His Dominant Omega Jarrett, J. (ebook reader with highlighter .txt) 📖

“Good, but I meant how did he work out? He’s not going to be one of these guys that we hire and never see again, is he?”

Josef understood where Devon was coming from. They hired men before who worked one day, then it was as if they fell off the face of the planet. “No, I think this one is going to stick around. I had him work with Dave and his crew today. And the kid must have made a good impression. Dave sent him to get a cell phone already. He said he had a good feeling about his one. Whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean.”

“Hey, if Dave likes him, the guy must be on the up-and-up. That man can smell a worthless piece of shit in a manure pile.”

Josef just nodded his head. Now that Devon brought Cole up, that was all he could think about. It drove him crazy that he couldn’t shake this needy feeling to be around the man or to seek him out and plead for sex. He wasn’t the type to beg for anything. Men threw themselves at him all the time. Case in point Jensen.

“Everything okay?” Devon crunched his beer can against his knee, drawing Josef’s attention to him.

“Yeah, I’m just tired I guess.” To emphasize his point he yawned real wide.

“Sure you are.” Devon tossed the emptied can in Josef’s lap. “Now seriously, what’s eating you? Ever since we started to talk about Cole you’ve been doing that nervous leg twitchy thing you do. So what gives?”

Living and working with his best friend was great most of the time, but at times like this it sucked. Devon knew him so well he couldn’t hide the slightest thing from him. Josef let out a frustrated growl and smacked his shirt over his knee. “Honestly? I can’t stop thinking about Cole, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Really?” Devon sat forward in his chair.

“Don’t get too thrilled. He’s not my mate.” He could tell his friend was getting excited and didn’t want to burst his bubble.

“Oh.” Devon’s smile quickly turned into a frown.

“Yeah, the scent wasn’t there. I’m definitely attracted to him, but that’s it.” For some odd reason Josef felt like a shit for saying it was just a simple attraction. It felt like more than that. But the big indicator of a mate was the smell, and Cole smelt great and all but just not like a mate should.

“That sucks.” Josef nodded his agreement. Devon stood up and held out his hand for him to take. “But nothing’s stopping you from asking the man out.”

Josef let Devon pull him to his feet. “True.” He gave Devon a huge shit-eating grin. “God knows I’m sexy as hell, and I have Jensen Collins to prove it.” He smothered his merriment when Devon’s eyes widened. “He called and asked me out on a date.”

“He didn’t.”

“He did.”

“What did you say?” Devon asked, and Josef couldn’t help but think the man looked a few shades paler than usual.

“What do you think I said? Of course I said yes. I’m meeting him later to violate his sweet little ass.” Any time the opportunity to mess with Devon came up, Josef took it. What else were friends for?

“Like hell you are,” Devon shouted as he followed Josef into the house.

He couldn’t stop laughing at the irate look on Devon’s face. Before Devon lost his cool and blew a gasket, Josef fessed up. “I’m just fucking with you. I know how much you like Jensen’s work. I wouldn’t mess that work relationship up for you.” He wrapped an arm around Devon’s shoulder and guided him toward the kitchen.

“What a relief. You had me going there for a minute.” Devon stopped him before they could enter the kitchen where the others had already convened. “But if it turns out that you do really like Jensen, I can make an exception for you.”

Josef appreciated Devon’s offer, but it wasn’t necessary. Until he got Cole out of his system all the men in a hundred-mile radius were safe. “I like him, but just not in that way, Devon. But thank you.”

Devon gave him a curt nod then headed into the kitchen. His mate, Aiden, sat at the end of the table talking with Erik. Devon took the seat next to his mate, and Aiden gave him a welcome kiss.

Josef looked across from those two lovebirds to see Viktor and Shane. They were whispering softly to one another, and Josef had no doubt it was in reference to them having crazy wild sex somewhere later that night in the great wide open.

He took his seat at the end, and Erik looked up from his plate to smile at him. Erik’s eyes went from one couple to the next then he shook his head and rolled his eyes. Josef started to laugh, and the four men in question looked at him.

Yep this was his life now. Watching his friends find love while he sat back in the wings all alone. It wouldn’t be forever. Josef had faith he’d find his mate, but the question was when? And when he did find his mate would this silly crush he had on Cole go away? Josef couldn’t put his finger on why he liked Cole. They just met and only talked for a few minutes. Surely what Josef felt on the inside stemmed from a major case of loneliness.

Skyler brought over dinner and everyone dug in. Conversation drifted from one person to the next and the idle chatter briefly took his mind off a man he couldn’t have.

* * * *

The night went by fast, and Josef had to thank a hard day’s