Juices?
Bowie didn’t ask what Rex meant. But the conversation, that usually Rex dominated, stalled. Bowie wiggled his butt on the hard seat hoping to get some sensation back. “I suppose I betterbe heading home. I’m sure you’ve a list of chores to do.” He waited for a brief second for Rex to object, and when he didn’t, Bowie slid off the stool in relief. “Thank you for lunch.”
“What would you say about dinner next week, Friday?” Rex asked as they stopped at his front door.
Bowie was sure he blinked, but couldn’t quite say. His brain went as numb as his backside when he wasn’t sure if the dinner offer meant they’d go out and eat.
“Dinner?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to get his hopes up.
“Yes,” Rex chuckled. “Where we eat more than a sandwich. I’ll come to your place, and you could cook.”
His skin felt feverish at the prospect of getting an evening date when those were seldom, despite the dip in his stomach at the lack of an offer to go out to dinner.
“Erm… yes… what would you l-like me to cook?” Bowie stammered and stuttered, his mind on whether this would come with an expectation of getting naked.
“I’ll send you my menu choices, so you don’t make a mistake.”
Bowie was totally on board with that and grinned shyly. “Thank you,” he replied gratefully.This is great.
This is a disaster,his animal side grumped.We’ll be stuck with him in our apartment!
Chapter Five
Kari
There was something different about Bowie, and it was niggling at Kari like a stone in his shoe. It irritated him for reasons he couldn’t say.
It wasn’t like he didn’t have a lot more to think about. He did. Drinkwater and whatever was happening at the factory his brothers had paid a visit to—which they were now buying—was top of the list. There’d been a lot of discussion about it, in between ragging on Taylin about growing a set of balls and confessing his feelings to Hollis—finally. Although Kari suspected that Hollis might have had more to do with their new relationship than slow coach Taylin. The alphahole group chat had been interesting, to say the least, over the last few weeks.
He tapped his stylus on his iPad, his gaze shifting back to Bowie as Rue continued to waffle, giving him time to ruminate.
Had someone upset Bowie at work? Kari couldn’t see it with the PAs all being so tight. They appeared to have a greatrelationship in and out of work from what he’d overheard. Then, was it a personal reason?
Not my business.
We’ve made it our business.His wolf had been getting very mouthy the last few weeks, and Kari, who wasn’t prone to outbursts, struggled with these new urges.
He works for us.Kari was fed up with pointing this out.
Yes.
And that’s it.
“Is it too much to have your attention for five minutes?”
Rue’s sarcastic comment brought Kari’s gaze from Bowie, whose head didn’t lift.
Kari arched a brow, though his gut was uneasy at Bowie’s lack of reaction. “It is when you keep repeating yourself. I heard you the first two times you mentioned the shortage of the exact fabric dye required for the range of…” Kari waved a hand in the air forgetting exactly what.
“You can’t market a product when I fucking don’t have pictures of the exact color ranges,” Rue said in an exaggerated voice. “Isn’t that why I called this damn meeting!”
“Then we advertise something else from the range. Simple.” Feeling that way out, he used a sugary sweet tone that never failed to wind his brother up.
“You’re wasting my time,” replied Rue, glowering. He got up, tugging on his tie like it was strangling him. Monty, who Rue didn’t even glance at, followed and stood, a twitch in his lips the only sign he was as amused as Kari by how Rue was acting.
Rue was far too serious for his own good. He was the last brother to join their family. Kari sometimes wondered if Rue didn’t feel like he fit in. Much of his past remained a mystery, and no matter the effort Kari put in, Rue had divulged little.
Kari, like the others, had done his best to make him feel included, and that involved some good old traditional ribbing.
