Page 32 of Knotting With A Stranger

“What? Order pizza?” I keep chopping, harder than necessary, trying to focus on anything but her candy-peppermint scent lingering in the air. Even here, even now, it’s driving me crazy. Making my hands shake. Making my instincts surge with every breath of Omega I take. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re kind of trapped here.”

“We’ve got supplies. Protein bars, trail mix...”

“Your idea of food is exactly why I’m cooking. Some of us actually like to taste what we eat.”

Hunter watches me, his expression knowing. “She’s getting to you.”

“Shut up.”

“The mighty Archer, losing his cool over an Omega.” He’s trying to keep his tone light, but there’s an undercurrent of worry. “Never thought I’d see the day. You’re usually so...”

“So what?”

“Controlled. Distant.” He studies me. “This one’s different.”

I point the knife at him. “You want to cook your own damn dinner?”

He raises his hands in surrender, but his eyes are serious. “Just... the way she looks at us like...”

“How?”

“As though she’s just as affected as we are. And that’s dangerous, considering we had no plans to take an Omega. Well, not yet, anyway.”

Soft footsteps on the stairs draw our attention. Thor appears first, followed by Lily. She’s wrapped in one of the bedroom’s thick blankets, but it does nothing to mask her scent. My knife slips, nearly taking off my finger.

The blanket has slipped slightly off one shoulder, and I trace the exposed skin where her shirt’s been pulled down. Those soft curls of hers are even more untamed, dark brown waves with golden highlights from the hallway light. They cascade past her shoulders, framing a face that makes my breath catch every time I see it.

“Thor kept pawing at my door. Apparently, he’s not familiar with the concept of being left alone.” She scratches his head, and I study her delicate fingers moving through his fur. “But he’s too adorable to ignore.”

My gaze drifts to the gentle curve of her neck where it meets her shoulder, to that tiny cupcake tattoo peeking out behind her ear. She’s got spirit. It has me wanting to see just how far that spirit goes.

“He’s appointed himself your guardian,” Hunter explains, sliding the jar of peanuts across the counter. “Hungry?”

She approaches cautiously, taking a few nuts. Her fingers tremble slightly, but she doesn’t back away. She pops a peanut into her mouth, and I find myself tracking the movement of her throat as she swallows.

“So,” she says, leaning against the counter with forced casualness, taking us both in. “Is this what you Alphas do for fun? Rescue stranded Omegas and force-feed them peanuts? Because I have to say, as far as kidnapping scenarios go, this is pretty tame.”

I chuckle. “Only the special ones.”

Her eyes meet mine, a flash of heat there, blood rushing. “Lucky me.” She picks up another peanut, rolling it between her fingers, Hunter watching her with barely a blink of an eye. “Though I have to admit, I had no idea Alphas cooked. That’s not in any of the fairytales I remember.”

“Maybe you’ve been reading the wrong stories,” Hunter adds.

She tilts her head, considering me. “Maybe I have.” Her tongue darts out to catch a bit of salt from her lip, and my grip on the knife tightens.

Hunter clears his throat loudly. “Hey, I just remembered—I’ve got some clothes that might fit you. My cousin leaves stuff here for when she visits in the summers as she visits us from Australia.”

“That would be amazing,” Lily murmurs, but her eyes linger on me. “Though I’m starting to think the blanket look works for me. What do you think, Archer?”

My name on her lips does things to me, dangerous things. “I think...” I start, but Hunter cuts me off.

“Clothes,” he says firmly. “Before you catch pneumonia. Or drive our resident chef to injury.” He pointedly eyes the way I’m gripping the knife.

Lily’s laugh is like honey, sweet and dangerous. She knows exactly what she’s doing… purposely teasing me. She straightens, adjusting her blanket with deliberate slowness.

“Lead the way.”

I stare at them heading upstairs, my hands clenched on the counter. Every one of my instincts screams to follow, to not let her out of my sight. The Omega who challenges me, who meets my gaze without flinching, who looks like everything I’ve ever wanted… I return to finishing the stew, throwing it all in a big pot on the stove with the rest of the ingredients.

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