Page 23 of Believe it or Knot

She cocks an eyebrow. “Oh, is that all? Just close up my business for the day, hmm?”

I grin. “Yeah, exactly. Nothing too big.”

She laughs and pushes against my stomach. I hope she can feel the muscles under there; I hope she likes the feel. I hope she wants to run her fingers and her tongue over them. All for you, baby. Everything I am is all for you.

“Go find a table,” she orders, and my mouth twitches into almost a smile.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She darts away from us, dark wavy hair escaping her bun, ass looking so fucking good in her jean shorts.

Liam moves closer to me, but not too close. “She’s really fucking beautiful, isn’t she?”

I grit my teeth and nod, even though I want to snarl at him that she’s mine. Will always be mine and he can’t fucking take her from me.

But that’s the thing. I think he can. So fucking easily.

For years, I’ve been biding my time, making sure Sorrel is who I truly want to spend the rest of my life with, giving her a chance to find someone else if she wanted to, reassuring my parents that my feelings for her weren’t some teenage crush fueled by hormones. I’ve waited, I’ve been patient, I’ve built a nest egg large enough to give her the life she deserves.

It’s just my luck that now, as I’m ready to be with her, to tell her how I feel about her, to promise forever to her, to mark and bite and claim her, now the Cordova pack is here too.

Billionaires.

Famous.

America’s sweetheart omega.

Sorrel’s adolescent crush that lingers today.

They could give her a life that I can’t even fucking imagine.

But I’ll be damned if I’ll give her up without a fight.

Track 8: Run For the Hills

The house that the Cordova pack is staying in on Lake Kilrose is… over the top.

One of those monstrosities that my father used to complain about. He would one hundred percent hate this house.

If it wasn’t for its immense size, I might kind of love it.

The entire back wall of the three story building is windows looking out over the lake, it’s a gorgeous view and smart of whoever built the place to make that the focus of the entire building, though I suppose most of the houses up here face the lake.

I stand in the living room with my arms folded over my stomach, looking at the rippling water. It’s dark with the full moon reflecting off the surface, giving me just enough light to make out a dock stretching from the impressive backyard deep into the water. I can just make out the hulking shape of a speedboat bumping gently alongside it.

Warmth presses into my side and I look up to find Gage standing next to me, looking at the same view I am, but rather than looking enraptured and awed, he looks… disappointed, upset. Like he’d rather be anywhere but here.

I frown and shift to face him. His hand slides from my lower back to my hip, fingers tightening gently as he looks at me. It’s a little weird. I don’t think Gage has ever been this physically affectionate with me. Sure, we’ve hugged and horsed around and cuddled in the most platonic sense possible, but this feels different.

Gage hasn’t let go of me. Not once.

When we got in the car, he gripped my hand, helped me into the seat and then pushed me over until I was in the middle and he could slide in next to me. There was a brief reprieve of his fingers entwined with mine as we both put on our seatbelts and then he was back to holding me again, this time, his arm over my shoulder as he pulled me into his side, away from Rafe who slipped in next to us after a heated discussion between him and Liam.

I think Rafe didn’t want his omega in that close proximity to an unknown alpha, and Liam wanted to be close to me.

I can’t be sure, but I think Rafe pulled out his alpha bark to get Liam to sit in the front seat with Gray.

I get it. But Gage practically snarled at the other alpha and pulled me further into his side, when there already wasn’t much space between us. When we got here, he all but dragged me out of his side of the car and stayed right next to me through the entire house tour. Which is impressive if you like houses with six bedrooms (including a nest), seven bathrooms, a family room, a den and a formal living room, as well as a giant kitchen.

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