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I went into the bathroom, determined to be as quick as I promised. My cock had other ideas and this time, instead of envisioning the mated couple being all kinds of nakedly mischievous, I saw Mateo on his hands and knees, that smile adorning his face only seconds before he brought me into his mouth.

7

MATEO

It was an odd mix of relief and new stress to realize both Colton and I were so drawn to Scotty. It wasn’t unheard of to have mated triads, and the longer I analyzed things, the more I thought possibly we were among the lucky ones Fate sent a third to.

There was only one problem with my theory. Scotty didn’t seem to return our interest. There were a few times when I wished a glance he gave me held added meaning or that he was showering so much because he needed help with a throbbing cock. But really, there was nothing.

He was a picture-perfect employee and nothing more. Even when we headed for the shelter to look at the kittens, he kept things professional along the way. His questions were all geared to the B&B. Was I looking for a cat for the apartment or the entire building? If it was the latter, what would that look like, and did hair color matter. All kinds of insightful things that had nothing to do with me and everything to do with my work.

“Why are you so deep in thought, love? Still sad they didn’t have any kittens left when we got there?”

I shook my head. That wasn’t it. In fact, that was a good thing. It meant they all had found their furever homes.

I’d come upstairs to take a shower and ended up sitting on my bed and delving into the land of overthinking. Colton coming up was exactly what I needed.

“Not really,” I replied. “Maybe I should consider looking at the older cats more seriously.” I fell back on the bed. “That way they can have a good home, too.”

“Any one in particular?” He sat beside me.

I curled around him. “No. I was so busy being sad about the kittens… Maybe we can go back tomorrow. Just to look?” I peered up at him, trying not to let him see how much more was on my mind than that.

“We can do anything you’d like.” He brushed a lock of hair from my face. “Did you want to talk about the Scotty thing some more?”

We’d left it that we both wanted more with him, but that we needed to not jump into things. Which was fine with me because I was terrified…terrified Scotty would leave us the second he knew. But the truth was that would happen either way, and waiting wasn’t going to change the outcome. At the same time, pressuring him, when this was his home, felt crappy, too.

Not that we would mean for it to be a pressure situation, but when your two bosses are saying they want you, that is pressure.

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” I closed my eyes. “I want to ask him what he thinks but am scared that if I do, he’ll tell me and it won’t be what I want…what we want.”

“Isn’t it better to know?”

“Yes. Yes it is better to know.” I sat up. “Maybe after breakfast tomorrow the three of us can talk? I can even get us cinnamon buns and…is that going too far. Like trying too hard?”

He wrapped his arms around me. “No. It’s not trying too hard. It’s you being the strong, wonderful omega you are.”

“I don’t feel strong, and cinnamon buns are hardly symbols of strength.” I put my nose to his neck and inhaled deeply, letting his scent cover me like a balm.

“It shows strength because you’re putting yourself out there. And know this, omega mine, whatever happens, whatever he says, at the end of the day, I still love you with every fiber of who I am.”

“As I will still love you,” I told him.

We just held each other tightly until the bell from downstairs rang, buzzing upstairs in our place. Installing that thing had saved us so much time since we’d bought into this place.

“I’ll get it,” Colton said. “You get ready, and maybe we can go for a walk and get some pancakes.”

“You always did know the way to my heart.” He kissed my cheek and headed downstairs to see what our guests might need before we went for pancakes.

I’d been on floor duty and was a stinky mess, a stinky mess who probably shouldn’t have been hanging on my mate until after Icleaned up. He’d have never said that, though. He took me as I was…always. Even on the days when I was barely able to fake a smile. He loved me.

I headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower thinking about which of the many syrups I would have on my pancakes. Focusing on something simple and non-life-altering was exactly what I needed to get into the right headspace and not focus on all the what ifs.

The steamy water cascading down my body felt amazing and, when I stepped out and wrapped my towel around my waist, I felt a thousand times better. The phone rang, and I rushed out of the bathroom to grab it. People rarely called unless there was a reason.

“Hello,” I answered without looking at the number.

“Hey, this is Astor.” Astor owned the Red-Tailed Inn down the road. He was a friend, but if he was calling instead of texting, it was business.