Page 93 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

I watched as he disappeared into the small bathroom, and a moment later, the water kicked on. I scratched absently at my arm, already hating the distance between us, though we were only a door apart.

I’d never felt this clingy before. This needy.

Everything is fine.

But it wasn’t. Not really. Deep down, I was rattled. And there was nothing I could do to fix it.

The only thing that seemed to help lately was the proximity of my mates.

In fact, a puppy pile with my Alphas in a nest sounded likeheaven.

Ohmigosh, did you seriously just think that?

Heat flew to my cheeks. I hadn’t let myself dream of having a nest, but I was Omega enough to admit it was getting harder to ignore the fantasy.

To regain my composure, I breathed deeply, hoping the Alpha in the next room wouldn’t realize how far my thoughts had strayed.

Gio emerged a few minutes later, water droplets still clinging to his skin, and my mind went blank. Jaw dropping, I drank in the sight of him, my gaze skimming over every inch of his naked, tattooed chest.

Good God.

He was wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweats that hung low on his hips, and I couldn’t help but stare as he pulled a white t-shirt on.

He caught me looking and smirked. “See something you like?”

I felt a wave of warmth spread across my cheeks, but before I could respond, his phone buzzed.

He checked it quickly. “The others are on their way. We’re going to meet them.”

He crossed the room to me in two long strides. Cupping my face in his hands, he kissed me deeply, sending heat somewhere else entirely. When he pulled away, his eyes were dark with concern and something else I couldn’t quite name.

“You ready to return to the fray?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “No,” I admitted. “But I’m going to do it, anyway.”

“That’s my girl,” Gio purred, his pride evident.

Opening the door, he guided me out with a hand on my lower back. I soaked in the gentle press of his palm, loving how relaxed we’d become with each other. It was these small moments, the little grazes and touches, I craved the most. It was a comfortable kind of intimacy, and I thrived on it.

We stepped into the hallway, but the moment I crossed the threshold, I collided with someone. The impact knocked me back a step, and I looked up to see a man in his early thirties with blonde hair and brown eyes. A jagged pink scar ran across the bridge of his nose, and as our gazes met, a sneer twisted his features.

A sense of familiarity washed over me. My stomach churned uneasily. I knew this guy, but from where?

A menacing sound tore from Gio, and he expertly maneuvered his way in front of me, using his broad body as a shield.

“You’re not allowed back here,” he snapped at the man and his cronies, who lingered behind him.

My head throbbed as a memory fought to surface, and I squeezed my eyes shut, unsure if I was trying to push the images away or grasp onto them. They came anyway, vivid and nauseating.

The Valentinos, parading me around in front of their friends with barely any clothing to cover me. The masculine laughter and jeers that made me wish the ground would open up andswallow me whole. But it had been their touches, grazing and greedy, that made me physically ill.

They’d offered Rocco money to knot me, and I’d thanked God that he was a possessive man who had wanted me for himself and his brothers instead of whoring me out.

My fingernails curled into my Alpha’s t-shirt. “Gio,” I whispered harshly, voice trembling. “I know him. He’s one of Rocco’s friends.”

Gio’s entire frame went rigid. “Stay back.” The order was nearly a bark, and I couldn’t stop myself from taking a small, retreating step.

Oblivious to the danger he was in, the guy inhaled deeply, as if he were trying to drag in my scent despite the blockers I wore. He growled, pissed off that he couldn’t get a hit of my signature. But it was his words that made my skin crawl. “It’ll be a waste of good pussy when she’s in pieces.”

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