Page 40 of Knot Only His

Bardot: I hear you have a date tonight.

Regardless of the distance, my twin sister is still my best friend, but telephone calls are all we have to keep us connected.

I glance at my watch as my feet pad faster over the now familiar concrete sidewalks. I can’t be late for my date.

My phone rings.

I take a few deep breaths and smile at seeing my sister’s name. “Hello sis.”

“You never answered my message, and I’ve been trying to call you all day.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” The moment I say the words, the hair on the back of my neck prickles. I get this often, the sensation of someone watching me.

Bardot laughs. “No. I want to know all about your first date since you know? I mean everything. What are you wearing? And I want his name and job?”

“I don’t know anything yet.”

“Nothing.” She quietens before saying, “You need to send me some details. What if something happens to you?”

“It’ll be fine.”

“Never mind, it’ll be fine. Before you go, I need a name, where he works and where he lives. Should you disappear, I need to know where to look.”

I shake my head and giggle. “You sound as crazy as Mom.”

“You swiped right on a weirdo dating app,” she whispers. I assume she doesn’t want our mom to hear her.

“It’s not a weirdo app. It’s calledBetasAreBetter.”

“Of course, they’d say that. They’re hardly going to call itBetasAreSerialKillers.”

“It doesn’t have quite the same ring to it,” I say dryly. “Anyway...” I hesitate as I inhale a familiar scent.

I shake my head, despite the feeling that someone is watching me.

“At least you’re getting back into the dating scene.”

I laugh. “Make your mind up. You thought he was a serial killer a minute ago. And don’t get too excited, it’s just a drink.”

My sister huffs.

“I’m still worried. I need you to turn on your location app. Or contact me every half an hour with where you are.”

“Whatever, Bardot. I need to go,” I say and press disconnect. A grin spreads across my face.

I’m going on a date.

What I haven’t told my sister is that I don't want a boyfriend. I don’t need one. All I want is to be fucked, and then he can leave me alone.

I pay the fare and push myself out of the cab before heading to the bar that Freya advised me to go on a first date.

Once inside, I glance around before raising my cell to check out what my date looked like again.

I look around once more, then I walk further into the bar, rubbing my hand over my neck at the strange tingling feeling needling the back of my neck.

“Harlow?” A man with a pleasant face and perfect, shaggy hair walks up to me.

I smile at who I assume is my date and the reason for feeling watched. I nod and he holds out his hand, shaking it formally.

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