Chapter 6
POV: Cain?
I laid awake most of the night in my overpriced bed, thinking of her.
It was useless not to because every time I closed my eyes I saw her again, and not just blue eyes—but her soft round face, her pale creamy skin, the flush of pink in her cheeks and the contour of her curves.
She was human and fragile—but she was beautiful, there was no mistaking that.
That morning, when I rolled out of bed and forced myself to go to the office, Margaret, my previous assistant, now manager of HR, hurried to open the door for me and hand me my coffee.
“Still on the search for candidates!” She said nervously.
“No use,” I grumbled, walking straight towards my office. “I’ve found one.”
“You’ve—found one?” she stuttered in surprise.
I grunted, slumping into my office chair and glancing up at her. “Give Kiera Lorens a call. Tell her she’s got the job and be here within the hour.”
“Sir—the girl from yesterday? I thought you told me to put her into the reject pile,” she argued.
“Well then I’ve changed my mind, Margaret.”
Margaret stopped talking and nodded in agreement. “Right away, Mr. Naughton.”
“Thank you, Margaret.”
I leaned back in my chair, lacing my hands behind my back and thinking of the look on her face when she got the call.
Margaret knocked, then walked in, “She will be here in 45 minutes, sir.”
“Lovely, thank you Margaret.”
And looks like I’d be able to see it sooner than expected.
My wolf was pacing inside, desperate to see its mate, but I knew that I had to be more composed than that.
I began pacing back and forth near my large bay windows, overlooking the city below, and waiting for the inevitable—for her to walk in, surprised and confused, maybe even flustered, when I was barely holding myself together by a thread.
Get it together, Cain, you’re doing this for one reason and one reason only. To protect her. To control the bond. To see to it that she is safe and the bond is regulated. That’s it.
But my wolf disagreed.
Quiet, I muttered to him and he whined in response.
After another 30 minutes of waiting, a light tap sounded on my door.
“Come in.”
She entered, wobbly legs and all, fumbling with her purse and notepad and stiletto heels. “Good morning, Mr. Naughton.”
Goddess, the way she said my name made everything worse.
I cleared my throat, forcing the emotions down into the pit of my stomach. “Good morning, Ms. Lorens. Take a seat.”
She fumbled with her purse and her notepad all while balancing them on her lap as she took a seat across from me.
“You’ll have to pick things up quickly to work here. Your desk will be right outside my office. Extensions are listed on the phone so is my work e-mail passcode and login. Report to me when I have new e-mails and I’ll have you respond on my behalf. If someone calls, I am always in a meeting and I will call them when I’m available if it warrants a call back. If a man named Xavier calls, put him through, always. You will sit with me in meetings, transcribe notes on the laptop provided and run the errands I need you to run. At times I will be out of office, you will manage things in my absence and I will take care of things on a virtual basis. I will require you to manage my schedule as well as accompany me to company and business related events.”
She continued to scribble on her notepad without stopping, until her hand looked weak and tired. Eventually, she stopped and nodded.
“Good. We’ll have lunch at noon.”
“We?” she squeaked.
I didn’t smirk. “Yes, I’ll go over expectations and duties for tomorrow during lunch time.”
She opened her mouth to probably argue then closed it almost immediately.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Did you have something to add, Ms. Lorens?”
“No,” she said almost immediately, forcing a smile.
Goddess, she smelled…..amazing today. Still the scent of jasmine, the forest after it rains and cinnamon lingered but it seemed fresher than yesterday, as if she had just taken a shower this morning and her hair was still damp.
“Mr. Naughton?” she asked.
She noticed, didn’t she? She just caught me sniffing the air.
I played it off. “Yes, Ms. Lorens?”
She shook her, grasping the edge of the chair as if she was draining it of life. “Nevermind. Thank you for the opportunity.”
I nodded, sharpening my tone. “This opportunity will hopefully prove to mutually benefit us both.”
That’s what I meant for it to be, after all.
I needed her in my presence—in my eyesight—in my scent sight even so that I could control the bond and temper the control she had over me.
But deep deep down, I wondered if I could keep the promises I had made to myself about restraint.
And as she walked away I couldn’t keep from ogling her. Round ass. Small waist. Muscular legs. Short but the perfect height to get on her knees for me.
As she closed the door behind me, she offered me a strained smile, catching me staring at her with hungry eyes.
I told myself this was about control—about temperance—about the pack.
But all I could think about was my own self desire for her and how I had already imagined how it would feel to be inside her—to hear her scream my name—to cum inside her—to impregnate her—-to make her my Luna.