“Not really. They minimized everything. It’s their way. They said, ‘it takes two to tango.’ I tried to understand that. Maybe I was also to blame. I guess I did things wrong but didn’t realize it. I don’t know why I’m telling you all this. You make me want to tell you stuff. How do you do that?”
Fated mates. That was the answer he still wasn’t ready to hear.
Our mate needs comfort. Nuzzle. Under wing.
Patience, beast.I let my thought speech roll over him. He backed off.
I quickly replied to his question. “How do I make you want to tell me stuff? I guess because I like you and that makes me care about you. And I think you sense that.”
“My beast does. I do, too, but I’m slower.” Tentatively, he reached out with one hand and covered my hands holding the fish. “I like you, Falkan. I like you a lot.”
I turned my face to his, my smile so big it hurt.
Before I could register the motion, Kyle leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. Warm, plump, sweet. Skyrockets went off with such force in my mind that I swayed with the sudden onslaught of emotion.
Nuzzle now?
I put my arm around him and pulled him to me. The fish fell into the sand below the wall but no matter, I’d grab it later. I was going to hold onto that gift for the rest of my life.
We kissed for a long minute. I never wanted it to end. Couldn’t he feel it? The bond was there just waiting for the door to open between us. It was already tingling, a live wire ready to play its role in our lives.
I felt drunk as we made our way back to the limo. The sleek black car was humming at the back end of a huge, crowded parking lot.
When I dropped Kyle off, I gave him a big hug and another kiss. I shook the fish at him. “Thanks for the gift.”
Back in the limo, I got out my phone and called my family’s favorite private detective. In business, such employees were utilized probably more than they should have been, but at least he was someone I could trust.
I gave him Kyle’s family name and asked for an investigation. I wanted to know more. Who was the leader of this pack? Why had they hurt him? Maybe spying on the omega mate I wanted so badly wasn’t cool, but I couldn’t help myself. I needed more information.
Chapter Ten
Kyle
Last night had been amazing. Falkan and I got along really well, and not once did I feel like I was less than. Not for my beast, not for my job, and not for the person I was.
When it was time to part ways, I hadn’t wanted to say goodbye. I kept reminding myself that there were two alphas my beast claimed as mine, and it was only right to get to know them both equally before jumping into anything. Not that I was ready for jumping in, but I had been ready for a kiss.
After I was back to my hotel and alone, I climbed into bed and replayed the night over and over again until I fell asleep, not waking until the morning.
Zevo had been great about rescheduling the meeting I missed when my maned wolf took over my body. Not embarrassing at all. Nope.
We were meeting for breakfast at the club. This was extra great because the continental breakfast at my hotel was day-old grocery store muffins and burnt coffee. Thanks, but no thanks.
There was definitely a different vibe to Animals in the morning. The parking lot was empty, and when I walked in, I was greeted by Zevo, the place eerily quiet. He was definitely not the only person there, but there weren’t many others. He led me to his office, and we went straight to work, with our breakfast being delivered about ten minutes into our conversation.
He understood our product and was more interested in how to utilize it to its fullest than he was in fixing anything or figuring out the basics. Honestly, he did not need me here for any of this, but I couldn’t be unhappy that I came. Not after meeting my alphas, the ones I still hadn’t told I felt the same way too. I needed to get on that.
I had plans with Griffith for lunch and was counting down the seconds. If Zevo needed a lot more explanation, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to give it to him because my mind was hyper focused on my plans to spend time with the sexy bear.
“Have you had enough to eat?” Zevo set his folder down, his eyes on my plate.
“Oh, plenty. It was delicious.” They might not be a breakfast spot, but their cook knew how to cook an egg, and I was picky about my eggs. Anybody could make something passable, but these were delicious.
“It feels like you have this under control,” I said, indicating his computer.
“I thought so, too, but Karma told me I should have you come on in.”
There was something I was missing about that.
