Page 126 of Knot That Serious

“You’d hope so,” Raj drawled. But maybe they were nervous, or maybe— “What if they don’t realize they’re courting you?” They just wanted her attention, and what better way to get it than by offering little surprises like coffee and lunch, as well as… following her on her date with another alpha.

Raj grinned at the thought. What a little triangle he’d found himself in.

“We don’t have to discover the answer tonight. I’m just saying, there’s no pressure if you want it. But I thoroughly enjoy going on fake dates with you.” It was the most fun he’d had in a while, actually. Work had been his main focus for the past… well, several months. The Vine Tower project had been his longest project to date, over a year! So Raj hadn’t found any opportunities for casual dating, let alone courting someone. And now here he was.

He lifted her hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it, smiling against her skin. “Do you think Jack would make you iced coffee if you didn’t come home tonight?”

Eli giggled, then said, “Guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“I’m sure Beckett will still make you lunch. What do you guys talk about?”

“I dunno. We chat, and I can vent about Jack, and he complains about renter’s insurance and the issues with his apartment.”

“Still?”

“Yeah, apparently they ripped up the carpet anyway, even after making him wait for it to dry, but it was a mistake by the contractors, so insurance is trying to make him pay for it!” she said, outrage in her voice.

“Well, that’s just ridiculous,” Raj concurred.

“I know! I hope none of our neighbors ever floods our place.”

“Speaking of your place,” Raj interjected as the building in question came into view.

He pulled into their garage, and spied Beckett and Jack making their way to the elevator.

“At least we won’t have to ride all the way up together,” Eli sighed.

If they don’t somehow stall and wait for us, Raj thought.

Raj made quick work of locating his spot, and rushed around to open Eli’s door, but found her pushing it open herself. He grabbed the handle and then offered her his hand.

Her soft, slim palm landed in his, and he gripped gently before pulling. She squeaked as she was tugged from the car, crashing into him. Raj wrapped his arms around her waist and took her for a little spin, holding her tight.

“What’s that for?” she asked breathily.

Raj shrugged, smiling down at her. “I really wanted to do it earlier, but didn’t want to embarrass you.”

Eli softened, lower lip pushing out. “That’s very sweet, but I can take a little teasing from my roommate. Feel free to sweep me off my feet anytime.”

His smile grew, and then Eli was pushing up to her tiptoes to meet him halfway for a kiss. Her lips were soft, but the kiss wasn’t, and Raj cupped her cheeks, tilting her up to him for a better angle.

She caught his bottom lip between her teeth and dragged them across it, releasing it with a pop. “For the record, I really enjoy our fake dates, too.”

Raj’s stomach flipped, which was silly, because he was a grown man. But something about Eli made him feel like a teenager again. They had spent the evening playing laser tag, for christ’s sake. He lowered his head again, brushing his lips across hers before squeezing her hand. “Ready?”

She nodded, and they made their way to the elevators.

The ride was quiet and slow, and absent of nosy alpha roommates.

25. Gossip

Eli

Raj’s apartment was one floor and two doors over from the one she shared with Jack.

It was laid out relatively the same, but Raj didn’t have fresh flowers on the breakfast bar or a small four-seater round table. Instead he had a deep blue, comfy-looking couch in the same place theirs was, facing a television mounted between two windows with matching curtains. A set of floating shelves holding colorful little decorative pieces alongside some family photos and electronics were beneath the television.

“Cute,” she said, relieved it wasn’t a bachelor’s paradise. “We have the same layout.”

---