Page 83 of Knot All is Crystal
It’s for the best, but it still gives me a pang in my chest.
For a moment, I could pretend he came to me last night to tell me everything because he cares for me. And, honestly, over the years, I have seen signs that he at least feels a small attachment to me.
But it’s better not to examine those feelings.
“Who’s on the docket for tonight?” I ask, wincing at how my body squeaks when I cross the room to the big Beta.
His dark brown eyes flick down to my breasts for half a second before landing on my face. “Bachelor party.”
Tyler’s dismissive snort causes Puck to glare at him. “Since when does Kieran use the Queen for a bachelor party?”
“Since the bachelor is the chief of police.”
My stomach bottoms out. “What… he wants me to sell fizz to the police chief?”
“Kieran gave a significant donation to the chief’s reelection fund. You are to treat him as the highest VIP we’ve ever had.”
I can read between the lines, and I don’t even have to squint that hard.
The police chief is in Kieran Cobb’s pocket.
We’re all fucked.
THIRTY
“This is a bad idea,”I hiss at Mav as I unpack groceries into Crystal’s cabinets. “She’s going to be pissed.”
“What? No, she’s not. This is what a pack does,” he insists as he turns on a burner on the stove. “We take care of one another.”
“Typically, that doesn’t involve breaking and entering!”
He blows a raspberry at me and waves me away. “She wouldn’t have left her spare keys hanging on a hook by the door if she didn’t want me to take them.” A soft sizzle and the smell of butter fill the air. “Now, do you want a grilled cheese?”
I slump against the counter, twisting the top off a cider. “Nah, man. Celiac, remember?”
The Alpha turns to look at me like I’m a moron, fisting the loaf of bread by the neck of the bag. “I know. It’s gluten-free bread.”
I nearly spit out my drink as I stare at him. “You got gluten-free bread? Why?”
“Why? Because cross-contamination is a serious issue, dude. I don’t want you to get sick. Plus, what if making out with our Omega after she eats a sandwich gets you sick or something? That would be devastating.” He slides the sandwich onto a plate and pushes it across the counter towards me. “Eat.”
Maverick is an interesting guy. He’s got this magnetic personality that makes it hard to break your eyes away from him. I think I could talk to him for ages and never hear the same thing twice. I watch the black tank top slouch off his shoulders as he preps another sandwich, and I bite into mine.
I can’t remember the last time someone took care of me like this. The simple act of choosing gluten-free bread to ensure I have something to eat is massive. How many times have I gone hungry so I don’t get sick?
After all of us crashed together, Maverick and I exchanged numbers. He texts a lot.
A lot.
But it’s been fun to get to know him.
I already know Emmanuel, for the most part. It’s weird to think of him in the context of a packmate.
It’s still a little unbelievable that I went all in so fast on Crystal.
“Am I messed up that I’m diving into everything with Crys headfirst like this?” I ask Mav as he plates his sandwich. “I mean, we’re dating. Or like. We were going to have a date, and then it’s bam, meet my pack. It’s heavy.”
He hums melodically and runs his fingers through his dark hair. “Yeah, it is heavy. I mean, I just met her, and I’m all in, but she’s my scent match, so this part of us knows that we are destined. But you’ve not got pheromone magic swimming in your head. You’ve got you and Crystal.”
