Rise

by Heather MacKinnon

   His full lips spread into a grin and he kissed me again. “That I can live with.”

  Chapter 2

  It wasn’t until Abraham’s phone went off a third time that we started to stir.

   He kissed my bare shoulder and sighed. “I guess I should get that.”

   I shrugged. “You are the boss man. I’ve probably stolen enough of your time for one afternoon.”

   He rolled me over until I was facing him. “I may be the boss man, but more importantly, I’m your man. Being with you is always going to be my number one priority.”

   I laid there looking at him, studying his sincere blue eyes and wondering how I’d gotten so lucky.

   Abraham was everything a woman could ask for in a man. He was sweet and thoughtful, but still protective and kind. It also didn’t hurt that he was so damn good-looking he made my stomach hurt.

   For some reason, this amazing man found me worthy. Elizabeth Montgomery, the woman who put her career above any and all personal relationships. The woman who was stubborn and self-sufficient to a fault. The woman who’d made him chase her every step of the way.

   Some days I had to ask myself what kept him around. What was it about me that was so special? Why did I get to be the mate of such an incredible person?

   Regardless of what I’d done to deserve him, he was mine. Totally and completely. I knew that with every bone in my body.

   I reached out to cup his face and said the only thing I could think of to say. “I love you.”

   His lips stretched into a soft smile and he leaned down to kiss me. “I love you too, baby.” He kissed me again, longer this time. “Do you know what it does to me when you say those words?” he asked as he pressed his lips to any available skin he could reach.

   My heart was already pounding in my chest. “Probably the same thing they do to me when you say them.”

   He paused what he was doing and looked back up at me. “What do they do to you?”

   I stared into his eyes and told him the truth. “When you say you love me, it reminds me that I’m not alone. That there’s someone who cares about me. Someone who’ll always be there for me. It makes me feel warm and content. Like nothing bad can really happen as long as you keep loving me. If I have you, I’ll somehow make it through anything that comes my way.”

   He was quiet for a while after that, his eyes scanning my face over and over. Finally, he sighed and dipped his head to rest against mine. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, El.” His voice was so deep I could feel it rumbling through his chest and into mine.

   “I was thinking the same thing,” I whispered.

   He shook his head, his soft hair falling against my face. “Never doubt your place beside me. You’re the fucking sun in my sky. You’re all that matters and I’m gonna make you happy for the rest of my life.”

   My nose stung with tears, but I sniffed them back. I reached forward and pressed my lips against his. “You already make me so happy every day.”

   He leaned back and shot me a wide grin. “Then I guess I’m doin’ my job.”

   I opened my mouth to speak when his phone went off again. “Speaking of jobs…”

   He gave me one last kiss before pushing himself up and crawling off the couch. He stalked across the room completely naked and I couldn’t help but watch his every move. When he reached the desk, he picked up his still-ringing phone.

   “McCoy.”

   While he dealt with whoever that was, I peeled myself off the couch and began looking around the room for my clothes. I found my tattered bra and shot Abraham a withering look. He had the decency to look at least a little ashamed as he continued his phone conversation.

   I put on the rest of my clothes, hoping no one would be in the hallway when I left.

   “All right. Call me back when you figure it out.” Abraham tossed his phone on the desk and turned to me. “Where are you going and why are you wearing clothes again?”

   I shook my head, but my lips curled with a smile. “You know what’ll happen if I stay in here naked.”

   He covered the distance between us in just a few long strides and wrapped his hands around my waist. His head dipped down to my neck where he inhaled deeply. “I do know. And I’m okay with it.”

   I laughed and pushed him away, but he didn’t go far. “You have work to do.”

   He sighed dramatically and dragged me close again. “But I’d rather do you.”

   His lips skimmed up the side of my neck, and I knew if I didn’t put a stop to this soon, we’d spend the whole afternoon in here. As much fun as that sounded, I refused to be the reason Abraham shirked his responsibilities.

   “Abraham, you just had me,” I breathed while my hands inched up the smooth skin of his arms.

   “Hmm, exactly. So I know how fucking amazing it is.”

   I laughed, and with the last of my willpower, I pushed him back again. “You can have me as much as you want after you’re done with work for the day.”

   He tsked. “But that won’t be for hours.”

   I laughed again. He was so silly sometimes. It was such a juxtaposition to the man most other people saw. To the outside world, he was serious and commanding. Everything you’d expect in a leader. But, behind closed doors, when it was just the two of us, the other dimensions of his personality shone through. It made me love him even more.

   I cupped his face in both hands and brought his lips to mine. I kissed him for a long time before pulling away and taking a step back. “That means you have hours to figure out what you’re going to do with me.”

   One of his dark brows arched and his eyes lit up with mischief. “That’s a good point, baby.”

   I slid out of his hold. “I’m full of those.”

   He laughed and slung an arm around my neck, pulling me against his chest and holding me. This was the opposite direction I’d been trying to lead us in, but I’d never complain about being in Abraham’s arms. He was so big and solid, it felt like he could block out everything else in the world. Like it was just the two of us.

   But then his phone rang again, and I remembered how important he and his time were. I gave him a squeeze and stepped away from him again. I could tell by the look on his face that he was considering not answering and blowing off the rest of his afternoon for me. We’d done that once, and I’d felt so guilty for taking him away from everything else that needed his attention that I swore I’d never let it happen again.

   “If we have to wait, it’ll be so much better when we’re finally together again,” I said, hoping I could convince him to let me leave. Because if he gave me one more of those bedroom looks, I’d lose any shred of self-control I had left.

   He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. But I’m not waiting past dinner. As soon as you’re done, we’re going right to our room. Deal?”

   A chill swept down my spine at his tone. I loved when he went all alpha on me. “Okay.”

  I walked to his door, but before I could open it, I looked over at him again. “I love you.”

   His arms fell to his sides as his whole face lit up. “I love you too, El.”

   With my heart full, and a pleasant ache between my legs, I slipped out of his office and crept across the hall to our room. Not only did I need to put on a new bra, I had to take a shower.

   It only took one comment for me to make sure I always washed after spending an afternoon with Abraham.

   On one of my first days living there, he and I had used his lunch time in his office to our advantage, much like we had today. When I’d finally torn myself away from him, I’d gone down to the kitchen to get a drink and found a few of the enforcers sitting at a table, playing cards. I greeted them all and turned to find some food when Huxley’s voice cut through the quiet room.

   “It smells like sex in here.”

   I’d frozen in place, my whole body erupting i
n mortifying flames. The other men at the table snickered, but I ignored them. I’d straightened my spine and grabbed a water bottle from the fridge before spinning back around to face them.

   With my chin held high, I strutted past their table, but not before leaving them with an observation of my own.

   “At least I’m getting some.”

   The men broke out in loud laughter and catcalls, but I didn’t turn around. I kept my head up and my shoulders back until I made it up to our room where I melted into a puddle of embarrassment. I even ate dinner late that night, so I didn’t have to see their faces again.

   Ever since then, I made sure to shower the sex smell off me before doing anything else.

   When I walked into our room, I found Charlie in his cat house and gave him a little scratch behind his ears. I felt bad that we had to leave him in that room all the time and vowed to figure out a better situation.

   Sure, werewolves weren’t very fond of cats, but if Abraham could learn to live with him, I figured everyone else in the house could too. He didn’t take up much space, and he was a really good cat. If they all gave him a chance, he’d win them over easily.

   “We’re gonna build you some kitty ramps all around the house, boy. What d’you think about that?”

   He purred loudly and bumped his head into my hand. I leaned down and kissed between his furry little ears before walking into our large bathroom.

   I quickly showered and put on a new set of clothes. My old ones were wrinkled from being thrown on the floor earlier.

   You wouldn’t catch me complaining though.

   When I finished in the bedroom, I walked back through the sitting room and into the hall where I found Abraham leaving his office.

   “Hey, El. I was just coming to find you.”

   “What’s up, baby?”

   He stormed across the hallway, pressing his hips into mine and trapping me against the wall. “What have I told you about calling me baby?”

   I pursed my lips and tipped my head back. “Um. I can’t remember.”

   He growled and leaned down to nip at the sensitive skin of my neck. I gasped and pulled him closer. “I told you if you call me baby, I’m gonna fuck you again. Is that what you want?”

   I dug my fingers into his shoulders and whispered in his ear, “Desperately.”

   His hands tightened on my hips and I had a feeling I’d be losing another bra. I tipped my head to the side to give him better access when a voice from down the hall broke the spell.

   “Didn’t you two already have your afternoon quickie?”

   I pulled away from Abraham so fast I slammed my head against the wall behind me. He reached up and rubbed the sore spot, but his lips twitched with a smile.

   “Hey, Evey,” he called. So nonchalantly, like she didn’t just call us out on our afternoon romp.

   “Hey, Abey. I was just comin’ to find Ellie.”

   He sighed. “She’s all yours.” He kissed my forehead before pulling away. “Oh, El, I wanted to remind you that you have a couple appointments this afternoon. Don’t forget.”

   My stomach sank. I had forgotten. On purpose.

   He was talking about the appointments he’d made for me with some of the pack members. Abraham thought I should start stepping into my role as alpha of the pack alongside him. This was his way of showing everyone that they should start bringing their issues to me and not just him.

   Problem was, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Or what these people would be asking me for. Or what I was supposed to tell them. Or why I had to do this in the first place.

   I’d tried to explain to him that I was perfectly happy to not be an alpha. Why couldn’t I be like the Queen of England’s husband? Did anyone even know his name? No. He just sat in the background while the badass queen took care of everything. Why couldn’t that be us?

   I opened my mouth to argue for the dozenth time, but Abraham shook his head before I could even speak. “This is important, El. Please do this for me.”

   I sighed, my shoulders hunching. When he put it like that, how could I refuse? I’d have done anything for him, and the damn man knew it. “Fine. What time are they?”

   “First one’s at two. They’ll meet you in the kitchen and you can decide where you want to talk.”

   I sighed again. “Okay.”

   He took a step forward and placed another kiss on my head. “You’ll do great, baby. Don’t worry,” he whispered.

   Evey slid between us and wrapped her arm around mine. “Come on. You two have had enough of each other for right now. It’s my turn.”

  Chapter 3

  Evey tugged me down the hallway and I struggled to keep up. For being the youngest and smallest of the McCoy quintuplets, she sure was strong.

   “Where are we going?”

   “My room.”

   “Why?”

   “We have to talk about some ceremony stuff.”

  “Can’t this wait?”

   Wait for what, I wasn’t sure.

   Evey stopped short and turned to me with an unimpressed look. “I already had to wait for you and Abey to quit lockin’ legs and swappin’ gravy.”

   My mouth fell open. “We were not… swapping anything.”

   She raised a brow, and I had to look away. “Uh huh. Sure, you weren’t.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me down the hall again.

   “How did you even know what we were doing?”

   I thought we’d been so cautious. We were careful to not be seen together before or after our lunch-time rendezvous’. Abraham didn’t care, but I wasn’t comfortable broadcasting our love life to the rest of the pack. Apparently, we had anyway.

   Evey scoffed. “Girl, there are no secrets in a pack.”

   I sighed and let her lead me into her bedroom. It was as eclectic and beautiful as ever, much like its owner.

   Evey and I had always been the closest, but ever since I moved out there, we’d been practically inseparable. It helped that I didn’t have a job and she worked from home. Whenever I wasn’t with Abraham, I was usually with Evey.

   She led me to her big fluffy bed that was covered in folders, and binders, and magazines. My belly hollowed as I took a cautious seat on the edge of the mattress.

   “What’s all this?” I asked.

   She took a seat opposite me and pulled a black binder onto her lap. “I’ve been doin’ some pre-plannin’ and I need to get your input on some of this stuff.”

   My stomach clenched tighter. “Evey, is this necessary? We haven’t even set a date yet.”

   She looked up, her blue eyes sharp. “But you are gonna mate him, aren’t you?”

    “Of course.”

   She smiled and looked back down at her binder. “Then there’s no reason why we can’t get to plannin’.”

   I sighed but didn’t comment further. I knew Evey, and her love of party planning was only exceeded by her love of dressing people. When you added them together, what you got was an excited and determined werewolf. There would be no deterring her.

   She flipped through a few plastic-protected pages in her binder as I looked at all the other things she had laid out. Would she really make me go through all this right now? For the first time, I was thankful I had somewhere to be in a little while.

   Finally, she stopped on a page and turned the binder to face me. The image was of a woman in a beautiful wedding gown. It was voluminous with a tight, intricately-beaded top.

   “What do you think of this style?” Evey asked.

   I shrugged. “It’s pretty.”

   “Of course, but can you picture yourself wearin’ it at your ceremony?”

   My stomach twisted. Could I picture myself wearing a dress like that? To be honest, I couldn’t picture any aspect of the ceremony. Not the setup, or my dress, or the flowers, or anything.

   I wasn’t one of those
girls who grew up fantasizing about a wedding. Never watched any of those wedding dress shows or read bridal magazines. I’d never even thought I’d get married, so when would I have envisioned any of this?

   “I don’t know, Evey. It’s kinda big.”

  I picked my ring up and zipped it along the chain as she flipped the page.

   “Okay, how about this one?”

   This model was wearing a form-fitting gown that billowed out below her knees. It was lacy and beaded and also stunning.

   I shrugged. “Wouldn’t that be hard to walk in all night?”

   Evey nodded again. “Okay, no ball gowns and no mermaid cuts. Got it.” She shuffled through a few more pages before she turned the binder to me again. “What about this one?”

   The picture she showed me was of a woman dressed in a long flowing gown with floral designs sewn into the fabric. It had an empire waist and a long train with a sash tied around the middle.

   “This one’s nice.”

   Evey’s eyes lit up. “So, you like the empire waist?”

   “Yeah, I guess.”

   Evey sighed and shut the binder before setting it aside. “All right. What’s goin’ on?”

   “What do you mean?”

   “I mean, most women would have an opinion about their ceremony dress. But you don’t seem to care. Why is that?”

   I looked away from her piercing blue eyes and fingered a loose thread on my shirt. “I don’t know, Evey. I just never imagined I’d get married. I don’t have opinions ready for this stuff because I’ve never really taken the time to think about it.”

   “But you’ve been engaged for a month. Wouldn’t that be a good time to start thinkin’ about it?”

   I shrugged but didn’t meet her eyes.

   She reached out to grab one of my hands. “I know there’s somethin’ else goin’ on here.”

   I kept my eyes on our joined hands. I didn’t know what to say to her. Didn’t really know what my problem was. Why wasn’t I excited to plan our ceremony? Why wouldn’t I set a date with Abraham? Why was I dragging my heels about getting married to the most amazing man I’d ever met?