Page 120 of Knot That Serious

“Uh-huh,” Eli said, doubtful. She nudged Raj with her elbow.

“Having fun yet?” he asked.

“Oh, yeah,” she said. “It’ll be even better when we win.”

“I think I like you all… cocky,” he mused, leaning closer.

Eli turned her head to meet him halfway. “Are we about to make out in a black-lit room?” she asked with an arched brow.

“I mean, I’m not opposed to it,” he answered, sliding a hand up her neck to cup the back of her head.

He pulled her closer and she could still smell the dessert coffee they’d had, mixed with his orange blossom and rosemary. It was so comforting, she just wanted to…

Eli melted into him, and closed the distance between them, lips sliding against his at first in a gentle tease, but then deepening. He tilted her head with the hand in her hair, and then he pulled back. “I just want you to know you’re positively glowing,” he said. “Literally.”

Eli leaned away, and Raj ruffled his fingers through her hair. “The pink,” he said. “You’re like a beacon in here.”

“Guess I’ll need a big, strong alpha to protect me,” she said, putting a pout in her words.

Raj snorted. “Something tells me you can take care of yourself.”

And that was just another reason she was beginning to adore this alpha so much. She was so suddenly full of appreciation she couldn’t take it, and pulled him in for a kiss.

Their lips crashed together again, and Eli was parting her mouth beneath the swipe of his tongue a moment later. She grabbed a hold of his shoulder, careful of the panic buttons, and dug her nails in.

Warmth spread low in her belly as their tongues twined, and Eli swallowed a groan as one of his hands cupped her hip, pulling her closer. She could feel the heat of him through her clothes, the silly vest.

And then suddenly her vest was singing, and then Raj’s, and they jolted apart.

“Found it,” Jack called out.

Eli cleared her throat, leaning back against the wall and trying to act casual, and not like she was seconds from crawling into Raj’s lap.

Beckett appeared a moment later, an amused smile on his lips. “Ah, I see. Were they distracted?”

“No,” Jack lied.

“Liar, pay up,” Beckett said, holding out a hand.

Jack cursed and pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket. Raj stood and held his hand out to Eli to help her to her feet. She took it, and watched as Jack handed his money over to Beckett.

Then the blond alpha aimed his gun at their base and pulled the trigger.

Eli sighed, head thumping back against the wall.

“Fine! You win this round,” she told them. Then she grabbed Raj by the vest and tugged him behind her.

The beta’s voice rang out overheard as he informed them he’d be resetting the bases to different locations.

“Thirty seconds until the next round begins,” he said, and then the click of his mic echoed through the building.

At the next intersection, Eli pulled Raj in and kissed him. Then she pushed him away by his vest. “No distractions this time.”

He saluted her, sarcasm dripping from his movements. “Yes, ma’am.”

Her lips twitched, and she winked before taking off in the opposite direction.

Eli was not losing again.

---