Page 11 of Knot Their Reality

The day flies by, and I'm surprised by how much fun I'm having. I'd been surprised at how good I was at paintball—I think that's because I go to the shooting range once a week. An odd thing for a woman to do? Maybe, but I'm also an omega on my own. Between knowing how to shoot a gun, self-defense training, and the kickboxing classes I take, I feel confident in my ability to take care of myself.

I might not have become so aggressive about taking care of myself if it hadn't been for what happened to me my first year at college, but that's something else I don't plan on dwelling on right now. Eventually, I know I'll have to open up to someone about it, but for now, I'm happy to bury my head in the sand.

But it seems that the skills were easy enough to transfer to the paintball gun, even if it's a completely different type of gun. I will never forget the look on all four of their faces when I'd snuck up behind each of them and pelted them with paint. That's not to say that they didn't also get me with the paint—all of our coveralls were painted brightly in every color when our time was up. I'm just proud to say that they all wore more purple than any other color.

Paintball is definitely something I want to do again, unlike bowling. I absolutely sucked at bowling—even when they put up the child bumpers. In the first game, I only managed a score of fifteen. With the child bumpers, I'd gotten a whopping thirty-two. Obviously, bowling is not my game.

Ezra and Jace, on the other hand, kept getting strikes and spares, one after the other. Ezra won the first game and Jace the second, though they were completely opposite bowlers. Ezra was wholly focused on the pins, his steps, and his hand placement. It's obvious that it was a type of ritual for him and if he messed it up, he had to start all over again. It was kind of cute—not that I'm going to tell him that.

First, because I know it's because of his autism, and I don't think he'd appreciate me telling him it was cute. Nor do I really think it's appropriate. But maybe that's me overthinking things?

Jace, on the other hand, was joking around the entire time and obviously having the time of his life. He barely even glanced at the pins before he launched the ball down the alley, turning back to us without even bothering to see how many he'd knocked down.

Jackson and Alejandro both bowled much better than I did, but they weren't on the same level as Jace and Ezra. They even threw some gutter balls—not nearly as many as I did, though. But the important thing is that I had a blast. I might suck at it, but bowling is fun.

Lunch was amazing. We'd ended up at an Italian restaurant that served family style, so we were able to try a little of everything—except Alejandro, who ordered the most boring things off the menu. I'd given him shit about it, but he'd just laughed it off. We were in a private room, something that Bree had warned me about because, of course, we've been followed around by cameras for the entire day.

It's honestly easy to forget that they're there. I thought it would be harder, but they're as unobtrusive as they can be and it's actually quite nice.

Mini golf also turns out to be not my game. It's really hard to get that tiny ball into a hole that isn't much bigger. I'm definitely ruling out ever going golfing—even though it's a favorite pastime of many of the partners at my law firm. I've never seen the point in the game, and after my abysmal performance at mini golf, I don't think I'll ever give it a go.

Jace and Jackson kept making a game out of who could get to my ball first after I'd hit it off the path. Which was more times than I can count. Hell, they both threw themselves into the little lake to locate my ball—after which they were yelled at by staff. Apparently, you're not supposed to go into the water. Who knew?

By the time we make it back to the mansion, I'm exhausted. It's already two in the afternoon and at six on the dot, I'll be expected to be out front waiting to meet the next group of suitors.

When we step into the entryway, I have to fight back a yawn. "This has been a lot of fun, but I definitely need a nap before tonight. I'm sorry I can't spend more time with the four of you before the new suitors get here, but I want to thank each of you for opening up to me so that I could get to know you better. I guess I'll see you all at the rose ceremony on Saturday night?"

Jace is the first one to move up and stop in front of me. He grabs both of my hands in his, squeezing as he leans close to me. "I'm going to kiss you now, little omega, so if that isn't something you want, then you better say so now."

He does hesitate for a moment, telling me that he would stop this if it's what I wanted, but it's not. Instead, I lean into him and lift my head. His lips brush against mine for a moment, and when he pulls away, a whine spills from my lips. He laughs and kisses me a second time, a deeper kiss that has our tongues dancing.

Heat rushes through me as I squeeze my thighs together. Slick spills from me, my pussy begging to be filled.

I pull on my hands until Jace releases them. Throwing them around his neck, I immediately try to climb him like a tree. I feel him chuckle into the kiss and pull back, slowly coming back to reality.

My face flushes as I lower my legs back to the floor, berating my omega for turning me into a horny little shit. "Right. It was nice getting to know you, Jace."

When I try to duck around him without meeting his eyes, he stops me with his fingers on my chin. I think about refusing to meet his eyes as he forces my chin up but think better of it. I didn't do anything wrong. Yes, I'm embarrassed, but that doesn't make it wrong.

"Yes?" I ask, tone full of sass as I meet his eyes.

"Now, there's the feisty little omega I've been getting to know." Jace smirks, and it makes him even more delicious. Fuck. "I do hope you'll be as excited to see me the next time we meet, Sophia."

Is it hot in here? No? Is it just me? I bite back a chuckle as I return his smirk. "I guess we'll have to see if any of the other suitors can make me forget about you, won't we?"

I pull myself from his grasp, his chuckles following me as I move over to Ezra. When he looks down, it takes me a moment to realize he's doing everything he can to not meet my eyes. I lay a hand on his arm and duck my head, trying to catch his eye. "Are you alright, Ezra?"

He clears his throat, shoulders straightening, but he still won't meet my eyes. "Public displays of affection make me uncomfortable."

"Well, I'm sorry if Jace and I made you uncomfortable, but don't worry, it's not an expectation that you kiss me." I chew on my bottom lip. "Would it be alright if I kissed your cheek though?"

His eyes are surprised when they meet mine, but they quickly clear as he thinks about my request. When he nods, a smile lights up my face. He leans down, turning his face so I can reach his cheek. I brush my lips over it quickly, not wishing to push my luck.

"I've enjoyed getting to know you as well, Ezra. I know it will take more effort on both of our parts as we move through this process, but I'm very glad that you're here."

Ezra just nods again. "I am glad to be here as well. I'll see you on Saturday."

He doesn't wait for a response, just heads for the stairs. If I had to guess, I would say that today might have been overwhelming for him—something I completely understand.

---