I broke in before Shane had to decide what to do with the insane omega. “If he growls anyone’s name, it will be mine.”
Austin gave me a knowing grin, but Shane chuckled and kissed my head as he came around my side of the desk. “I already have.”
Fuck, he was sexy.
Austin pretended to melt into the seat. “Tell me one of his brothers is just as sexy as he is?”
Shane laughed. Resting a hand on my shoulder, he turned to Austin. “Sorry, to the best of my knowledge the rest are too boring to interest you.”
Austin sighed dramatically. I snorted and threw a paperclip at him. “Why are you really here?”
If he’d just wanted to annoy me, then he could have done that over the phone. Austin popped up, the drama dropping away. “Just seeing if you’ve had any luck with contractors.”
It was my turn to sigh. “No, the few I’ve met with or spoken to haven’t impressed me. They’re either not private enough or far too judgmental. I even had one who went into great detail about other people’s projects trying to show me that they knew how to keep a secret. He didn’t seem to realize why I wasn’t impressed.”
They both chuckled, and Austin spoke up again. “I’ve run into similar issues. The closest thing I’ve come to a good match was a company based a few hours from here, but they were on the smaller side and the distance would probably be an issue.”
“I’ve been striking out as well.” Shane stroked his fingers over my shoulder as his gaze moved back and forth between us. “My only other option is to speak with my cousin Graham. He owns a small custom construction company. They’ve done a variety of jobs from large mansions to restaurant interiors where the owners want a unique look. I’m not sure how busy they are, but they do good work.”
“But they’re family.” Austin spoke up, glancing between Shane and me. “Is that a good idea? I know most of us are trying to keep our private lives separate from our families. What if yours started to connect the dots?”
That was a damned good question, and probably why Shane hadn’t mentioned him before.
Shane shrugged. “I’m honestly not sure how the family would take it. Most probably wouldn’t care, but my mother has very clear ideas about how relationships between alphas and omegas should work. She might get it or she might lose her marbles.”
“I don’t want to do anything that will affect your relationship with them.” Looking up at Shane, I reached out and rested my hand on his chest, loving the way his solid body felt under my fingers.
“It’s not something that everyone will understand.” I’d hate it if I caused a rift between him and his family. They were a big part of his life.
Shane put his hand over mine and started stroking my fingers. “She’d lecture and worry about you, but she’d get over it. My brothers and cousins would just tease me forever about it, so be forewarned about that.”
Austin chuckled. “You’re clearly thinking long term.”
Shane winked at him and nodded. “Oh yes.”
Fighting the blush that started to threaten, I forced my mind back to work and away from how cute Shane was. “Do you want to take the chance, then? At least talk to him about the renovations and see what he thinks about my privacy concerns. You can play it off as the crazy rich man if you need to.”
Shane grinned. “How about if I play it off like the overprotective alpha boyfriend who wants to get things right for the boss he’s dating?”
Austin laughed, but I lost the battle and felt my face heating up as I nodded. “That works too.”
“Well, let me know how that goes.” Austin stood. “I’m off to drag Wade out to dinner. It’s his turn to entertain me.”
It would have been funny if Austin weren’t so serious. “Have fun.”
But I had a feeling his mandatory “entertain me” dinners were his way of making sure the rest of us got out on a regular basis, especially Wade and Bradley. Wade had a tendency to hide at home unless we dragged him out, and Bradley was the opposite extreme. He’d work himself to death just to keep from having to socialize.
So Austin felt the need to save both of them from themselves.
“I will.” Austin beamed as he sauntered out of the room.
Shane chuckled as Austin closed the door. “Do you ever feel like you’re supposed to be grateful he’s graced you with his presence?”
Laughing, I stood and wrapped my arms around him. “You’re starting to get him. I’m impressed.”
Smiling, Shane wrapped his arms around me and kissed me gently. “How about we get out of here for the day and I spend more time getting to know you?”
The heat in his voice said he wasn’t just going to spend the evening figuring out what my favorite color was. “That sounds perfect to me.”
