Page 20 of In Knots

Chapter 6

The river Stud carves its way through the outskirts of Studworth, notorious in parts for its abandoned shopping trolleys and bicycles, and in others for the boat houses and teams of rowers from the colleges and clubs in the city. Out here in the countryside though, it takes on a completely different persona. Sparkling where the patches of sunlight break through the treetops that line the banks, great willows with boughs that dip low into the water. Dragonflies skirt across the surface and the hum of crickets floats across from the long grass beyond.

The alphas park where the bank’s been cleared and the grass flattened. A spot for swimmers and picnickers.

I drive in behind them and wait while they shrug off their helmets and leather jackets, and then, taking my hand in his, Ryan leads me down to the water’s edge, Buzz strolling on his other side.

It’s midday now, the sun soaring high in the sky and the heat buzzing in the air around us.

When we reach the water, I kick off my sandals and dip my toes in. It’s cool, running over my feet.

“You coming in?” Ryan says, and when I turn to look at him, he’s already tugging his t-shirt over his head.

“You’re going in?” I ask.

“Why else would we come down to the river on a day like this, princess?”

Next to him, Buzz is stripping too. I gasp and turn away as his thumbs hook inside the waistband of his briefs.

I wait, my feet cool and my cheeks hot, until I hear a splash of water and then another. I turn to watch their heads bob up from under the surface, Buzz first, shaking his head, droplets of sparkling water spraying out across the river.

“Fuck that feels good,” Ryan says, as he appears, leaning back and floating his arms to and fro through the water. He squints in my direction. “Are you coming in or not?”

I peer down at my body. I’ve never swum in a river before. My mother would not approve, reminding me of all the germs and pollution. She’s been reluctant to let me in the ocean every time we’ve been abroad.

It’s that that decides me. I shrug off my top and shimmy my skirt down my legs, both alphas watching from the river like crocodiles about to strike. It should be enough to have me running away, except once again I’m snagged and pulled that way.

I take a step into the water, the cold, striking up my leg.

“Aren’t you taking those off?” Ryan says. His face is in shadow so I can’t tell if he’s grinning or frowning at me.

I peer down again at my body. My pale freckled skin and, as Buzz had guessed, my plain white bra and cotton knickers.

“We’ll turn around.” He swishes through the water, presenting his back to me, then splashes a wave of water at Buzz who’s still bobbing in the water, eyes locked my way.

Throwing me a heated look, the other alpha spins around too. Quickly, I peel off my underwear and crash into the river, ducking low in the water as soon as I can, the cold whipping my breath away and making me gasp.

Ryan peers over his shoulder. “All safe?” he asks, his eyes sweeping over my bare shoulders.

“Yes,” I say. Imitating his early movements, I lean back in the water, dipping my head right back, my hair fanning out around me. I close my eyes. It’s so cool. After days and days of unrelenting heat, it feels heavenly.

“Good?” Buzz asks me.

“Very,” I murmur. When I flip my head back up, both alphas are watching me.

“Come here, princess,” Ryan says, reaching through the depths and catching my fingers between his. He tugs me towards him and I come floating his way. The water is clear, and as I peer down, I see our naked bodies discombobulated by the speckled surface of the water, like an impressionist painting. A flash of my pink nipples, of dark curls low on his body, of the inks that scrawl across his skin.

“How was the shopping?” he asks me, taking my other hand in his. He doesn’t pull me close, registering my nerves.

“Fine.”

“You got an outfit for your date?” I nod, and over my shoulder he catches the eye of his pack mate. “She’s got a date next week.”

“With you?”

“No, not with me.”

“Not with you,” he repeats, and I hear him ripple through the water towards us, his voice right behind me. “Is this how you operate, Omega? Messing around with several alphas at once?”

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