Page 50 of Knot Mine

She tuts, taking another sip of champagne. “But now is the time to think of our futures. Careers. Marriage. Babies.”

Nudging her back, I chide, “You can’t have it all as an omega, Rom. Career or family. Not both.”

Her face morphs into a cute frown, lips pursed into a small pout, a tiny crease between her perfect brows. “Well, I want a family then. I always wonder what being pregnant feels like, don’t you?”

I raise my eyebrow at her, wondering if her drunken joy would give away my biggest secret. Omegas and beta females were the only ones who could carry children, and although she hadn’t explicitly outed me, it was a strange question to ask a beta.

“Oh. Yeah. That’s right, mybetabrother.” She finally catches on after fluttering her long dark eyelashes for a moment. She snorts, “We can have it all, Lo-Lo. We only need to want it hard enough. We just have to take it. You’ll see.”

I follow her stare, and see that she’s watching Zale, watching us, a small smile spreading on her face. After a few minutes, he looks away, drawn into conversation with Caz and Millie’s attention turns back to me.

“You know, when I told Blake about your obsession with cartoons, he told me that he also watches cartoons.” Another nudge.

Across from us Sadie rolls her eyes, and goes back to stoking Evans’ chest and laughing at his unfunny jokes.

“Anime, Millie.” Blake faux sighs dramatically, flashing me a grin. “It’s called anime.”

“Well, I figured you could geek out a little.” Millie smiles at both of us, waggling her eyebrows before lowering her voice again. “I mean, you said Bell was just a friend.”

“Theyarejust a friend.” I’ve had this conversation countless times with her. It’s rare for same secondary genders to pair (omega x omega or alpha x alpha), but not unheard of, and in a way, I guess it’s nice that Millie is open minded, even if she likes to tease me.

But she’s still wrong. I’m not in a relationship with Bell.

She chuckles, grabbing the bottle and stands, letting the bubbly water run down her curves—something everyone notices as heads turn our way. “So, I think maybe I’m going to go and grab something to eat and leave you two nerds talk dragon balls or whatever it is.”

Sadie stands too, making a big deal of shaking some of the water off her huge tits before linking arms with my sister. “I’ll come with you, babe.”

Evans and Blake both move a little closer to me, one on either side.

“So, dragon dick? Is that what we’re talking about?” Evans grins, “Have you seen those tentacle dildos? Do they make dragon ones?”

Blake laughs, “We’re talking about anime, you pervert.”

“I bet Shiloh knows what I’m talking about.” His brown eyes are fixed on me, as if he’s hoping to uncover all my dirty secrets just by staring at me until I’m uncomfortable. Under the water a hand creeps onto my thigh and I freeze.

Evans sways towards me, “Can you smell something sweet? Like…caramel?”

He leans in further, his nose almost against my neck now and my stomach clenches. My mark is still covered but that isn’t deterring him as fingers bite into my skin, his eyes glassy as his lips part, almost as if he’s readying himself to take a taste.

Blake’s arm comes around me to push Evans back, something I’m grateful for as his hand withdraws. “Maybe you should lay off the brewski’s, bro.”

Evans blinks, before chuckling. “Yeah. Time for some food I think.”

He stands, and I glance away, but not before I realize he’s half hard. I swallow, trying to avert my eyes. I took my—I didn’t. I didn’t take my suppressants this afternoon. With everything else going on I forgot about the next dose.

“Maybe something sweet,” he murmurs as he climbs out of the hot tub, leaving me with Blake, who smiles at me awkwardly.

I hesitate. Should I get out and dash to my room? But the chlorine was dampening the scent of my pheromones. That little hint of warm caramel would only get worse if I didn’t get to my room and take my meds soon, but also getting out surrounded by alpha’s was risky. I chew on my bottom lip, debating whether to get in or out, when Blake waves a hand in front of my face.

“You okay there? You zoned out a little.” His mouth is pulled up in one corner into a shy half smile, and it makes him look cute in a boyish kind of way. He’s not as large as Zale, slimmer but still toned and bigger than me. His black hair is short, with a skin fade hairstyle and his warm brown eyes are amused as he waits for my response.

I shake my head softly, “Sorry, I must be tired.”

“I’m sorry Evans was being weird, he can be like that once you get a few drinks in him.” Blake leaves his arm on the edge of the hot tub, behind me and I pick up notes of cedarwood and musk. It’s earthy, and different to the scents I pick up off Zale, but it’s not horrible.

“It’s fine.” I shrug, used to strange antics from Millie’s friends. Evans was just on a new level of strange this evening. As was Blake. Why was he giving me the time of day? “Look, I’m sorry that Rom asked you to talk to me. You don’t have to.”

Blake’s smile dims, “But I want to.”

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