Page 154 of Balance
He was trying to grab my shoulder now, to swing me from his back, and his hand was in the perfect position.
There was really nothing else left to lose—I’d already kicked him in the balls, and that was probably the most traumatizing event a man could suffer—and this was certainly an attention-getter. He’d hate me either way.
So I went for it, loosening my grip enough to move closer to his hand, and sunk my teeth over the outside corner of his extremely dirty and nasty-tasting appendage. We hadn’t properly bathed in days, and then there were the multiple bathroom breaks today. I didn’t even want to think about the ramifications, because I might actually pick up a disease from this. But, desperate times.
It wasn’t hard enough to draw blood, but it was a moderately effective plan. At least he was cursing in French again.
Then we were back to English.
“What thefuck?” Miles had stopped struggling, leaning on his knees as I remained wrapped around his back, my teeth sunk into his palm. “Bianca? Why are you biting me?”
I wiped my mouth against the back of his shirt before responding. “You’re better now?”
“Am I…” The beginning of his question trailed off, and his taunt muscles relaxed. “Damn.”
I unlocked my ankles and slid to the ground, falling against him and resting my cheek against his back. “Did it work?” I was asking both him and Mu, but as my racing heart slowed, the presence of the latter retreated somewhere unreachable.
“I tried to hurt you.” Miles squeezed my arm.
“It’s okay,” I told him. “Did it work?” I asked again.
“Yeah,” he replied, petting my hand. “Thanks to you.”
“No, it’s thanks to you.” After all, I really hadn’t done much of anything other than inflict physical harm.
“No!” He moved then, dislodging me as he moved to his knees, and wrapped his hands over my shoulders. “I lost control. What if it happens again?”
“Then it happens.” The words rushed from me. Even though I wasn’t really in a place to promise this, I continued. “I’ll be here to stop you; this is just who we are. You’re perfect.”
That’s what everyone had been telling me, in any case.
I’m scared. He didn’t respond, but I could feel the slight trembling in his hands.The statement was thick in his crumbling posture,I’m scared.
My breath caught, and my heart raced.
He was damaged too. Possibly as much as I was.
“You’reperfect,” I said again, cupping his face between my hands. I refused to allow myself to think about what happened next, or about my own nervousness.
There was only this moment.
Our lips met as I pulled his face down toward mine.
He was gentle, so gentle, as he folded his body forward with no hesitation. Large arms wrapped over my shoulders, and Miles held me so tightly I could barely breathe.
Miles’s lips were light, and he smelled of freshly turned dirt and honeysuckles. The taste of him was sweet and mildly addicting.
“Bianca…” He whispered against my cheek as I pushed my palms against him. Our faces were still turned toward each other, and his mouth parted, gaze flickering to my mouth.
I half-expected him to apologize—especially after the incident in the cave—but instead he touched my face, finger tracing along the edge of my bottom lip. “I’ve been waiting for that,” he admitted, his usual shyness gone.
He didn’t say the words, but I knew his feelings from his gentle expression alone. The tight lines at the corner of his mouth weren’t quite so tense, and for the first time in a while, he seemed relaxed.
He was in love with me.
But I wasn’t ready to return those feelings.
Especially because, in this life at least, they hardly knew me.
