Page 139 of Knot Baked Out For This
"I'm cautious," I correct. "The guys at the station said I'd lose pitifully if I didn't think of something creative. And you mentioned last night that you wanted to check out bookstores. That you wanted to start reading again on your days off but haven't had the chance, just been buying books for others to enjoy during their coffee breaks."
Her eyes go wide. "You were listening to that?"
"I listen to everything you say."
"But I was just rambling! I had two glasses of wine and was going on about fictional murders and cozy mysteries and how I used to read a book a day before—" She stops, swallows hard. "You actually listened."
"Of course I listened."
"Alphas don't... I mean, Korrin never..." Her eyes are getting glossy, and she's blinking rapidly. "Having Alphas who actually hear me is so validating. I'm just not used to it."
She turns slightly away, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "Sorry, I'm not really date pretty right now?—"
"Stop." I put a finger gently on her lips, cutting off whatever self-deprecating thing she's about to say. Our eyes meet, hersstill wet with unshed tears, and something in my chest cracks open.
"You're so fucking stunning it makes it hard to think," I tell her, voice rougher than intended.
Her face goes pink, but I'm not done.
"Sometimes I get lost just watching you from across the bakery. The way you move when you're decorating cakes, like you're conducting an orchestra,only you can hear. The flour in your hair that you never notice. That little furrow between your eyebrows when you're concentrating." I step closer, and her vanilla-cinnamon scent wraps around me. "I'm only taking things slow for your sake. If it were my way..."
"What?" Her voice is barely a whisper. "What would you do?"
Everything. I'd do everything. Mark you, claim you, make sure everyone in a fifty-mile radius knew you were ours.
"More intimate things," I say carefully. "But for your reassurance, you could wear a blanket and make me hard any day."
Her entire face goes scarlet. "Rowan!"
I chuckle, the tension breaking slightly.
"Can I kiss your cheek?"
She giggles—actually giggles, and the sound goes straight to my chest.
"Yes."
I lean down, press my lips to her cheek, and her skin is silk-warm under my mouth.
She smells like vanilla frosting and coffee andmine.
"You didn't have to ask," she says as I pull back, taking her hand. "Since I've already kissed Levi and Luca."
I freeze mid-step.
The world stops. The birds stop singing. Possibly my heart stops.
"What?" I turn slowly, like sudden movements might make this worse. "Repeat that."
She blinks, all innocence. "I said you didn't have to ask since I already kissed?—"
"Both of them?"
"Well, yes?"
"I'm going to kill the twins."
"Murder is illegal, even in small towns."
