Danai’s eyes were wide then, and Everitt thought he could see some red on her cheeks. It might’ve just been her makeup, and he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to see her blush because of the hue of her brown skin. She opened her mouth to say something, but seemed to reconsider before she closed it. 

“We should start doing some actual work,” Danai told him, then handed him a notepad. “You don’t seem to have anything to write on.”

Everitt sighed, “sorry, but do you have something more modern?”

Danai raised her brows, and Everitt slumped in his seat a bit.

“It’ll save us time, instead of having to move the notes, letter by letter, into whatever doc you’re writing in.”

She looked at him, then over at her desk, “there’s an iPad over there that you can use. It has its own keyboard.”

Everitt said a quick, “thank you,” before he went and grabbed the device, and came back to the couch next to Danai.

For the next few hours, the two of them worked pretty seamlessly. They bounced ideas off of each other, shared notes, and came to compromise on how the segment would go. They would start with Danai’s backstory, go into how she got where she was, and then talk about the upcoming Nano awards. Everitt didn’t miss the smile Danai tried to hide when they discussed the Rookie of the Year award.

They didn’t even notice they’d skipped lunch until Danai’s stomach started to complain. Loudly.

“Didn’t even notice how long we’ve been here,” she smiled sheepishly as she glanced at her watch. “It’s almost time to head home.”

Everitt checked his own watch, then grimaced, “damn, already?”

He stood up to leave, and made sure to place the iPad carefully on Danai’s desk. She was doing the same with her laptop, and was right near him when he was about to head for the door. His alpha, who had been calm and quiet for hours, was suddenly very aware of the omega and how inviting her scent was. Danai moved to walk past Everitt, but he blocked her way without thinking.

She blinked up at him, “what are you-”

His head dipped down to her neck before she could say anything else, and she stood there in shock while Everitt nosed along her scent gland. He sighed, feeling some relief when he was finally able to breathe her in completely. His alpha was pleased. He could smell her surprise, and also noted when it turned into contentment. She tipped her head to the side, allowing him easier access to her neck. Everitt barely managed to hold himself back when he felt her hands on him, circling his shoulder blades and tracing up and down his spine.

“You smell like fresh flowers and honey,” Everitt sighed.

The sound of her hums was like music to his ears, a simple melody that had the potential to evolve into a beautiful symphony. Her sounds drew out more when his lips brushed against her skin, and he purposefully drew more out of her once he noticed that. She had started moaning softly soon enough, and Everitt’s hands found her hips and caressed them gently. 

“You can’t really smell all that,” she insisted, though it was barely convincing with how breathy she was. 

‘She’s gotta be joking,’ Everitt thought to himself, nosing more aggressively along her neck. Even as he was openly scenting her, he felt like it wasn’t enough. Her scent was like the most exquisite perfume, so priceless it couldn’t be bottled. And her skin was impossibly soft and smooth against his face. 

Danai sighed, then her nose touched his collarbone, and it seemed like she was about to scent him as well when someone knocked on the door. They leapt apart, and Danai’s eyes searched Everitt’s before she looked to see who had interrupted them.

It was Hal, with Patrick right behind him.

“Glad to see you’re both here,” he grinned, and Everitt was glad that the two men were mated. 

There was no way they’d miss the smell of arousal and his and hers scents mixing together in the room. That didn’t seem to matter to Danai, who was busy spraying air freshener around the office.

“Yes, how can we help?” She asked, smiling as though nothing had happened.

“We’re getting drinks tonight--us execs, and some of the employees from Future and Visionary -- and we thought you two should come,” Hal said.

Danai and Everitt looked at each other, then back at the older man. 

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“We wouldn’t wanna make things weird.”

Hal waved his hands around, promptly shutting them up. “The companies are buying, and this is the kinda thing that leaves a good impression on the higher-ups. Plus, unless you’re secret best buds, it gives you a chance to get to know each other better. What do you two have to lose?”

Their eyes met again, and they knew that there wasn’t much they could say to argue against that. 

******