Misha winked at me. “Sorry, Patrick, I think you’re pretty and all, but Rory’s more my type than you. And I made the offer to him. So, Rory. What will it be? Do you accept my offer?”
In his words, I heard more than lay on the surface. Of course I would accept his help for my Da’s sake. But what Misha was asking was, would I accept him?
I wasn’t sure I was ready to answer that question. But I knew we couldn’t make it past the Chens’ front entrance without the Novaks’ help.
I nodded, hoping I wasn’t making a mistake. “I accept.”
4
Misha
I hadn't intended to kiss Rory. I really hadn't. Especially after the advice River gave me on our walk back to the parking lot. He hadn't been able to ride with us since he had his own car at the park. That didn't stop him from asking why I needed advice and—after sharing a laugh with Vasily—had told me that my best move right now was to put Rory's crisis first and help him however I could.
Vasily had more to say once we were on the road. I'd hoped he'd be distracted after the call with Pops, but no such luck with my nosy-ass brother. I knew that Vasily had my back and was loyal to a fault. But damn. The man had opinions and a way of pushing them on me that really set my teeth on edge.
From the second I'd ended my call to Rory it had been a nonstop lecture about resisting my urges and how I needed to let Rory call the shots. Because nobody knew better than him the kind of pressure that Rory was under right now. Yeah… I got it. Vasily and Rory had a lot in common, both being second in command to their fathers. And I appreciated his advice. I really did. But it was up to me whether or not I took it.
As soon as I laid eyes on Rory again—and couldn't smell him—my bear went crazy. We both did. Not being able to scent our mate was fucking cruel. And then following him into the office with that firm little butt bouncing with every step? Shit. It had been enough to drive me wild.
I hadn't been able to resist crowding against him, hoping for even a hint of that glorious scent. But when I'd gotten close enough to touch him and he didn't push me away, I'd been brave enough to put a hand around his waist. In that split second, his lips had parted and his pupils had dilated ever so slightly.
I'd had no choice but to cup his cheek with the palm of my hand and go for the kiss. The moment our lips had touched, I felt sparks burst in my chest. Taking advantage of those parted lips, I'd let my tongue dart inside just enough to caress his. Scent blockers could hide things from my nose, but they didn't work to block the taste. His taste. And that had been enough to put both me and my bear at ease.
Although I would've happily kissed him for hours, I finally remembered our watching brothers. That's when I forced myself to slowly pull away. I couldn't hide my relieved smile, so I'd done what I do best—deflected with a cocky attitude and a light dose of humor. Thankfully it worked and he hadn't slapped me or kicked me out.
Even better, he'd actually listened and seemed to understand the silent plea for acceptance I delivered with my offer. I knew from the sparkle in his eye and the slight hitch in his breath when he said "I accept" that he was accepting more than the favor. My mate was willing to accept me. Now that I knew that, I could wait as long as necessary. When Rory was ready, he could make the next move.
Until then, I was going to stay by his side and help in any way I could. Now if the Chen triad would take his call, maybe we could start making things happen. I winced when he threw his phone down and turned to lean against the desk after his third call in the past forty minutes to the number Pops had given me.
Vasily started to open his mouth, but I was faster this time. "Still nothing?"
Rory shook his head, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "Same shit as the first two times I tried. The not-so-helpful assistant assured me that Mr. Chen had been given my message and would return my call as soon as it was convenient."
"Oy. Sounds like a bunch of dodgy fuckers if you ask me. How hard is it to answer a phone? Screening calls is a bullshit move." Patrick ground his fist against the opposite palm. "Time for action. What we need to do is go pay the Chens a visit. It's a lot harder to blow someone off if they're standing at your door."
Vasily held up a finger. "Hold that thought, Patrick. You make a good point, though. This does require action. Knocking on their front door isn't the right call though." He dug his phone out and started to unlock the screen. "No, I think the problem might be that they're old school and need to hear from someone in my family that we're letting yours cash in our favor. No offense to Rory, but why would they believe him? No, they need to hear it from a Novak first."
"Right idea, wrong Novak. Put your phone away, Vas." I couldn't help the growl in my voice but my gut said I needed to be the one to do this for Rory. Vasily froze with his finger hovering over the screen as he looked my way with a lifted brow.
I shrugged and tried to explain. "I get that you're the second most powerful member of our family, but I think I can appeal to them better." I rested a hand on Rory's arm, searching his eyes. "That is, if you don't mind if I tell them I'm your mate. I feel like they’ll respond better if they know it's not just business or my family using our favor to gain something from yours."
"Hmm. That makes sense. Pops said they were all about honor and tradition." Vasily frowned thoughtfully then nodded to himself as he shoved the phone back in his pocket. "Yeah. I'm good with you being the one to reach out."
Rory glanced at my hand on his arm then almost cautiously rested his hand over it. "It's okay, Misha. You can tell them anything you need to if it will get them to talk to us." His lips twitched in a quick smile before he dropped his hand.
My heart soared at the sound of my name on his lips. I reluctantly let go of his arm and pulled my own phone out. After typing in the number Pops had given me, I put the phone to my ear and tried to ignore my racing heart while I listened to it ring on the other end. I was scared it was about to go to voicemail when a woman with a bored tone that didn't quite match her high-pitched voice answered. "Thank you for calling the Chen family. Please state your business."
Damn. Rude, much? Hiding my frustration, I injected as much respect and friendliness as I could and made sure to give as many details as possible since it was impossible to know which one might sway them into listening.
"My name is Misha Novak. My business is with Li Chen regarding a favor he granted my omega father Petr when they were boys. My alpha father is Don Novak. When my papa died, Li Chen sent a lovely plant to our family with a private note to my father. In that note, he mentioned the favor and promised my father that he would still honor it for him or any of Petr's sons. The man who has been calling and leaving messages is my mate, Rory O'Malley. His father, Seamus O'Malley, has gone missing and nobody but Li has the ability to help us find him." No way in hell was I going to risk offending them by mentioning dragons over the phone.
I held my breath, waiting for her to tell me that they would call me back when it was convenient. My jaw dropped when I got a different answer. "Hold, please." I almost laughed when I realized she'd actually put me on hold when music started playing in my ear.