Page 104 of Knot Their Reality

"Baby, you're perfuming." Chase doesn't even bother to keep his voice down.

I shrug even as I flush. Turning to Brody, I grin."I had an interesting thought. You need to be in my suite tonight."

"What about me?" Chase asks, and I can hear the pout in his voice before I turn to face him. "You're always welcome, but seeing as I interrupted your night with your pack, maybe you should stay with them."

Once again, Chase looks torn. Asher lays his hand on the omega's shoulder and squeezes. "It's okay, Chase. We'll figure it out later."

I shoot him a grateful smile before pushing away my plate. I'm suddenly no longer hungry.

"Brooks, would you like a coffee to go?" I ask, already standing.

He nods. "Sure."

"Good. I'll go grab us two travel mugs from the kitchen, and then we can head out."

If I drag my feet on the way there and back again, who can blame me? This isn't going to be an easy conversation, and I would've kept pushing it off. Part of me is grateful to Brody for pushing me to do this, but the other part still wants to turn his ass red.

I guess I'll find out later tonight if he's into that or not. For now, I'll need to focus on Brooks and not losing my shit in front of him.

By the time I make it back to the dining room, he's finished and waiting for me. He takes the offered coffee cup before offering me his arm. We head for the door, and I take a quick moment to glare at Brody.

The little shit just grins at me, taking all of the wind out of my sails. He just looks so proud of me. How am I supposed to be mad at him when he looks at me like that?

Neither of us talks as we head out the front door. Instead of going on a walk though, Brooks leads me to one of the gazebos. "Do you mind if we just sit and chat while we finish our coffee?"

I nod, allowing him to lead me up the stairs. We settle on the swing that's set up on this one, and as soon as Brooks opens his mouth to speak, I cut him off. I spill the whole story to him, and he doesn't say anything as he settles back in the swing.

When I finish, a few tears slip down my cheeks, and he quickly wipes them away. He smiles, continuing to cup my face in his hand. "Thank you for sharing that with me. You didn't have to, and it means a lot to me that you trust me enough to do so. At least it partially answers the question I was going to ask you."

"Partially? You weren't going to ask me about that? Brody made me think that's exactly what you'd be asking me."

"No. I was going to ask you how you were doing after having to send Alejandro home last night." He chuckles. "But I'm glad Brody put the idea in your head and that I know now. I'm not sure how I can show you that I have no plans to hurt you, but I'll keep trying to prove myself."

He pauses, worrying his bottom teeth between his teeth. "That is, if you want me to. What I got out of that is that you're interested in me but afraid of getting hurt. Did I read too much into it?"

I shake my head. "You didn't. There's been something between us from the moment we met. Which, I think, is why Brody was so surprised."

"I never expected you to choose me last night," he tells me softly. "The thought never crossed my mind that I was being passed over or whatever it is that Brody said. I'll go at any pace you want me to."

"Will you kiss me?" My words come out breathy, and I don't even care.

He nods. "I can definitely do that."

When his lips brush against mine, and then he deepens the kiss, all I can do is wonder why I'm so afraid of what I have with this man—this alpha. He's never been anything but gentle with me. Even when he seemed to almost lose control at the naked picnic or when he was fucking into me from below at the same picnic.

Brooks breaks the kiss but brushes his lips against mine once more. "As much as I'd love to knot you right here, right now, I still want to know how you're doing."

See? This right here. How can I be so worried that he's going to hurt me when he does things like this.

And since I've already opened up to him, I might as well share it all. Which is how I find myself spilling everything to him about how I'm feeling, and all he does is hold me while I talk.

It's just what I need, and for the first time, I regret my choices. I should have chosen Brooks last night along with Brody. While I can't change what's already been done, I can make sure I choose correctly on Saturday.

Chapter Thirty-one

Sophia

I'm excited for the individual dates to begin. There are still some of the suitors I don't feel like I've had enough of a chance to get to know. I'm hoping that this will help me do just that. I also know that I need to make a concerted effort to spend time with everyone this week. Sure, it's only the third week, but I need to start making some decisions beyond choosing Brooks.

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