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“No. The new guy you got came by and fixed it. No problems since.” The straight-lipped expression on Shay’s face suggests there is a problem, even it it’s unrelated to the earlier mechanical issue.
After a decade and a half, I’d say we’re more than employer and employee. Friends on a level that includes mutual trust and concern, but not close enough to socialize or share our internal stuff. Not close enough that I feel comfortable asking what’s wrong, even though it’s obvious something is. Maybe she’ll talk to Dela later. They seem to have become good friends since Dela moved to town seven months ago.
A glance over my shoulder confirms Dela has the customer traffic under control. Clearing my throat to prepare for the uncomfortable reason I’m here causes me to huff in a distinctly Minotaur way.
Shay’s attention snaps up to my face. “You okay, boss?”
“Yes. No. I hope so.”
Her green eyes open wide, all traces of irritation gone from her face. “This is a first. You’re not one to hang around in the gray zone. I take it there’s some way I can help, but you hate being in a position to ask for it.”
“Exactly.”
She waits a few beats, grinning when all I manage to get out is another bullish huff of breath. “You’re going to have to tell me. I’m not a mind reader.”
“But you are a seer, and that’s the help I’m here to ask for.”
Smile, gone. Green eyes, shuttered hard. “Then I can’t help you.”
“I know you don’t like to use your magic?—”
She cuts me off with a raised hand. “Remove the words ‘like to’ from that sentence. I don’t use my magic. Period. By choice—my choice.”
If anyone in town knows the reason Shay turned away from magic, I’ve never heard about it. “I apologize for overstepping.” Seems like my day for that. Another damn huff escapes while I’m rubbing the back of my neck. Embarrassed as I am that my bullish nature is getting the best of me, the involuntary response appears to take the edge off of Shay’s intensity.
“Let’s finish this conversation in the office,” she says, then cranes her neck to see around me, toward Dela. “I’ll just be a few minutes.”
“No problem,” Dela says, as cheerfully as always.
Shaking my head at Shay, I wave off the opportunity of a private conversation. If I can’t say it to her out here, it should probably remain unsaid, as my request should have. “No need, thank you. And I sincerely regret asking what I did. I’ve got something important coming up, and I’m in unfamiliar territory. Guess I just wanted a cheat code, to make sure I’m on the right path.”
Shay gives a small laugh. “There are no cheat codes. Even if I used my powers, I might not get the answer to whatever your specific question is. I never know what part of someone’s future I’ll see when I touch them. But if you want to talk, run your concerns past me, I’ll give you my unbiased opinion. That’s a skill I’m always willing to share.”
My turn to laugh now. Interesting as Shay’s unbiased opinion about my situation might be, I’m not going there. “Appreciate it, thanks. But it’s probably best I let things unfold however fate intends.”
“Wise choice. No point fighting fate.”
With every cell of my being telling me my mate will soon be part of my life, I couldn’t agree more. All I can do now is wait and hope Natalie feels the same way.
* * *
Two days later
CONSTANTINE
Since our first conversation two days ago, I’ve spent more time on the phone with Natalie than I have with everyone I know combined, probably for the past year, if not longer.
She replied to my emailed driving directions by saying how much she enjoyed talking to me, and suggested I call her again, anytime. Fortunately, I was alone when I read that message, because I celebrated the invitation with a bellowing rumble. Then wasted no time accepting the invitation. I called her later that day and we talked for an hour. About her art. My businesses. Conversation came easily and the minutes flew by. I only let her go when she sighed and said she had to buckle down and finish a commission piece so she could stay on schedule, adding that she was already stressed-out because she was running late.
If she were here, with our mate bond established, I would do everything within my power to ensure she never experienced stress. She wouldn’t have to take on more work than she can comfortably accomplish. She wouldn’t have to work at all. I would happily provide for all her needs, so she had time to create whatever she wanted, on her own timeline. And I would satisfy all of her intimate needs. Even without meeting her in person, I know we’ll have chemistry in the bedroom. Fate wouldn’t pair us if we weren’t compatible in every possible way.
After saying goodbye at the end of our second conversation, I resisted the urge to call her again later that night. With her impending work deadline, the three-hour time difference, and knowing she’s an early riser, I was surprised when her name lit my phone as I was settling in bed for the night. Talking to her while I lay naked in the dark made it impossible to keep my hand off my cock, which hardened the moment I heard her voice. I ended up taking our conversation to the living room, with all the lights on, to keep the growling need out of my voice. Even after an hour of conversation about our favorite foods, recreational activities, and other innocent topics, I was still hard for her.
The following day brought a couple more phone calls. The first one, brief and casual. The nighttime one leaned into flirtatious territory—on both our parts. Subtle comments. Suggestive meanings. Though it wasn’t a long conversation, it ended with a deep rumble I couldn’t contain and I’m sure she heard. And from her end, a breathy goodnight that left me no choice but to take the edge off after the call. I’ve never come so fast in my life.
This morning, I awoke to a text she’d sent in the wee hours, after checking in for her red-eye to Kelowna.
Natalie
