Page 16 of Get Kraken

"He didn't mean it,” Chase said, even though he was pretty sure the other man did actually mean it.

Chase wouldn't allow him to go after anyone, of course. Unless he was able to go with him. The idea that someone could make Olivia feel less than worthy put a sour taste in his mouth.

“Are you sure?"

“Absolutely!" Chase couldn't believe he was about to do this, but he needed to hype up Mike as a decent male to the woman they both loved.

“He wants to protect you, but he wouldn't do anything to endanger his job, or to embarrass you."

Mike mumbled something under his breath that Chase didn't quite catch, and he was afraid to figure out what it was he said.

The three of them were sharing a rental car, but they all had separate rooms in the extended-stay hotel. The office wasn’t far away, so their talk came to a quick end as Mike pulled into their parking spot.

“Well, we're here," Olivia said, clearly wanting an end to the conversation.

Chase wasn't done, and one glance at Mike and he could tell the other man wanted to say something, too.

But neither of them did.

If she didn't want to talk about it, then that meant bringing it up would only embarrass her. It wouldn’t matter how much they denied it or claimed she was the loveliest thing they had ever seen. If they did too much insisting, it would come off as less than genuine.

Mike got that too. Chase could tell. They both nodded at each other, silently coming to the decision to find other ways to make their mate realize how gorgeous she was.

“Cute place you got,” Mike joked as they got out of the car, as though they were a normal couple going back to a woman’s house to have their first sexual encounter with each other.

“Yeah, the rent is good.” She joked back, alluding to the fact that AILE was paying for it.

Olivia led the way but paused when they got to her door. “It’s a little messy inside, is all, I might need a second to do a little cleaning up.”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Mike said, waving his hand. “No one is more of a slob than Chase.”

“Shut up,” Chase growled. He would have punched the man if Olivia wasn’t right there.

Mike shrugged and said nothing because he knew he was right.

The cock.

Olivia just smiled nervously. She hesitated after unlocking the door, as though debating on whether or not to insist they stay outside for a minute so she could tidy up.

He really hoped she didn’t ask that. He wanted to get inside. His hands itched to slide across her body, into her hair. His mouth ached to kiss every inch of her body he could.

And he wanted to do that right now.

He’d needed it ten days ago.

He should be knighted for being so patient. Saints were canonized for that level of self-control.

But he’d done it.

So had Mike.

Olivia opened the door, stepping inside. Mike followed after her, the expression on his face as cold and aloof as it ever got whenever he was masking something.

Or feeling nothing.

Chase had been going crazy these last ten days without the touch of his mate. Trying to keep everything professional had left him with the feeling of an active bomb inside his belly, waiting to erupt.

He supposed the anecdote wasn’t that far off. Something wanted to erupt all right.

---