Page 67 of Knot your Good Girl

She exhales deeply; the sound escaping her lips like a gentle sigh as she wipes her hand across her forehead. Outside, the chill in the air contrasts sharply with the intense heat radiating from the roaring fire.

But she’s been glistening ever since the car ride.

My eyes narrow when my sister’s husband reaches them and wraps an arm around Holly, overlapping his wife’s arm before he kisses the side of her head. The sight of them chatting and laughing fills me with a heavy feeling in my stomach.

What the fuck is happening here?

Are they for fucking real?

I’ve restrained myself from getting too close to her, wary of reliving the hurt I endured previously. And I know Holly is hiding a fear that she hasn’t revealed yet.

“Calm yourself down.” My brother, Ryder, stands in my view and glares at me. “There is nothing going on there. You’re being overly anxious.”

“Am I?”

“She isn’t Daria. Holly is a good girl. She only has eyes for you.”

Does she?

The air rushes from my lungs when he steps aside and I see Holly smiling at me. She’s left my sister and her husband behind and now she’s leisurely strolling in my direction. With her hair flowing over one bare shoulder, she looks like a goddess in the tight cream dress that accentuates her gorgeous figure. Her body captivates me to the point where my eyes are compelled to examine every inch of her.

She’s a fucking dream.

My chest tightens as I return her smile. There’s a deep longing, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.

When she slides beside me, I place one hand around her waist and pull her close. Smelling my brother-in-law’s scent on her face, I turn her to me and press her face to my chest.

“What are you doing?” she whispers when I pull her away. “Are you scent marking me?”

As she waits, her chest rises and falls with anxiety, but there’s no need for me to respond to her question. She’s my paid date, after all.

“I don’t get you.” She narrows her eyes as she glares at me, then shakes her head. “You don’t…” She hesitates.

“I don’t what?”

“Nothing.”

“Tell me,” I growl.

“You don’t want me, but you look jealous as hell whenever I talk to anyone else.”

“Because for ten days you’re mine. And you’re supposed to look like you are, not flirting with other alphas.”

“I’m not flirting. I’m being nice to your family.” Her tone has a distinct hiss, like a snake ready to strike.

I ignore her as I pull her against me. Her perfume instantly clenches at my chest. It does it more times than I care to admit. “And by scent marking you, nobody else will go near you.”

“Aiden.” She gasps. When she says my name, it feels like a soft, warm whisper against my skin.

“Holly.”

“Stop scent marking me. I’m not yours.” The sharpness in her words cut through my hazy stupor, bringing me back to reality as I notice her facade. She’s so good at putting on a show to deceive everyone.

You wanted a fake girlfriend, and you got it.

“You’re going to smell like mine while you’re here,” I growl while holding her tighter until she relaxes against me.

“Why does it matter?” Her voice trembles, waiting to hear words I can’t give her. “They’ll all know in four days it was a lie. Or are you scared I’ll leave you before our agreement ends?”

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