Page 7 of Alpha Bear Accountant

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. Heneeded 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.

7

NIAM

After a restless night that was filled with dreams of a certain alpha, I arrived at the shop a few minutes early because I didn’t want Todd to be waiting for me. There was a chill in the air, but it looked like it would be a clear day as I got out of my car. Steam flowed from the vent holes in the two coffees that sat next to the donuts I picked up for us on my way in.

Hopefully, Todd had a sweet tooth because we would both need as much energy as possible to make a dent in the work waiting for us upstairs. While I witnessed the hard work and knew that we made progress, it looked twice the mess it was in the beginning.

No one worked in the shop on the weekends unless there was an emergency call and then they usually went straight to the job site. I headed up to the office with our treats. Despite growing up spending more time here than home, it had always felt cold and a bit dreary. But after yesterday, I had new memories that gave me a whole new perspective on the place.

Todd came in at ten, but not empty-handed. He also carried a box of donuts and two steaming cups of coffee. “Oh, great minds…”

I chuckled and made some room next to my offering so he could put his down too. “Well, it’s better to have too many pastries than not enough.”

“Word.” Todd winked and then handed me one of the coffee cups. “I’m not much of a coffee drinker, so I got peppermint hot chocolate. You don’t have to drink it if you?—”

My jaw dropped as I snagged a cup from his hand. “I love hot chocolate. I used to get this every day on my way to work.” I shrugged and nodded toward the coffee cups I brought. “My dad doesn’t have a steamer, so I’ve been drinking coffee lately.” I pulled the cup to my chest and inhaled the steam wafting from it. “This smells so good.”

Todd chuckled as he opened the box I brought. “Oh, maple frosted!” He reached in and pulled out one of the four donuts in the not-so-assorted assortment. I had a few favorites and preferred to have several of each of those rather than one or two of everything and getting stuck with a bunch of coconut or plain cake at the end of the day. “These are the best.”

“Glad you like them.” I grabbed one too. “They’re my favorite too. Francis is the only place I know that insists on using real maple syrup for his frosting instead of using extracts.”

Todd’s eyes rolled back as he chewed the last bite of the bar that he’d basically inhaled. “That man makes a mean donut. I just hope he doesn’t plan on retiring any time soon. He’s been my donut guy since I was a baby.”

I smiled at the image of a baby Todd sucking on a maple donut. Maybe he was a deer or moose shifter and naturally loved maple syrup. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask, but I didn’t want to be rude.

Once I finished my donut, I dropped into one of the chairs and scooted closer to the window. Todd’s presence was overwhelming in the best possible way, like he was the true owner of the space.

As I pretended to be sorting stacks again, Todd grabbed another donut and then another. Each one disappeared in quick succession.

When he had his fill, he powered up his laptop. “I’m going to enter everything into an account system that will help you send quotes, collect payments, pay bills, and handle payroll. There’s a small monthly fee for the software, but it’ll only take you a few minutes each day to scan in documents and approve payments. You’re going to need to get a computer younger than a college student to support it.” His fingers danced across the keyboard, surprisingly nimble for their size. “Is that cool with you?”

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