Myke nodded understandingly. “Yeah, okay, so I must have freaked him out more than I thought. I’m sorry, man.”
“Can you..I know you want to talk to him and all, but can you maybe just not? At least until he and I are back on solid ground?”
“Is your chest bothering you?” Myke asked, catching me off guard.
“No, why?” I looked down and realized I’d been rubbing circles over my heart while I talked. “I’m fine, it’s emotional not a heart attack,” I assured him.
“Okay, if you’re sure.” Myke sent me a small smile. “And don’t worry, I’ll leave Mitch out of my schemes. There are plenty of Omegas I can practice my conversation skills on.”
“Thanks.” I dropped into my desk chair and rested my face in my hands.
“Is there anything else I can do?” Myke offered, walking over to rest his hand on my shoulder. “I had no idea I caused this much stress just by being awkward.”
I shrugged. “If there is, I don’t know what it would be, honestly.” I met his eyes and shook my head. “I honestly don’t understand why it was as big of an issue as it was.” I sighed again. “Although, me pulling his door off the hinges when he locked me out probably didn’t help.”
Myke choked on whatever he’d been about to say. “Sorry, what the fuck did you just say?”
I groaned and dropped my face back into my hands. “It’s okay. I repaired it.”
“Great,” Myke didn’t sound convinced. “Dane, do you think maybe you should start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened?”
Not really, but what the hell did I know? I took a drink from the water bottle I kept on my desk and started talking.
Chapter Seventeen
Mitchel
Once I admitted that my friends were right about what Taylor heard, they were all too eager to commiserate with me, to fill in everything else that had been overheard in the bar that night. A few drinks in, I was ignoring the conversation around me as I reviewed the list that I’d scribbled on the slightly damp napkin while they talked.
Favorite books, favorite movies, favorite foods, favorite form of relaxation. Fuck, he’d covered everything except my favorite sexual positions.
“Mitch? You okay?” Dex’s voice pulled me back out of my head.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said with a groan. “Seriously, I honestly can’t even wrap my brain around this crap.” I forced a laugh. “I mean, I get that Dane was tired of me, but how the hell does Kravets factor in?” I took another swallow of my drink. “He’s barely even spoken to me before.”
Taylor chimed in from across the table. “He’s a player. Probably just looking for a new conquest.”
“Myke Kravets is a player?” Dex repeated in surprise, glancing across the bar to where the Alpha himself was throwing darts with a few of his friends. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard that.”
“I don’t know about in town, but I’ve run into him a few times over in Bear Lake,” Taylor said with a shrug. “He’s always sniffing for strange.”
“I guess that’s good to know,” Dex huffed, reaching for his nearly empty beer bottle. “You guys staying for another round?”
Taylor nodded but I shook my head and shoved my glass away. “Nah. It might be chickening out, but I don’t want to run into Myke and have to be polite.” My friends laughed at the face I pulled at the thought. “Besides, I’m way behind on sleep. Right now, all I want is to go home and crawl into bed.”
“You okay to get home?” Dex asked.
“I am,” I assured him. “I walked from work, so I’ll Uber it home.”
“Text me?”
“Of course.” I tossed a few bills down to cover my drinks. “Thanks for having my back, guys.”
Taylor smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I wish I hadn’t been the one to overhear it.”
“Naw, it’s all good,” I assured him. “This way, I have time to get over my stupid crush and plan for my next heat.”
Walking out the front door, I paused on the doorstep to draw in a deep breath of cool evening air. While I was dawdling, an older sedan slowed down in front of me. It was vaguely familiar but I couldn’t quite place it. Unlike the slight shuffling I heard behind me when I began to walk.
