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“Noted,” Ember said.

I almost felt guilty. I thought we were in a rut, and we needed to branch out. Rian agreed, but he didn’t like change at the best of times. My omega had been struggling with his music and with each passing year it grew worse.

I only hoped that something like finding another bondmate, or even just dating, would help him focus on other parts of his life, instead of what he thought of as his failure.

“Okay, making notes,” Ember said. “What about any hard nos?”

“I can’t think of any we haven’t already listed.” Rian sounded grumpy. “We’re introverts, so anyone who wants to go out all the time wouldn’t be happy. We’re not open to becoming vegan, converting to their religion, or someone who is excessively messy or tidy. I don’t see how meeting random people is going to let us know if it’s a good fit or not.”

“Those are all normal boundaries,” Ember said. I loved the lively tone of her voice. “Did you two have a long dating period?”

“No.” I snorted. “We basically jumped each other and were bonded in a week.”

Rian elbowed me, gently, since he knew I wasn’t relaxed in a strange environment. It felt weird not knowing where everything was, part of why I arrived so early.

“Dating will feel weird in that case,” Ember said. “But you two have lots of matches. Just try to relax and enjoy getting to know the other person without forcing anything.”

“Is your profile up?” I asked, barely resisting the urge to pull up the Cosmic Bonds website on my phone. “I’d love to see how we rated with you.”

“It is not,” she said primly. “We don’t date clients.”

“That settles that,” Rian said, in the same tone of voice he used when someone told him he couldn’t do something he knew he could do.

He might have been reluctant to show interest, but that was only because of how interested he was. Desire for her curled through our bond, and it wasn’t just mine. I would just sit back, relax, and let the two of them circle each other like the feral little kittens they were.

“Who’s our first date?” Rian asked, rubbing his hand over my forearm, comfort seeping in through our bond.

Ember went over a list of high matches. It was hard to concentrate when all I wanted was to bring her on a date, but I reminded myself to be patient.

Rian and Ember haggled over who would be first, until they agreed on a nice beta woman named Cindy.

Rian told me she had blonde hair and a lovely smile, the same way he would comment on the weather. But his body shifted to Ember every time she spoke, and his scent was getting stronger.

The hunt was on, and I was ready to see it play out.

Chapter 4

Rian

The drive back to San Fransico was beautiful. It was a cold and clear afternoon, the ocean on our right most of the drive, like a big piece of the sky had fallen down.

Originally, I’d wanted to go to the beach after the matching session, but now all I wanted was my nest. And my alpha, fucking me into oblivion.

I touched Ben’s arm, and he laced his hand in mine.

“You okay? I know it was a lot.” Ben asked, his face turned up to the weak winter sun.

“I’m fine,” I said, unable to hide my grumpiness. I didn’t know what raised my hackles, but something did.

It wasn’t the feisty omega back at Cosmic Bonds. She was a redhead with beautiful curves and seemed more than ready to go toe to toe with me.

I couldn’t tell if she hated me or was two seconds away from climbing into my lap.

Hell, I didn’t know which way I fell on that question.

Hate was a strong word, but my immediate reaction of “no” was hard to ignore.

She was another omega. I didn’t mind the idea of sharing Ben, and unlike some omegas, I didn’t need to be the center ofthe pack. But if we did choose another bondmate, we needed someone calm and relaxed. Serene.