Page 5 of Home With Holden

So why don’t you?

This was supposed to be my day off—one of the few times I could enjoy some downtime—but, of course, business never took a break.

Don’t you mean you never take a break?

Maybe that was true, but the saying about idle minds wasn’t wrong... The last thing I needed was to let my mind wander.

“You need to hire another social media manager,” I said, not even looking up from my laptop at my brother.

West was leaning back in his chair, arms hanging over the sides like he didn’t give a shit about anything—as usual. “We can’t just hire anyone, Holden. You know that. It’s not like we’re some basic-ass 9-to-5 office job. We’re an outdoor company. Weneed someone who at least knows how to pitch a tent. Oh, and knows what it means when you saypitch a tent.”

I glanced up, exhaling slowly. “This is the fourth one you’ve fired this year.”

“Yeah, because the last one didn’t know jack about the outdoors. Never been camping in his life,” West said, shaking his head like he still couldn’t believe it. “Who the hell applies to work for an outdoor brand and has never set foot in the woods? Who does that? We need someone who, at the very least, actually likes going outdoors.”

He had a point, but I wasn’t in the mood to admit it. I didn’t like things not getting done. And the fact that West was sitting there like it didn’t matter only made me want to punch him even more.

Maybe Ididneed that day off.

Okay, so maybe I was a little annoyed at my brother’s nonchalance, but that didn’t mean we didn’t need to fill the position ASAP.

“That’s what you said last time. And the time before that. We’re not looking for the nextCrocodile Dundee,West. This is the fourth person you’ve fired in twelve months.”

West rolled his eyes and snorted. “We’ll find someone when we find them. Because the last guy? He’d never even been camping. He couldn’t tell a hiking boot from a flip-flop if his life depended on it, but somehow, he still thought he was an expert on running an outdoor company’s social media.

"Like, who applies to work for an outdoor store and has never stepped foot in the woods? Who does that? And seriously,Crocodile Dundee,really, bro? Do better. That was like a million years ago.”

I raised a brow. I was definitely not touching that one.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Just deal with it. Hire someone who knows what they’re doing, or I’ll do it myself.”

West raised a brow at that, his lazy smirk making me want to walk away right then and there. “Oh yeah? Like hell you will. I’m the one who has to deal with them, not you. If you hire someone as clueless as the last one, I’m the one who has to train them. If you think I’m dealing with another clueless city kid who thinks hiking means walking to the corner store, and their only experience camping is waiting in line for the new iPhone, you’ve got another thing coming.”

I was about to respond when the shift in the room had my bear sitting up. It was subtle at first—a soft tension that hung in the air, hinting that trouble was approaching. But then it became sharper, like the calm before the storm.

That was when the smell hit me. Sweet, sharp, and fuckin’ unmistakable.

Shit! It was the scent of an omega on the verge of going into heat. I didn’t need to look around to know where it was coming from. The entire room fell silent, and I could feel the focus of every unmated alpha lock in on the new arrival.

Fuck and damnation! I knew it wouldn’t take much for things to get out of hand in a situation like this. One wrong move, and someone would start a fight. Omegas in heat had a way of causing trouble, whether they wanted to or not.

And that was the last fucking thing we needed today.

West sat up a little straighter, clearly amused. “Well, well. Looks like someone’s about to make things interesting.”

I ignored him, keeping my eyes on the laptop, even though the numbers blurred together. Focus. That’s what I needed. Not this. Not the scent pulling at my senses.

The omega moved closer, his scent practically weaving through the air like a fucking siren’s song—or at least what I imagined that would sound like.

Focus, Holden!

I kept my eyes down, pretending I didn’t notice. But I felt him before I saw him. Too close. The warmth of his body radiated next to mine, his presence heavy in the space between us.

“Hey.” His voice was low, sultry, already thick with the edge of his heat. “You wanna come up to my room for drinks?”

It wasn’t an invitation for a drink, and we both knew it. He was offering something more—something that most alphas would jump at without a second thought. An omega on the verge of heat? For most, that was a recipe for hours of mindless, rut-driven sex.

But I wasn’t most alphas.