Chapter Twenty-Three

Hollis

He was hyperventilating and so far nothing had worked to stop his heart racing or the dancing spots in front of his eyes.

Taylin and I are mates. I bit him. The end. Hollis re-read the words several times, knowing that those words didn't even come close to the magnitude of what happened after his teeth sank into Taylin's flesh.

Everything inside the hotel room had been easy, with the world locked out. In the light of day and even in the dead of night, there was no escaping what he'd brought on himself. He couldn't say that he was driven by lust. By his heat. A part of him, from the moment he'd laid eyes on Taylin, had wanted to do what he'd done. Had wanted to be brave enough to let it happen. Those years of quiet yearning, there was no ignoring them. How could he when he had slept for shit and his animal, who was in a foul mood, was tormenting him by forcing him to acknowledge it.

He dropped his cell phone on the desk and got up to roam his office. Excitement and trepidation warred with each other about the up-and-coming press conference. In less than an hour he would see Taylin— but not touch .

He thrust his hands into the pockets of his slacks, balling them into fists at how they'd need to stay right there, out of temptation's way.

Hollis took a deep breath, released it, then another, his mind going over everything he had read in the email from Silas. It was easier to think about memorizing it when left with too much time on his hands. He had arrived three hours before anyone else to catch up, or that's what he'd told himself when driven out of his house because he needed to be some place that was closer to Taylin.

Emails dealt with and preparations done for the press conference, Hollis had bitten the bullet and opened the group chat on his cell phone. A huge mistake with how angsty he was feeling. Frey hadn't been wrong, there was steam coming out of his ears from the discussions about him, especially when it came with the graphic details inside Hollis's head of what he and Taylin had done. Why had he expected any different?

Using the group chat to have the ‘I'm mated' conversation… what was that about? Possibly because his brain remained addled after finding himself stupidly tongue tied and leaving little room for Taylin to ask to come in with him last night .

Fatal mistake… or that's how his body had interpreted it. He'd been in fight-or-flight mode since he'd gotten out of the damn car, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. This was why he was in his animal's bad books. What little time they'd spent sleeping with Taylin, his other half had enjoyed finding just the right place to sleep on Taylin .

You're a dumbass.

He couldn't argue. They'd both missed him, horribly. The discomfort that lived inside Hollis wasn't shifting. He had no answer to whether it was simply from the new attachment or something else was wrong with him. He bore no bite mark from Taylin. Yes, he'd nipped Hollis's tongue so technically they'd exchanged blood. Was that small amount enough to cause the ache?

He's our mate.

Like I need you to explain that to me, Hollis replied snappily, rubbing at his temples, hoping it would ease the throbbing or diminish the spots disrupting his vision.

Am I getting sick?

You're not sick. Stop being silly.

How is that being silly? How?

Silence. It was a great big chasm in his mind.

Now you chose to be quiet? Why couldn't you have done that at three o'clock this morning?

Once more, nothing and it was irking Hollis enough he had to resist stamping his foot, something he hadn't done in years and showed the level of frustration he was battling with. Fine. Don't talk, but don't think when we get Taylin alone, I'm gonna let you out .

His animal had the audacity to laugh, grating right on Hollis's last nerve.

The brisk knock on his door prevented his foot stamp as he swung around and called out, "Come in," hoping against hope it might be Taylin.

His expression fell when Monica sailed into the room dressed all in black. Smokey eyeshadow gave her a dramatic look, very much resembling the bat she was.

"How to make a bat feel welcome," she chastised, shutting the door behind her.

When she faced Hollis, her gaze traveled over him and shook her head. "I'm not sure if I should be offended or not by the look of disappointment you're wearing right now." She came deeper into the room and sat on the edge of Hollis's desk, a high-heeled foot swinging as she tutted. "I figured you'd be freaking out about the press conference and having to stand up there with the brothers and, with the lack of replies to my messages, I came to see if I was right."

"It's not just that." Hollis tugged at his tie, not quite looking at her. "I mated with Taylin," he whispered, almost too afraid to say it aloud.

Monica fired off the desk and stumbled on her heels. "You did what!" she shrieked in alarm, eyes wide.

"Keep your voice down," Hollis hissed, blushing to the roots of his hair at her uncontrolled alarm and glad no one was there to witness it.

Would Taylin's brothers react in the same way?

Crap!

Ugh !

Panic rose and lodged right in his throat, making it hard to swallow when the thought stuck with all the others.

"How… no, scrap that." She gripped a hold of his arms and looked him in the eye. "Go you! I knew you had it in you to let go."

"Let go?" Hollis moaned. "I floated right out of my sanity, is what I did!"

"Ain't it cool," she fired back, looking so satisfied with herself, "you finally went after what you wanted and didn't think about all the damn consequences." She kissed him noisily on the mouth right as Hollis caught movement out of the side of his eye when the door opened unexpectedly.

His heart jumped with joy at the man moving swiftly into the room despite Monica giving him another noisy kiss, oblivious to the audience.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

Taylin's growl sent shivers down Hollis's spine and his cock awakened, jumping with excitement, exuding a large dose of pheromones to let everyone know exactly how excited he was.

Monica glanced sideways, appearing unconcerned by the sudden tension filling the room. Most of it was coming from the man stalking towards them with a look Hollis had only half caught when the alpha in the lift had challenged Taylin. It made him untangle himself from Monica because he liked his friend.

When that didn't appear to appease Taylin, who looked ready to rip someone's head off, Hollis got another jolt of desire at his territorial mate. He decided it was best to move in front of Monica regardless of how Taylin's display was making him weak at the knee. Categorically, if asked, Hollis would have said he didn't find this kind of behavior attractive, yet…

Taylin's eyes were blacker than brown and the glint in them was dangerous when he came to a halt.

"Nothing," Hollis replied breathlessly, avoiding inhaling when he was positive he was stinking up his own office with his lust.

"Is that right?" Taylin glared over the top of Hollis's head at the woman who remained behind him. "Then why the fuck am I smelling your arousal after she had her mouth on yours?"

His voice was more of a rasp and added to the swirling desire growing in the pit of Hollis's gut when it reminded him of how Taylin sounded after Hollis had fucked his throat.

So not helping!

It was impossible not to squirm as several things registered at once. His animal was preening. The ache in his chest was gone. Taylin was displaying a level of jealousy Hollis would never have considered him possible of, and Taylin had clearly read the situation all wrong.

"She kissed me to congratulate me on mating with you. The smell is ‘cause of your reaction. This whole vibe you got going,"—he waved his hand in the air, feeling an urgency to explain—"yeah, it seems to be something I'm into."

Hollis, who hadn't cooled down from his earlier embarrassment, got so warm he tugged at his shirt collar when Taylin's gaze changed to predatory.

"That's my cue to leave!" Monica said, but Hollis didn't acknowledge her. He couldn't take his eyes off the man in front of him.

Taylin didn't look away at the sound of the door clicking shut. A strange tenseness came with Monica's departure. It buzzed against Hollis's exposed skin and heightened his awareness of every breath Taylin took when his thumb stroked over his parted lips, coming away with lipstick on it.

When Taylin sniffed the air in front of Hollis's face, the feeling intensified. "You're mine. I don't want you tasting of anyone but me."

The words held a boldness that got hard-wired to Hollis's cock. A submissive by nature, Hollis had no problem offering his mate whatever he needed to feel back in control. "Kiss me…" he paused and dipped his eyelashes, giving Taylin a begging look, "Mark me so everyone will smell you on me."

Devilish, the smile, when it came, did crazy things to Hollis when Taylin came closer and crooned, "Yes."

Hollis's groan got swallowed in the kiss that followed. It melted Hollis's bones. The kiss was punishing, bruising even, and contrasted with the gentle cupping of the back of his neck. Taylin devoured him, kiss after kiss until the world bled into a colorful array of desires, none of which were suitable in an office.

Did Hollis care…

Submissive in Taylin's arms, his cock leaked as his ass grew damp with his desire. The scent in the room held him in its thrall as Taylin sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and bit it. The coppery taste got a response from Taylin that rumbled deep inside his chest and left Hollis clinging on in desperation.

Were his ears ringing?

He blinked and moaned in complaint when Taylin dragged his mouth away from him. Hollis's cock throbbed hard enough that one more kiss would have sent him over the edge.

He was sure of it. "Just a little more," Hollis insisted, chasing the tasty lips of his mate.

"Christ, Hollis! You'd make the devil forget himself," Taylin panted, breathlessly. He glanced over to Hollis's desk and murmured, "Saved by the phone."

"Phone?" he asked stupidly. It made no sense why they needed to be saved by a phone.

"It's ringing." Taylin chuckled as ran his thumb over Hollis's damp lower lip. "Reminding me in the nick of time that we're at work and have a meeting to get to," he said with resignation while stepping back and checking his wristwatch, "in fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes," Hollis repeated, like he was a speaking clock, his brain frazzled with how he wasn't anywhere near getting what he wanted.

"You're adorable like this." Taylin took another step backwards, then another. "You are definitely my temptation."

Hollis couldn't in his right mind see a problem with that, so he followed Taylin.

Strangled laughter boomed out of Taylin as he held up his hands as if in defense. "You gotta keep your distance…" he squeaked, making Hollis grin and take another step closer, feeling… very bold.

He liked it.

He liked it a lot.

"Seriously, my wolf's spirit isn't feeling in a very forgiving mood right now because I stopped."

"Neither am I," Hollis complained, though with the clouds of lust waning, he could—in a pinch—forgive Taylin for coming to his senses before him.

The phone, which he hadn't noticed had stopped ringing, started again. He adjusted his cock and reluctantly went to his desk, hoping reason would slap him in the face with how he needed to have his wits about him.

He was in so much trouble if he couldn't learn to control himself at work. Because his mate keeping his distance when he smelled like a little bit of heaven was for the absolute best if Hollis was going to have the ability to function at all.

It was!

"Hello, Mr. Adice here, how can I help?"

"Why aren't you in the conference room?" Silas snapped, helping to quell any lingering desire like a nuisance bug. "Have you seen Taylin? He's fucking gone walkabout!"

"He's here with me," Hollis answered truthfully, getting a hissed curse before he continued, "we were just heading to the boardroom."

This time he lied because Silas didn't need to know how close they'd come to missing the press conference if the phone hadn't interrupted them.

No .

No one needed to know how close a call that had been. Or that it wasn't Hollis being the sensible one. He couldn't quite believe it himself if truth be told, and he'd need to think about that later.