Page 13 of Knot Excused
“One last night,” he asked, his eyes gleaming.
Cressida was nestled in his arm in the dark hallway, and I saw Beatrice there, too.
“We are married men now,” I said, although even looking at Beatrice makes me crave her calm, elegant presence. Nowtherewas a woman on my arm who looked appropriate to my status. “We swore lifelong loyalty and faithfulness to our Omega.”
My ring feels heavy and wrong on my finger, weighing me down.
It wasn’t supposed to feel like this. Isn’t it supposed to be the happiest day in your life when you find your Omega?
But all I feel is disillusionment.
What’s the point of taking an Omega if she’s a liability? I mean, of course she can go to Teddy’s games, but anything official we’ll be doing as Skystone Pack? I can’t picture Piper sitting through long boring banquets or on my arm at formal events. Not like Beatrice would be, with her knack for pleasant smiles that soothe the other Alphas and the way she never rocks the boat, never steps out of line.
“No one has to know,” Erain countered, his eyes gleaming at me. “One last night before we settle down with our Omega.”
Cressida was snuggled in his arms, looking adoringly up at him.
Iknewshe was going to be goddamn trouble.
She flattered all of Erain’s worst impulses. When I met him in high school, he was the old money trust fund baby trying to break away from the rest of his unbearably shallow aristocratic family, but it seemed like she encouraged all of his worst impulses again.
I realized I was relieved that he was going to be forced to spend less time with her.
Hell, maybe wonderswouldn’tcease and he’d actually like Piper’s perfume. Then hemighteven drop Cressida permanently.
For a moment, I hesitated.
Then Beatrice put her hand gently on my arm, her voice low and musical.
“I’d love to spend the last night of your bachelor days together, Rook. Give you what comfort I can after thistragedyof your marriage.”
But it wasn’t the last of my bachelor days. . .
I was a married man. . .
Teddy came down the hallway, characteristic grin on his face, his tie already loosened, and his arms around Chloe and Zoey.
“What are we doin’ now?” he asked, and I felt myself thawing under that grin. “I’m game for whatever you boys are.”
We’d been best friends since high school, and Teddy telling me to loosen up and have fun had been the cause of getting into mostly harmless trouble ever since.
But this was different.
“We shouldn’t,” I said. “We’re married men now.”
“No one ever has to know,” Erain objected, bringing out a bottle of expensive champagne from behind his back. “Just for a few hours. While she’s still greeting all the guests. That’s going to take forever. Then we can go back and do our duty.”
“Are you going to giveherup after this?” I asked Erain, pointing to Cressida. “Because we made a promise.”
“I swear I will, Rook,” he said, gripping my arm. “I swear after this I’ll be good.”
Beatrice was stroking my arm, her warm breasts resting on the crook. My cock twitched with my excitement to get inside her.
“All right,” I said. “But for an hour, max. Then we will be perfect model husbands.”
CHAPTER10
Piper
