Shift (Southern Werewolves Book 1)

by Heather MacKinnon

  “Enough of that or we’ll never eat,” he said, placing a small kiss on the tip of my nose before turning to the refrigerator, and putting his head inside. After a few minutes, he stood back up, and turned to me. “Eggs?”

  I smiled. “Sounds perfect.” I hopped off the counter and ducked into the cabinet beneath to grab a large frying pan.

  He got the eggs scrambled, and I fried them for us. With my hands busy, Abraham took that opportunity to pull my backside against his hips. His hands gripped me firmly while he peppered tiny kisses along my neck, and bare shoulder.

  I shivered and gasped as he found hidden spots of unexpected pleasure up and down my throat. Finally, I set the spatula down, and spun to face him. “Abraham McCoy, if you don’t behave yourself, we’re never eatin’ these eggs.”

  He smiled mischievously, and pulled my body to his, soft lips finding mine. When he let us up for air, he whispered against my open mouth, “I’m not that hungry anymore.” I let him kiss me for another long moment before I pushed him away.

  “Well, I am. So behave yourself.” I picked the spatula back up and stirred the stuck-on eggs around the pan once more. When the congealed mixture was cooked well enough, I divvied up the half-dozen or so eggs, and we brought them back into my room. We sat on my bed, devouring our evening breakfast, and taking small glances at each other, smiling when we’d catch the other doing the same.

  “Can I ask you a question, now?” Abraham asked.

  I shrugged. “Sure.”

  His face fell slightly, brows drawn. “What were you doing out with Ben tonight?”

  I shook my head with a roll of my eyes. “He tricked me into going out with him.”

  Abraham’s jaw clenched. “Oh yeah? How’s that?”

  I looked down at my plate, pushing around the remaining eggs with my fork. “Well, earlier in the week, Ben mentioned he was going out with a few people from work. At first I was going to tell him no, but then I got your text, and it upset me, so I agreed.” I took a quick glance at him to see his expression hadn’t changed. If anything, it’d gotten angrier. “Then when we got there, he said we were early, and the others would be coming soon. So I had some wine.” He cleared his throat, and I rolled my eyes. “Okay, I had a lot of wine. I was upset,” I turned pleading eyes to him, and his gaze softened. “When I realized he’d lied about the other people coming, I left, and caught an Uber home. That’s all.”

  Abraham sighed, setting his empty plate aside, and clasping his hands together. “I don’t like you going out with Ben.”

  I laughed. “Me neither. I can’t stand him.”

  “I don’t trust him.”

  I frowned. “Why? You barely know him.”

  “I could smell his desperation. He wants you badly. I’m afraid of what he’ll do to get you.”

  I scooped the rest of my eggs into my mouth and stacked my plate atop Abraham’s. “Don’t worry, I can handle him.”

  He smiled. “I have no doubt you can.”

  A long yawn caught me by surprise, and Abraham stood from the bed, taking the plates with him. “It’s late, you should get to sleep.”

  “Where are you going?” I asked nervously, scared to have him leave my sight.

  He nodded to the door. “I’m going to sleep on your couch if that’s okay.”

  I stood from the bed and grabbed his hands. “Stay with me?” He looked at me longingly, but with a touch of apprehension. “Please? I can’t bear to be away from you right now.”

  His eyes softened as a small smile spread across his handsome face. “I know what you mean.”

  Taking that as a yes, I dragged him over to my bed, and crawled beneath the covers, feeling the mattress depress as he climbed in after me. He wrapped his strong arm around my waist and dragged me toward him until my back hit his hard chest. His scent enveloped me, and I snuggled closer, entwining my fingers with his.

  He pressed his face into my damp locks, placing a tender kiss on my head. “Night baby,” he said, the words rumbling through his chest, and vibrating through my body. I stifled a shiver as I drifted off into the best sleep I’d had in days.

  Waking up in Abraham’s arms was an experience I never thought I’d have, yet couldn’t believe I’d gone twenty-eight years without.

  I was laying on his hard chest, his thick arm around me, and my hand resting on his stomach. When the alarm blared out its terrible tune, his arm tightened, pulling me closer. He reached over and turned the alarm off before rolling back around to kiss my forehead.

  “Morning,” he rumbled, his sleepy voice one of the sexiest things I’d ever heard.

  “Morning,” I croaked, wincing at how horrible I sounded compared to him. I peered one eye open and saw he was doing the same. A slow, sleepy grin spread across his beautiful face, and I swear, I’d need a new pair underwear after this.

  “You’re beautiful in the morning,” he commented as he twirled the ends of my hair between his fingers.

  I ducked my head into his side, hiding what was probably a horrific sight. I’d forgotten to take my makeup off or brush my teeth before bed. I cringed at what he must have had to look at.

  “You’re the good looking one in the morning, I probably look like a hungover raccoon,” I countered.

  He breathed a laugh, stroking the hair away from my face. “You’re the most beautiful raccoon I’ve ever seen.”

  I shook my head with a groan, and he laughed again, placing another kiss against the top of my head. A whiff of bacon wafted through the door, and I perked up. “Smells like Callie’s cookin’ us breakfast,” he said.

  “What are your plans for today?” I asked softly, afraid to hear he was leaving. I didn’t think I could stand to be away from him again so soon.

  He shrugged. “I brought some work with me. I thought I could hang here while you work, and then we could spend the weekend together.”

  I sprang up next to him, eyes wide, and a huge smile stretching my cheeks. “You’re staying here?”

  He shrugged. “If you want.” His tone was nonchalant, but his eyes were wary. And I knew it was because of what he wasn’t saying. He’d asked if that’s what I wanted, but what he’d meant was if I wanted him.

  And I did.

  For as long as I could.

  Maybe forever.

  That thought was a sobering one, but it rang with a truth I couldn’t deny.

  I leaned over, and kissed him right on the mouth, morning breath be damned. “I want. Very much,” I assured him.

  A slow, sexy grin spread across his face, blue eyes brightening. “Then you’ve got me for the weekend.”

  My smile slipped. “What happens after the weekend?”

  His smile dimmed too. “If you won’t come back with me, Del will be here Sunday night to spend the week with you.”

  My chest constricted. “I can’t leave my career, Abraham.”

  Right?

  He nodded. “I get it. I know how important it is to you. If I can get away from work, I’ll come back out here sometime during the week, okay? And then you can spend the weekend at the lodge again. That sound good?”

  I nodded weakly. Any time away from Abraham sounded awful, but what choice did I have? His business, and his pack were out in Asheville, and my career was here in Raleigh. We’d just have to learn to make it work for as long as we could and cross that next bridge when we got to it.

  Chapter 37

  After dodging sly smiles from Callie all breakfast long, I was thankful she was heading home that afternoon, and I’d get the weekend alone with Abraham. After breakfast, he drove me to my car, searing his presence in my mind with a long, slow kiss that had my toes curling, and my heart pounding. When we finally managed to pull ourselves apart, there was a satisfied grin on his handsome face.

  “Have a good day, baby,” he murmured, his soft lips against my temple sending shivers down my spine.

  I smiled up at him. “Thanks, I’ll see you tonight.”

  He nodded, and brought
my hand to his mouth, kissing my knuckles. He leaned his massive frame against his black truck, and watched with hooded eyes as I climbed into my little gray compact car, and drove away.

  The further I got from him, the more uncomfortable I felt. It was like a small hole in my chest that slowly expanded the further I got. At the first red light, I pulled down my visor mirror to find I was red faced, and wide eyed. And happier than I’d ever been.

  I soothed down a few flyaways and straightened my suit jacket. I was due in court this morning, and I couldn’t go in there looking like a love struck hot mess. The air conditioner blasted against my heated face in the hopes it would cool me down before I arrived.

  It was around lunchtime when court was dismissed, and I made it to my office for the first time. There was a pile of messages, and emails I needed to return, and I worked at that for the rest of the day. At five o’clock on the dot, I turned off my desktop, and sprinted for the elevators. I was thankful that my day had been so busy. If I’d been able to think about how Abraham was in my house waiting for me, I would have probably clocked out after lunch, screw the consequences.

  When I arrived home, Abraham was at my table, staring intently at his laptop screen. The computer illuminated his face, casting harsh shadows across his face. When he saw me walk in, his face cleared, like the sky after a thunderstorm.

  He spun in the chair and opened his arms for me. I wasted no time kicking off my heels and running into his open embrace. He smelled like spearmint, and fresh clean man, and I breathed deeply, having missed that scent all day.

  “Are you sniffing me?” he asked, a smile in his voice.

  My face heated. “Um. Maybe? I got my sense of smell in,” I said in my defense.

  He pulled back, his eyes light with humor. “I know. Callie told me.”

  I pulled back, mockingly incredulous. “You were keeping tabs on me?”

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course I was.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t believe Callie was living in my house whilst reporting to the enemy.”

  He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. “The enemy?” I nodded seriously. “I’m not your enemy, baby.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against my neck right below my ear. “I can be your best friend, if you’ll let me.”

  I shivered under his ministrations, my blood heating along with my face. “The position’s already filled,” I breathed.

  He shook his head, pulling a patch of sensitive skin between his lips, and sucking. “And who is it I need to fight to get that position?”

  I gasped. “Aah! Um, that’d be your sister, I believe.”

  He pulled back and looked me in the eye. “Which one?”

  “Well, I love them all,” at least most of them, “But, I’m closest with Evey. She’s my best friend.”

  A slow smile spread across his face. “I like that,” he admitted before leaning down to kiss my throat again. “My girl, and my sister, best friends. A guy couldn’t get any luckier than that.”

  “I’m not your girl.” My response was pure reflex. I wasn’t sure I believed those words anymore.

  He shook his head, his dark hair falling forward to tickle my face. “Aren’t you?”

  I shook, and gasped in his arms as he pulled the shirttail out of my skirt, and ran his big warm hands against the small of my back. My head fell to the side giving him better access as I struggled to reach the hem of his shirt. He kissed a trail up to my mouth before gifting me with one of his soul shattering kisses.

  We sat like that for a while, me on his lap, and him worming his way under my skin, before something small and furry bumped against my ankle. I pulled away from Abraham’s lips to find Charlie looking disgruntled and entirely left out.

  I slipped off Abraham’s lap and picked up my cat. “Oh I’m so sorry, Bubba. Momma forgot all about you.” I nuzzled my face into his soft fur while I watched Abraham try to catch his breath out of the corner of my eye. A small satisfied smile crept across my face that I hid behind the cat.

  “Never thought I’d be jealous of a cat,” he grumped, reaching out a tentative hand to give Charlie a pat on his head. Charlie tolerated his touch for a short moment before he leapt from my arms, and headed for his purple flower cat house.

  I met Abraham’s heated gaze and realized; I wasn’t ready for this. Not all of it. Last night had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, but I didn’t think I was ready to just jump in bed with him. We needed to slow things down.

  “How about I order dinner, and we watch a movie?”

  “Sure, but I’m paying.”

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “My card’s the one saved in the app, so I’ll be paying.” He frowned, and I laughed. “Poor alpha not getting his way?”

  He nodded petulantly and pulled me back onto his lap. “At least let me hold you while you do it,” he muttered.

  “That’s a compromise I can live with.”

  I ordered us a couple of subs and took a shower while we waited for the delivery to arrive. When I came out of my bedroom, refreshed and clad in my comfiest pajamas, Abraham already had our food laid out on the coffee table with the on demand screen pulled up.

  I sat next to him and dug into the food as we debated about what we were going to watch. I finally won that battle too, and keeping with my desire to branch out, I chose The Notebook.

  “Do I really have to watch this again?”

  “Again?”

  How many other girls had he watched this with?

  Who was I going to have to beat?

  Were they in his pack?

  Was it Peyton?

  My blood boiled as a million scenarios flashed through my head, each worse than the one before it.

  Abraham’s chuckle broke through my murderous haze. “Down girl. I have four sisters, remember?”

  My ire slowly subsided. I guess that made sense too. “You saw this with one of them?”

  He nodded, a big stupid smile still plastered against his satisfied face. “A couple times.”

  I huffed unhappily and took a large bite out of my steak bomb sub. Abraham laughed harder and pulled me into his hard chest. He wrapped an arm around my neck and kissed the side of my head. “You’re really cute when you’re jealous.”

  I frowned and pulled away from him. “I’m not jealous.”

  “Uh huh.”

  I shot a glare his way which only made him laugh harder.

  With a roll of my eyes, I hit play and sat back, resting my head on one of his thick biceps. “Whatever, let’s just watch the movie.” He chuckled again and kissed the top of my head. His laughter subdued a lot of my anger, but I wasn’t telling him that.

  By the end of the movie, I had my legs draped across his lap, and a box of tissues on my stomach, the tears running steadily. Abraham’s eyes hadn’t left my face in the past few minutes, and I wondered what he saw. A hysterical woman? A silly girl? An emotional wreck?

  Because I doubt he saw what I was really feeling or understood the reason behind my tears. It wasn’t the sad ending that made me cry. It was the love they shared. A love I had only previously imagined in my wildest dreams. A love that transcended time and even death.

  Abraham reached over to collect my sadness with his rough thumb. “Please don’t cry,” he begged. I did my best to stop the flow of tears, but they continued to fall. He sighed, and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his big arms around my shoulders, and stroking the hair from my face.

  “That’ll be us one day, you know? Fated mates can’t live without each other. They always pass at the same time or shortly after one another.” He kissed my wet cheek, leaving his lips pressed against my skin as he continued to speak. “I never understood why until I met you.” He pulled back, his eyes a dark limitless blue. “Now, I get why they die together. I can’t imagine surviving even one minute without you.”

  His sweet words had my tears falling faster, and soon I was sobbing. “I didn’t say that to upset you,” he spoke hurrie
dly, stroking my arm with one hand as the other tried its best to catch the endless tears.

  “I’m not upset,” I whimpered.

  Abraham sighed. “Then why are you crying, baby? It’s killing me.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. It’s just so sad. And so beautiful. I never thought I’d find something like that,” I nodded at the television.

  He sighed again and stood from the couch with me clutched against his chest. Abraham carried me to the bedroom and held my shaking body as I cried out this overload of emotions.

  I cried for a long time as Abraham whispered sweet words in my ear and rubbed my back. When my eyes had finally run dry, I lay spent in his arms, halfway between sleep and reality. I felt him roll over, and make a move to get out of my bed, and I clutched his hand. “Stay,” I pleaded softly.

  He sighed softly and pulled me back into his arms. “Always,” he promised as I lost the battle with my heavy eyelids, and slept.

  The next day dawned with no tears or sadness, only blue skies, and the delicious adrenaline rush of a new relationship. After breakfast, we drove into Durham to hit up their amazing farmer’s market. We stayed away from any booths that sold things we’d have to cook and instead patronized the craft stands. I picked up a few ‘thank you’ gifts for his sisters, and we bought some baked goods from a patisserie before we headed back to Raleigh.

  I took Abraham to one of my favorite museums in the city, the North Carolina Museum of Natural History. It ranked at the top primarily because it boasted a butterfly room. We stood in the steamy little habitat as butterflies of all colors flapped and swirled around our heads. More than a few landed on Abraham, and I laughed as this big hulking man tried to keep still so the fragile little butterflies didn’t get hurt.

  Abraham took me out to dinner, and when the sky turned dark, I had a brilliant idea.

  “I want to take you somewhere,” I told him as we climbed into his truck. “It’s my special place I want to share with you.”