6. Todd
6
TODD
When I finally pushed through my front door, it was almost one in the morning. My body was tired from all the pages I’d studied, but my mind was completely awake. I couldn’t stop thinking about the man I’d just been locked in a small office with for several hours. The omega’s scent still clung to me, sweet and intoxicating.
Niam was…interesting.
I tossed my bag aside and made a beeline for the shower. The plumber I’d managed to get with the money from the bakery wasn’t able to fix everything, but they managed to get the water on in part of the house, so that was something.
After the evening I’d just endured, my cock was straining against my slacks. Rock-hard and throbbing, I needed relief. I'd kept things strictly professional with Niam all evening as we worked on his books, but fuck, the way he'd chewed his lip in concentration made me want to chew it for him. And when his delicate fingers traced the ledger lines while he read them quietly to himself, I wondered what those fingers would feel like on my body.
Steam filled up the bathroom as I stripped off my clothes and then stepped under the hot spray. Braced with one hand against the tile, I let the hot water massage my muscles while images of Niam rolled through my mind. He was so damn cute when he wasn’t being self-conscious about how much of a mess his business was in.
The fact that he needed my help to sort out his finances was a huge turn-on too. I’d always been one to step in and help others when I could. Working with Niam only propelled that instinct up several notches, and my need to protect and care for him was suddenly my sole priority. Was that alpha-male bullshit? Yeah, but I didn’t care. It’s who I was.
My bear agreed as my hand drifted down to grip my aching shaft. It wasn’t appropriate or even ethical to be thinking of a client in that way, but I couldn't help myself. My release was close, so I began to stroke myself as I imagined Niam's tight body pressed against mine. In my mind, I nuzzled that tender spot where his neck met his shoulder and inhaled his sweet omega scent.
My bear rumbled with approval. Mate .
He was more insistent than usual. Ours .
No , I thought firmly back to him. Client . We're here to help him, not take advantage of his vulnerability .
But damn, the mental image of Niam writhing beneath me, crying out in pleasure as I claimed him was too much to ignore. My hips rocked forward, and my dick slid tightly into my fist as I focused on those full lips pressing kisses along my shaft, my balls, down to my?—
Fuck! I came with a roar as my body convulsed, and my seed hit the tile before sliding down and swirling around the drain. I kept stroking for another minute until every lingering twitch had passed and my breathing was mostly back to normal. After I rinsed off, I hopped out and then went straight to bed.
But even with the cool air hitting my damp skin, my cock was already hardening again. What the hell was happening to me?
My bear had ideas, of course. Ideas he was eager to share as he paced restlessly in my mind, fixated on thoughts of the omega. Our mate , he insisted again. Claim him. Protect him. Make him ours.
“We need to sleep. We’ve got a long day with Niam tomorrow.” I blocked out my bear's whining and tried to fall asleep. It should have been easier, but picturing Niam and me alone in his office all weekend was as exciting as it was worrisome. I was a professional and he was a client who needed accounting help. Nothing more.
Just because I was attracted to him and my bear had some crazy ideas about him being our mate, I couldn't let my instincts cloud my judgment. My job was to stay focused on the numbers and helping Niam keep his family's business in the family. That's what he was paying me for. And if he came to my home to help me with my projects…
Fuck, now I was hard as a rock again.
I pounded my pillow and flipped over in the bed, trying to redirect my thoughts. I reviewed profit-and-loss statements in my head and ran through depreciation calculations. Nothing helped to distract me from thoughts of the omega’s soft skin and curious eyes.
I had to get myself under control. Niam deserved better than to be objectified by the alpha he'd hired to save his business. He needed my expertise and my level head, not my bear's mating urges or my own misplaced lust.
When I went back to his office in the morning, I would be the consummate professional. I'd keep my eyes and thoughts on my work and find a way to relieve him of some of the stress he was carrying. Because that's what I prided myself on doing.
Helping people. Fixing problems. Finding solutions.
I wouldn't let my bear's insistence that Niam was our mate derail me from that purpose. No matter how right it felt. No matter how badly I yearned to claim the sweet omega as my own.
“Fuck it.” I was a bear shifter. I could be strong. At least, I hoped I could, but first, I needed to let my beast out. If I stayed like this, I’d get no sleep and he’d keep pushing at me.
Once again, I appreciated the location of my home as I bolted outside, my bear ripping through my skin as I jumped off the back steps. I hit the ground with a thud and bolted into the woods, ready to do what it took to wear my bear out. When I walked into the office tomorrow, I was going to be the boring nerdling people expected when they hired an accountant, instead of the needy alpha being around Naim turned me into.