Page 66 of Knot Their Girl
And the weird thing is, I kind of wanted that, too.
But no. I spray my mind with an imaginary water bottle once I think that particular thought.Bad, bad Raeka.
Once I reach the bottom of the stairs in my heels, I’m instantly surrounded by varying levels of testosterone. “Raeka,” Gideon breathes out my name in a way that makes me think I stole the air out of his lungs or something, while Colter can’t stop himself from eyeing me up and down.
“I know, I know,” I say, flipping my curled hair over my shoulder in a dramatic fashion. “I look like cotton candy. Stare at me too long and you might get cavities, boys.” I did my makeup to highlight my gray eyes, and I’m even wearing two elbow-length silk gloves. If that shit doesn’t scream elegant, nothing would.
“Boys wouldn’t be thinking the thoughts I’m thinking right now,” Pax mutters with a hard frown. The tall, imposing alpha doesn’t sound happy about it, although it’s probably more due to the fact that he’s not joining Gideon and me tonight.
“Keep it in your pants, Mr. Alpha,” I tease him with a devilish smirk, and the alpha responds by growling and taking a step toward me, giving me a look that says he’s about one and a half seconds from tossing me over his shoulder and carrying me back upstairs.
Gideon coughs and sets a hand on Pax’s upper arm, and though the hunger in Pax’s gaze doesn’t vanish entirely, he does stop growling, at least. To me, the other alpha offers me his arm and says, “We should get going.” Though he doesn’t say it, I can hear it in his voice: we should get going before things escalate and we end up missing the party.
Can’t have that.
Besides, might do me good to get away from Pax. I might not be able to smell him, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t affect me.
I step closer to Gideon and hook my hand through his arm, letting him lead the way. We make it to the front door, where I note his car waiting, idling outside. He opens the door for us, and we’re seconds from stepping outside when I feel a gentle hand on my back.
Gideon lets me go so I can turn to face Colter. The beta wears an oversized hoodie, with one hand stuffed into the hoodie’s pocket while his other hangs at his side. He gives me such an earnest look, I do what I do next instinctively, automatically.
I kiss him. Even though I’m wearing a pretty pink matte lip gloss, I kiss him right on the lips. “I’ll see you later, alligator.” When I pull away from him, I note the pinkish tint to his lips and giggle.
Behind him, Pax stands with a scowl. “Why the fuck does he get a kiss?”
“Because he’s sweet and you’re… not?” I give the alpha my best smile, probably overdoing it on the flirtatious tone, but whatever. I bat my eyelashes up at him a few times, and then, before he can reach around Colter for me, I hurry to join Gideon at his car, who watched the whole thing unfold with a smile on his face.
Gideon opens the passenger door for me, saying under his breath, “Was that really necessary?”
“Take one look at Pax’s face and tell me it was unnecessary.” I get in, smug, and he shuts the door. He does glance at Pax and Colter in the doorway, and as he rounds the front of the vehicle, I see him smiling and shaking his head.
Hey, he’ll never have a boring life with me around, that’s for sure.
As we drive away, I ask, “So, how do you want to play this?” I’ll be honest: I haven’t spent much time with him after the whole incident with him and Pax. I saw him during meal times, and that was pretty much it. I don’t know if he was giving me space or what, but either way, I don’t feel like asking.
Let’s just move on, hmm? Let’s pretend that night never happened. Should be easy, right?
Well, if I ignore the earnest beta and the prickly alpha at the Chase house waiting for us to return later tonight, it’s easy. Not nearly as easy when they’re all standing around me, staring at me like they want to devour me whole.
“What do you mean?” he asks me.
“How do you want to play tonight? Like, am I playing a part in front of these people or what? I assume you don’t want me acting like myself—my parents always hated when I was myself in front of their friends or at the country club. I could be a ditsy omega that laughs at anything you say—”
“How about you be yourself, but don’t openly insult anyone?”
“Oof, that’s going to be tough,” I mumble, and Gideon shoots me a worried look, which makes me chuckle. “Don’t worry. I can play nice and make you look good. That’s what us omegas are for.”
I mean it as a joke, but he speaks seriously, “It’s not what you’re for.”
I can’t help it. My retort is ready. “It’s not? You could’ve fooled me. I thought me pretending to be your omega was what you wanted. I thought that was the whole point of going to this party and proving to the board members or whoever that you’re moving on in your personal life and that you can turn things around for the company. Me making you look good is kind of the underlying theme there.”
“Maybe,” he admits, “that’s what it was supposed to be like, but that’s not how it is. Don’t pretend you don’t know that by now.”
“I’m not pretending anything.”
“Aren’t you, though?”
I stare hard at him, and he can’t match my glare with one of his own, because he’s busy driving. “No,” I say. “I’m not.”
