Page 66 of Believe it or Knot

“Let me know if anything happens,” I say, clapping him on the shoulder before hurrying after my pack.

By the time I catch up to them, they’re already settling around our table. It’s in the back, in a private room, away from prying eyes and curious stares.

Though in order to get to the table, we have to go through the restaurant. Still, most everyone seems involved in their own meals and I don’t see more than three people look up as I pass by.

Gray is pushing in Sorrel’s chair for her as she looks around the elegant room with wide eyes.

“This is so fancy,” she murmurs, almost to herself. Our prime kisses her shoulder as he settles, taking a deep breath of her skin before he straightens and runs a hand down the back of her head, being careful not to mess up her hairdo. She looks up at him with a smile as Liam settles into the seat next to her, his hand sliding onto her thigh under her skirt.

If she cares, she doesn’t say anything, picking up the menu and scanning over it, before snapping it shut with her eyes wide and her cheeks pale. It’s almost comical how startled she looks.

“What’s up, conejita?” I ask, taking the spot closest to the door, putting myself between my pack and anyone who enters. It’s not ideal to have it at my back, but I’d rather it be me than any of them.

She shakes her head and reaches for her wineglass of water, taking a sip. “It’s nothing. Just… nothing.”

“Tell us,” Gray orders.

Sorrel’s shoulders slump and her lower lip pushes out into a pout. “There are no prices on the menu and everything’s in French.”

“Ah,” Gray says, nodding and draping his napkin over his lap. I smile when Sorrel mimics him. “Well, I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the menu, or I can just order for you. Everything here is delicious, so you won’t be disappointed. And as to the prices… don’t worry about it. We’re paying and we can afford anything you feel the urge to get.”

Sorrel’s brow furrows as she bites her lip. “It’s one of those, if you have to ask for the price you can’t afford it things, isn’t it?” She sounds weirdly sad about that. Like maybe this fancy ass restaurant is just making clear the differences between us. I’m sure she’s never been to a restaurant without prices before. It’s an adjustment, for sure, to just order what you want and not worry about it. It took me a while to get used to it, too.

I make a mental note to check with Liam about the rest of his plans for her stay, to make sure there are some low key things, like that food truck with the delicious tacos in the park. Yeah, Sorrel’s the type of girl that would appreciate street meat and a lazy afternoon basking in the sun.

Of course, being in the park means being exposed. Anyone could walk by and see us. Which she might not be ready for. We’ll have to play it by ear.

“It’s okay, lovely,” Liam murmurs, tipping over to kiss her temple, her cheekbone, her nose, peppering her until she giggles and pushes him away. “You’ll get used to letting us take care of you.”

Our girl ducks her chin and nods, a pretty flush spreading over her cheeks as she does so. “Maybe.” she agrees, but she doesn’t sound convinced.

Sorrel’s taking too long in the restroom.

She relaxed in increments over dinner. Mostly, I think because of the food and the exceptional bottle of wine Gray ordered. Every bite that passed her lips was greeted with a roll of her eyes and a moan that had my dick hard the first time she made it, and ache like a motherfucker every time after.

Throughout the appetizers, the salad, the main course, she moaned and licked her lips and wiggled in her chair when a particularly good morsel of food entered her mouth and it’s taken every ounce of my self-control not to throw myself over the table to bend her over and fuck her right here.

But holy Jesus, a man can only take so much.

Liam seemed to think the same because not long after our server took our dessert order, Sorrel practically leapt out of her chair, face flushed red, mouth opened in a pant, to stutter out that she needed to use the restroom.

Gray arched a brow at our omega, who shrugged. “I got curious if she was as turned on as the rest of us.” He lifted his fingers, sucked them clean right there at the table, groaning. “She absolutely was.”

So he’d tried to finger her in public and she’d run away to avoid it. Apparently, Ferris wheels were a go, but not private rooms in restaurants. We’re learning so much about her already.

Still, she’s been gone a while. I imagine it taking a bit to calm her libido, but surely she should be back by now.

A sense of foreboding trickles down my spine as I look in the direction she went yet again. “It shouldn’t take her this long, right?” I ask Gray and Liam.

Liam waves a hand. “She’s a girl. They do primping and stuff.”

Gray meets my eyes, my worry reflected in his. “But this is Sorrel we’re talking about. She doesn’t…”

Fuck. I push to my feet and practically run toward the back of the restaurant, drawing curious gazes as I do. I don’t give a fuck, though. Even if she’s totally fine and is reapplying her lipstick or whatever, I won’t be able to settle until I lay eyes on her, until I see for myself that she is, in fact, okay. Healthy. Whole. Safe.

Gray and Liam must feel the same because they’re right on my heels as I rush down the back hallway, drawing to a stop outside the Ladies. The three of us stare hard at the door.

“We can’t just go in, right?” Liam says, sounding and smelling anxious. It only serves to work my alpha up more. Protect. Protect. Protect.

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