Page 93 of Knot His Reality

“Can I kiss you?”

Her smile grows as she nods, already leaning toward me.

Brushing my lips against hers, I sigh before deepening the kiss. I sink my hand into her hair as our tongues twine together. It’s soft and sensual, and when I pull away, I’m breathless.

“Wow,” she murmurs, lifting a hand to her lips.

I nod. “Yeah. Definitely wow.”

We laugh together as I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tug her against my side. We ride in silence for a bit before I glance down at her. “How are you doing?”

“Me?” She turns her head so she can look up at me. “Oh…after last weekend? That makes sense. I’m doing a lot better. I actually went to see Finn every day last week. Not for long, just long enough to talk a little. He’s helping me wrap my head around everything with my sister. He says I let it fester, but I already feel better. I thought ignoring it was the right thing to do, but clearly, I was wrong.”

I hum. “You know…I was doing the same thing with my anxiety, and I was wrong, too. Who would’ve guessed?”

We share another laugh as Brooke lays her head on my chest. “When I’m done with the show, I’m going to see my parents and sister. I don’t know what I’m going to say yet, but I’m going to do it. Finn’s going to help me.”

“I think that’s good. Closure could be just what you need.”

She hums, not agreeing or disagreeing with me.

Neither of us speaks for a long time after that, just enjoying one another’s company. It might not be what some people consider a good date, but for me, it’s one of the best.

Tuesday finds me at a comedy show with Lee, Rhys, Aubrey, and Ian. While it’s nice seeing them loosen up and enjoying themselves, it’s not really a date conducive to getting to know my suitors. Luckily, I convince them to stop at a diner afterward where we have a chance to chat.

By the time we make it back to the compound, I feel relaxed but still like I don’t know the four of them any better. I’ll have to be more careful with my date choices in the future.

Which is why I decide to cancel my original plan for my date with Camila when I woke up the next day.

My head hurts, and I don’t want to leave my suite—let alone the compound. I also don’t want to cancel my date because I want to spend time with Camila.

Thank the fates for Bree and her fast thinking.

I’m waiting beside my door when the soft knock sounds, and I open it and gesture for Camila to join me. “Thank you so much for being willing to change our date plans.”

“Of course. Tessa said you have a headache. We can totally cancel if you want to.” She reaches for my hand, squeezing it as her citrus, plum, amber, and vanilla scent washes over me.

My eyes fall shut as my body relaxes out of instinct. I don’t know what it is about betas’ scents, but they relax me in a way that nothing else does.

I might need an alpha’s knot or lock during my heats—plus, they’re just fucking amazing—but what I need for day-to-day living is to be surrounded by the scents of betas.

“No, I actually think this is a better date than what I originally had planned, anyway,” I admit. “I get headaches pretty frequently. My doctor believes a lot of them are because of my anxiety and the stress it puts on my body. If it’s not a bad one, I can take pills and move on with the day. But with ones like today, I have a routine I go through that usually takes care of it. I was hoping you’d do it with me.”

She nods. “Absolutely.”

“You don’t even know what it involves.” I snort, and she just grins.

“It doesn’t matter what it is. If it’ll make you feel better, and I get to spend time with you? It sounds perfect to me.”

Well, damn.

I lean forward and kiss her, barely more than a brush of our lips. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being yourself, I guess.” I grab her hand and tug her toward my bedroom. “It’s all set up in here.”

She wiggles her eyebrows. “Oh, showing me your bedroom already? I like the way this date is going.”

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