She no longer counted her brief stint as head of information services at the Sawmill Free Library. First, because she no longer felt certain her qualifications had landed her the job to begin with; and second, because she’d learned quickly that nothing in Sawmill operated the same as its counterpart in the world outside of Geoffrey’s domain.
Marjory beamed and looked toward the ceiling as if offering up beatitudes. “My dear, I thought so. I don’t care what your titles have been at your previous positions. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll have your business cards printed up to read ‘Savior and Messiah,’ if that’s what you want. Just say you’ll take the job.”
“What job?”
“My job. Please. I’ve been trying to retire for a decade.” The woman chuckled. “I apologize, dear. You look confused. I thought Molly said she’d mentioned my name to you and that I’d probably react to your arrival in town just as I have.”
A vague recollection teased at the back of Renny’s mind, but she couldn’t nail it down. Before she struggled too hard, the older woman continued.
“Renny, I am currently the director of the Alpha Public Library, a position I’ve held for more than forty years, the last ten very reluctantly. Frankly, I’m done. I want to hire you to train as my replacement.”
Renny accepted the mug Mick pressed into her hand without bothering to be surprised by his return from the kitchen. She had no room left for surprise; it had all been taken up by Marjory’s announcement.
“I’m—I’m … well, I’m flattered, Marjory,” she finally stammered, looking helplessly at Mick as he passed a second mug to their visitor. “But I don’t see how that’s possible.”
Marjory didn’t even glance at Mick. She set her tea untouched beside her purse. “And why not? What strikes you as impossible about working in the profession for which you have studied and trained? I would have used a term more like ‘logical.’ Or perhaps ‘suitable.’”
“How about miraculous?” Renny blurted out, shaking her head. “Mrs. Caples—”
“Marjory.”
“Marjory. Don’t misunderstand me. It’s not that you haven’t just sat down and offered me my dream job, because you definitely have. But I’m having a hard time processing it, for a whole host of reasons.”
The old woman gave another regal nod and reached for her tea with calm deliberation. “Please elaborate, my dear.”
Renny glanced at Mick. He said nothing, just took a seat in the chair closest to her and let her figure things out for herself. At least he remained close in case she needed him. She had even almost started to expect it. Alpha though he was, Mick never tried to control her words or behavior.
Well, okay. Almost never. He’d put his foot down a few times where the question of her safety was concerned. He refused to allow her to place herself in harm’s way, but he respected her intelligence and her independence. The way he put it was that he had a hard enough time making his own decisions; he had no desire to try to make hers as well. He just wanted to be part of the process.
Her mate had become her rock in the last week, something to cling to while everything around her seemed to be changing. Admittedly, they were positive changes, but still. It was a lot to deal with.
She told Marjory that very thing. “I haven’t exactly been living a normal life for the last few months. Being on the run, trying to stay a step ahead of the pack that’s been chasing me, it’s been like being adrift. But now, all of a sudden, I’ve got a new home and a new mate and the beginnings of a new life, and I feel like I still don’t quite have my land legs back.”
“That’s perfectly understandable, but of course I’m not demanding that you report to work this afternoon, my dear. I only came by to let you know there’s a position for you if you want it. I want to retire, badly, but I’m not ready to collapse just yet. Still, you’re the first qualified candidate I’ve seen in years. I couldn’t just let you slip through my fingers.”
“She’s not going anywhere. Trust me,” Mick offered, sounding assured and possessive, possibly bordering on smug. She shot him a look. It was a good thing he was cute.
“Of course she isn’t. She’s one of us now.” Marjory sniffed, as if to even suggest otherwise was worthy of disdain. “However, I’ve lived in this town too long to become complacent. I know I won’t be the only one offering Renny a job, but I am offering the one best suited to her talents and her education. As far as I’m concerned, your new mate is the answer to my prayers, Michael.”
He smiled, the expression way too sexy for innocence. “I’ve never been a religious man myself, but I’m not about to argue with that assessment. I’ve gotten used to having her around.” He focused on Marjory again, and his expression sharpened. “Which is why there are certain requirements for any job she might consider taking.”
“There are?”
“There are?” Renny echoed, frowning. “Um, I don’t remember laying any out, so would you mind sharing with the rest of the class, Mr. Alpha, sir?
His face told her he knew he’d sounded high-handed without her pointing it out, but that this was something he’d decided was worth the pushback. “Relax, Red. Don’t get your hackles up. I don’t plan to negotiate your salary or 401(k) benefits. I just mean that your safety is my priority, and right now it’s still in question. I know Alpha’s grapevine is a well-oiled machine, but before you go back to work, you need to consider the potential ramifications. And so does whoever hires you.”
Marjory straightened. “You are referring to the fact that your mate is currently being stalked by a poor excuse for a coyote who has resorted to sending his bully boys to do his dirty work for him?” She sipped her tea calmly. “Yes. I am aware.”
Renny looked back and forth between her mate and their visitor. Apparently, all those jokes about gossip and small-town life hadn’t really been meant to be funny. “Was there some kind of newsletter that went out about my life? Because I never got my copy.”
“Of course not. Haven’t you heard, Renny? Print is dead.” Marjory’s eyes sparkled. “Michael, I am well aware that Renny is still in danger from her unwelcome pursuer. I have no intention of putting her at risk. If the two of you believe it would be better to fully resolve the situation before she begins work, that’s perfectly fine. The position’s been open for years. It’s not going to be filled in the next few weeks. Or months.”
Oh, no. Renny was not prepared to wait months before she started building her new life. A week’s honeymoon with her new mate was one thing, but she was done running. Now she wanted to be normal again. She wanted to go back to work, live on a schedule, have a boring, everyday life again.
She forced a smile. “That’s completely unnecessary, Marjory. If you’re anxious enough about retirement to come all the way out here to offer me a job without even checking my references, you won’t want to wait for me to get started. Besides, it’s not like I have to give my current employer two weeks’ notice.”
“No,” Mick drawled. “But you do have to give your mate time to coordinate with Zeke and Jaeger so that we know we can keep you safe if you start going to a predictable place on a predictable schedule. You know the rules, Renny.”
“You know I hate that word,” she grumbled. “You also know I don’t want Geoffrey to get near me any more than you do. But it’s not like I’d be going somewhere all alone and remote and cut off from help. A library is a public place. There would be people around all the time.”
“And those people would have big tall stacks of books to hide behind, as well as multiple points of entry and exit from the building. You haven’t even seen the library yet, red. It’s in a converted, old Victorian house. There are windows and doors in every single room.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to tell me you won’t let me take the job?”
He snorted. “Do I look like I’ve lost my damned mind? I’m just saying that this is a big change and we’ll need to do some planning before you can start. If you decide you want the job, I
mean.”
Did she want the job? Renny could feel the grin nearly stretching her cheeks to their limit. “Oh, I do. I absolutely want it.”
“Wonderful. Then that’s settled.” Marjory set her mug aside and gathered up her coat and purse. “The mayor has assured me that I have full discretion in hiring my replacement, so we won’t bother making you fill out a silly application form. I’d like copies of your CV and credentials for the records, of course, but you’ve already aced the interview, so I’ll start getting the paperwork together to make it official.”
Renny laughed. “This was an interview? I don’t remember you asking me anything beyond whether I have my degree.”
“That was all I needed to know.” The woman handed her coat to Mick and waited until he caught on to her unspoken demand. He held the garment for her while she shrugged into it. “I might be old and ready to retire, but I’m still a shifter, my dear. I always trust my instincts.”
Mick escorted her to the door to turn off the alarm while Renny trailed a little behind, still trying to process what had just happened. In the space of a week she’d gone from fearing for her life and struggling to survive on the run, to having a home and a mate and now the job she’d been dreaming of since she was a child. Maybe she should try jumping off the roof next to see if she could fly, because with Landry’s Law lying broken at her feet, could the laws of physics be far behind?
Marjory said her goodbyes and left, her exit as majestic as her entrance. Renny stood staring at the closed door for a good two minutes before Mick chuckled and spun her into his arms.
“Want me to pinch you?” he asked.
“I already tried pinching myself, and somehow, I haven’t woken up yet.”
“That’s because you’re not dreaming, little red.” He grinned down at her, holding her against him with one hand while he lifted the other to trace his fingertips over the edges of her mating mark. “Of course, if you felt like you should lie down for a while…”
Renny felt the caress all the way from her neck to her toes, but it was the places in the middle that sent up the most enthusiastic response. Suddenly, she felt like celebrating.
She hooked her arms over his shoulders and boosted herself onto her toes. “Lie down? But we never got to have our lunch, remember? Marjory interrupted before we could eat.”
With their bodies aligned, she could feel his erection nestling against her belly. She undulated slightly, teasing him with rolling hips and a sly smile designed to remind him of exactly what they’d been doing when the doorbell rang.
“Oh, I am positively starving, little red,” Mick growled, scooping her up into his arms and striding straight for the bedroom. “In fact, I’m planning to just eat you all up.”
Renny smiled up at her big, bad wolf and licked her lips. “I can hardly wait.”
As it turned out, she didn’t have to.
Chapter Ten
The sound of the alarm startled Renny out of sleep. For a second, she couldn’t quite figure out where the annoying noise was coming from. Then, her fumbling hand knocked her cell phone to the floor and memory returned. It had been a while since she’d had to get up early for work.
She smiled without opening her eyes. Today was Monday, and damned if she wasn’t so excited she could spit. It was her first day as Alpha Public Library’s assistant director. She could hardly wait to get started.
Before she could reach for the blankets to throw them off, a muscled arm snaked around her torso and pulled her back against a wall of warm steel. Mick nuzzled the nape of her neck and rumbled out a happy sound of greeting.
“Morning, little red.” His breath stirred her hair and made her shiver. Or maybe that was caused by the hand that went from pulling her back against him to cupping her between her thighs. “You’ve got a big day ahead of you.”
“I know.” She tugged at his wrist, shuddering when his fingers simply burrowed deeper. He parted her folds and found her clit with wicked skill. It still stunned her how he could have her wet and ready for him with a single touch. “That’s why I have to get up now.”
“I’m already up.” He pressed his erection against her bottom for emphasis.
Renny snorted. “Yes, I can feel that, but you’ll have to put it away. I can’t be late for my first day.”
“Right.”
He sighed, and she expected to feel his hold loosen and his hands fall away. For a moment they did, but then they grabbed a new hold and flipped her unceremoniously to her back.
He grinned down at her. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I can make this quick.”
“Is that supposed to be persuasive? Because if so, you might need to rethink your argument. Speed is not sexy.”
Mick hooked one arm under her knee and slid home with an easy thrust. “Really? Tell me more.”
She would have, but it was hard to form a logical summary of facts when her eyes were rolling back in her head. He did this to her every time. Just the feel of him lodged inside her was more arousing than any sex she’d ever had in her life. He didn’t even have to move. His thick cock stretched her just right, filling and pressing against all her most sensitive spots.
“Jerk,” she moaned, lifting her hips to urge him deeper. “Fine. Fuck me already.”
“Working on it.” He chuckled, hitching her knee higher. Then he began to power into her with quick, deep thrusts.
She lit up like a Christmas tree, eagerly matching him move for move. This marked the beginning of the third week that she’d spent every night in his arms. She kept expecting the mating frenzy to subside, for them to sate themselves with sex and each other, but it never happened. Every time she had him, she wanted him more.
She had to show him.
Twining her fingers in his hair, she pulled him down to a kiss. Their mouths met and mated like their bodies, lips caressing, tongues tangling, breath and pleasure shared.
When she squirmed beneath him, the hair on his chest abraded her nipples, making them ache and tingle. She repeated the movement and felt him groan above her. That’s when she stopped trying to make him hurry.
Forget about her schedule. She wanted to savor the feel of her mate inside her, pinning her body beneath his as he rocked them both toward completion.
She wrapped her legs around him, digging her heels into his back in a quest for more leverage. She needed him harder, deeper, higher inside her. Hell, she needed him to climb beneath her skin until she couldn’t separate where she ended and he began.
Breathless and gasping, she tore her mouth from his and threw her head back, desperate for air. The need within her was growing and expanding until she thought it must be taking up all the room inside, making it impossible for her lungs to draw in the oxygen they craved. Only release could disperse the need and restore her breath. It honestly made her feel like she had to come or she’d never survive.
She heard a high, thin sound and realized it was coming from her. She was whining deep in her throat, the sounds driven out of her in time with her mate’s increasingly frantic thrusts. He, too, struggled with short, panting breaths, sweat beading on his skin, his jaw clenched as he worked her harder. What had started with a lighthearted spirit had become deadly serious, driven by hunger and need.
Renny tried to speak, to beg, to make some plea for the release she could feel hovering just out of reach. Her clit throbbed and burned, her thighs trembled, her nails dug furrows into her mate’s back. She felt entirely out of control, unable to move, to breathe, to do anything but feel and yearn.
Their bodies slammed together, each straining toward climax. Renny thought she might lose her mind when Mick suddenly jerked back, freeing himself from her body and leaving her empty and confused.
She opened her eyes and stared dazedly into his face. Or she would have, but she barely managed to focus on his tight, feral expression before he dragged her down the mattress and flipped her to her stomach. Rough nudges maneuvered her onto her knees, and a hard palm pressed between her shoulder
blades to keep her head down. She wound up curled over herself, chest flattened against tangled sheets, hips raised to expose her pussy like an offering to appease a hungry god.
Her head spun and she turned so that her cheek pressed against the soft surface and she could see her mate at the edges of her vision. He rose up behind her, positioned himself at her entrance, and then drove into her with a snarl of satisfaction.
Renny gasped and jerked, but his hand kept her upper body pinned in place. He felt twice as big in this position, his cock reaching so deep inside, she felt like she could taste him in the back of her throat. Mick set up a fast, punishing rhythm, driving into her hard and deep until the movement of his hips became confused with the beat of her heart. He was the thing pushing the blood through her veins, the power that animated her, and if he stopped fucking her, she would die.
The irrational thought swirled around in her head for an instant, then dissolved in a shower of explosive sparks. The climax crashed over her like a tsunami, dragging her under with the force of her pleasure. Dimly, she felt Mick jerk against her and she thought she heard him howl his pleasure. But then again, she couldn’t be certain she was still alive, so she might have just imagined it. Wasn’t the brain supposed to randomly fire off synapses at the moment of death, inducing hallucinations and explaining all those stories about white lights and tunnels?
Renny had just become a believer.
Her mate collapsed on top of her, making her grunt. Immediately he rolled to the side, pulling her along with him. Her back nestled against his chest, and she couldn’t even summon the energy to push aside the curtain of her own hair that had fallen over her face. Who needed to see? She wasn’t even sure she still could see. He might have fucked her blind.
From somewhere beneath the bed, her cell phone alarm began to chime. Her second, just-in-case-I-sleep-through-the-first-one, emergency backup alarm had gone off.
Behind her, Mick chuckled and nudged her off the bed. “Hurry up, baby. Go grab a shower. After all, you don’t want to be late for work.”
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