Page 167 of Hard Knot

"Am I though?" I sniffle for effect, and he groans again.

"Fine.”Poor guy. I’m diabolical.“We can stand here and you can sway."

The tears vanish instantly as I beam up at him.

"Got you!"

"Women are the bane of my existence," he mutters, but there's no real heat in it.

"Admit it," I tease as I guide him toward a less crowded spot on the dance floor, "you can be a really nice guy when you want to be."

"I don't understand you at all," he says, but he doesn't resist when I rise on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck.

His hands find my waist again, and with surprising gentleness, he encourages me to step onto his feet. The position brings us closer together, my head now perfectly positioned to rest against his chest.

"Are you going to carry me the whole time?" I ask, oddly touched by the gesture.

"Yes."

"That's...actually really romantic."

He doesn't respond, but his arms tighten slightly around my waist as we begin to sway to the music. The position feels unexpectedly intimate – not just physically, but emotionally too. Like we're sharing something neither of us quite knows how to name.

"Do you do this often?" I ask softly.

"No," he admits after a moment. "Never."

"Why not?"

He's quiet for so long that I think he might not answer.

"The others...in the past. They didn't care about this stuff. Dates. Close bonding shit. None of it." His voice carries an edge of bitterness. "Only cared about the benefits of my existence as an Alpha and nothing more."

"That's dumb," I declare, nuzzling closer to his chest. "I want to do all that stuff with you. I want to go on dates and watch you box and...everything."

I feel rather than see his smirk.

"You can barely see straight right now."

"Next time I'll be less wasted," I promise solemnly.

"Somehow I doubt that."

We sway in comfortable silence for a few moments before he speaks again, his voice thoughtful.

"You don't actually drink much, do you?"

A giggle escapes me as I press my face into his chest, but there's something darker beneath the sound.

"Stopped when I became an Omega."

"Why?" he asks quietly. "Is that some Omega thing I don't know about?"

My laugh this time is hollow, and I find myself holding him tighter as the words slip out before I can stop them.

"I don't want to be raped again so...no."

His entire body goes rigid, our swaying coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the dance floor. I can feel his heartbeat accelerate under my cheek as he processes what I've just said.

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