Page 57 of Knot Gonna Give You Up

“Our girl,” I grin at him, “I like the sound of that.”

He grins in return.

“We should probably discuss group intimacy at some point,” Henry says.

“You mean sex?” I say bluntly, just to see if I get a rise out of him.

“Yes. That.”

“What?”

“Um,” he hesitates for a second before lowering his voice, “sex.”

I lean in close, pitching my voice low, “Why are we almost whispering?”

Henry chuckles softly and leans in toward me, “I have no idea. It just felt weird to say sex when we’re talking about her heat.”

“You’re gonna have to get past it,” I reply.

Henry sits back with a laugh, “Okay, okay, sorry, old habits of being raised by uptight parents. Loving, mostly, but uptight.”

“All good, man. I think we just go with the flow if that’s okay with you? I don’t mind touching or engaging as long as everyone’s comfortable with it.”

Henry nods, “I’m cool with that at least until we bond, then we can reassess if needed.”

“Will you be drawing up the contract?”

“Shut up,” Henry snorts.

Then, we make a plan to officially ask Josie to bond with us.

twenty-five

SIMON

I’ve been off kilter since the awkward ending of our group date. Something isn’t sitting right, and I can’t figure out what it is. It’s chafing at me, trying to get my full attention, but there are too many other things going on. My business needs the majority of my attention right now, so there’s no time to go on a soul search or something.

My mind keeps lingering on old, hurt feelings. The lingering pain in my heart, where I assumed my Pack bonds would exist. It feels empty, uncomfortable. Too light, as if that part of me will float away. When I was in college, I never thought I would actually find a Pack Pull, so I was happy to be part of that group for a time.

Looking back on it, there are obvious signs that it wasn’t going to work out. They applied to the Bonding Catalogue and never told me about it. I wonder if they actually registered a Pack bond at the same time as applying for Omega consideration. When they started dating Omegas, I thought they just forgot. When they went out with Omegas, I believed them that they thought I was busy or it just slipped their mind.

I was so desperate to belong to a Pack that I let myself be fooled by them. Part of me wilts at the thought of them laughingat me, but there’s another part that gets angry and resentful. Before I was so damn desperate, and now I’m resentful enough that I don’t want to have one. I do have one, though, don’t I? Just not bonded in.

Another order pops up on our digital screen, and I find the matching cup with the written order. Part of me felt that this system would be overkill when I first started using it, but having the order and cup match has been a lifesaver, honestly. We do online orders, so being able to match things together this way saves a lot of confusion. I select the new order and claim it under my name so nobody else makes it.

Crafting the latte is almost therapeutic. I can lose myself in the rhythm of grinding, pouring, and stirring. Today, though, it’s not bringing me to a place of calm. Today, I can still feel that itching need forsomething,but I can’t figure out what it is. I place the finished order on the pickup counter, then, as I glance over the room, I see Josie in line to get coffee.

I’m pretty sure my instincts take over my body as my mouth stretches in a wide grin. My legs move me from behind the counter to where she’s standing, and when my arms wrap around her and I pick her feet up off the ground, she giggles and holds me back. Just like that, the need for what I couldn’t name mostly disappears. I have to focus to feel it, so I let it go and focus on the girl in my arms.

“Hi,” she whispers against my neck, unabashedly taking in my scent.

“Hey,” I whisper back, my own nose buried in her neck.

Without thought, I rub my cheek against hers, leaving my scent on her for anyone to smell. When I realize what I’m doing, I freeze and slowly straighten. This is something I should be asking for permission to do since we’re not bonded.

“I’m sorry, I should have asked,” I tell her as I set her back down.

Josie reaches up and grabs the back of my head, dragging me the few inches down to her face, and immediately rubs her cheek against mine.

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