Page 56 of Their Knotty Pack
She arches a brow. "Were youtryingto fool me?"
"Not intentionally. I think I've been fooling myself more than anyone." And now I think that might be the first true thing I've said to her.
"Tell me one real thing," she says on a breath, and so I think of the most embarrassing thing I can.
"I didn't have my first kiss until I was twenty-one."
"Twenty-one? But how? You're so…"
"Sexy? Hot?Irresistible?"
"Flirty."
I smirk, shaking my head. "I wasn't always. Did you know that Hunter and I grew up in rural Idaho together? The only two second-generation immigrants in Dry Creek."
She tilts her head. "No, I didn't know that. Where did your parents move from?"
"Brazil, around thirty-five years ago. Hunter's parents came from Seoul around the same time. My point is, we were the only two in our little backwater town who were…different than everyone else. It might have helped if I was an alpha, like Hunter. Football season is more important to them than church, and at least he had the size of a running back." I shrug like the memories of those daysaren'tdifficult to relive.
"Hunter was essentially my only friend. It wasn't until we moved out here for college that I realized I could re-invent myself. I didn't have to be the awkward, immigrant beta who couldn't talk to people I was interested in. I could be someone else. Someone better. I was determined to change, and I did. I started wearing contacts, dressing like Ididn'tjust move from the midwest, went to the gym, and started reading these stupid self-help books about confidence and suddenly I could get a woman or man any time I wanted."
Bethany's eyes narrow at me. "My omega doesn't like to think of you with other people."
"Well, that's okay. Because I don't plan on ever being with anyone else besides you and Miles. You know, it’s times like this I’m glad I changed myself," my laugh sounds strange to even my ears, “there’s no way you guys would have wanted a dorky beta with horn-rimmed glasses and a penchant for writing cheesy anonymous love letters to the most popular cheerleaders in school, complete with sketched out portraits.”
“Miles wears glasses,” she points out, a small smile tilting at her lips.
“Miles is acoolnerd,” I reply, unable to help rolling my eyes, “a sexy one too. Not a hopeless, socially awkwardmess who thought the cool kids might like him if he did whatever they asked.”
She looks at me thoughtfully. "You know…you could have stayed the kid from Idaho, and we still would have wanted you."
Her words pierce something in my heart and I feel like I can hardly breathe.
"I think I might believe you," I give her a wry grin, "even so…I've been 'on' for so long it's hard to turn it off. But I'll work on it for you guys."
It's then that I realize that I'm still holding her hands to my chest, and I release them, clearing my throat slightly. "There is one thing I want to know though."
"What is it?" She looks at me curiously.
"I want to know why you were coming into our bathroom in the first place." It's not that she's not allowed to, but the way she charged in when her own bathroom in her nest was free for her to use doesn't make any sense to me.
Her cheeks turn scarlet again. "I…" She huffs a breath, crossing her arms. "If I tell you, you can't tell the others."
Well,thatpiques my interest.
"Not a word." I make a motion across my mouth like I'm zipping my lips.
"I…I was hoping maybe you guys left some laundry in there. My omega is really pushing me for your scents, but I don't know how to ask without it being weird, and I feel…icky sneaking into your rooms. I had been psyching myself out so badly about checking the bathroom, I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible!" She covers her face again. "I wasn't even thinking, I just…did it. I'm sorry, Damien. If I hadn't been so in my head I would have realized that the bathroom light was on and figured out someone was already in the room."
She…she wants our scents?
"Even mine?" My words have her lifting her head again.
"Even your what?" She asks, brows furrowed.
"You wanted my scent too? Even though I'm just a beta?"
She huffs at me. "You and Lanie are too much alike. Have you forgotten who my brother is? Is he 'just a beta'?" In the next moment, she's pushing me onto my back and straddling my hips, both of us fully clothed. Her face hovers just above mine, andshit, this is a bad time for my boner to come back.
