Huntsman - Morgan Brice Page 0,10

amber eyes that would look amazing outlined with a smidge of kohl. Russ had never been big on guyliner, but on Liam, it would be sexy as fuck.

Russ cleared his throat, realizing they were both staring at each other. Awkward.

“Um, I don’t have your car ready yet. Sorry. I came in early to start on it, but I’m waiting on parts, and then my brother showed up—”

“That’s okay. I don’t think I’m going to need it for a while,” Liam assured him, looking as unnerved as Russ felt.

Does he sense that we’re mates too? Will he want me? Or will he be upset I’m not a fox? Holy fuck—why am I even worrying about this?

But Russ knew why. His wolf wasn’t going to let this go, not if there was any chance of making Liam his. As much as Russ had loved Anthony—and he had, with all his heart—he’d always wondered how it might be different with a true fated mate. If the overwhelming strength of this initial stage was anything to go by, Russ couldn’t imagine the intensity of being even more closely connected.

“Just checking in?” Russ asked with a smile.

“I wanted to thank you again, and make sure you didn’t need anything else from me. I was kinda jumbled last night.”

“I’ve got everything I need to handle the repair. You left me the insurance card. I think we’re set.” Russ looked in the box for Liam’s car keys and didn’t see them. “I should have your keys right here.”

Liam pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and something chirped from Russ’s inbox.

“Did you do that?” Russ asked.

Liam gave a sheepish smile. “Yeah. I’m always forgetting where I left my phone or my keys, so I got those GPS Tiles to help me find them. Comes in handy.”

Russ pulled the keys from under a piece of paper and saw the small, slim square dangling from the keyring. “Is that what made the noise?”

“Yep. And if I have my keys and lose my phone, it works in reverse too. I put one on all my keys. Saves time, aggravation, and my blood pressure.”

“Huh. I guess I learn something new every day,” Russ replied. “I’m glad you stopped by.”

Liam nodded, looking charmingly flustered. “Good. Well, you have my number. Dr. Jeffries is going to take me through the library and show me around town. I need to get back to the house. I just…wanted to stop in.”

“Thanks. I’ll call soon.”

He feels it! Russ’s wolf celebrated, doing a little victory strut in his mind.

We don’t know that for sure. Russ pointed out as he waved goodbye and watched Liam walk out. Russ would have to be comatose to not sense the chemistry between them or the sheer sexual attraction that had his cock hard from a whiff of Liam’s scent.

But they were people, not animals, and that meant that even for fated mates, both parties had to agree. More importantly, they had to want the pairing. Just because Russ’s wolf thought Liam was signed-sealed-and-delivered didn’t mean squat in the real world.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. The parts would have taken a week by mail—the downside to being in a little town in the middle of nowhere—but Russ got his pilot friend, Justin, to bring the order back from another run up to Saranac Lake. He felt inordinately pleased to be able to finish the car repairs sooner than expected, and Russ knew his wolf preened at what it considered to be a mating gift.

It’s not a gift. He’s paying for the repairs.

You could make it a gift.

He wouldn’t accept. Humans do things differently.

I’m aware. A freshly-killed rabbit is a much better gift than a stinky car.

That would get me arrested, not laid.

We would make sure it was a real rabbit, not one of the neighbors.

Thank you so much. Not helping.

Russ’s wolf padded off to sulk, and Russ welcomed the silence as he finished a couple of tune-ups, custom-ordered a set of tires for a client, and sent in the paperwork for new snow equipment. The spring snow had barely melted, but it would be fall again in the blink of an eye, and early orders were more likely to get filled before demand made essentials scarce.

He managed to push Liam out of his thoughts for a couple of hours, at least until the man himself came walking in after Kerrie called to tell him his car was ready.

“How did you get it finished so fast?” Liam asked, then