Page 6 of Knot Her Reality

“It sure did,” I say with a laugh. “Nothing like throwing the whole show into a tizzy. It’s clear that we’re both happy to meet one another, but why don’t you tell me a little about yourself? Besides the fact that you’re an omega.”

“Let’s see. What’s the thing that always surprises people the most? Oh, right!” He holds up his hands so I can see the tattooed backs of them. “As you can see, I’m tattooed, but I’m also a tattoo artist.”

“That’s amazing,” I say, reaching for his hand but coming up short. “Maybe touching isn’t a good idea.”

Koda’s head falls back as he laughs, and for a moment, I get lost in his beauty. I know it seems like a weird thing for me to say, but men can be just as beautiful as women, and Koda definitely is.

Finally, he calms down and nods. “That’s probably a good call.”

“Are any of these your designs?” I ask, eyes roving over the back of his hands.

He shakes his head. “No, sadly not. It’s really hard to tattoo yourself, and I wouldn’t be able to do the whole piece. So I found someone I trusted to do it for me.”

“The piece? How much of your body is covered in tattoos?”

Koda smirks. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?”

The idea of pulling off Koda’s clothing to inspect him for tattoos sends a rush of heat through my body, slick spilling into my panties again as I perfume. Koda huffs in my scent before perfuming himself. I shake my head, almost choking on our combined scents.

“Yeah, I think I will.” I make a face. “It’s probably a good idea to stop this for now. I’m sure the next suitor will be pulling up any moment now, and well… we keep perfuming.”

Koda laughs. “That’s probably a good idea. I wonder what it’s going to be like when we’re inside and not just outside. It could make for an interesting night, huh?”

His lips brush against the corner of my mouth before he steps back and walks away. I spin around to find him walking backward, a smirk on his face. Our eyes meet as I perfume again, and I can practically see the stress rolling off of Bree. I shoot her an apologetic smile and turn back around. Reginald is laughing quietly, and I flip him off. I’m glad someone is entertained by my inability to stop perfuming for another omega. I’m meant to perfume for alphas, not omegas. And yet, Koda had me perfuming all over the place.

Reginald sobers up and joins me. “We had the limo pull over not too far from here—well before the area the protesters have set up in. Bree just let them know to head this way, so they’ll be here in just a few minutes.”

“Thanks, Reginald.”

“I know I was laughing, but I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you can’t control your perfume. I am surprised that we could all smell it through the scent-canceling undergarments, the scent-canceling body wash, and the spray, but I know that’s nothing you chose to have happen. Tyler would kill me if he knew I made you uncomfortable.”

I smile, shaking my head. “No, you’re fine. I won’t go complaining to Tyler, I promise. I appreciate the apology, though.”

With one more smile, he makes his way back to his mark. “After a little bit of drama, our last remaining day one suitor is just about to arrive. It’s already been an eventful first day, and not everyone is here. Something tells me this season is going to be good if tonight is anything to go by. Oh, and here comes the last limo of the night.”

Forcing myself to turn away from Reginald, I watch the limo come toward me. The door opens before it even fully comes to a stop. A large man steps out, his silver hair slicked back. He doesn’t smile as he moves toward me, which I don’t mind. He has a short, trimmed beard the same color as his hair, and his eyes are a majestic ocean blue. What is with all of these suitors with pretty blue eyes?

Not that I’m complaining.

Just from looking at the man, I can tell he’s an alpha. He has a presence about himself that’s hard to hide. He’s much taller than me, even in my heels. At least half a foot over six feet and broad, muscles pressing against his suit as he stalks toward me. It takes me a moment to realize that he’s moving like the black panthers I was obsessed with for years—like I’m his prey. I’m unsure how I feel about that just yet, but I guess we’ll find out in a moment.

His scent is the first thing to hit me as he stops a few inches from me, his eyes locked on my neck—sweet apples, cinnamon, walnuts, and maple. Mmmmm… like a cozy breakfast on a cold morning. I love it.

“Omega,” he growls, his eyes never lifting from my bare neck.

Rolling my eyes, I lift my chin. “Alpha. If you’ve already forgotten my name, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll happily remind you. The only time I like to be referred to as my designation is the bedroom, and this,” I gesture to the area around us, “is not the bedroom. My name is Evangeline.”

He blinks at me, tilting his head to the side before shaking his head. “Damn. I’m so sorry, Evangeline. I don’t know what came over me. Your scent… it’s…”

“You shouldn’t even be able to smell me like that.” I laugh. “I think we got defective products. Let’s just say today hasn’t gone as planned.”

“Wait.” The man frowns. “That’s not just your scent, is it?” His eyes dart over my shoulder, and I assume he finds Koda standing there because he lets out a growl.

“Whoa, buddy,” I tell him, laying my hands on his chest and pushing him away from me. “You need to get your alpha under control.”

He shakes his head again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m not usually like this. Please don’t hold this meeting against me. I promise I’m usually not so…”

“Brutish?” I offer, and he chuckles.

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