“I’m not angry,” he said, as though he hadn’t spent two days giving Ryker the cold shoulder.
“No?” Ryker pulled him closer, bending his neck and capturing August’s lips in a kiss.
He tasted like toothpaste.
“No,” August mumbled. “You’re the one who’s been an asshole.”
Ryker decided not to restart any arguments.
“Have a good day at work, okay?”
“You too,” August mumbled, kissing him one more time. He pulled away and turned around, heading toward his parking space with a wave over his shoulder.
Ryker felt better. He didn’t like parting from August on a bad note, and though he knew they hadn’t resolved anything – only meeting the human could do that – he hoped things would stay peaceful.
Walking over to his parking space, inconveniently located on the other side of the garage, Ryker unlocked his car and climbed behind the wheel.
He hadn’t made it easy for himself, falling in love with another alpha. His mother had been right about that, but she’d been wrong about whether or not it was worth it.
Ryker wouldn’t trade August for anything.
Pulling out of his parking space, Ryker drove out of the parking garage and started the drive to work. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, leaning back in the plush leather seat as he thought about his mate and their unusual arrangement.
They’d known from the beginning that they would need a third. With two alphas it was inevitable, the rare exception being cases in which one alpha was willing to submit to the other.
Neither Ryker or August would ever submit, and though Ryker loved August more than anything, just the thought of his mate mounting him had his chest rumbling with an angry growl.
The feeling was entirely mutual.
But it was fine. Until they met the one who would round out their relationship, Ryker and August were perfectly content with each other and the occasional one-night stand.
They preferred having their one-night stands together, but it wasn’t easy to find people willing to submit to two werewolves. There were plenty of people who loved the idea in theory – who would seem enthused at first – but when it actually came time to fuck, more people backed out than not.
For that reason, Ryker and August had opened up their relationship shortly after they got together, with a very firm rule that they never slept with the same person more than once, unless they were both present.
It worked out okay. August met people online – using dating services and hook-up apps to arrange his liaisons – while Ryker preferred to go out trolling bars and nightclubs whenever the need to sink his cock into a willing hole became overwhelming.
No matter who they fucked, they always came home to each other. Occasionally, they’d convince their one-night stands to come back and try again with both of them.
It never worked out in the long run.
Ryker knew that August thought this Dylan character was different. He was getting way ahead of himself, and if the boy turned out to be a scammer, he would be crushed.
The worst thing about it was that Ryker completely understood August’s thinking. Dylan Landry, scammer or not, smelledamazing. It was the kind of scent that would have had old fashioned werewolves using words likedestined mateandfated match.
Of course that was bullshit. Dylan had a unique composition of pheromones that happened to affect Ryker and August, and that was it. There were no guarantees of happily ever after.
It would be so much easier if there were.
Ryker arrived at the office a little before eight. He had a quick meeting with his team, strategizing and discussing the merger they were working on, after which he settled down in his office to work.
“Your coffee, Mr. Sterling.” Ryker’s assistant, Heidi, came into his office after a perfunctory knock. She put the coffee down on his desk. “And Henry wants a meeting before lunch. Should I tell him no?”
Ryker shook his head. “No, thank you, Heidi. I’ll talk to him. Just move my eleven o’clock.”
“Will do.” Heidi nodded and took her leave. When she was at the door, Ryker made an impulsive decision and stopped her.
“Just a second, Heidi.”
