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The statement was so absurd that I burst out laughing. Scents were one of those unspoken things that we all noticed but never commented on.
Even on the show it was hard to narrow down specific scents unless we were alone, and even then it was questionable. Fated mates weren’t unheard of, but finding them didn’t happen for everyone.
Micah stood between us with his head swiveling like he was watching a tennis match, eyes going from me to his friend and back again.
“Wait, what?” he said. “You two?”
We were definitely mates. That much was obvious, but it didn’t mean we had to dive into something. Mates were only official when bonded and I wasn’t going to just fall into bed with this stranger.
No matter how badly I wanted to.
After everything that happened, I wasn’t exactly looking for mates.
But weren’t you?I thought to myself.Did you not just go on an entire show to find one?
It was my Achilles heel. I wanted a pack so badly that it hurt. After the last few years of my life revolving around work, I didn’t want any more lonely nights. Quiet nights in the city with the occasional work-meetup sprinkled in was no real life.
I didn’t want any more quiet nights in the city living alone with just some random neighbors and co-workers to talk to.
How could I trust again so easily, though? Not to mention, this was Micah’s best friend, they had a history. I couldn’t tear his best friend away if things didn’t work out.
I was getting way ahead of myself.
“We were here to talk about this house project, right?” I prompted before walking away. I had to force my fist to unclench as I walked to the kitchen. While they settled at the table I busied myself preparing snacks and drinks for a reason to regain my composure. From Micah’s grin he saw right through me but thankfully, said nothing.
Collin’s hazel eyes met mine as he said a quiet thank you, his voice was rich and I hated the way it made me feel. I guess that wasn’t completely true, I didn’t hate it, I loved it, but I didn’t want to.
“What did you find?” Micah asked. I wasn’t sure if he picked up on my desperation for a subject change, or if he was just too excited to wait any longer. Either way, I appreciated that the conversation steered away from me.
Collin had brought in a leather portfolio with him. He opened it and pulled out three real estate listings for us.
Or rather, foreclosures.
Maybe I had underestimated the work that would go into it, but all three houses looked like they were on their last legs, if they were even salvageable at all.
“My contacts at the bank sent me these. I’m going to say that we should ignore the one on Oak Street. It looks like it’s two steps away from being condemned and if they condemn it after we buy it, then we’re responsible.”
“Okay, nix that one,” Micah said easily as he slid the remaining two towards us, placing them right in the middle so I had no choice but to study them as well.
“What do they look like on the inside?” I asked. The skepticism in my voice was strong but neither one seemed deterred.
Collin shrugged. “Probably a lot like the outside. They all need a hell of a lot of work. That’s the name of the game. When these go up for foreclosure it’s usually a gamble. But I do have a contact, I’ll try to get us inside.”
“What about electricians, plumbers, all the things we have to do in order to even sell this house in the future?” I questioned.
“Good thing I’m licensed in both,” the alpha said easily. It wasn’t cocky, just a fact. I liked his honesty.
“Okay, going to be blunt here. How do you benefit from this?” I hated how much I was stumbling around my words with this man but he didn’t seem to notice. “I’m an accountant and Micah isn’t exactly used to this work.”
“Micah and I have always talked about doing this. It was one of those things that started as a college dream. We both went for business and I think that helps us get the best deals and know how to handle real estate when it comes to that. Plus, I was working with a team before this but they were an established pack. They needed my expertise but it was really fucking weird being the odd man out.”
“He called me to vent about leaving and I proposed this idea. I need out of my current workload, have savings and good credit, it’s a good combination,” Micah defended.
“It’s not about expertise but willingness to make this work,” Collin pointed out.
“And, of course, I was all in,” Micah said excitedly. “They’re cheap buys, it would just be down to the budgeting and that’s where you come in.”
“You do realize I’m an accountant, right?” I questioned skeptically. “I’ve never done a budget on a house flip or even know what all goes into it. I’ve never compared the prices of lumber and suppliers.”
