I booked Smith a room in a hotel in town, picking one more central than Corpsewood.I went with a week, pretty sure Smith would want to stick around while we dealt with the hunters.
While I was still elbow deep in work reports, I got a call from Naja.
I hit the speaker button.“Hey, Naja.”
“I have a few more questions about Marcus,” she said.
I frowned at her directness, which was much more fun when it was directed at someone else.“Such as?”
“Is he a werewolf?”
“No, Naj.Regular human.”
She clicked her tongue.“I watched you watch him during the video call.”
“Did Smith call you?”
“Yes.”
I sighed.“Naj, he’s our mate.Did you just want a confirmation or is there something else?”
“Something else.I did some research during and after drafting his response.Personally, I’m not sure what to make of this general mating idea—and don’t bite my throat for that—but have you looked beyond that?The guy’s not too bad a copywriter, and I think I’d like him.”
The growl escaped me before I had time to adjust and manage my response.
“Like, not inthatway.Jeez, boss.”She tutted.
“Fuck, Naj.Sorry, but this is all very new, and we’re still adjusting.You want to hire him?You want me to offer my mate a job?”
“That’s your personal life, and I actively do not care, but yes, I would like your mate to offer his copywriting skills.I’d headhunt him personally, but I get the feeling you really would bite me if I did anything like that, so please, boss, hire me a new copywriter, hmm?”
I hadn’t even considered that, but I could see how this would be a perfect solution.Marcus could work for me.He could move in.Three sides of my office were covered by desk space because I tinkered with surveillance tech a lot, but I could clear a space for him, have him work in here.I’d make it nice, get him a few plants maybe, something soft… I’d get him a selection of teas and one of those water kettles with variable temperature settings.Matching work mugs maybe.
It was perfect in my head.I wanted it to be reality, but that meant convincing Marcus without making it seem as if I was trying to buy his affection.That would be an issue, from a human standpoint.If Marcus had been a wolf, it would’ve been easy.A beta would’ve readily accepted his alpha taking care of him, and most would demand it.My head and my heart wanted to go about this relationship—and I dearly hoped it was a relationship—in two very different ways.
“I’ll…try, Naj.Promise.”
“When I say that, you always quote that old science fiction movie at me.There is no try, boss.”
I smiled at my phone.“You’re some taskmaster, Naj.”
“Tell him he’d work for me, and that I have learned to handle you.”
“Is that so?”Naja was about five years my junior, just a bit older than Marcus, but I’d seen her stand up to wolves twice her age and win.
She huffed.“I have work to do.My boss always gets mad when I take personal calls at the office, so I gotta go.”
I chuckled.“Thanks, Naj.”
“Don’t thank me.Give me a holiday bonus.”
Well, she was sharp where it mattered.I made a note about that bonus and a second one about sending her a bottle of her favorite Pinot.
After, I couldn’t quite get back into the report, so instead I researched my mate.I knew it was wrong, but I told myself I had a legitimate reason if I wanted to get him to take a job offer, which I did.But the important thing was for him to…fall for us first, all three of us.
My mind was still tangled up with all of that when I heard the familiar sound of Dom’s jeep up the driveway.I jumped to my feet and took the stairs two at a time.What I wanted to do was barrel out to the porch to meet them, but instead, I went about making Marcus some oolong.
When I heard them on the front steps, I couldn’t keep calm anymore and didn’t really want to.I headed into the hallway just as Dom opened the door for our mate, a bag and a shoebox in his hands.
