Page 48 of Knot Your Romeo

“I’m not.” My mouth crashes onto hers again, despite how much I know we need to end this.

I can’t get involved with another Omega. I know she’ll leave me for an Alpha or a pack in the end.

“Jolie, we need to stop,” I whisper against her lips.

“I know,” she breathes back. “I know.”

18

Emmie

Three days of peacewith Jude have given me a strength I didn’t know I possessed. I’d only been home to get clean clothes and reassure Mom that I was fine, and she’d been too busy with her new position to ask too many questions.

But Monday morning brings me back to reality.

I approach the Range Rover with my usual reluctance, only to freeze when I see who’s behind the wheel.

Beck Silver sits in the driver’s seat, his dark hair perfectly styled despite the early hour. Our eyes meet, and I feel that familiar jolt of recognition, of unwanted attraction that I’ve been trying to suppress since that night in Boston.

I slide across the back seat just as Romeo jogs up from the manor house, his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder. He seems surprised to see his father driving but doesn’t comment, settling into the seat beside me rather than the passenger seat.

He grunts with his usual morning surliness.

“Morning, Jolie,” Beck says, glancing back at me. “How was your weekend? Quiet, I hope?”

There’s something pointed in his tone that makes me defensive. “Actually, no. I had a date, so it was quite eventful.”

Beck’s phone rings at that moment, filling the car with the sound.

“Silver,” Beck answers through the Bluetooth, his attention shifting to whoever’s on the other end.

From my periphery, I watch Romeo’s jaw tighten almost imperceptibly before he hisses under his breath. “A date?”

“Mmm. Very nice evening. We watched movies, had dinner.” I let a small smile play on my lips. “I’m sure I had just as much fun as you did at your brother’s party.”

His knuckles whiten where they grip his phone. “What makes you think I had fun?”

“Oh, I don’t know. You seemed to enjoy yourself thoroughly from what I could see.” The words slip out before I can stop them, and I immediately regret the petty dig.

Romeo twists in his seat to face me more fully, his gray eyes dangerous. “Were you watching from your window like a lonely voyeur again?”

“I told you, I had a date,” I reply, my voice even. “I just happened to notice the...performance art happening in your pool house while I was getting ready.”

“Performance art?” His voice is barely a whisper now.

“Three people, wasn’t it? Very avant-garde.”

Romeo’s face flushes red. Whether from embarrassment or anger, I can’t tell. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I? Does Cerise know about your artistic endeavors?”

He grits his teeth, glancing toward his father who’s still absorbed in his call about quarterly projections and board meetings. “Stay out of my business, Jolie.”

“Gladly, as long as you stay out of mine.”

The rest of the ride passes in tense silence, Beck’s business call providing cover for the hostility radiating from the back seat. When we finally reach the college, Romeo practically launches himself from the car, not waiting for it to come to a complete stop.

I follow him, but Beck’s voice stops me.

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