Page 81 of Knot Your Business

“She get nervous at these types of things?” I make the final turn toward the address, surprise lighting through me at it being in one of the newer upscale hotels whose only event space is outdoors.

Rylan snarls. “You’d fucking know that if you hadn’t spent the last four weeks avoiding her.”

I shrug, and he shakes his head.

“And then when you did finally interact with her, you fucked her and left her before your knot was even gone. You do realize that shit fucking hurts them, right?” His voice is low and dangerous, lethality woven through it. The threat is clear enough, and part of me wants to rise to the bait just to burn off the frustration of the last thirty-six hours.

I breathe slowly, counting to ten.

Was it my best moment? No. Definitely not. But I’m not about to waste my time trying to explain it to Rylan when he’s never struggled with being Alpha.

The moment I’ve pulled the car into the line for the valet, Rylan’s opening his door and heading toward the entrance. I hand off the keys, adjusting my suit jacket and tie before following after him, making sure to outpace him without actually running. There’s a small sign at the back of the lobby, indicating the event’s name and rooftop location.

The silence is tense between us and only grows worse once we’re in the elevator and the floors are passing by us. By the time we’re opening the glass door and stepping onto the rooftop, the need to punch something is so strong in me that my hands tremble.

“She’s signing the annulment,” Rylan whispers as we pause to look for Jasper and Violet.

She’s leaving. I should be fucking ecstatic. It’s what I’ve wanted this entire time.

No more hearing her snark with Rylan, hearing her giggle with Jasper, hearing her talk with her friend that moved to Denver. No more finding her things scattered around the house because Omegas need to make every little space their own safe haven. No more seeing her cold brew in the fridge or seeing her eyes light up when she realizes Rylan or Jasper made it for her. No more waiting for her to announce Rylan or Jasper knocked her up.

I should have relief flooding me. And yet…

My stomach twists.

Fuck. Me.

I do actually like her, don’t I? And not just because her body sings to mine. I want to see her eyes light up when I walk into the room. I want to see her shoulders drop away when I kiss her temple when she’s had a stressful day. I want to hear the noises she makes when it’s my knot that’s setting off her orgasm.

“I expected celebrating,” Rylan says, voice dry, his Tennessee accent heavier than normal. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually decided to like her after I had to spend last night saying goodbye. Let’s hope she hasn’t told Jasper yet, or he’ll probably throw you over the side of the building.”

“Has she filed it yet?” I ask, ignoring the jab. Jasper probably will throw me off the building. Out of his life at the very least. He begged me to make this work, to find a balance so he could have us all.

Rylan shakes his head and shoves his hands into his pockets. “Council isn’t open until Monday. Final paperwork is due Wednesday. She’ll probably wait for Faedra to get back from her trip.”

Cazzo. Her friend isn’t even home right now? How had I never noticed before just how fucking brave she is?

Because you only saw what you expected, that voice whispers to me. I shove it away along with my feelings over the whole mess and scan the rooftop, trying to find Jasper. He’s easy enough to spot despite the moderate crowd. His blond hair is a bit too ruffled to match everyone else’s perfectly polished appearance. Rylan blows out a breath and starts toward him. I follow half a step back, scanning the space for Violet, something dark twisting in my chest when I realize she’s not here.

Jasper swallows as we approach, a wariness in his gaze I haven’t seen before. The man next to him is older, his light brown hair fading into gray along the sides. His green eyes are sharp, though. I recognize him at once. Johnathan Fallon is incredibly well-known, after all. Even in the mafia.

“Johnathan, you’ve met Rylan,” Jasper says as we stop in front of them.

The man nods and shakes Rylan’s hand easily. His gaze grows cold as he looks me over.

“This is Dominic,” Jasper says. His gaze is full of warning that’s unneeded right now.

I offer my hand and the man takes it, tighter than necessary.

“I’m Johnathan Fallon,” he says quietly. His voice is calm, but his eyes flash with the threat of violence. “Violet is my daughter.”

Cazzo.

“Nice to meet you,” I say, letting my hand drop.

He nods once before turning as his name is called across the space. He claps Jasper on the shoulder in wordless apology and then heads toward whoever needs him.

The moment he’s out of earshot, Jasper says, “You had better not be here to make a scene, Dom. The literal worst thing that could happen right now is you doubling down on refusing to make this permanent.”

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