Rise

by Heather MacKinnon

   I held my breath until I heard his footsteps heading back toward the door. Seconds later, he slipped outside, and I rushed to wrap my arms around him.

   He held me close and chuckled. “Were you really worried about me, baby?”

   I pulled back to glare up at him. “Of course I was! What if there’d been a gang in there waiting for you?”

   He shrugged. “I could take ‘em.”

   I rolled my eyes and let out a big breath. My heart was still thumping hard in my chest and I had to remind it that Abraham was fine. He was whole and right in front of me.

   Abraham looked at the both of us and then back at the door before his eyes turned hard. “Why don’t you two wait inside while I take care of this?”

   “What are you going to do?” I asked.

   “I’m going to grab a bag and get rid of the cat before Aubrey and Wes get here. She already has a mess to clean up. She shouldn’t have to deal with a dead animal too.”

   I looked at Callie who shrugged. We walked to the door, making sure to keep our distance from the poor dead animal. When we were inside, Callie told me to wait in the front lobby while she did an inspection of her own. She came back with a look of relief on her face.

   “It doesn’t seem like anything was tampered with and it doesn’t smell like anyone else was in here. I think whoever did this only made it to the front door.”

   I raised my nose in the air and gave a sniff of my own. She was right. I could only smell the scents of the other employees and Abraham. I constantly forgot about my enhanced senses and how much information I could get from them. It was so easy to forget when I’d spent the first twenty-eight years of my life as a human with normal senses.

   We waited in silence while we listened to Abraham on the other side of the front door. Thankfully, the smell was a lot weaker inside because I wasn’t sure how much more my stomach could take.

   And now I had time to think about it, I was ashamed I’d reacted that way. What was wrong with me? Callie hadn’t had a problem with the stench, so why did I? Why had it affected me so strongly?

   Those thoughts were put on the back burner when Abraham opened the front door and stuck his head through. “They’re here.”

   We both hopped up from our seats and walked back out front to greet Wes and Aubrey. The former had the same tense expression Abraham was wearing, and the latter just looked irritated. To my surprise, Beatrice had also come along, too, and she looked just as angry as the two men.

   “I should have known you’d have something to do with this,” Aubrey muttered under her breath as she sorted through the cleaning supplies they’d brought.

   This wasn’t the day to piss me off, apparently.

   While the other four were busy talking, I stomped up to Aubrey and got close enough so only she could hear me.

   “Now is not the time for your bitchiness, Aubrey. You were brought here to do a job, so just do it and shut your mouth, or I’ll shut it for you.”

   I wasn’t used to making threats. My whole life, I’d fought with my words and my intellect, and not my fists. However, all that changed when Beatrice started training me. Now I knew I could hold my own, and I’d have had no problem proving that to Aubrey.

  Living in a werewolf pack, I’d come to realize they were much more physical than the average human. It wasn’t uncommon for an argument to end in a scuffle out back with claws and fangs. When I’d first moved in, I’d found the violence unsavory, but I guess I’d gotten used to it. So, used to it, I was making threats of my own.

  Aubrey’s eyes widened slightly, and I caught a small whiff of fear before she rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Whatever, Elizabeth. Just let me do my job.”

  “That’s all I’m asking.”

  She rolled her eyes again but refrained from commenting. Which was smart considering the morning I’d had. My stomach was still queasy, but I felt sure I could go at least a few rounds with her if I had to.

  Abraham broke away from the group and headed toward me. “We need to talk.”

  My stomach dropped, and I knew whatever he had to say wasn’t going to be something I wanted to hear. Instead of arguing, I quietly followed him into the building and down to my office. When the door was closed behind us, he turned to me with his hands on his hips.

  “You’re done working here.”

  It felt like my eyes were going to fall out of my head they were so wide. “What?” I screeched.

  His lips thinned, and he shook his head. “Clearly this was an attack against you. I’m not putting you at risk. You’re staying on pack lands from now on.”

  I took a step closer to him, my hands fisted at my sides. “The hell I am.”

  He sighed. “El, be reasonable.”

  “No! You be reasonable, Abraham! I’m not letting you hole me up in your lodge. I’m keeping this job and I don’t care what you say.”

  His eyes assessed me for a quiet, tense moment. “I could have Callie fire you.”

  I folded my arms across my chest. “She wouldn’t do that.”

  He watched me again as his chest rose and fell faster and faster. Finally, he threw his hands in the air. “El, what the hell do you want me to do here? You’re clearly in danger and instead of co-operating, you’re being difficult as usual.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Difficult as usual?”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Well, you’re being overbearing and unreasonable as usual.”

  He took a deep breath and crossed the space between us, but I backed up before he could reach me. His eyes flashed with hurt, but I hardly cared. He was trying to clip my wings and I wouldn’t let him. “El, please, be reasonable. You know what happened the last time there was someone after you.”

  “How do we even know they’re after me?! Maybe that message was for Callie! Did you even consider that?”

  He swung an arm around and pointed at the closed door. “The cat looks just like yours! How could you think that’s anything other than a message for you?”

  I gripped my sides and ground my teeth. “I don’t care. I’m not quitting.”

  He let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. With a look in my direction, he began pacing the floor. “I’m not willing to let you be in any kind of dangerous situation, El. You need to understand that.”

  “How is this a dangerous situation? I’m not a cat! They didn’t kill a person and leave them on our front door.”

  He stopped his pacing and turned to face me. “You’re not even making any sense!”

  I took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. Neither of us was making much sense, and it seemed the higher the tensions rose, the more we were saying things we didn’t mean. I let my arms fall to my sides and looked back up at him.

  “This job means a lot to me and I’m not willing to quit.”

  He sighed and looked at something over my shoulder. “Fine. Then I’m assigning you a bodyguard.”

  “I don’t need a bodyguard.”

  His eyes met mine again. “Damn it, El! I will not compromise on your safety. You either accept a guard or you keep your ass in the lodge. Pick one.”

  I ground my teeth so hard my jaw ached. I didn’t like his high-handed attitude. I didn’t like being told what to do. I didn’t like being treated like a child.

  All of this was true, but as I looked at my fiancé, I could see what this morning had done to him. There were deep lines creased in his forehead and around his eyes and I knew they came from worry for me. I also knew that all he wanted to do was protect me and this was the only way he knew how.

  It seemed like I needed to work with him. He’d compromised by offering the option of a guard instead of making me leave my position and now it was my turn to do the same.

  “Fine. You can send Wyatt to work with me until we figure out what’s going on.”

  Abraham sighed deeply and crossed the room to pull
me into his arms. There, I could hear the frantic beat of his heart and my own clenched in my chest.

  He was worried about me and I really couldn’t blame him. It was becoming more obvious by the minute that the dead cat and the bloody message had been meant for me. Now the question was, who’d sent it?

  Chapter 29

   “You really don’t need to wait with me.”

   Abraham shook his head and crossed his legs so his ankle was resting on his other knee. He’d squished his big frame into one of the colorful chairs in front of my desk and I’d have laughed if the morning hadn’t been such a disaster.

   “Nope. I’m staying until Wyatt gets here.”

   I sighed and took a seat behind my desk. “Then suit yourself because I’m going to get some work done.”

   “Go right ahead.”

   I shot him a look, but all he did was smile at me. I shook my head and turned on my computer, ready to do some more research on the plastic bag issue we were working on. I’d only been at it a few minutes when Abraham spoke up.

   “You know, you’re pretty sexy when you’re concentrating.”

   I shook my head again, but my lips twitched with a smile. Figuring it was better to not instigate him, I dipped my head and continued reading the article I’d just pulled up. I’d only gotten through a few paragraphs when he spoke again.

   “You didn’t dress like this at your last job, right?”

   I took a look at the khaki pants and collared shirt I had on and frowned. “Well, no, not really. I dressed a little fancier at my last job.”

   “Why?”

   I sighed and looked up from my computer. “It’s what was expected.”

   He nodded. “So, why not dress like that here?”

   I shrugged and looked back at my screen. “Callie said it would be a more laid-back atmosphere.”

   “I think you look sexy.”

   I shook my head again, but this time couldn’t fight the smile. “You always think I look sexy.”

   “Because you are.”

   I rolled my eyes and shot him a look. “Are you going to let me get any work done?”

   He smiled wide and my heart thumped extra hard for a couple beats. “I can think of something better to do than work.”

   Instantly, heat pooled between my legs, but I tried to fight it. We’d already gotten a late start because of the dead cat debacle. I really needed to get some research done so I could work with Callie on this later.

   But Abraham was so damn hard to resist. He was so sexy, and sweet, and funny, and silly that I couldn’t help myself.

   I crossed my legs under the desk and shot him a look. “Wyatt is gonna be here any minute.”

   His smile widened as he held up his phone. “He’s helping his mom with something and won’t be here for another thirty minutes at least.”

   I leaned back in my chair and raised a brow at him. “And you think thirty minutes is enough time?”

   His smile turned feral as he rose from the little chair. “I bet I can make you come twice in that time.”

   Heat rushed to my face as my heart thundered in my chest. “You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

   He stalked across the room and I suddenly knew what it felt like to be the prey of a large animal.

  “Oh, I am.”

   He reached my desk and walked around it until he was standing next to me. Taking my hand, he gently pulled me from my chair and took a seat in it. His hands wrapped around my hips as he maneuvered me onto my desktop. My laptop and notes were shoved aside unceremoniously as he made room for me.

   “What makes you so sure?” I asked, my voice breathy.

   He smiled up at me as he raised my shirt over my head and tossed it aside. “I’ve been studying you, El. Every time I get my hands on this sexy little body, I learn more. I know what gets you hot, I know what drives you crazy, and I know how to make you come so hard you scream.”

   I shivered under his hands as he unfastened my bra and tossed it toward my shirt. His big hands reached up to cup my breasts and my head fell backward.

   “Abe, someone could walk in here,” I breathed as he pinched and pulled my nipples.

   He shook his head and leaned forward to suck one into his mouth. When he pulled back again, he shot me a smile. “I locked the door when I came through.”

   Damn. He had all the answers, didn’t he?

   While his mouth worked on my nipples, his hands unfastened my pants and shimmied them down my legs. When he pulled away again, his eyes were so clear and sincere, I couldn’t look away.

   “I need you, El. I need to feel you. To have you wrapped around me and know you’re okay.”

   I wasn’t going to deny him anyway, but hearing that made the decision even easier.

   I reached out and ran my fingers through his thick, dark hair. “I’m fine. I’m right here.”

   His eyes closed while my fingers massaged his scalp. When they opened again, there was a glint in them that made my belly clench.

   He grasped my shoulders and pushed me backward until I was lying across my desk. Soon, my panties were gone, and I was naked before him. I should have felt self-conscious, but that was impossible when a man like Abraham McCoy was looking at me the way he was right then.

   “The first time you come today is gonna be on my tongue.”

   I shivered again and squeezed my legs together. He wasn’t having that, though, and gently pried my knees apart. This was another position you’d think I’d have felt vulnerable in, but I didn’t. I felt sexy, and powerful, and so needy, it felt like I’d explode if he didn’t touch me soon.

   He slid his hands from my ankles to my thighs where he gently spread them farther apart. My chest was rising and falling so quickly as I lay there waiting to see what he’d do next. A long groan left his mouth and his hands tightened on my thighs.

   “You’re so fuckin’ sexy. I could come just looking at you.”

   I gasped softly as he ran a single finger down my slit. “Abe, please.”

   He slid that thick finger inside me, and my back arched off the desk.

   “You know you only call me Abe when I’m fucking you?”

   I was panting and having trouble concentrating. “Huh?”

   He chuckled and blew a soft stream of air at my heated center. “No one’s ever called me Abe before.” His finger was pumping in and out of me so slow it was torture, but the most beautiful kind. “I’ve always been Abey or Abraham. You’re the only one who calls me Abe, and it’s only when I’ve got you naked. Why do you think that is?”

   My head was rolling around on my neck as I struggled to keep up with the conversation. I could already feel my climax building and knew it wouldn’t be long before he tore from me the first of the two orgasms he’s promised.

   “I-I-I don’t know. It just slips out,” I breathed.

   He pulled his finger from me and I felt so empty. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for his touch again. His warm, wet tongue traced a line up my thigh to my core and back down the other side. He did this a few times before finally licking where I needed him the most.

   My back arched again, and I dug my fingers into his hair.

   “I like it a lot,” he said between licks.

   What were we even talking about?

   His tongue plunged into me quickly, and I gasped. He pulled out just as fast and I was left shaking and needy as ever.

   “I like hearing you scream it when I make you come.”

   “Oh, my God, Abe,” I panted, yanking on his hair to bring him back to my heated flesh.

   He chuckled and another shiver ran up my spine.

   “Okay, baby. I’ll give you what you want.”

   A second later, his whole mouth was on me and everything else faded away. All I could do was hold on to his thick hair as he licked and sucked me to an orgasm I knew would rock me t
o my core.

   Faster than I thought possible, my belly clenched, and my toes curled as my climax raced forward. I could barely catch my breath as intense waves of pleasure washed over me. Finally, he sucked my clit into his mouth, and I lost all control.

   My back arched while my legs stiffened, and my hands gripped his hair tighter than ever. I screamed as my orgasm ripped through my body, bringing with it the kind of sensations only Abraham had ever been able to pull from me.

   He lapped at me softly as I came back down, reality slowly returning to me. For a quick second, I was intensely grateful he’d made my office soundproof. But with how loud he’d just made me scream, it might not have even mattered.

   Abraham pulled away and my hands slipped from his hair. He stood up, a smug smile on his face as he unbuttoned his jeans. “Was that good, baby?”

   I sighed as another aftershock ran through my limbs. “You made me scream,” I panted.

   He laughed softly and dragged my hips toward the edge of the desk. “I’m about to make you scream again.”

   Without warning, he plunged inside me, filling me so completely, all I could do was moan. When I regained some of my senses, I wrapped my legs around his waist and did my best to meet his thrusts with my own.

   His hands came down on either side of my body on the desk as he plowed into me.

   “You feel so good,” he grunted as his hips met mine over and over.

   I gasped again as he somehow reached even deeper inside of me. “So do you, Abe. You feel so good.”

   His hands grasped my hips, his grip almost too tight. “I love you so fucking much.”

   “I love you too.”

   He growled low and deep. “I’m never gonna let anything happen to you.” His hands squeezed me tighter. “You’re mine, and I’m gonna protect you from anyone who thinks they can take you from me.”

   Another orgasm was on my horizon and it was so powerful, it was already making me shake. The ability to talk was so far beyond me at this point. All I could do was grip the edge of the desk above my head and revel in the feel of him driving me higher.