Page 40 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

“I can sit by myself,” she promised.

I smirked. “Of course you can. I’m just substituting myself in as your seat.”

She squirmed against me, and I grunted.

“If you’re trying to convince me to let you go, that’s not the way to do it.”

She stilled, resembling a mouse who knew it had been spotted by a hawk—the prey to my predator. My arousal was prominent against her ass, and she suddenly seemed attuned to it.

Those pretty blues blinked up at me. “I’m sorry.”

I lightly gripped her chin, running my thumb along her bottom lip. “I’m not.”

We ordered quickly and our food arrived promptly while my brothers and I chatted as normally as we could with as many eyes as we had on us. Aldo had nodded when we’d taken our seats, a quiet greeting, but his gossipy wife Monica kept sneaking nosy glances our way. Then there were Alec, Federico, and Dante across the restaurant, who had barely stopped staring at Kitania. I sent them a scathing glare, warning them without words that if they didn’t knock that shit off, there would be consequences.

Only when they finally dropped their focus to their plates did I turn my attention back to my Omega, my arm tighteningaround her waist. She was still so goddamn fragile, her body a delicate weight against my thighs. My throat tightened as I remembered how she’d crumpled on the sidewalk. Fuck, I never wanted to see her that vulnerable again.

“Let’s start with this,” I murmured, forking a small piece of meatball from my plate. “Nice and easy,Dolcezza.”

Kitania hesitated, her eyes darting between the food and my face. I could practically feel the tension thrumming through her body.

“Yes, I know you can feed yourself. Appease me, okay?” I asked, then purred when she leaned toward the fork, her lips parting. “Good girl,” I praised, low and gravelly. “Just a little at a time.”

I fed her the morsel. As she chewed, I found myself transfixed by the movement of her throat as she swallowed.

Christ. Even that simple act was fucking mesmerizing.

“Like it?” I asked, already forking another bite.

She nodded, that familiar flush painting her cheeks again. “Yes, thank you.”

I was a complete asshole, because all I could think about were whatotherthings I could put in her mouth that she’d thank me for someday.

A few bites later, Dimitri leaned forward, his eyes filled with concern—the gentleman to my hound dog. “How’re you feeling now, Kitten?”

“Better,” Kitania whispered, her fingers unconsciously curling into my shirt. The gesture sent a wave of possessiveness through me. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.”

Marco scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. “You’re zero trouble, Angel.”

“It was our fault, anyway,” Tommas chimed in, his usual jovial tone tempered with genuine remorse. “We got carried away. It won’t happen again.”

Kitania shook her head. “It was me. I should’ve told you I’d been sick, or at least that I wasn’t feeling good. I’m not—” She swallowed, glancing around at each of us before lowering her gaze.

Marco, who was sitting beside me, reached over and hooked a finger under her chin, lifting her face. “Finish what you were gonna say.”

With a shaky breath, she continued. “I’m not used to having anyone looking out for me. It’s going to take me some time to… adjust.”

I had so many damn questions, and I saw the same reflected in Marco’s gaze as he stared silently at our mate. Slowly, he nodded. “This is all new for us, too. We’ll all have to learn together, it seems.”

I grunted in agreement, offering Kitania another small bite of food. As she ate, I couldn’t help but notice how right this felt—having her in my arms, caring for her needs. It was a foreign sensation, this urge to nurture and protect. But fuck if it didn’t feel like the most natural thing in the world.

fifteen

KITANIA

The cold metalof the gun pressed against my temple, sending shivers down my spine. My heart thundered in my chest, battering against my sternum like it was desperate to escape. Tears streamed down my cheeks as his hot breath tickled my ear.

“Kitania,” he murmured, the sound of my name dark and menacing on his tongue.

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