Page 21 of Knotted By my Pack
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
I turn, already smiling. “Afternoon, Cora Bellamy.”
She’s standing a few feet away, red hair catching every drop of sunlight, glowing like a goddamn warning flare.
Her apron’s got bright yellow lemons printed all over it, tied snug around her waist, and she’s wearing a fitted white tank toptucked into a denim skirt that hugs her hips and stops just above her knees. She looks edible.
Dangerous.
“You’re the one who took over this office?” she asks, arms crossed, lips tight.
I tilt my head toward the glass window behind me. “I did mention you’d be seeing more of me.”
“Not right outside my bakery,” she snaps.
From my office, I can see directly through her front window. Counter, display case, register, and her. Always her.
“I prefer to call it synergy,” I say, stepping just a little closer.
She doesn’t back down. “You think putting your big shiny development sign next to my bakery is smart?”
“I think it’s inevitable.” My eyes slide over her face, lingering on the slight flush on her cheeks. “I’m on the winning team, Cora. You might want to consider playing nice.”
“Never,” she spits, the word sharp and final.
Jonah gets a call and mutters something about needing to take it before disappearing around the corner, leaving us alone.
I look down at her, and she looks even smaller now that we’re standing this close. She lifts her chin in defiance.
“What exactly is your problem, Vance?”
“No problem at all, Bellamy.” I say it slow, watching her chest rise and fall with each irritated breath.
“You think you can just waltz in here and bulldoze everything?”
I lean in slightly, not touching her, not yet. “You keep acting like I’m here to ruin the town. But I’m offering you a seat at the table. You feed people. I bring people in. Feels like a win-win. I could even put an exclusive catering contract together. You bake and feed all the people I will have working for me. I pay.”
She huffs, curls bouncing as she shakes her head. “People in this town will see right through you.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not here to win them over.”
“You won’t get away with this. I swear it, Julian. I won’t let you.” She starts to turn, the hem of her skirt brushing against her thighs. I reach out, fingers catching her wrist as she moves past me. Gently. Firm enough to stop her, soft enough not to bruise.
“See, this defiance is cute. I could even call it sexy,” I say near her ear. “But don’t mess with my plans.”
She glares up at me. “Or what?”
I lower my voice, the words dragging between us like tension on a wire. “Don’t mess with me, Omega. Or I’ll make your life very, very difficult.”
Her eyes narrow, lips parted like she’s ready to bite, but Jonah’s voice cuts through the moment as he steps back around the corner.
“Everything alright here?”
I release her wrist, taking a casual step back. She turns without a word, her eyes doing all the talking. And then she’s gone, striding back to her bakery.
I exhale slowly, running a hand down my face.
She’s going to be a problem.
