Page 20 of The Bear's Fated Mate
I will take care of that. I’m far more charming than you,the beast informed him jauntily.
Alex laughed softly as he made his way back to the roof of the pack house. The fresh air hit his face, sharpening his senses and brightening his spirits while he snuck away.
He stopped at his personal office to finish up a couple of vital tasks, slipping away an hour later with the happy sensation of starting a holiday. Which was a wildly different mind-set than how he usually felt at this point of the mating fever adventure.
He was headed to his apartment to pack a bag when an incoming call clicked through his hands-free phone.
Call from: Gramps.
Since the night of the gala, Alex had successfully managed to avoid the old man outside of business hours. No way did he want his gramps to know what was going on right now, either, since most of the messages on his answering machine involved the Borealis patriarch berating him for wasting energy on Lara.
Still, maybe before disappearing for a week he should do a little damage control to keep the old man off his scent. “Hey, Gramps. How goes the day?”
“My day is fine, but there’s obviously something wrong with yours,” Grandfather Giles complained. “Why am I leaving voice messages for you when you never return them?”
It was too much to resist. “I don’t know. Whyareyou leaving voice messages when I never return them?”
His grandfather growled. Alex barked out a laugh.
“Ungrateful cub.” Gramps clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “You are rather brilliant, though, so I’ll forgive a few little foibles like you forgetting your manners.”
“Thanks so much. It’s good to know you think I’m brilliant, although I’m not sure what brought that on.” Alex transferred to his phone as he left the car in the parking lot and headed up to his apartment. “Anything in particular?”
“Keeping an eye on that undersized woman from Midnight Inc. was smart. I like your initiative, although it would’ve been nice if you’d warned me the cozying up last week was all a job. Had me worried you were losing your senses for a while.”
Once again Alex wondered about his grandfather’s mental health. “Anything in particular about Lara give you pause? Anything concrete for me to trace, that is.”
Because random comments about how unsuitable and impassionate she was made no sense and just annoyed his bear.
“Woman can’t look me in the eye. Never trust a person who can’t fix you square on in the eye and give a polite hello,” his grandfather warned as if Alex were a preteen learning public etiquette.
“When did you last see Lara?” Alex didn’t remember his grandfather meeting her other than briefly at the gala.
“Five minutes ago. I was in the grocery store picking up a few things, came around the corner, and she was there pushing a cartload of junk food and ice cream.”
Unexpected food choices, and ones that his time with their office manager, Amber, told him Lara was looking for some comfort. Or she had a sweet tooth.
The things he didn’t know about her nagged like a sore tooth.
“Since when did you become a Canada’s Food Guide critic?” Alex asked his grandfather. “I seem to remember more than one bag of Halloween candy stashed in your office over the years.”
His gramps grumbled good-naturedly then tossed out the lulu of all suggestions. “I think she was heading out on a road trip. I might’ve eavesdropped a little, but it seems the woman is driving north in the morning. I don’t like the sounds of that, my boy. You have anything dire at the factory in the next while that you can’t put off?”
It was an unexpected answer to one of his problems. “Are you telling me to follow her?”
“I wouldn’t presume to tell you how to do your job, but considering we have holdings to the north and Midnight Inc. doesn’t, her trip strikes me as suspicious. Might be a good thing to keep an eye on her.” His grandfather had dropped to a quiet, conspiratorial tone. “Always better to keep ahead of the competition. Get a jump on them, so to speak.”
A violent ache shot through his gut as his bear offered a picture of Alex jumping on Lara. Both of them naked.
Alex gritted his teeth as he fought for control.
His voice still sounded raspy when he managed to answer. “Thanks for the heads-up. I won’t be in the office for the next few days. Depending on what happens, I won’t be answering my phone either. Don’t worry. I’ve got this under control.”
His grandfather answered politely, and then they both hung up.
Alex had to admit, at least to himself, that while it was the perfect solution to getting out of town and dealing with the mating fever on the sly, he’d totally lied his ass off.
Under control? He was the furthest fucking thing from it.
