Finally turning to look at his friend, Heath asked softly, “But what if you’re wrong?”
“There’s only one way to know for sure…c’mon, let’s go find your mate.”
Heaving a big sigh, Heath unbuckled his seat belt, hesitating for a moment before opening the SUV’s door and getting out. No matter what Reeve said, he knew there wasn’t going to be a happy ending to his mating story.
Shaking his head at his friend’s hang-dog expression, Reeve strode into the building and headed straight to his office. The sooner this was resolved the sooner they all could move on. After reaching his office door, he had to wait for Heath who’d been dragging his feet. “Get it together,” he whispered once his friend was next to him. “You look like you’re about to face a firing squad.”
Heath grimaced; Reeve was right. But he found it wasn’t easy to change his expression when his heart was filled with the pain of rejection.
Rolling his eyes, Reeve turned the doorknob and pushed open the door. Stepping inside, he stared in amazement at what greeted him.
Following his grandmother’s instructions, Tristan had showered, shaved, and styled his hair before selecting the only suit he’d brought with him. His mother alwaysclaimed a well-dressed man conveyed confidence and that was exactly what he needed when meeting his mate again. He’d practiced his apology over and over, fine-tuning it until it was perfect. Now, all he had to do was wait for his mate to show up.
Suddenly the door started to open. Not waiting to see who it was, Tristan grabbed the wrapped gift box and stood, ready to apologize. His shoulders fell as his eyes connected with Reeve’s. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Me, and Heath…your mate,” Reeve announced. Then, stepping aside so Tristan could see the man behind him, he grinned at the stunned look on both their faces.
“You came back!” Tristan blurted out. “Oh my gods, I’m so sorry I hurt you last night…I didn’t mean to, but…you won’t believe this, but I thought you were joking. My mother never told me about mates and it wasn’t until this morning that I could ask my grandparents what it meant.” Then holding out his present, he added, “This is for you…I hope you like them.”
Walking slowly over to his mate, Heath could only stare at the handsome man talking to him. Last night, his mate’s scent had blinded him to everything else, but now he could see a tall, dreamy man.Fucking hell! My mate is hot!Stopping in front of Tristan, Heath took the gift and grinned. “Wow! Thanks…but I should be giving you something and…I shouldn’t have left the way I did.”
“No…no…no…I shouldn’t have laughed.” Then gesturing at the box, Tristan added, “Go ahead, open it. My grandmother made them. They’re my favorite.”
Quickly untying the bow, Heath opened the tin box and groaned as the aroma hit his nose. Taking one out, hehanded it to his mate, then grabbed one for himself. “I love blueberry muffins…my mother makes them for me every time I visit.” Taking a bite, Heath moaned. “Oh my gods! This is the best I’ve ever had.”
Satisfied the two of them would sort out the rest, Reeve interrupted the moan and groan feast. “Tristan, don’t forget we have to see Jackson this afternoon.”
“I won’t,” Tristan said before turning back to his mate. “Will you come with me?”
Glancing over his shoulder at Reeve, Heath smiled when his boss nodded. Then, turning back to his mate, he replied, “Yup…here, have another before I eat them all up.”
Shutting the door behind him, Reeve whistled a favorite tune as he headed outside to call Kahn and tell him everything was good with the lovebirds. In fact, it was better than good, it was fantastic, and he was positive the Great Spirit had a hand in it.
His worry about Jackson accepting Tristan as the new Alpha of the Silver Point Pack had now mostly disappeared. Nothing stabilized a pack more than its Alpha finding his Fated Mate and that, in turn, would ease Jackson’s concern about the safety of his brothers.
Reeve would have to notify the High Council of the latest turn of events but he had no doubt they’d give their approval quickly. All that was left to do was work out the restitution issue with Jackson before he could put his new plan into action.
Walking into the woods, Reeve found a fallen tree and sat down on it, soaking in the peace around him. The assignment he thought was an easy one, turned out to have more twists and turns than a meandering mountain stream but, in the end, it was worth it. Taking out hisphone, he tapped Kahn’s phone number and listened as it rang, thinking back to his feelings when he first met his mate, smiling at the wonder of the moment.
“Hi, how did it go? Did my brother apologize?”
“Yup…he dressed up and even had a gift ready for Heath.”
“Wow! I can’t wait to meet him. Did he say anything about dinner?”
“Hmm, that would be a big ‘no’ since I never had a chance once your brother saw Heath…but I’ll ask him this afternoon.”
“Do you think Jackson will approve of my brother?”
“Yeah, I do,” Reeve replied. Seeing one of his men approach him, he added, “I gotta go but I’ll be home afterward and tell you all about it.” Ending the call, he looked up at Eddie and asked, “What’s up?”
Chapter 6
After the muffins had been devoured, sexual tension filled the room as Heath studied his mate. Tall, dark, and handsome were words he’d heard used to describe many men; his mate had all those attributes…and many more. “You have a crumb,” Heath murmured, reaching out to brush it off the corner of his mate’s mouth.
Grabbing Heath’s finger, Tristan wrapped his lips around it and sucked it while keeping his gaze locked on his mate’s lust-filled eyes. Moaning at the taste, he swirled his tongue around it before slowly letting it slip from his mouth. He craved more but hesitated, his limited knowledge of mating protocol inhibiting him from going further too quickly.
Eyes dilated by desire, cock rock hard, Heath just stared at Tristan, unable to move. “Why didja stop?”
