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How could he be related to Garner, who was so nice and so considerate?

Booker leaned in closer yet again and inhaled deeply, almost like he was smelling a plant or something.

It was so gross.

“I’m gonna get back to work here. Thanks for the coffee.”

“Yeah. Okay.”

I turned back to my work. But there he stood.

Weird.

5

GARNER

I have to stop this. Joss is our mate!

Red fur rippled over my underarms, and I slammed the door, resulting in Joss’s head swiveling toward the glass panel between his desk and my office. Shit, there was too much glass in this damned place. Every part of my working life was on display, from the window overlooking the street to the panel that allowed my employees to gawk at me. I could hardly lower the blind because it’d be so obvious that I was hiding from or maybe annoyed with Joss.

I mouthed, “Sorry,” and took my laptop to the sofa which was tucked into a corner and hidden from my mate. Fur poked out from my cuffs, and I demanded my fox take back the partial shift. Thank gods none had appeared on my face or Joss would have hightailed it out of here.

Hightailed? Make it make sense.

It’s an expression. We had more to worry about than my beast’s command of English idioms.

My brother, the one who mocked me and who held his breath waiting for me to F up, was chatting to Joss. I’d hired the guy to work, not flirt with my asshat brother. Booker! Always inserting himself where I didn’t want him.

He hadn’t picked up that Joss was my mate, because if he had, he would have carted Joss off to lunch and sent me pics every second of him salivating over my mate-to-be. He’d be in my face, taunting me for my mate being human and how the den might not accept that from their incoming Alpha.

But he was just being Booker, the guy who expected every omega to fall at his feet, profess undying love, only to have my brother lose interest. He needed affirmation, and I wondered what would happen if and when he met his fated mate.

Joss wasn’t his mate, the universe didn’t make mistakes like that. Or I’d never read or heard of any.

Always a first!My fox needed sensitivity lessons.

“You must give me the name of your tailor.”

Ahhh, my super-sensitive shifter hearing allowed me to hear Booker complimenting Joss. If I accused him of flirting, he’d deny it, saying he just appreciated omegas, unlike me who was more standoffish. For sure he’d add a jab about the business being in better shape if I got along with people.

“I don’t have one.” There was a pause. “I get my suits from a department store. Off the rack, I think it’s called.” That was Joss. Poor guy, he was trying to work and Booker was waylaying him.

I had to do something to get my brother away from my mate and to tell him to back the F off.

“Booker!” Shit, that was louder than I’d planned, and Joss jumped, his hands splaying over the keyboard.

“We have that thing in thirty minutes.”

My brother’s lips curled into a lazy smile. “What thing?” That grin reminded me of the human saying, “Sly as a fox.” Ugh! No matter how Booker irritated me, I’d never describe him that way.

Thought it was an idiom, not a saying! If my beast was trying to bug me, he was succeeding.

“I’m sure Joss has plenty to keep him busy.” I took my brother’s arm and steered him toward the elevator, not trusting myself to take the stairs.

“He’ll never leave, trying to fix your mistakes.”

I took deep breaths, in and out, in and out. Booker had to think I was annoyed he was wasting Joss’s time, not that the human and I had a special connection.