8. Micah

Micah curses as he steps into the cold shower. He was sure that Lucy wanted him as much as he wanted her.

What is stopping me? She's a grown woman who is quite capable of saying no if she chooses. I don't think she would, but she would if it didn't feel right to her.

He honestly couldn't answer why he didn't go back to her room and have sex with her. Even though she was a virgin, he was certain that he would be satisfied. Micah was cocky enough to believe that she would be, too.

"Soon enough," he told himself. "Be patient."

The problem was that his body didn't want to be patient.

Finally, after thinking about practically everything else under the sun and a long shower, his body calmed down and he was able to go to bed and sleep.

Lucy's hair was a little wild and she looked sleepy when she stumbled to the dining room for breakfast the next morning. She slumped down in the chair and gratefully sipped the coffee that he poured for her.

"Rough night?" he asked with a smirk.

She made a face at him. "I don't want to talk about it."

"That'll teach you to watch scary movies before bed."

"Monsters aren't what kept me awake last night," she replied dryly.

"Oh," he said. "Just so you know, I might have had the same problem."

Just then, Vera stepped into the dining room with a big plate of French toast.

"I remembered they are your favorite," she said, smiling at Lucy.

"They are," Lucy said. "Can I help you bring anything else out?"

"Is that your way of asking if I made bacon, too?" Vera teased.

"No, but did you?" Lucy asked.

"I did. And I've got it handled," Vera replied.

Vera and Michelle brought out bacon, hashbrowns, ketchup, syrup, and orange juice. Micah was amused as he watched Lucy eat. As always, she had impeccable manners, but she could eat as much as he could.

"I have no idea where that woman puts all that food," Vera told Michelle. "I don't think there is an ounce of fat on her."

"That woman can hear you." Lucy laughed. "It's genetics. Everyone in my family eats a lot and doesn't put on much weight. Of course, we all spend a lot of time in our shifted form and running around. My mother used to tell my dad that she was going to have to get a second and third job just to feed all of us."

Vera and Michelle laughed. Micah was glad to see that the three women got along so well. That would make things a lot easier during the pregnancy and later on when Lucy came back for visits.

The doctor said that everything looked good. Lucy was healthy and there was no reason why she shouldn't be able to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy. Both of them were excited. Micah was sure that Lucy was happier than before since she knew she could be a part of the baby's life.

He dropped her back off and headed to his office. There was a ton of paperwork for him to look through. Micah had been staring at the computer for about an hour, reading environmental and other reports from Ginger. A knock interrupted his thoughts. Micah looked up and groaned. His father was standing in the doorway and he had that look that meant trouble.

Gavin walked in without an invitation and sat in the chair across from Micah. "Who is that woman staying at your house?"

"How did you find out about Lucy?"

"Everyone knows that you moved some slut into your place." Gavin sneered. "It's obvious that she's just after your money."

"Lucy is not a slut and she most definitely isn't after my money," Micah said.

"She's some low-class woman you picked up. Did she put some kind of hoodoo spell on you to make you want her? Or is the pussy just that good?"

"You need to leave," Micah said through gritted teeth.

"I understand. She's beautiful. I wouldn't mind fucking her myself if I wasn't married. I'm sure a lot of other men have had the same idea."

"Get out," Micah growled.

Gavin didn't move. "Get rid of her. You need to be dating someone like Caroline. That woman is classy and obviously has a thing for you."

"Caroline is an insufferable, stuck-up bitch," Micah said.

"Get rid of the whore in your house. You are going to ruin your reputation. If you are going to shack up with someone, it should be someone better than her."

"First of all, Lucy is not a whore or a slut, and she has more class than Caroline could ever hope to have. Second, my personal life is none of your business. Who I choose to be with is my business and has absolutely nothing to do with you," Micah said, his voice deadly calm. "I don't care what you think, what you say, or how you feel about Lucy, me, or the way I choose to live my life. Now, I'm telling you, for the last time, to get your ass out of my office."

Gavin glared at him for a minute and then said, "You'll regret this. Don't come running to me when Lucy shows you her true colors."

He stood and walked to the door.

"Trust me. You are the last person I would come running to for anything," Micah said.

Micah closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair, growling in his throat.

"I'm sorry," Martha said. "I couldn't stop him."

"I know. Did he question you before he came in here?"

"Yep. I told him that I didn't know anything about anything and if he had questions, he should ask you."

"I can only imagine his nasty reply to that."

"It was about what you would expect from him," Martha said.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't you worry your handsome head over it. I don't ever pay him a bit of mind."

Micah laughed and said, "You're good people, Martha. Don't know what I would do without you."

"Keep thinking that, especially when it comes time for a raise."

"You've more than earned it. Give herself a ten percent raise," Micah told her.

"I was kidding. I'm probably one of the highest paid secretaries or personal assistants this side of the Mississippi."

"I wasn't kidding. Either you see to it, or I will. I would prefer if you wouldn't make me do it," Micah said.

Martha smirked and exaggeratingly rolled her eyes at him. "Fine. Be that way."

A headache was creeping up from the base of his neck, and the tension made his muscles scream. This was common after a visit from Gavin.

"I'm going to work on the house if you need me. Today is a great day to rip out the cupboards and maybe tear down a wall or two," Micah told Martha.

"Don't tear down too many walls, especially a load-bearing wall," Martha teased.

"I'll do my best."

The tension eased as soon as he walked inside the house. Sometimes he didn't know which part of the remodeling he liked better: Tearing out all of the old stuff or doing his magic and creating a masterpiece. In the end, both were very satisfying.

He decided to start with the cabinets. Normally, he tried to salvage everything and donate it to Habitat for Humanity. However, these cabinets were beyond repair. Micah took the hardware off because those could be reused. Then, with a huge grin and a hammer, he took all the cabinets down. He half-filled the huge dumpster with everything he pulled off the wall.

Micah was looking at the countertop trying to decide whether it was worth saving when a high-pitched nasally voice interrupted his train of thought.

"What are you doing?"

He sighed and lowered his head, closing his eyes for a brief second.

Micah turned around with a grimace. "Caroline. Why are you here?"

"I saw your truck outside. I wanted to see what you were doing and to talk to you."

Gesturing around him, Micah said, "I think it's pretty obvious what I'm doing here. Today, I ripped out some cupboards and threw them away. I'm thinking about taking down a wall in a minute."

She walked over to him and wiped his face with a dainty, lacy handkerchief before he could register what she was doing and move his face. He smacked her hand away.

"Why are you doing this? You don't have to get dirty. It's disgusting. You have billions and should hire someone to do this work for you."

"I love the work. It is a part of who I am," Micah said.

"You are a businessman. You need to be wearing a suit and sitting in your office. Not wearing holey sweats and that nasty T-shirt."

Micah grinned and shook his head. "You don't know me at all if that's what you think."

"I know you just fine," she said. "We would do great together, you know."

"Caroline, when was the last time you shifted?"

She looked startled and said, "I don't know. It's been a long time. Why would I want to do that?"

Micah just shook his head and grinned.

"Who is that woman living in your house?"

Micah groaned. Is every person in Angel's Creek going to question me about Lucy?

"She is none of your business. That's who she is."

"Your father says that she is just some slut who is after your money," Caroline said.

"My father has a habit of talking out of his ass. I need you to leave," Micah said.

Caroline stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. She pouted. "Not until you give me an answer," she said petulantly.

"First, I gave you an answer. She is none of your business. Second, I don't owe you any kind of explanation about anything. You are not a part of my life. At most, you are simply a very obnoxious woman who happens to belong to my pack, although I don't know why you are since you don't act like a wolf shifter."

The woman stared at him, her bottom lip quivering. Micah didn't know whether it was because she was angry or if he had hurt her feelings. It would surprise him if it was the latter because he wasn't sure she had feelings.

Later that night, as the five of them hung out together, playing poker with chips, he couldn't help but compare Lucy to Caroline. There could not be two completely different women in the entire world.

The next morning the doctor said, with a smile, "Lucy, you are ready if you're sure you want to do this the old-fashioned way."

She looked at Micah, blushed, and nodded.

"You have a three to five-day window. You should have sex about the same time every day, or at least every other day, starting today," he said. "I'll see you in about eight days. Good luck."

Micah opened up the truck door for her. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"Don't worry. It'll be great," he said.

She nodded.

"Do you feel like going for a run?"

"Not a run. I can't keep up with you. Besides, bears aren't runners unless we're chasing down someone who made us angry. How about a nice walk?"

"I suppose, Slow Poke."

They ambled around the mountain. When they were both tired, they headed back to the mansion.

"I'm going to take a shower," Lucy said. "I got a little sweaty out there."

"How about if I join you?" Micah asked.

Lucy looked at him, shocked, as though she couldn't believe what she heard.

She nodded. "I've never taken a shower with anyone else since I was a very little girl."

"Awesome. I get to be your first for that, too."

Micah laughed as a huge blush spread across her face.