Page 10 of Knot That Serious

Eli listened to him gush about this new alpha, eyes alight and hands moving when he talked, except when he paused to return a text to said alpha.

Does he light up like that when he talks about me?

Forcing those kinds of thoughts from her head, Eli gave Jack her full attention, at least until her eyes grew heavy. At one point, she blinked, but when she opened her eyes, it was to her bedroom ceiling as Jack gently placed her in her bed.

“See you in the morning,” he said softly.

Eli hummed at him and let the darkness take her.

Which meant she wasn’t aware of Jack uncurling her hand from his shirt, or lingering at the door before it shut with a soft click.

3. First of Many

Jack

“How do I look?” he asked a few nights later, stepping into the living room, dressed for a date.

Eli squinted at him and spun her finger in a circle.

“Is that my shirt?” she asked.

Jack rolled his eyes, but twirled for her, holding his arms out.

“Maybe,” he answered. “You said I could have it.”

Yeah, because it belonged to some beta she’d hooked up with ages ago. It was a men’s shirt, after all, so it didn’t really fit her tiny frame.

When he faced her again, she was grinning, one of her dimples winking into adorable existence.

“Slutty,” she finally declared. “I like it.”

Jack made a fist and pulled it back at his side. “Fuck yeah, just what I was going for,” he cheered, tugging at the hem of his shirt.

In black pants that hugged his ankles, calves, and ass, he’d half-tucked a silky, pale pink button up and left it open lower than polite, finishing it off with his favorite well-loved leather jacket and matching boots. Silk wasn’t his usual style, but he figured Beckett would appreciate it.

“Not too slutty?” he asked hopefully. “I want this guy to take me seriously.”

“He’ll find you seriously hot,” Eli declared. “This is a hook up, right?”

“We’re going to dinner,” Jack corrected her, adjusting a few pins on his jacket.

“…and then hooking up, yeah?”

Jack huffed, peeked up at her. “I mean, probably.”

Eli stared at him, meeting his gaze and oddly silent for a minute. “Fine, do up one of your buttons. Dial it back a bit. Still fuckable, but not like it’s your only intention.”

Jack did up exactly one button.

“Perfect.”

He preened under her compliment, checking his pockets for his phone before—

Buzz.

His heart rate tripled at the sound of the text, and he ran his fingers through his hair. “You’re sure I look alright?” he asked.

Eli’s expression was nonchalant as she studied him again. “You look fine, princess. You meeting him there?”

---