Page 77 of Where the Current Takes Him
“I don’t think I’ve had to log on once.” Loriun smiled. “I appreciate you and the team keeping things running while I’m on leave.”
An employee. Thank god.
“Hey, you’ll be doing the same for me in the future.” Keld winked.
His eyes—a shocking hue of sunset orange, shot through with threads of gold—landed on Beau. A slow, mischievous grin curled across his face.
“You must be Beaumont,” he said, offering a webbed hand.
“Just Beau.” His mouth corrected the Alpha automatically as he accepted the handshake. Beau wasn’t sure how he felt about the appraising expression on Keld’s face.
“Ah, of course.” Loriun gestured to the golden Alpha. “Beau, this is Keld Vihinu. He’s my head of accounting. Keld, this is Beau, my mate.”
Keld whistled, a very human response. “You lucked out, Kolhn.”
Heat flared in Beau’s cheeks.
Keld leaned in a little closer and stage-whispered, “You got any brothers?”
The overwhelming scent of cedar filled the air. Loriun was glaring at the other Alpha, facial fins on full display.
Keld just laughed. “I’m teasing, Loriun, come on. You need to spend more time with the humans around the plant. But really though,” he added, “If you know any single Omegas, let me know. It’s rough out there.”
Beau couldn’t quite decide if he liked the accountant or not, but Keld’s mannerisms reminded him strongly of Oiwen. The Mer’s tail flicked back and forth behind him. It looked like a nervous tic, but Beau had yet to master Mer body language.
“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Beau,” Keld said. “I don’t meet many new humans all that often. I was at the dinner when your dad’s cousin showed us your picture—”
Loriun made a sharp hissing sound, and Keld raised both hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I get it. New mate pheromones and all that. No harm intended.”
“Of course,” Loriun said tightly. “Perhaps we will run into each other again. If not, I will see you when I return to work.”
Apparently unbothered by his boss’s snappy attitude, Keld raised two fingers to his forehead in a casual salute and moved to the exit. As soon as he was out of earshot, Beau smacked his mate’s forearm.
“Why were you being such an ass? He wasn’t doing anything that bad.”
“He was interested in you,” Loriun retorted. “I’m an Alpha. We don’t react well to other Alphas sniffing around our Omegas.”
“You’re not an animal.” Beau rolled his eyes. “Show some self control. He seems nice.”
Loriun narrowed his eyes. “Thatwasme showing self control.”
Ignoring that, Beau continued. “He’s just acting human, like your sister. He wasn’t going to try anything.”
Loriun exhaled through his nose. “I know that. Rationally.”
His fingers brushed along the back of Beau’s hand. “I just feel very protective of you.”
The touch left a blazing trail across Beau’s skin. He was suddenly grateful for the chilly water.
“So, what dinner was Keld talking about? When you saw my picture?”
Loriun’s face dropped. “It was…” He trailed off, spearing another hunk of fish and jamming it into his mouth.
One of Beau’s eyebrows reached for his hairline. “Why are you acting weird?” It could be his imagination, but his matelooked nervous. It took a few more minutes for Loriun to finally respond.
“I was made aware of you through one of my employees. He claims to be your father’s cousin, Jonathan Montgomery.”
That caught Beau off guard. He had no idea that someone in his family had moved to Paeil. Was he an Omega? Before he could ask, Loriun spoke again.
