Page 28 of Knot Letting Go

“Remember tomorrow is Sunday, sweetie. Tomorrow you’re mine.” Konstantin tickled her sides and she let out a squeal of laughter.

“I will research the best store to find what we need. Then on Monday we can go pick out fabrics. It’s going to be a rainy day, so we won’t be able to go outside anyway.” I took another step back to be on the edge of the hallway.

“Okay! G’night, Aubrielle.” Lillianna then launched into her rambling version of the story of Atlantis that I told her earlier in the day.

Konstantin turned his head to look at me again. It was like I could feel his strong arms holding me, his scorching kisses along my neck, and his Alpha cock—

I fled into the hallway and raced to my room. My pulse thundered in my ears and slick drenched my panties. Cold water and the magic spray of the shower head weren’t going to help me now.

The pool. Lillianna and I had played with a remote control boat—searching for mermaids, of course—earlier in the day, and the water had been cool to the touch. I’d dunk myself and let the acrid smell of chlorine wash Konstantin’s delicious scent from my nose. My lower abdomen twisted, making the pain between my legs spike.

It was just compatibility. Going into the pool would prove it.

Throwing off my clothes, I changed into my bikini and snatched a towel from the bathroom rack. I raced barefoot along the hall and zipped down the stairs. The faster I got there, the quicker I’d be relieved of this ache.

Most of the lights were off in the house as the staff had gone home for the night. The bright light from the pool room was the only beacon, and I dashed toward it like a moth to flame. I pushed open the door, dropped my towel, and did something I’d never done before in my life: I took a flying leap into the deep end with my arms flailing and my legs still pumping as if I were running in the air.

The shock of the cold water made me gasp while still under, and I gulped a mouthful down. My hair clung to my face as I kicked and surfaced, coughing and searching blindly for the side.

My fingers slapped against the concrete edge of the pool, and it took two more tries before I got a firm hold. I hoisted myself up to lean on it, hacking up the rest of the water. Any scent I had in my nose before had definitely been overpowered by the chlorine. My nostrils burned with it. The unpleasant feeling and the coolness of the water did help calm the painful yearning between my legs, though.

Someone started to slowly clap.

Oh no. Please God, let no one have seen that ridiculousness.

“Bravo. Bellissimo.” It was Quill. I didn’t even need to turn around.

My face heated as I buried it against my arms. I must have looked like a crazy woman sprinting into the room and flying into the pool. It was unladylike, unsafe, and crap, I was wearing hardly anything alone with a compatible Alpha.

I twisted around, pushing my wet hair out of my face, to see exactly where Quill was. I was greeted by the shimmering form of a Greek god perched on the edge of the pool across from me. He wore black board shorts, but they clung to his muscled legs and hung a few inches below his navel so I could see thestart of dark hair that trailed downward to… Oh my. The giant bulge he was packing.

And the red split which adorned his swollen lower lip. His raw knuckles and half dozen bruises told me he had been fighting.

Konstantin had that black eye.

My mind whirled a million miles a second. Were they fighting about me? Who won? They were brothers. I couldn’t come between family. I should have left last night.

He grinned, not taking any notice of his sore lip, and dropped his hands to either side of him. “I have never seen beauty run so fast into my life. I won’t tell if you were racing Lilli, but since she’s probably in bed, you were either being chased by demons or really excited to see me.”

I swallowed, trying to think of something to say, anything, but it only made me cough more. That was me: lovely and demure.

“I worried I was going to have to dive under and save you.” Quill slipped into the water and effortlessly swam to my side. He propped an arm up on the edge and raked his gaze over me. Up close, I could see his injuries more clearly and immediately wanted to take care of him. I couldn’t stand the thought he might be in pain, but his dark eyes only shone with hunger. “But I still think I should give you some mouth to mouth.”

The water was no longer any help in staving off my pangs. I turned toward the ladder. “I should go.”

“Aubrielle.” Quill’s hand caressed the back of my arm. A shudder went through me, and with my inhale, I was certain I could smell his citrusy male scent over the strong odor of the pool. “We need to talk. Please don’t go.”

I shook my head and inch my way toward the ladder. “There’s nothing to say.”

“Oh, there’s plenty. I feel like I could talk to you forever and never run out of things to say.” Quill had to be the sexiest poet soul in a drop dead gorgeous Alpha body ever. Beads of water trickled over his shoulders and down his chest into the water. I fought the urge to trace their paths with my tongue. “You can’t deny the connection. Your scent pulled me to you, but when we touched, oh baby, I’d never felt anything so powerful as my need for you.”

He followed me as I moved. His legs swished, brushing up against mine. I whimpered with need, raw and desperate, and clenched my jaw. I couldn’t do this. I had to get back to my room.

“We were meant to be.” Why did he have to sound like a hero out of a romance? So certain and confident, and me, the innocent princess who had no idea what to do with his attentions.

“We… we’re compatible, yes. But that doesn’t mean anything. It’s your biology pushing you to say these things.” My back bumped against the ladder, and he closed the distance between us. Only an inch between us. My body burned for him.

“My biology is saying fuck and knot. It’s not big on words.” Quill traced a finger along my thin bikini top strap on my shoulder. My nipples crinkled and hardened, and I mewled at the simple touch. No, there was nothing simple about it. “It’s all of me saying these things. All of me wants all of you, but I want more than that. I want your body, mind, and soul.”

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