Page 70 of Ready or Knot

I offer a half smile. “I’ll let you know.”

* * *

FAEDRA

Jude’s hands are soft, his touch light, as he combs through my hair, letting the pieces fan out across his legs. The large trees of the park help shade us from the sun, and I take another moment to look up at him. He’s taken off the suit jacket and rolled his sleeves to his elbows, the script of his tattoo catching in the light. The sun highlights his beard, catching on the gray speckles throughout, reminding me of the backpacking trip, and I have the sudden urge to kiss him like I had that morning, long and slow and deep until my body pulsed with heat.

My scent responds to the thought, and he glances down at me, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips.

“I thought you wanted to wait for the others,” he says, his voice low enough that it rumbles through me.

My cheeks heat, and I turn, pressing my forehead into his thigh. “I can’t help it,” I whisper. He palms my waist, his thumb brushing my ribs, and my scent grows stronger. His laugh is just a bit breathless, and it eases my embarrassment. “Literally anything right now makes me scent. It’s frustrating.”

Another hand cups my knee, and my scent doubles again.

Carter groans, and I flush, pressing my face harder into Jude’s leg.

“It means your heat is getting close,” Jude says, fingers trailing through my hair again. Nerves crawl up my throat, and I swallow twice to try and alleviate the heavy lump settled in the back of it.

Logan’s sandalwood scent hits me, and I glance up, finding him sitting next to Jude, his gaze locked on me, his hair damp from a recent shower. His workout shorts and shirt are a deep blue that offsets his eyes, and for all that is good in this world, I can’t help but groan at the sight.

“Really close,” Carter murmurs, his hand tightening on my knee. “You mentioned you wanted to be in control of when it starts. Is that still what you want?”

I twist so I can see him, slowly rising from Jude’s lap and adjusting my hair so it isn’t quite so unkempt. “Yes. The idea of not knowing when it’ll start is…not my favorite,” I say, scrunching my nose. “My doctor gave me a referral for someone out here. I can call and see what it would take to have that happen.”

Carter nods. “Whatever you decide, we support you.”

Jude kisses my temple while Logan pulls a bag from beside him, sifting through it.

“Now,” he says, grinning as he pulls out a cheesesteak sandwich and hands it to me, “let us feed you, Red.”

Twenty-Eight

LOGAN

Faedra’s laughing as I walk back towards her, her sunglasses pushed up onto her head. It’s the real laugh, the one that’s soft without being too delicate, the one I first got to hear at the gala and knew she was different. She smiles as I come up beside her and hand her the drink, wrapping my arm around her waist and kissing the sensitive spot under her ear.

“Oh my gosh, Violet,” she says, leaning into me with a quiet hum. “I’ll chat with the guys and let you know, alright? And send me pictures of his make-up present!”

She laughs again and then tucks her phone into the small bag sitting across her chest.

“Did you figure out where he is?” she asks, twisting in my hold until she’s pressed against my front.

When I nod, she smiles, the faint scent of jasmine drifting around us. She laces her hand in mine as she pulls away, murmuring a quiet instruction for us to go find him. I guide her through the stadium, the people around us bustling despite it being squarely in the warmup timeframe of the game.

“What were you going to chat with us about?” I ask as we weave through people.

She pulls her hair over her shoulder. “Violet’s birthday is next month, and she’s wanting to fly out here and celebrate it with me. Is that ok?”

Faedra’s always quick to double check with us, and we’re just as quick to remind her that we’re not her owners. I do it again, and she scoffs.

“It would be all of them. That’s a lot of people to commit to, Logan,” she says, and I shrug.

“They’ll probably prefer finding a different place to stay, but I assure you that we’re happy to adjust as needed if you want her to fly out.”

Even as she nods, she bites her lip, and I pull us out of the flow of people, tucking us against the wall, palming her cheek.

“What is it, Red?” I ask, and she flushes, her freckles becoming more apparent.

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