Page 8 of Knot Your Average Beta

Vee stares at me. “Let me get this straight. Some guy comes up to you out of nowhere and offers to treat you to a night on the town? Is he here? Do you see him? Jesus, Sadie, what if these drinks are drugged?”

I know they aren’t. Not sure how I know, but I do. It won’t do any good to tell her that I know the guy who gave me the card wouldn’t hurt me. I felt… safe while under his watchful gaze, in a way that I haven’t before. It’s too weird for me to even think about, so I just smile at her wickedly. “Then we’ll have a really, really interesting night. And no, I don’t see him. He was so, so fucking hot, Vee. Like,” I wave a hand in front of my face and pretend to pant. “I was melting right where I sat. My panties spontaneously combusted.”

Vee’s lips twitch into a half smile as she nods sagely. “Ah, so we’re here so you can hopefully see him again and get laid.”

“Yes, exactly that. And in the meantime, we can still have our talk like I promised, and partake in free booze, and I’m assuming they have some kind of snackies we can eat.”

Vee chuckles and shakes her head, and I can tell that all is forgiven. Better than forgiven. I know if I see the guy who got us into this club, she’ll do everything in her power to get me into bed with him. That’s just how Vee is. The ultimate wing woman. “Let’s just hope he shows up.”

I shrug, feigning nonchalance, because I really want to see him again. “If he doesn’t, I’ve got my eye on that fucking snack of a couple over there.” Normal girls might try to play it coy and cast a furtive glance toward the men they have their eyes on for the evening, but I’m not your average girl and so I boldly lift my eyes to meet the gazes of the men still watching us.

A skitter of anticipation shivers over me again. The same as it did this afternoon, and I wonder if the white-haired guy shows up, if he’d be down to sharing with the couple.

“Holy shit, Vee? Sylvie Benson?”

I blink and flick my gaze back to my best friend, who rolls her eyes but suddenly looks uncomfortable. “Its you, isn’t it?”

I’m moving before I can fully process what’s happening. The man I don’t recognize clamps a hand on my best friend’s shoulder and spins her toward him, only to blink when he finds me between their bodies, glaring up at him, with a hand on his chest to make him keep his fucking distance.

“You wanna let her go, my guy?” I snarl up at him, pressing against him even harder, when he doesn’t let go of Vee’s shoulder. “Its not fucking polite to just grab people.” I glance at Vee over my shoulder. “Is this one of them?”

She blinks at me, dazed, before she looks up at the alpha still holding her shoulder. Blond hair, golden boy smile, handsome I suppose, but there’s something about him that makes me uncomfortable, and that only grows when his blue eyes scrape over Vee’s neck, taking in the lack of a mating bite there.

Gross.

I mean, I know it’s a pretty common practice, but come on. Really?

“Connor, hey,” Vee says, sounding tepid as hell. She might know this guy, but she doesn’t like him. It makes my hackles stand on end even more. So I press more solidly against her, offering what support I can and keeping my body between theirs.

“Seriously,” I grit out, pushing against him again. “Back off, dude.”

Connor blinks, then hurriedly releases Vee, a sheepish smile on his face. “Sorry. I just- I’m so surprised to see you here. Seven years is a long time.” His gaze flickers over me, like he thinks it’s weird that I’m still between them.

I don’t move.

I won’t move, not unless Vee shows she wants me to.

My ass is staying right fucking here, buddy. Get used to it.

“Not long enough, apparently,” Vee mutters low enough that I can hear it, but not the douche canoe in front of us. “No worries,” she says louder. “I get it. It’s kind of like seeing a ghost, huh?”

I stay where I am through Connor awkwardly asking if he can buy us drinks, and when we inform him our drinks are on the house, he moves on to asking Vee if she wants to grab coffee or lunch with him. She doesn’t. I can tell she doesn’t, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to tell this asshole so, but Vee is also an adult and she can stand up for herself. I still don’t move from between them, though.

So I bite my tongue while she gives him her number, and instead run my eyes over the VIP area, halfway hoping for a glimpse of pale hair. Instead, I find the men I’d been eyeing earlier, standing and much, much closer. They’re tall, both of them. Towering over me, over even Connor. And fuck, they are so handsome. The bigger one has dark brown hair a little longer than is really fashionable, styled back from his face covered in a five o’clock shadow. Thick slashes from brows over a hooded gaze, firm jaw, soft lips. Tattoos over his neck. He’s obviously an alpha.

The other is maybe four inches shorter, slimmer build with what looks like dirty blond hair cropped close on the sides and longer on the top. Just long enough for me to grip while I ride his face. He’s clean shaven, showing off his excellent cheek bones and fine bone structure. I suspect he’s a beta. A fucking beautiful one, for sure.

The bigger one runs his eyes over me, like he’s checking for injury, which makes my chest warm even though it’s ridiculous. He tilts his head and arches a brow in question. I can’t tell if it’s are you good? Or what the hell are you thinking, putting yourself in front of an alpha like that?

Either way, I just shrug and smirk and let him read whatever he wants into it.

When Connor walks away, I finally shift away from Vee and arch a brow at her. “What the hell was that?”

She sighs and gulps down half her drink before answering. “That was Connor Bilkes. He, uh… he hung around us when we were teenagers.”

My eyes are drawn back to the men as they return to their table, apparently settled now that the unwanted alpha has left us alone. Vee notices me looking and follows my gaze too.

A jolt of jealousy hits when the smaller of the two catches my best friend’s eye and smirks.

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