Page 164 of Knot Like Other Girls

"Maybe I should..." she starts, then trails off, clearly struggling to articulate her thoughts.

"What is it?" Cole asks, direct as always.

"Less clothes," she admits, a nervous laugh escaping her. "I feel like I'm burning up."

"Do you want us to step out while you change?" Roman offers, always considerate.

She shakes her head decisively. "No. Just... help me?"

The request hangs in the air for a moment. Then Cole moves, his scarred hands reaching for the hem of the t-shirt she's wearing—his t-shirt, I realize. She's swimming in it.

"Arms up," he instructs gently.

She complies, lifting her arms as Cole carefully pulls the shirt over her head, revealing her bare torso beneath. She's not wearing a bra, and the sight of her naked from the waist up makes my breath catch.

I avert my eyes, trying to give her some semblance of privacy despite the intimacy of the moment. And despite the fact modesty is about to go down the tubes anyway.

"I want you to look, Liam," she says softly, surprising me.

I meet her gaze first, checking to make sure she means it, before allowing my eyes to travel down. She's beautiful—all soft curves and smooth skin, her breasts heaving slightly with her quick breaths. But it's the trust in her eyes that truly takes away my ability to speak.

"You're… gorgeous," I manage to choke out.

One of her characteristic little smiles tugs at her lips "Even when I'm a sweaty mess?"

"Especially then," Troy cuts in.

She laughs, then gasps as another wave of cramps hits her. Her hands fly to her lower abdomen, pressing against the pain.

"Breathe through it," Roman coaches from beside us. "In through your nose, out through your mouth."

She follows his instructions, her breathing gradually steadying as the wave passes. When she relaxes again, she shifts to remove her leggings, shimmying them down her hips with Cole's assistance.

Now clad only in simple cotton panties, she looks smaller somehow, more vulnerable. But despite her vulnerability, there's a fierceness in her eyes.

This omega knows exactly what she wants.

"Better?" Savva asks, his eyes carefully fixed on her face rather than her newly exposed skin.

"Yes," she sighs, leaning back against me once more. "Though I have a feeling I'll want these off soon too," she adds, gesturing to her underwear.

"All in good time," I murmur against her hair, trying to keep my tone light despite the growing pressure in my own body.

Her scent is becoming overwhelming now, filling the room with honeyed sweetness that calls to my basal alpha nature. It's affecting the others too. Roman's jaw is clenched tight, Cole's one good eye is darkened to nearly black, Troy's usual smile has been replaced with an intensity I rarely see in him, and Savva's composed exterior is cracking like an actual mask.

Bella's body suddenly tenses against mine, a small whimper escaping her throat. "Oh," she gasps, her hand flying to her center. "That's... new."

I don't need to ask what she's feeling. The scent of her arousal spikes sharply, mingling with her heat pheromones to bloom in a perfume that makes my head fucking swim.

I glance up, sharing a look with the other alphas.

It's time.

CHAPTER 44

BELLA

The heat builds beneath my skin like a slow-burning wildfire. First, just warmth—pleasant, even—but gradually intensifying until it feels like my blood is turning to lava in my veins. I shift against Liam's chest, his strong arms providing an anchor even as the fever rises within me.

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