Page 48 of Knot Giving Up 2

“You’re not sending it?” He asks as I slide the phone back into my pocket.

“Nah, this one is just for me.”

We stay there for a moment, looking at one another in the night, alone on the balcony. But then Paris seduces us back to leaning on the railing and taking in the city, and I realize I never asked Dante whether his family will be here.

“Are your mom and step-dad coming?”

“Nah.” He shakes his head without looking at me. “She came to the last Olympics and… it didn’t go well. After her pack abandoned her, she got pretty sensitive, like her nerves are always on edge, and all the crowds and things…”

“It was too much,” I quietly finish for him.

Somewhere on a balcony above us, someone strums a guitar and sings a ballad in Spanish, breaking the quiet of the evening. The wistful sound adding to the moment. “Dante?”

“Hmm.”

“Would you really have wanted to bond me if I wasn’t an omega?” I know he’s told me already, but each time his mom and her history come up, I can’t help doubting just a little.

“I wanted you even then, Meggie.”

“That’s not the same as what I’m asking.”

“I gave Ellis the green light to pursue you.”

“Again, not the same.”

He sighs, not looking at me. “Honestly, Meggie, I don’t know.” The words are so quiet I have to lean in closer to hear them. “I wanted to. I’d decided I would. But if it came down to it… I can’t say.” His expression is sad, like the words pain him to admit.

The song dies out, replaced by soft laughter somewhere above us.

“Thank you for the poems,” I say, softly bumping my arm into his.

“What gave me away?”

“You’re the only one that calls me omega.” Another song starts up. “It’s like a fetish for you.”

His gaze stays fixed ahead, but a small smirk tugs up his lips. “Not a fetish. A reminder. You being an omega is a gift too good to be true. You're… everything.”

His gravelly voice makes my insides clench. I wet my lips and slide my hand up his arm, but when I get to his shoulder, he grimaces and pulls away.

“Is it hurting that bad?” I ask.

He turns around, leaning his hips against the half-wall so he can look back into the apartment before he answers. “It’s not good.”

“Would it help if I rubbed your shoulders?”

He hesitates, like he’s trying to decide if it’s a good idea for me to touch him.

“I’m not offering to manhandle your goodies.” I soften my sigh with a smile. “Just a little back rub.”

His gaze drifts over the Parisian scenery before he relents and gives me a resigned nod.

There aren’t any chairs out here, so Dante folds his massive body and sits cross-legged on the ground.

“Hold on.” I go inside and pluck two pillows off the couch. Returning, I give him one to sit on and place the other behind him for my knees. “Much better.”

He hisses when I first start kneading his shoulders, so I ease up on the pressure. “Is this ok?”

Dante replies with a stifled moan. Fighting back my pleased grin, I knead and rub along the hard contours of his back and shoulders. Gentle brushes along the tendons of his neck and deep palpitations into the chiseled strength of his arms. His contented heavy breaths stir in my heart as I work to ease the aches and pains.

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