Page 80 of Knot Your Rebel

His cheeks flush almost as if he’s embarrassed for being a help. “I did what anyone else would do.”

She raises a hand to his cheek and pats it. “You can tell yourself that until the cows come home, but we all know that’s not true.”

“Maggie!” I hear a voice yell from the kitchen, and she smiles.

“Ooops, guess I’m needed. The pizza will be out in just a few minutes.” My brows furrow. We haven't ordered pizza yet. I look at Tate for some type of clarification, but he just continues chatting with Maggie before she turns on her heel and heads to the kitchen, the door swinging closed behind her.

“We didn’t order pizza yet…” I whisper to Tate as if Mama Maggie is going to overhear us.

He winks. “She knows my order. It’s never changed.”

“But what if I don’t like it?” I can’t help but razz him.

“You will.”

The bond tingles, and I smile. I love being able to feel his emotions. All of them. Especially the times where he's so carefree and happy, like now.

Five minutes later, Maggie is coming back through the swing door and heading our way. She lifts the pizza boxes and smiles, “Here’s your pizzas, all ready to go. Are you eating here or taking it with you?” I go to respond, but Tate beats me to it.

“Taking it with us.” Tate pulls a fifty from his wallet and hands it to her.

She shakes her head and shoves it away. “You know your money’s no good here anymore.”

“I,” he says with a smile, “am a paying customer, Mama. Therefore, you’re getting paid.” Leaning down he drops it on the table, grabs the boxes, throws an arm around me, and leads me toward the door. “Have a good night, Mama.”

“Take care of each other.” I peek back over my shoulder to see her smile touching her eyes, wide as ever. She waves a small goodbye when we make eye contact and winks. I really hope this isn’t the last time I see her. No, this won’t be the last time, I tell myself. Tate isn’t going anywhere.

I abandon the voices in my head trying to convince me otherwise and hold onto my alpha just a little tighter as we make our way to his car. He looks down at me with a wide grin plastered across his face before he leans in and kisses my forehead. He helps me into the car while still holding the pizza, and then hands it to me after I get my seatbelt buckled.

The ride home is short, and we’re walking through the front door in the next ten minutes. I make my way into the living room when Tate heads for the kitchen. Things cling and clang as he grabs plates and napkins for the food before walking into the living room. He’s got the pizza boxes in one arm, the plates and napkins on top, with the other hand holding steady on top. “And now… let me proudly present your dinner.”

I can’t help but laugh. “Disney? Really?”

“Yep.” He smirks but says nothing else as he puts the pizza and accouterments on the coffee table. Grabbing the remote, he plops down onto the couch beside me and starts flipping through the channels. “It’s not too late, we should be able to catch the last few minutes of the game.”

“You had a game tonight?” I ask, suddenly feeling guilty.

He nods. “Yep, and I told Coach that I had to spend the day with my omega. He wasn’t happy about it, but he accepted it.” I frown, my eyes dropping to my hands in my lap. He reaches up, lifting my chin with his thumb and forefinger. “No, no hiding. You needed me today. I won’t ever leave you when you need me.”

The comment has a tear slipping from my eye at the sheer genuineness in his voice. He truly means that. I nod. “Okay.”

He looks away from me, seemingly satisfied by my answer, and starts looking for the right channel. Finding it, he turns it on. It’s the last six minutes in the second period, and the Hellbenders are up four to one.

I try to follow the puck as best I can, but it’s not exactly easy on TV, unless they have those little bubbles with the player’s names on them pop up above each of them when they have the puck. But that doesn’t happen often.

We get settled, and Tate loads up our plates with pizza. “How hungry are you?”

“Starved.” I whisper, not sure whether it’s that I’m really wanting food or him. I’ve found it incredibly hard to focus the last day or two. Even though I had a breakdown in the shower, I still managed to think about sex only a few hours later.

I can’t stop sneaking peeks at him today. He’s so rugged and sexy. His scent is overpowering, and the struggle is real fighting against myself to climb him like a damn tree. My heat is definitely coming and soon, but I don’t want to tell Tate yet. Hockey season is important, and I don’t want to distract him by worrying about my heat.

I know the next few games are a big deal, and I refuse to be the reason he plays like shit. Plus, everyone will know it was his omega. I will be the reason he plays so poorly. They’d blame me. Bringing a piece of pizza to my lips, I moan at the cheesy goodness settling against my tongue. “Holy hell, that's delicious!” I exclaim. Tate responds with the perfect smile. Of course, he knows this already.

My next bite elicits another moan, and this time, Tate does say something. “Rebel…” It’s a warning. I can see the heat in his eyes. The promise of delectable sex just below the surface. “If you moan again, I won’t be held liable for my actions.” This is his low and growly, sexy Tate voice. The one that turns me on, and he knows it.

I grin at him and then reply in a teasing lilt. “Is that a threat?”

His smile is feral. “It’s a promise, Rebel.” As much as hot sex sounds amazing right now, I am actually hungry. So, this time, when I take a bite, I inwardly moan in delight. I’ve made it through three slices of pizza before I claim defeat and set my plate down on the coffee table beside the now empty pizza box.

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