I’d rather have something to warm me up.

Alec tittered.

The short walk to Drew and Jason’s home couldn’t have been that long, but when all Alec thought about was how he’d like to warm JT up on his own, it made it difficult to figure out where to place his feet. That’s what the alpha shadowing him did to his brain, clear it of all coherent processes.

Jason opened the door again, and he wasn’t alone. Both of Zander’s young daughters tagged along, staring up at Alec and gawking at JT.

Alec hadn’t gotten to know his nieces too well, no thanks to Zander keeping them away. But he didn’t feel slighted. As it turned out, he wasn’t alone in that department. Drew hardly ever saw his nieces, either. The difference between him and Drew being that the latter didn’t care for children.

Which explained Drew’s angry qualms over their father’s will, and particularly the clause to produce a male heir. Adoption, apparently, didn’t count. Another thing Alec learned about his father: the man was inflexible, and seriously old-fashioned. And Alec wasn’t sure whether he wanted to thank him for making the competition a bit more easier.

Still, Zander was alone in having a mate who could bear children. For all they knew, the eldest Edwards son was already in the process of making his money-making male heir.

Alec groaned, catching the attention of both Jason and JT.

It was Jason who saved him, directing JT from the entrance once he’d unlaced his boots. “This way to the kitchen and the coffee.”

Zander’s daughters clung to Jason. They didn’t even know him, but clearly they sensed the same comforting energy radiating from the detective that Alec preferred to the company of either of his brothers.

“Finally,” Drew said, biting out the one word, his censure grating on Alec’s sensitized nerves.

Blushing when he caught JT’s scowl, Alec sighed in relief when he followed Jason into the kitchen. Alec sat beside Zander on the couch opposite Drew. He wasn’t about to test the power of Drew’s glare any closer.

“I see you dragged in a friend.” He spat the last word out, his nostrils fanning. Lacing his fingers over his lap, Drew said, “I wasn’t aware that you knew bikers, Alec.”

“Bikers?” Zander echoed, arching a brow. He looked to JT.

As if sensing his stare, the taller, muscled alpha regarded them in the living area.

Zander turned to Alec now. “He’s a biker. That doesn’t explain how you know him.”

Drew sniffed. “So, you do know him.” He gave a despondent shake, sighing, the noise of a put-upon soul. “I hoped you had learned during your stay here that there are some people in society you should avoid. I only hope this is a phase.”

“A phase?” Zander squawked like a parrot.

Seriously, they were having a conversation about him like he wasn’t sitting there. Alec rolled his eyes.

Drew caught him, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits. “Yes, a phase. But apparently it isn’t.”

Zander was quiet for all of five seconds. Then he stiffly turned to Alec, his body shifting to face him too. “Is that alpha trying to mate with you, Alec?”

“No,” Alec said, face heating at their leap of theory. Unable to help himself, he glanced to JT.

Once again, JT directed his gaze from Jason and their conversation over the mugs on the counter to Alec and his persistent half-brothers.

Alec ended their staring match, his body flushed all over now, his neck a little hot under the collar of his sweater. Was it him, or had it gotten stuffier in here? He wasn’t ready to acknowledge that his omega heat was quickly burning through his layers. Soon he’d remain a mushy stain on Drew’s sofa.

“Is he?” Zander directed his question to Drew. Trusting Alec wasn’t obviously something he was going to do.

And Drew being Drew, rolled his shoulders in an aloof manner. “I don’t know.”

Zander locked his fingers together between his legs, the knuckles bloodless white, his voice grave and low as he whispered, “I thought we talked about this, Alec. I hadn’t been aware at the time that you had an active suitor.”

Alec almost guffawed. Almost.

Realizing that Zander was dead-serious, he kept his face as neutral as possible as he replied, “I figured since he wouldn’t take monetary compensation for your car, I asked him if he wanted a drink, and he accepted coffee.”

Again, Zander sat quietly, ponderously pinching the pointed tip of his beard. Finally he said, “If that’s all it is…”

“It is,” Alec affirmed.

Zander nodded, his gaze shifting over Alec’s shoulder.

Jason approached them with a tray of mugs, steam coiling off the tops. After setting them on the coffee table, he pointed out the creamer and the sugar. Pecking Drew on the mouth, he said, “I’m going to take the girls into the study.”

JT followed Jason’s lead.

Left with his half-brothers, Alec nearly excused himself to join the more friendly party in Drew’s study.

“I might as well announce why we’re here.” Zander poured creamer into his coffee and scooped in a generous amount of sugar. After stirring, he lifted the mug and tasted a sip. Meeting the stares of Alec and Drew, he said, “We’re trying to have a baby.”

“Of course you are.” Drew huffed. “Is that all you called us for? To rub in your successes, dear brother?”

Zander lifted a shoulder, his nonchalant expression not fooling Alec. “That and you should expect to hear good news soon.”

“Well, we’re trying too.” Drew nodded exuberantly, his cheeks burning red with his anger. The flush high on his sharp cheekbones more notable under the bright lighting from the bay window. “Jason and I are looking into surrogates.”

“Is that really necessary?” Zander pruned his lips, his pity waved off by Drew.

“All our friends are looking into it. And the money hasn’t ever been a problem for us.” At this he looked to Alec, sneering, “Or you, I suppose.”

Alec bit his tongue. He wasn’t going to dump his hot coffee on Drew’s lap. He wasn’t. But just in case his hand acted on his own, he settled the mug down on the tray, leaving it there to languish, barely touched.

“I’ve already told father that we’re trying again.” Zander stared at Drew. “He was happy for us.”

“Happy?” Drew rolled his eyes, sniffing. “I didn’t think he even had the ability to be happy. Are you sure he was listening to you? He does that sometimes, you know. Fade you out, smile and nod. I’m surprised you don’t know dearest daddy better, Zander.”

Zander’s brow knitted in the middle, his lips thinning.

Drew’s grin was cruel. It crawled up slowly. “Like he gives a rat’s ass about us. Don’t expect him to be at your next baby shower, he wasn’t there for both of your girls. You’d be lucky if he showed up to our funerals.”

Alec had heard bits and pieces of Justice, Zander and Drew’s omega father. He was supposed to be a cruel man. Where William had been an aloof alpha father, absorbed in his work more than his family and personal life, Justice was purportedly callous and cold-hearted. He’d kicked both of his alpha sons out soon as they were no longer legally his obligation.

It’s a wonder anyone could have loved the man to have children with him.

Zander gave Drew another sharp headshake, and then he said to Alec, “At least you’ve thought over what I’ve said. You don’t have to waste your money trying to get pregnant, or your time in shortening finding your mate. No, these are decisions you should take slowly at your age, Alec.”

“Yes,” Drew glowered at Alec over his mug. “Let us take care of the will and the money.”

Looking between them, Alec was once again outnumbered. He’d thought four days apart would have put some sense in them, but it had only given them more time to weaponize their arguments—which were grudgingly sound. Alec didn’t want a kid, and he didn’t really care for a romance right now.

Though it would be nice to have someone else to lean on, he didn’t think it would be good for his mother. Love could keep him from caring for her to his fullest. And right then that’s what he needed to be doing: caring for his mother, seeking out treatment options, and getting her back to her normal vapidly cheerful self.

So why did JT’s face pop up in his mind when he thought about marriage?

As if summoned, heavy footfalls silenced his brothers’ argument. JT passed the doorway, a phone jammed to his ear, his stare cutting to Alec’s again before he stepped out of the line of sight and in the direction of the front door.

Alec shot up, mumbling something about checking on their guest.

He heard the steady rising swarm of their gossip at his departure; they couldn’t even wait for him to clear the room properly, but he wasn’t going to stop and eavesdrop on their maligned speech against him.

Spying JT out by the sidewalk, Alec unlatched the front door and stepped out, only belatedly realizing he was doing it without his coat. He caught most of what JT was saying, his back to Alec, his hand swiping over his short hair in angry jerks.

“I just need the job,” he was saying. “Do you have it for me or not?” There was a pause, and then he said, “Call me when something clears. You owe me, bro. In the meantime, ask around the club for me. See if anyone else has heard of some immediate job openings.”

Alec hurried back inside, realizing that he’d be off the phone anytime soon.

“Where’s the biker?” Drew asked on Alec’s return.

He ignored Drew’s question, sipping at the coffee, not exactly needing caffeine to race his heart—it was doing all that on its own at the fear of being caught spying by the alpha. Alec tensed as he heard JT’s footfalls pass them.

Alec didn’t hear a word of what Drew and Zander chatted about. Likely more plotting on how to get the two hundred million from their father’s will, and underhand bickering as to which one of them was owed more of a right to the money.

Ready to relieve himself of their company, Alec stilled at the sound of footsteps again.

JT stopped by the den on his way out this time. “Thank you,” he said gruffly. “I have errands to run though, so I’ll let myself out.”

Drew didn’t accept his gratitude. He sniffed loudly on JT’s exit. “Good riddance,” he muttered, his blaming glare fixing on Alec. “Try not to invite strangers into my home again.”

Alec made no promises. Instead, seizing on the opening of excusing himself, he hurried from the room and the house. This time he didn’t forget his coat, the mimosa and coffee sloshing together inside his gut as he stepped outside, his boots crunching in the white snow, watching JT’s truck leave, the red backlights haunting him.

“Hey, you leaving already?” Jason joined him, scaring Alec on his silent approach. “Did JT leave?”

“Yes,” Alec said, watching after the bend in the road where he’d lost sight of JT’s truck. An idea dawned on him. Snapping his head to Jason, startling the detective, he asked, “Do you know where he lives?”

Jason smiled. “Not in this neighborhood. That’s all I got. And don’t ask me to use my work to hunt him down.” He nudged his chin in the direction that JT’s truck headed. “He has a friend that lives in Raven Chapel. Another biker by the name of Phoenix. They ride with The Strix MC.”

“The what?” Alec shook his head, realizing that wasn’t the question he wanted to ask. That could wait. More importantly, he wanted to know where he could find JT at the moment, and he sensed the answer lay with this friend of his.

Alec imagined Wren Forrester. Could he be this friend? The coincidences would pile on, wouldn’t they? Only one way to find out…

“Where does this friend live?”

Jason raised his brows. He folded his arms over his chest a few seconds later. “I have to ask as precaution, because I’m still an officer of the law: are you planning to disturb anybody’s peace, Alec?”

“N-No,” Alec stammered, blushing like crazy, hoping Jason chalked it off to the snapping cold. “We sorta know each other, all right. And I wanted to, um, talk to him.”

Jason bobbed his head, grinning now. “All right. I won’t hassle you. But don’t make me be the bad guy here. Out of skewered judgement, I’ll say he lives somewhere farther that way. I don’t know the exact number, but I’ve only seen this friend of his at the park, when I’m doing my morning jogs.”

“Thanks.” Alec waved then, hurrying off, leaving Jason behind as he walked briskly, his gloved hands shoved in his coat pockets. It felt as if he’d walked for days before he spied the green truck again, several houses down.

Alec figured it had to have been at least five minutes ago that he left Jason.

Glad to see the house, he memorized the house number and edged around the truck up the front path to the porch steps. Alec hovered his finger over the doorbell, hesitant for long enough to note that the curtains over the picture window beside the door fluttered. He heard noise on the other side of the door, faint but growing louder. Then the deadbolt inside gave way with a loud click and two small, redhead girls filled the doorway with their innocent curiosity.

“Who are you?” the one in a teal dress asked.

“He’s a stranger, you dummy. And you opened the door. I’m telling dad.” The one in the red overalls folded her arms and frowned at Alec.

“Dad,” the first little girl in the dress hollered, her lungs much larger than she was. “Dad! Someone is here!”

Alec shied back, stopping short of toppling off the steps as a man with long carrot red hair and a dark red beard joined them, instantly frowning. He started them off by saying, “We’re not interested in whatever you’re selling or donating.”

Alec’s mouth flapped open with a cross of an apology and a request for JT.

Lucky for him, the alpha found him first.

“He’s with me, Phoenix.” JT stepped up behind his friend. Clapping a hand on his shoulder, JT drew back Phoenix and made room between the girls to get to Alec on the porch. He grasped the door handle, adding, “I’ll be in soon. Start the game without me.”

“You in the habit of stalking people? Because if you are, I’d be happy to set you straight, kid.” JT scowled at him. “Whatever you want from me: don’t bring it to my friend’s doorstep.”

Mortified, Alec’s knees knocked together, his air whooshed out of his lungs. He struggled to find the words to explain himself. “I have to go.”

He made it as far as the bottom of the porch.

JT gripped his wrist and tugged him back, hauling him into his hard chest. Alec’s hand felt the expansive warmth under his black long-sleeved shirt, the defined muscle pressing into his palm, indented itself into his tactile memory.

Even more wobbly-kneed, Alec puffed out his suddenly short air supply, “I made a mistake.”

“You bet you did.” JT’s gruff, deep voice rumbled through Alec now that they were basically embracing like lovers again. He hadn’t forgotten how the alpha trapped him against the fridge a few days ago. He’d stolen his breath then too, pillaged his common sense, and plundered his resolution to stay romance-free for his mother’s recovery.

Tipping up his head by trapping Alec’s jaw in his hand, the alpha leveled their stares as best he could with their generous height difference, and he asked, “Now you’re here, what did you need?”

Alec shuddered, not sure he wanted to answer anymore. On the one hand JT would free him—on the other hand, yes, he’d free him, but Alec wanted to be held like this, he liked being in JT’s arms. Safety came to mind, as well as a cooling off his rampant lust.

Nothing, really. But his brain was easily fooled.

Pressing his rough, warm thumb harder into his chin, but still not enough to hurt him, JT asked again, “What do you want, kid?”

“You need a job,” Alec blurted around his thick tongue and dry mouth, “and I have an opening for one.” He didn’t know where the bravery came from, but he continued on, for fear that it fled him when he needed it most. “And it’d require you…to be my mate.”