Page 136 of Knot That Serious

27. Better Laid Plans

Beckett

A short while ago…

“Me too. I’ll text you.” Raj said to Eli, through the phone.

Beckett watched as Raj’s eyes widened briefly, holding the phone to his ear for a little longer. Lips curling into a grin, he lowered the device before firing off a text and finally glancing up at Beckett.

“This better be good,” he said.

Beckett sat at Raj’s breakfast bar, staring over the lip of the counter at the other alpha, whose attention was dragged back to his phone as it vibrated.

He chuckled at whatever message he’d received, and Beckett tilted his head, curious.

“Eli?” Beckett asked, though he knew the answer.

Raj nodded, thumbs flying over the screen as he responded.

This had been a last-minute deviation of his plans for the evening. He’d spotted Raj entering the building, and before giving himself time to think about it, had tapped the alpha on the shoulder and asked if he’d had a moment.

But now that Beckett was seated in his apartment that was a carbon copy of Eli and Jack’s, he couldn’t remember why it had felt so urgent.

The apartment smelled so strongly of the charismatic alpha. His hair was tied up in a full bun at the crown of his head, strands escaping to tickle his neck and the collar of his shirt. He’d clearly just come from work, laptop bag slung over the deep blue couch before he’d led Beckett to the kitchen.

Then his phone had buzzed, and he’d excused himself to call Eli, Beckett presumed from the softness in the man’s voice as he’d spoken to her.

And now they were texting—flirting, probably, from the way Raj was smiling and snickering at his phone.

At least for a few more minutes, Beckett ceased to exist to this alpha who, from the look of it, was absolutely smitten with Eli. Not that Beckett could blame him.

Finally, he sighed and locked his phone, sliding it into his pocket.

“So, what brings you by?” Raj asked, leaning into his hands placed on the bar.

“Well, I wanted to… I suppose, see where your head’s at. With Eli.” Beckett cleared his throat.

Unfortunately for Beckett, Raj looked rather amused.

“It’s just… Jack and I have every intention of claiming her,” Beckett blurted. God, was it warm in here? Fuck, had he just said that?

Raj arched a thick brow and turned away to pull two glasses down. “Is that so?” he asked.

Beckett swallowed. “Yes.”

“She doesn’t seem to know that,” Raj mused. The ice dispenser was loud as he collected some for each glass. Then the hiss of the water as Raj filled them.

“It’s a work in progress,” Beckett clarified. “It’s a very long and complicated story.”

Raj placed a glass in front of Beckett. “Are you afraid of me getting in the way?”

With a wince, Beckett parted his lips to respond, but—

“From what she’s told me, you and Jack are accomplishing that plenty yourselves. You don’t need my help.”

Beckett frowned and leaned forward. “What did she say?”

Raj shrugged. “Does it matter?”

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