Page 85 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
He suddenly is not so coldly detached. It’s humanized him.
This small quirk is endearing.
Heis endearing.
I busy myself with serving up the sloppy stew into the five metal bowls.
When I settle back down on the log, a cup of steaming hot chocolate is waiting for me.
I nod in thanks, ducking my head and shoveling a spoonful of food into my mouth so I don’t have to speak.
I have instant regret. It tastes terrible and I choke down the mealy meat with difficulty.
The fireside erupts with laughter.
Knox nudges my side. “I take it that tastes as bad as it looks?”
I swallow the disgusting lump and grimace. “I think I’ve been poisoned.”
Blaze laughs so hard he falls off the log.
Knox doesn’t look offended. He even manages a smile as he chews a chunk of something I’d rather not identify.
I swallow the last spoonful of the stew with difficulty and place the bowl at my feet.
I sip at the hot chocolate to wash the taste from my mouth and hum happily as warmth spreads through me. A small sound of pleasure rumbles in my throat, the softest moan of delight that I hope no one heard.
“Good?” Knox asks quietly from beside me. The corner of his mouth quirks upward.
I duck my head, lick my lips, and shyly say, “It’s delicious, thank you.”
An answering hum of pleasure rumbles in the back of his throat, and it warms me more than the hot chocolate ever could. He needs to stop being endearing because it’s cracking my well-maintained perception of him as an asshole. I need him to be an asshole. Someone to rail against and work to prove wrong. He can’t be thoughtful like Shade, or playful like Blaze, or mysterious like Viper.
Simply put, I can’t handle another blow to my feelings. I’m already confused enough as it is.
“Is this the worst thing you’ve ever eaten, Sparkles?” Blaze asks, eating the last of his sludge without even a wince. He doesn’t give away a thing about the quality of the stew.
And I guess that’s his greatest gift. His ability to withstand discomfort.
Tilting my head, I scan my memory for an answer. It doesn’t take long to recall.
I hesitate, wondering if I should share a piece of myself with the squad. I know that if I give too much of myself to these men, it’ll only make it harder to leave when this all ends.
I sip the hot chocolate and realize that Knox shared a part of himself with me tonight. If he can lower his walls, then so can I.
I drag a memory through the fog of time. “Growing up, it was never a secret to my family that I was an Omega. I mean, I was born with purple eyes.”
Someone huffs in amusement.
I scrub my hands on my pants and raise them to the fire to warm my palms.
“When I hit puberty, and my, er, curves came in,” I say, cringing internally at how awkward I sound, “there really was no denying it. So, my father thought it was a good idea for my aunt to teach me some womanly duties.”
“Womanly duties?”
“Yeah, like keeping house, raising children, and all that.”
They blinked back at me in confusion.
