Wolf Bait (Wolf Cove #1) (24 page)

“We need to get you on birth control.”

“I’m on it,” I blurt without thinking.

Dead silence. “You are?”

“Yes.”

“For your cycles,” he murmurs, as if suddenly understanding. He exhales, and I can feel it deep inside my chest. His hands grip either side of my hips. “I need in you. Now.” He pushes first one finger, then another, then a third one into me. I’m sore but wet, and the intrusion is welcome. “Let me come inside you.”

It sounds like a demand but I know it’s a question.

“I know you’re clean, and I’m clean—”

“Are you sure? I mean, when were you last with someone?” Am I allowed to ask that?

“I’m clean, I promise you.” He sounds so confident, so resolute.

And I want him inside me again. I want him to come inside me.

His hand must be waiting on his zipper because the second I say, “Okay,” I hear it unfasten. “Put your face in that pillow. This is going to be hard and fast and you can’t cry out,” he warns, positioning himself behind me.

I do as asked, his words alone making my pussy clench with anticipation.

His hands push against the inside of my thighs, guiding my legs farther apart, and then he presses his cock against me, into me. “Oh fuck, you feel like heaven.”

I’m sore, but I ignore the ache because I have Henry inside me again. This angle feels different than being on my back. Less intimate, dirtier, sexier.

He reaches around to touch my clit with two fingers, rubbing in circles while he pulls his cock in and out several times, letting my body get accustomed to him.

“We don’t have a lot of time. Are you ready?” Both of his hands grip my hips again, so tightly that I’m afraid I’ll have bruises there.

“Yes.”

This time when he pulls out, he slams back into me. I muffle my cry with the pillow.

“That’s it, baby. Take it.” He slams into me again, his pelvis hitting my ass.

And then his thrusts come hard and fast and punishing until, ten thrusts later, he’s gritting his teeth as his cock pulses inside me.

As he fills me with his seed.

“I’m sorry you didn’t come,” he whispers, pulling out. A trail of wet drips out and down my thigh. His cum, spilling out of my pleasantly abused pussy. “Hold on a sec.” Grabbing a tissue from a nearby box, he cleans me up and then slides my leggings back over my hips. “Feeling better now?” he asks, leaving a kiss on each ass check before climbing off the bed and opening a door to a tiny restroom. A tap turns on and I listen to him wash his hands.

I sigh with a smile. “Yes, I’m feeling better.”

He smirks. “I’ll meet you out on the dock.

I watch him leave, wondering for the thousandth time what I did to deserve that man’s affections.

My phone dings with an incoming text from Jed. I take a quick glance.

I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.

Sure you have.
I toss my phone back into my purse and leave it there.

Unanswered.

~ ~ ~ ~

“This place is...” My words trail off as I stare in awe at the giant log beams that run the length of the ceiling in awe.

“Rustic?”

“Yes,” I agree, inhaling the scent of stale air and old cedar, pungent from lack of air circulation. “But stunning. I guess, because of the gold mines, I expected your grandparents to have something more like Wolf Cove.”

“It’s ironic, isn’t it? My grandfather started a luxury hotel chain and yet he preferred the simple life. He built this himself, nearly sixty years ago.” Henry palms the front of a massive stone fireplace that stretches two stories. “He built this whole place by himself.”

It’s not a huge, complicated cabin. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s about two thousand square feet, with a great room overlooking the water, a loft with three small bedrooms, and a kitchen and dining area in the back. Everything is made of cedar and hemlock, from the cupboards down to the floors.

“This is where you spent your summers?”

Henry nods, pointing toward the antique kitchen stove. “My grandmother loved to bake and cook. She’d be in there every afternoon, making something for my brother and me.” His hand runs across the rough wood mantel and a nostalgic smile touches his lips as he checks his hand for the thick layer of dust. “Some of the best days of my life were up here.”

“Where are your grandparents now?”

“They both passed. Now this place sits here, like a tomb of my childhood memories.” His gaze reaches the rafters. “I stayed here once, a few years ago. It wasn’t the same.”

“You need to make new memories here.”

He seems to ponder that for a moment. “Yeah, maybe.”

Hachiro pokes his head in from the porch. “Okay, I have the perfect setup. Can I get you out here?” He glances at me. “You look a lot better. More color in your cheeks.”

“Yes. A lot rosier. Those drugs you have work well.” Henry says mockingly.

I hide my embarrassed blush behind his broad back as I trail him out, giving him a playful jab in the side. “Yes, they definitely help.”

“Okay, I want something casual and hip, but manly. Take the coat off for this one and throw that beanie on. Yeah, yeah... perfect,” Hachiro murmurs, as Henry follows directions. I can almost feel the eye roll he’s stifling. “Okay, now lean over the railing. Wait.” He grabs the deck rail and shakes it. “This isn’t going to break is it? I don’t want you plummeting to your death.”

“I’ll be fine.” Henry smirks, resting his forearms over the wood, his eyes catching mine for a brief second—flashing amusement—before refocusing on the camera. Hachiro has already started snapping.

I find my spot behind the spunky little photographer, mimicking Henry with my pose. The view of the cove here is much more quiet and peaceful. I can’t even see the hotel from here, hidden by trees.

Below is a rocky shoreline. I picture a young, brown-haired Henry standing on the edge with a fishing rod, or splashing in the water. What must he have been like growing up? And what was his childhood like? So different from mine, I have to assume. Were his parents here with him? Did he get along with his brother as a boy?

I would love to spend time up here, just us. No Mr. Wolf and assistant. No worries of inappropriateness. Not that we’ve been acting at all worried. Maybe we should be more cautious. For a guy who could lose so much, he sure seems driven by his dick lately. Maybe the threat from his father is empty. Wolf Cove is doing exceptionally well, after all. How can his father begrudge him that?

If the last few days tell me anything, it’s that a weekend alone here would be all-consuming lust. All Henry.

He is a surprisingly soft and passionate man.

But how long can this last?

And what will it be like to say good-bye to him at the end of summer?

These aren’t thoughts I want to or should be having right now. We just only started this
thing.
And
I just ended a lifelong relationship; I shouldn’t be in a rush to find another one. I need to take step back and relax and enjoy him. Thrive on what he’s giving me, which is incredible sex.

I don’t even realize that Hachiro has turned the camera to point at me until I catch the lens from the corner of my eye. “What are you doing?”

He shrugs. “I saw a moment, and had to capture it. I’m a photographer, that’s what I do. Okay, Mr. Wolf, one more of these and then we’re golden.”

My tall, beautiful man resumes his pose.

“Eyes over here.”

He turns to look at Hachiro. Past Hachiro, locking gazes with me. In them is something unreadable.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Mama must have ESP.

I swear that’s the case, because the moment we step through the door of Penthouse Cabin One, my personal phone rings.

“You going to get that?” Henry tosses his jacket onto the chair and then, as if thinking better of it, he hangs it up on the entranceway hook.

“It’s just home calling. And I have a pile of things I have to do for you.”

“Go ahead and answer.” He strolls past me, tossing his wallet and room keys on a side table and heading for his bedroom.

I heave a sigh. May as well get this over with, I guess. “Hi, Mama.”

“Oh, you’re there! I thought I’d be leaving
another
message.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s been a zoo around here with the hotel opening.”

“You can make ten minutes for your mama, Abigail,” she scolds in that stern voice.

“Yes. I know.” And I could have, easily. She doesn’t get that she’s as much the reason I needed to get away as Jed is, and I don’t have the heart to tell her.

“And why am I just hearing about this new job of yours? What happened to landscaping?”

I roll my eyes, playing through various degrees of separation between Mama and Lucy. Mama doesn’t usually go to the feed mill and she doesn’t like my childhood friend enough to strike up a conversation. Who am I kidding? She probably heard it from Jed. “It was a sudden change, but it’s good. I’m making
a lot
more money.” And enjoying it immensely.

“And this
man
that you’re working for?” She spits the word out like it tastes bad.

“What about him?”

“I don’t like the looks of him.”

“You don’t like good-looking men?” I laugh.

“That’s exactly what I mean, Abigail,” she snaps. “Men who look like that only want one thing from women.”

I’m used to Mama’s unfair judgment, but hearing it directed at Henry irritates me. “He’s my boss, Mama. I’m here to schedule his meetings and keep him organized, that’s all.” Unease slips into my shoulders. I didn’t hesitate to lie to her. I don’t know that I’ve ever lied to her before. But she’s overbearing, and I’ve had enough.

“Until he starts lookin’ for more. ‘Wolf.’ What a name.” She lets out a derisive snort.

“He’s been nice to me.”

“I’m sure he has. That’s because he hasn’t shown you his teeth yet. You be careful around him, you hear me? I’ll bet he’d love to take advantage of a girl like you. I knew this was a bad idea, you going up there,” she grumbles. “You should be back here, where you belong.”

“He would never take advantage of me.” I glance over my shoulder to make sure Henry isn’t standing behind me.

“Like I said. You can’t be trusting men like that. They lie and cheat until they get what they want. Mark my words: if you give him what he wants, he’ll have you on the first plane back to Pennsylvania. You and him are from different worlds.”

“He doesn’t want
that
from me, Mama!” I say this with as much conviction in my voice as I can, even as I stare at my reflection in the mirror, my cheeks still flushed, and my body sore in all the best ways. I feel like a different person.

“I know how the world works.”

“How?
You’ve only ever been with Dad. You’ve never left Greenbank!” How worldly can she possibly be? I struggle to hide the growing frustration as that little voice in my head, the fearful one, asks if she could be right. What if she’s right? Do I really think this is going to continue for four months? Only days after he hired me, I’ve already given my virginity to this man.
Days
. Will this last four days, let alone four months? Will he keep me around for that long? What if he gets bored with me?

I have to give Mama one thing: we certainly are from different worlds.

I’m scowling at my reflection. Leave it to her to introduce worrisome thoughts into my consciousness after a day of bliss.

“You already don’t sound like yourself. Don’t you be losing your way up there.”

Losing my way.
Since this whole turmoil with Jed, she has been afraid that I’ll “lose my way.”

I need her off this topic before she weasels the truth out of me, like only Mama can do. “How’s everything at home? How’s Dad? Managing the farm all right without me?” Dad will be turning forty-one this November and, while his health is leaps and bounds better than hers, he’s not nearly as spry as he once was.

“Oh, you know your father. He’s complaining about a sore back but won’t leave the grain for the workers. Says they work hard enough. Jean’s daughter had her baby. Eight pound girl. They named her Rosalina.”

“Please pass on my congratulations.” Jean has been working on our farm for as long as I can remember. His daughter, Jennifer, went to school with Jed and me.

“And Roger, over at the mill, his son’s wife is expecting their second.”

I tune my mama out. Three years ago when I told her I wanted to go to college, she pushed back and it was as much to do with me leaving home and getting an expensive education just to come back and run the farm, as it was because it would delay her goal for grandbabies. Now she makes sure to point out every person having babies. At least she’s not talking about Jed, I guess.

“You wouldn’t believe who came to Sunday service with that girl.”

Spoken too soon.

“They sat right up in the front, holding hands, in church!” She tsks. “You’ve made yourself too easy to forget for that boy.”

Will she ever let up? “He forgot about me when I was right in front of him.”

“Maybe you didn’t give him enough attention.”

“You mean a blow job?” I snap.

“Abigail Mitchell! What on God’s green earth has gotten into you?”

I hear the sound of the tap running in the en suite.

Henry. That’s what’s gotten into me. Well, that’s
who’s
gotten into me.

I take a deep, calming breath. “I don’t want to hear about or talk about or think about Jed anymore, Mama.
He
left me.
He
screwed up. She can have him.” I sound more confident than I feel.

Silence hangs over the receiver. “You
will
have to come back to reality, and that reality is your family, your church, this farm and, yes, Jed. Don’t be coming back with regrets, Abigail.”

Five minutes on the phone with her and I’m emotionally exhausted. “Call you in a few days.”

We hang up and I simply stare at my reflection for a moment. As much as I want to push her words aside, I can’t help but weigh her warning. Today has been incredible. Magical. Like nothing I could ever have predicted. It’s happened fast and unexpectedly. But did I just flip an hourglass on my time here at Wolf Cove?

I’m still pondering that worry when Henry emerges.

“Is she still pushing for the big reconciliation?”

I turn to find him filling the doorframe, his dress pants already fastened, his button-down hanging open over a simple V-neck t-shirt. He wet and combed his hair back, and it’s settling into a sexy mane of waves. I simply stare, mesmerized. How someone was placed on Earth looking that perfect, I’ll never comprehend.

There are a lot of things I won’t ever comprehend as they relate to Henry.

Mainly, why he wants me.

A frown creases his forehead. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” He sighs and I don’t miss the hint of irritation. “Remember what I said before? The only way this will work is if we trust each other.”

“My mama doesn’t like the look of you.”

“The look of me?” He holds his hands to his chest in mock horror, his lack of concern almost comical. “That’s odd. I don’t think I’ve met a woman yet who didn’t like the look of me.”

“You ass.” I giggle at his cockiness. “You’re too handsome. She’s convinced that you’re going to try to sway me with your good looks and charm and lure me away from my Christian values.”

“Your mama sounds smart.” He pauses. “You denied that, of course.”

“Of course.”

He watches me for a moment, his perceptive gaze picking up my unease. “What else?”

I hesitate. “She warned me that if I ‘lose my way’ and commit the ungodly sin of premarital sex, you’ll only fire me after.”

“And do you believe that?”

I know I don’t
want
to believe that. “I’m still here,” I answer halfheartedly, not convincing at all.

He heaves a sigh, and that steely hard jaw takes over. It reminds me of the first night when he carried me drunk from the dock. “Follow me, please.” An edge has crept into his tone, and I’m afraid that it’s disappointment in me.

I perch on the edge of the bed to watch him dress. Another last minute-surprise a la Belinda, who caught us on the way up from the docks to tell us that the governor of Alaska was here and she’d arranged a dinner meeting on Henry’s behalf.

He fastens the buttons on his shirt and I pout as his collarbone disappears from view. It’s possibly one of the sexiest parts on him. No... who am I kidding. Every part of him is sexy as hell, down to his toes.

“I have a luxury hotel to see succeed, and an entire corporation to run from this remote spot in the world. I have a lot more on my plate than most men do. My stress levels are high. You’d agree, yes?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I also like to fuck.” The blunt, crass statement makes me blush. If he notices, he doesn’t let on, his expression and tone serious. “It’s one of my favorite things to do, especially when I’m stressed. I don’t see myself
not
being stressed while I’m up here. And you—” He throws a black tie around his neck and wanders over to me. He doesn’t need to ask anymore; I stand and gladly reach for the ends automatically. “—are my
very
capable personal assistant who I hired to take care of my needs while I’m here for the season.” He reaches up to gently squeeze my bottom lip between his thumb and index finger. “You have these pouty, pink lips and big, beautiful tits that bounce and the sweetest, tightest pink hole that I’ve ever slid my cock into.” The muscles inside it clench automatically. His grin is devilish. “And I don’t care what you or your mama or anyone else may say. You also like to fuck. Don’t you?”

I swallow hard, the feel of his hands on my skin, of his weight pressing me into the mattress, of him stretching and filling me so completely, still firmly emblazoned in my mind.

And nod.

“I enjoy fucking you.” He pushes his index finger against my teeth and I open, allowing him access, sealing my lips over him to suck. “And I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Okay?” His gaze drops to my lips and for a moment I think—I hope—that he’s going to lean in and kiss me. “I have to go now. I can’t keep the Governor waiting, or I’ll never hear the end of it from Belinda.”

Belinda.
“You and her... Was it serious?”

He heaves a sigh. “I don’t discuss my past relationships, Abbi.”

I nod, feeling chastised.

After a long moment, and perhaps because of the look on my face, he offers, “It was one night, two years ago. I was drunk and under a great deal of stress and she made herself available. I’ve regretted it every day since. But I didn’t fire her after. So hopefully that puts your mind at ease.”

“It does. Thank you.” It also strikes me with a moment of insane jealousy, knowing those lips that have devoured me have also devoured someone else. Someone for whom I have a face and name. But I have to push that aside because I’m sure Henry has been with
many
women. That’s the reality of a man as powerful and beautiful and seductive as him.

“What time do you want me to get here in the morning?”

“I don’t want you here in the morning.” He says it so coolly.

I frown, confused.

“I want you waiting for me when I get back.”

Tonight? My heart skips three beats. I get more time with Henry. “I guess I have enough work to keep me busy.”

He pushes strands of my hair off my forehead, tucking them behind my ear. “Do whatever you want. Order dinner, watch a movie, take a long, hot bath.”

I moan at the sound of that last option, my poor body sore from overuse.

Henry slides his hand down the front of my leggings and into my panties, to push a single finger inside me again. “Make sure you spend a lot of time thinking about what I’m going to do to you tonight when I get home.”

I instantly grow slick around his finger and it slips in and out of me easily.

I stifle my whimper as he pulls his hand away and sticks the finger into his mouth, sucking it clean. The sight is so intimate, so depraved. So erotic.

He smirks. “What’s that look?”

“Is this how all men are?”

He considers that for a moment, and then takes a step forward, his hand finding purchase on my ass and pulling me in to him until his erection presses hard against my stomach. “I don’t know other men. I know me, and I want to violate every square inch of this tight little body when I get back.”