“What about when you have to go pick them up and stuff like that, like on weekends when you’re off work?”
Barron smiled in his direction and looked a little sheepish. Thad understood without him saying it and didn’t want to know if he would admit it or lie to him. Instead, he held his hand up as if to tell him to stop, though he laughed to let him know he wasn’t too upset about him using the car on a personal basis.
“We’re here,” Barron said, pulling to the curb to let him out.
“No. Find us a parking spot. I want you to go in with me today.”
Barron glanced sideways at him. “Is everything okay with you? Are you being hunted by dragon shifters or something?”
“I could have taken him.”
“I know.”
It was a very old joke in their pack from Thad’s teen years, one that no one saw fit to forget, not even Barron - though he usually didn’t mention it due to his position as Thad’s underling. Barron was a Beta, but a powerful one; one of the more lethal members of their pack compared to other Betas. It came from a background in special forces just as much as being a wolf. Barron pulled around the corner and found an empty space, a miracle in itself. They walked back around the building to their destination, entered and were greeted immediately by the creaky voice of Mr. Cotton.
“Thaddeus!” he said happily.
Cotton was one of the very few people in his life who still called him by his full name. It didn’t bother him. In fact, since he’d lost his parents, several years ago in an accident, it was always nice to hear it from someone.
“Mr. Cotton. How are you?”
“I’m good. You here to pick up your new suit?”
“I am.”
“All right, let me get it for you,” he replied, disappearing to the back.
Barron looked around idly while he waited, no doubt wondering why he was here.
“Here we are. You want to try it on?”
“Yes, please. I’ll go to the dressing room. While I’m gone, can I get you to take my driver’s measurements? I want to get a few new suits for him.”
“What?” Barron said, turning toward him to protest, no doubt to cite that he wasn’t a charity case.
“Yours are looking a bit threadbare, old buddy. If you’re going to drive my car, I want you to look sharp and I can’t expect you to go out and buy your own uniform.”
Barron looked at him doubtfully but didn’t argue further. For all their somewhat laid-back behavior with one another, Barron knew not to push anything Thad had decided on too far. He followed Mr. Cotton to a nearby mirror while Thad went to try on his own suit. When he returned, Mr. Cotton was done measuring and moved him aside to check the fit on Thad’s suit.
“Looks good,” he said, pronouncing his own work fit for wear.
“It does. Pull out some material for Barron’s suits, assorted colors, all dark. I’ll let him pick what he prefers beyond that. Let him help you pull down the bolts.”
“You are calling me an old man?” Mr. Cotton snorted.
“Never. I imagine you could still take me on my best day.”
“Damn right I could,” he laughed, waving Thad away and heading back toward Barron.
As Thad changed back into his own clothes, an idea came over him. It was time for some changes, not just for him, but for everyone he surrounded himself with. He took his time in the dressing area, picking up his phone to glance at it. There were messages from Alpha Meets Omega, most likely just more Betas looking to hook up. He pushed the button, anyway, raising an eyebrow when he saw that there was a message from Jaycee.CHAPTER ELEVENJaycee
She had started not to answer Thad but gave in and did it anyway. At this point, she had to wonder how much of it was her own free will and how much was still some weird pull to him that guided her. It had been a quick note and one she wasn’t sure about. Her only response had been to say, “okay” and give him her phone number. Why had she done that? Why had she given him a direct line to her like that? She was already regretting it.
To his credit, he hadn’t immediately called or called her repeatedly. It wasn’t until later that evening that he finally called, seeming confident but not overbearing. The conversation was much more relaxed than she expected, in fact.
“I don’t want to spend a lot of time going back and forth on the phone. I think speaking face to face is better.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
Though she wasn’t feeling the strong reaction to him that she had during their night together, there was still something there, something that called to her. It scared her, but he was her mate and there was a part of her that said she should still give him a chance. By the end of the quick call, she found herself agreeing to meet him for dinner on Saturday.