wasn’t enough. He was teasing her for something more, something bigger she thought almost giddily.

  Slowly, he started stroking the tender flesh, pushing in and out of her silky wetness. Her thighs opened, welcoming him, inviting him to do more than just tease her.

  Branch growled against her lips and thrust another finger inside her. Mira mewled into his mouth as he added a third and she desperately clutched at them. He was no longer slow, he was stroking in and out of her harder, more determinedly.

  His lips left hers, and her head dropped back on the bed. He stared down at her with a dark, expectant look on his face. Mira writhed beneath him as her body started tightening. His dark eyes intensified.

  “Branch,” she murmured.

  “Come for me,” he growled.

  She grasped his arms, something solid to hold onto as she jerked against his wonderful onslaught, her nails carelessly sinking into his flesh. He didn’t even notice; he was too focused on her, too focused on urging her to her release. Her muscles tightened almost ferociously as his fingers plunged in and out of her. She was almost there, almost ready to topple over the edge to take what she so desperately wanted and give him what he was waiting for.

  His jaw tightened for a flicker of a second before his lips quirked and he pressed his thumb against her needy clit. Mira cried out as that small touch, that tiny caress sent pleasure crashing through her body. As she shuddered with the electrifying effects of her release, she noticed the proud, pleased smile on his face.

  He withdrew his fingers and lowered his body to hers. Mira cooed as his hard sex kissed her drenched opening. She wrapped herself around him as he thrust inside her, letting out a satisfied groan. He was deliciously big, but her orgasm had prepared the way for him, allowing him to ease inside her to the hilt.

  In spite of her throbbing walls and gripping arms both trying to hold him close, he managed to pull back and push inside her. He rumbled as her body rippled around him, stretching and contracting around him, squeezing him and caressing him in the most heavenly way.

  He grasped her wrists, pinning them over her head as he started a steady rhythm within her, taking her with long, hard strokes. Over and over his body gloriously collided with hers, filling her again and again, stroking every nerve ending, pushing her to another release.

  His dark eyes caught hers in his stormy gaze, and she could see his beast just below the surface, could see the wildness that resided inside him and
she loved it. Being with him was so perfect, so right. She didn’t know what it was, but the moment she met him, she knew there was something special about him, something incredible. She was hardly a cynical person, but the idea of love at first sight had always seemed a little far-fetched – even to her. But there was definitely something there when she met him, if not love, a spark at least.

  Slowly he increased his speed, pounding against her body. Her whole body tensed, knowing something wonderful was coming. Her hips moved against his, meeting him thrust for thrust. His hardness rocked in and out of her, taking her higher, faster until she couldn’t bear it any longer.

  “Branch!” she wailed as he sent her hurtling into oblivion.

  He let out a growl and followed her into release. His whole glorious body tensed, every muscle bunching and then he pulsed deep inside her. She panted as her body trembled. Words failed her as she tried to gather her scattered senses.

  Branch, also trembling, collected her in his arms. He pressed kisses to her hair, and he murmured her name, over and over.

  It was bliss.

  Thirty-One

  December 23rd

  Mira awoke to find the other half of the bed empty. She reached out, feeling only the cold bed. He hadn’t been there in a while. That could be because of a number of reasons, but she immediately felt uneasy.

  Pushing through the feeling she pulled on one of Branch’s robes. It swamped her, but it smelled delicious.

  She tripped downstairs to find Branch in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee. It was only five am, and far too early for the worried look on his face.

  “Branch?”

  He looked up at her and his worry intensified. That was not the look of a man who was still enjoying the afterglow of an awesome night with his new girlfriend.

  “Mira, I…”

  She felt like she was going to vomit as she realized what that look meant. “I know what you’re going to say.”

  He was sorry, but as much as he cared for her, he didn’t want to be with her because he still loved his late mate. Branch was feeling guilty.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

  Mira nodded, briskly shaking her head to stop the tears from coming.

  “I care about you…”

  Yep, she could have written his words herself.

  “But my mate…”

  “I understand, Branch,” she said dully. “Isn’t there anything I can say to change your mind?”

  “No,” he rumbled with a stronger resolve. “I am sorry. I’ve treated you badly. What can I do to make it up to you? Perhaps your sister’s charity…”

  Anger flared in her chest. “Are you seriously suggesting you make a charitable donation in return for… for what happened last night?!”

  “No!” he growled as his fury matched hers. “No,” he repeated, softening. “Of course not, I just…”

  “I should go.”

  Mira ran to his bedroom and quick as a flash pulled her clothes on, as many as she could find, anyway. Her bra and one of her socks were missing in action, but she wasn’t sticking around to search for them.

  He was waiting for her by the door, a look of dejection on his face.

  “I’ll drive you,” he said.

  “No, I don’t think…”

  “Mal will drive you,” he amended pulling out his phone.

  “Fine,” she muttered, desperate to get away from him. “I’ll wait outside for him.”

  She was almost out the door when he said.

  “Mira, I really am sorry.”

  She paused. “I know, it just doesn’t make it any easier.”

  *

  Mira tried her best to dry her tears before she had to face her sister, but she was fighting a losing battle. She didn’t even feel mad about what happened – she felt too much sympathy for him. He just couldn’t get over his mate. The romance novels always said that shifters had one true mate, and perhaps that was true in real life. Branch would probably mourn her forever. Poor Branch. The dick. But she wasn’t too sympathetic not to think of him as a dick. Double dick.

  She tried to slip into the apartment, hoping that Temp would be asleep. No such luck.

  Temp was awake and had already donned a look of supreme disapproval. She was about to say something when she caught sight of Mira’s expression, which she guessed was a mixture of sadness and hurt.

  “Mira?”

  “Don’t you dare say I told you so because…”

  Temp effectively hushed her by sweeping her into a hug.

  Mira sighed. “Thank you for not saying it.”

  Thirty-Two

  “What’s going on with Mira?” demanded Harlan as he strode in Branch’s office.

  Branch growled, but Harlan ignored him completely. Right, this was just what his bad mood needed – his irritating younger brother prodding and poking him for details about Mira. Like he didn’t already feel like crap.

  For a moment there he thought he could be with Mira, but then the guilt came flooding back about Janelle. His one mate – his true mate. But he hadn’t been very true to her; he’d fallen in love with Mira. But how could he be with Mira? How could he allow her always to be second to his first mate – his heart mate?

  “Well? I’ve been trying to call her, but it keeps going to voicemail. When I finally got through someone called Temp told me to get lost – only she didn’t use those exact words. Let your imagination run wild on that one, and it still won’t be half as offensive.”

  “Get out,” snarled Branch.

  Harlan wandered over to his mini fridge and helped himself to a can of coke. Branch liked to keep a fridge for drinks and snacks for when he worked late – as a shifter he ate twice as much as a regular guy, and he couldn’t work late without something to eat. He didn’t have alcohol in his office though. He knew a few of his executive members of staff like his uncle kept a couple of bottles on hand, but Branch didn’t hold with that. He was there to work, not enjoy himself.

  “What crawled up your butt?”

  “I’m very busy.”

  “Yeah, your assistant said you scheduled a four-hour meeting tomorrow and Mom won’t stop crying long enough to tell me why. So I guess the mating is definitely off?”

  Branch’s cheek ticked as he tried to hold onto his temper. He wasn’t angry at Harlan – well, no more than usual. But he was furious with himself, and more than happy to take it out on anyone who crossed his path.

  “Mira and I will no longer be seeing one another,” he said slowly.

  Harlan looked confused. “Why? You two seemed great together.”

  “It’s not up for discussion. Now, get out.”

  Branch bent his head to the document in front of him. Hoping that Harlan would do as he was told for once, though not really believing for a second he would. He waited a few moments, waiting for the barrage of questions but it never came. He looked up to see his brother staring at him with a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “You know, Janelle was awesome, and yeah, you two loved each other, and it’s terrible that she’s gone, but Mira’s awesome too. As Janelle would say, ‘Get your head out of your ass and stop being a dick.’”

  It was true, Janelle used to say that. Once to a cop after she was arrested for car surfing. She was a handful, and he had loved every moment with her. But he also loved every moment with Mira.

  He should howl at Harlan. Demand he show his alpha respect. He should…

  Branch sagged. “Janelle was my heart mate.”

  “Yeah, she was, and you two were great together,” agreed Harlan, not altogether helpfully. “But maybe Mira is also your heart mate.”

  “But…”

  “Yeah, yeah – everyone says you only get one. But a hundred years ago, everyone was also saying that shifters and humans couldn’t mate and yet, here we are.”

  Harlan winked at him and left.

  Yes, here they were.

  Thirty-Three

  December 24th

  �
�I can see you,” sighed Mira.

  Mal appeared out of the shadows with a look of chagrin on his face.

  “You’re like six foot six – you’re hardly stealthy,” chastised Mira. “I know you’ve been following me and I know you’re not a stalker – what’s going on?”

  Mal grunted in much the same way Branch did, though it wasn’t nearly as sexy. No man was as sexy.

  “Boss was worried about your safety – you live in a crappy neighborhood.”

  Mira rolled her eyes. “I bet that no matter what I say, you won’t leave, right?”

  Mal gave her a half-smile.

  Branch probably felt guilty about what happened. He’d make Mal follow her around for a few days, but then he’d get over it, so why bother arguing? She was at the youth center with her sister’s car was filled to the brim with cookies for their Christmas party. For the short time Mal was there, he could make himself useful.

  “Well, since you’re here, you can help unload the cookies.”

  Yep, a couple of hours with screaming, sugar-hyped kids would probably have him running back to Branch, begging his alpha to give up his guilt trip. A few more hours and she probably wouldn’t have to see anyone in the herd again. She had already asked the owners of the sandwich shop that someone else take over Deer Co, and they readily agreed. Yep, just a few more hours and she could get on with forgetting this whole thing ever happened. Sigh.

  *

  Branch tapped his fingers on the table. The people sitting next to him shuffled away from him, sensing his unease. He scowled at no one in particular. He was in a foul mood and the person droning on and on about the benefits of stocking their resorts with monogrammed towels was not helping.

  He wanted to be away from there, running free as his reindeer – the same way he always did when at work and bored out of his skull… Except, that wasn’t true today. Sure, his reindeer always loved the chance to be free, but today he wanted something else, or, to be more precise, someone else.

  He had spent the previous night staring at the half-assembled Christmas tree. It was depressing, to say the least.