Page 39 of Silas's Sweetheart

“He is,” Booker insisted.

Silas’s hands paused in the action of trying to soothe Booker, feeling the need to agree with Hollis, for reasons he did not want to explore right then. “Hollis seems pretty sure—”

“I’m telling you, I know what I smelled in his office,” Booker stated, argumentatively.

“Don’t bite my head off. Think about it rationally.” Silas moved to look directly at Booker, the feelings of relief that Frey and Ziggy hadn’t been… “If Frey was indeed in heat, do you think he’d have made it into the building? Through reception and up to his office without one alpha noticing?” There was no way in hell the security team who man the downstairs reception would not have noticed an omega in heat.

“My nose…”

“Scented what?” Silas questioned, wanting the reassurance as much as Booker needed it.

Booker’s lips snapped together, and he wore a pained expression when he muttered, “I’m okay now.”

He didn’t sound or look okay, far fucking from it. “Are you sure?” Silas asked skeptically, holding Booker’s stare, searching for answers.

“Yeah… I’m fine, honest. You can both leave.”

He was lying.

Hollis remained where he was, as did Silas.

“Go, I got shit to do.”

Silas stayed right where he was.

Booker gave a very loud, disgruntled sigh. “Listen. My bear smelled Frey and because we expected him to be home… in heat… we got it wrong. It appears.”

Silas stared at him, unable to conceal his concern. Obviously, Booker had scented something. Had Frey and Ziggy had sex, after all?

“Seriously, I’m fine. If you say Frey isn’t in heat, then great, he can pick up the slack, as Monty isn’t all caught up on the list I gave him Friday.”

“Please don’t hound Frey… he’s…” Hollis pushed up his glasses, looking indecisive, something he never was, setting off alarm bells for Silas.

“He’s what?” Booker asked cagily.

“What he’s shared with me… Please, just don’t go all bear on him, you might frighten him.”

Booker swung around his desk so fast the thing shifted a good inch as Hollis turned to leave. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Hollis shrugged, looking very uncomfortable. Something else that was unfamiliar to Silas. “Be gentle with him.”

Hollis left, and Booker twisted to glance at Silas. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”

He had to get a hold of himself, only his grin wouldn’t be contained at what it all meant…for him. “What? Other than the obvious that you can be a grumpy asshole?” he said, working to deflect.

Booker flipped his middle finger at Silas, scowling. “Fuck off. You’re as grumpy as me. It’s why we became friends.”

Silas’s grin got bigger before he strolled to the door. He looked over his shoulder. “You ain’t never had to talk me off the cliff, have you?”

“That might be so, but never count your fucking chickens before they hatch,” Booker called after Silas, who shook with laughter.

It was never gonna happen.

Silas had gone round and round in circles over what he wanted to do now he knew that Frey and Ziggy hadn’t spent time together.

Yep, he wasn’t dwelling on that, not when it turned his guts into an unraveled ball of wool someone had tried to gather, only to make matters worse by creating more knots. So he’d planned and timed a call to Ziggy, making sure Wilder wouldn’t come back. And he’d told Wendy to go home when he heard she had a planned date with her wife. He saw it as the universe aligning when Ziggy answered his call. If he sounded surprised by the summons to Silas’s office, it was to be expected after the avoidance.

He took off his suit jacket and removed his tie while he waited for Ziggy to arrive, his blood already thrumming with expectation. They could go back to the way things were, only he’d have to make a point about whatever the thing might or might not have been happening with Frey.

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