Page 94 of Knot Their Reality

I shrug." Just because I tend to be gruff, it doesn't mean that I can't be other things."

She reaches out, brushing a hand down my cheek. "I know that now. I'm glad I've gotten to know you. There's so much more to you than you let on at first."

"I don't know about that," I say with a laugh. "But I'm glad we've had the time to get to know one another. You're special, Sophia, and it's not just because you're an omega. You shine when you're happy, and I don't think you've had enough chances for that in your life. But you haven't let that get you down. You still care about others and what they're thinking or feeling. That's rarer than I'd like to admit.

"Every damn one of us is drawn to that shine. You're like a beacon in the dark, and we'd do anything to be in your presence for even a few moments. I know it sounds insane since we've only been here for less than two weeks, but I can guarantee you that every one of us is falling for you."

She ducks her head, watching me from beneath her eyelashes. "Even you?"

I chuckle. "Yes, even me. I thought my little speech made that clear."

"I just had to be sure." She pauses. "Will you kiss me, Ulf?"

She doesn't have to ask me twice. I don't even bother answering her as I dip my head and brush my lips against hers. I intend for it to be just that—a brush of our lips, but the little omega is having none of that. Her arms wrap around my neck, one hand digging into my hair while she leverages the other on the back of my neck, yanking me back to her lips.

I chuckle against her lips, but she just takes the opportunity to slip her tongue between my lips. I allow her to control the kiss as her arousal hits my nose. This is what it would be like to be with an omega. This is what I want with Sophia—for years to come.

Finally, she breaks the kiss with a sigh. "I like the way you kiss, alpha."

"Mmmmm," I hum as I smile. "I like the way you kiss too, little omega."

She smiles, and I wrap my arms around her. She settles her head on my chest as we go back to watching the stars.

I couldn't have planned a more perfect date myself.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Alejandro

I don't know what happened yesterday, but things are really tense today. I'd spent the night hanging out with some of the other suitors in the game room. I've never had this kind of time for frivolous things like video games before, but I kind of love them. I'm going to need to make a point of making more time for myself.

I don't know how much more time I'll have as a model. It depends on how I age. As a man, I have an easier time of it than the female models, but we all live at the whims of the designers. If they decide we don't have the look they're looking for, our careers could be gone overnight. I need to start trying new things so I can figure out what I want to do when my modeling days are gone.

Do I think playing video games is going to lead to a job opportunity? Unlikely, but I do enjoy them. For now, that's enough.

I'd gone to bed early, and when I arrived at breakfast this morning, there was tension in the air. A few of the suitors said hello or acknowledged me with a nod, but there was very little conversation. Asher, Liam, Carson, and Brooks all looked like they were ready to rip someone's head off. Ulf didn't look far off from joining them.

Chase sat among his pack, and there'd been no sign of Sophia. When Dylan entered the room, half of the suitors tensed. Dylan took one look at them and chose the furthest seat down the table. I'd tried to get someone to tell me what was going on, but Ezra, Jace, and Foster had no idea what was going on. I didn't want to risk approaching the others, afraid they might turn their ire on me.

I'm hoping that I can get an insight into what happened while we're on our lunch date. I don't want to come across as a busybody, but I feel like I'm missing something very important. When I came back to my room after breakfast, I'd found an invitation for lunch. We're to meet Sophia at her door at noon. No other information was included so I decide on a pair of shorts, a polo, and flip-flops. The polo helps dress up the outfit without making me seem pretentious—something that easily happens with me.

I'm aware I'm a bit of a snob, but I really am trying to be better about it. The way I'd acted after meeting Sophia was unacceptable, and for the first time in my life I was worried about what others think of me. I've been making an effort to be aware of my words and actions, and I think I've done well so far. Hopefully, it's something I can continue when I leave here.

"You ready, Ezra?"

"Just one more minute," he calls from the bathroom.

The two of us were placed in the same room—the only ones who have been given their own room are the celebs: Quinn, Malik, and Paxton before he left. I'm sure that if I'd asked, I could've moved to one of the empty rooms, but I think it's been good for me to room with Ezra. He's not always the easiest person to be around, but as I've gotten to know him better, I realize there's no better friend to have here.

"We're going to be late," I say just before someone knocks on the door. I climb off the bed and throw it open to reveal Carson and Chase. "Hey, guys. Ezra is just finishing up. We should be ready to go soon."

"Now," Ezra says as he appears at my side. "We're ready to go now."

With a laugh, I gesture for the others to go ahead. I trail behind them as we go down both sets of stairs. It can get a little tiresome having to go up so many stairs to get to our room, but we have an amazing view so I can't complain too much.

As we set off down the last set of stairs, I pull up alongside Carson when Chase hurries ahead. I shake my head at his exuberance. "Excited to Sophia, I see."

Carson chuckles. "Yeah, he stayed with the pack last night, and didn't like leaving her to sleep on her own."

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