He fisted my shirt. “Please… breed.”
 
 “Are you sure? It’s not just your heat talking?” I shifted, lifted his chin, and looked into his pretty brown eyes.
 
 Ollie swallowed again, then took a deep breath. I watched him fight through the heat-haze before he answered. “Want it.”
 
 I nodded, then leaned in and claimed his lips.
 
 He moaned softly, opening his mouth and allowing our tongues to dance.
 
 We kissed until we were breathless, and I was forced to stop.
 
 “I have to finish my route, you know that, right?” I asked.
 
 Ollie nodded.
 
 I looked him in the eye again. “I’ll be back, and I’ll bring Tripp with me. I promise.”
 
 “How?”
 
 I shook my head. “I don’t know, but I’ll make him understand.”
 
 “Ok.”
 
 I kissed him again, then took a step back. “Hand me both bags. I’ll give Tripp his. You focus on whatever you need to do to be comfortable. Ok?”
 
 He bit his lip and nodded.
 
 I tipped his chin up to meet his gaze. “I understand now. I don’t know how long we’ll be. But we’ll be back tonight. Your alphas won’t leave you alone.”
 
 He shivered, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or emotion.
 
 I motioned to the bags, which he handed over, then I forced myself to step back out of his house.
 
 Every instinct protested; insisted that my place was beside—and inside—my omega. But I still had a job to do.
 
 Plus, I had to convince Tripp that he was supposed to be with both Ollie and I.
 
 I carried the bags to my truck and scanned my pickups slowly. Unfortunately, Tripp still hadn’t arrived by the time I finished.
 
 I growled and hit the ‘break’ button on my route recorder.
 
 As expected, I received a call from Tammy a minute later.
 
 “What’s up, Axel?” she asked, not waiting for a greeting. “Why are you suddenly on break?”
 
 “Emergency personal matter,” I replied.
 
 “It’s a couple of days before Christmas,” she snapped back. “You know I need more than that.”
 
 “Look,” I huffed, “unless you want me to walk up to my next delivery with a raging boner, I’m going to need a few minutes. My mate is in heat.”
 
 “Your…” she trailed off. “Oh… shit.”
 
 I scrubbed a hand down my face. “It’s even more complicated than that. But yeah. I missed the signs earlier. Just trust me. I’ll finish my route, but I need a few minutes.”
 
 Her voice softened, which was weird. “I can’t give you long, but I understand.”
 
 “Huh?”