Page 62 of Knot for Me
“You should play it for her. She’ll swoon.”
He laughs softly. “Maybe. I don’t know if she’s ready to hear it.”
I swallow, throat thick with jealousy. Are they dating? If he slept with me while courting someone else, I might die.
“I’m sure she’ll like it. It’s an amazing song.” I stand, suddenly feeling awkward and intrusive. “I’m going back to bed.”
He rubs his jaw, watching me back away. “I’ll play quieter.”
“Thanks.” I reach the door and slip out, gently closing it so I don’t wake Marco and Cory. A displeased scowl takes hold, and no matter how much I remind myself Lucas isn’t mine and I have no right to be upset, I can’t help the rabid urge to claw out that woman’s eyes.
ChapterFifteen
CORY
On the hallway camera, I watch as Reagan’s door shuts. The camera in her room is still off, and while I’m tempted to turn it on and watch her, I don’t. Lucas doesn’t have one in his room. I’m not sure what happened, but it doesn’t smell like sex up here. If they had hooked up, her omega perfume would be stifling, and Lucas’ scent would be all over too. There wasn’t enough time for him to knot her, so they didn’t sleep together.
I roll over and stare at the abstract painting on my wall, studying the way the bedside lamp casts shadows and highlights different sections of the canvas. Lucas wants Reagan. She doesn’t seem to truly hate him, but something is holding her back. When we offered her freedom, she decided to stay. That has to mean something, right?
It’s foolish to hope she might want to become our omega. Not only will it put her life in danger, but she’s made it pretty clear she doesn’t want that. Her actions are confusing, which is partially Lucas’ fault. He usually has better control. I haven’t seen him this messed up over a woman since Emily, and even then, he wasn’t as volatile. Emily filled a need we had. She was assigned to us via the Compatibility Ceremony. She was beautiful and kind. She had a nice smile.
But she wasn’t Reagan. She missed Marco’s stupid jokes on more than one occasion. She didn’t like wine. She wasn’t feisty. She was tame. That’s not to say we didn’t like her. In the few short weeks we were together, we’d learned how to talk and be together. She would have been a good mother. Then the murder happened.
Reagan has filled a void I didn’t realize we needed filled. We’ve been okay for the past five years without an omega. We’ve each had a few play dates with women who knew it wouldn’t be permanent, but no one has been able to give us what Reagan has.
Hope.
The ball is next week and there will be dozens of alphas teeming through our home. I grind my teeth together, wondering if I should ask Lucas to send her away for the night. That almost seems worse though. At least with her here, I’ll know she’s protected. Growling, I grab my phone and tap out a message to Jefferson, asking him to add extra security for the party.
If I didn’t think she’d flip out on me, I’d have someone follow her around. Reagan won’t like being babysat, so we’ll have to explain how serious her safety is to the guards. No one gets to touch her.
* * *
REAGAN
The guys are gone by the time I wake up and go to fix my breakfast. There are fresh muffins on the counter again. I happily grab two and a cup of oat milk. I’ll make second breakfast in a little while, something more substantial and healthier. Since they’re at work for the day, I have the entire place to myself. I’m giddy at the thought, but I have to live up to my job duties first. I don’t think they’d force me to clean if I didn’t want to, but I refuse to freeload.
I find the right playlist for cleaning, the one that makes me want to shake my ass, and stick my phone in my back pocket. I head to the cleaning closet, grabbing the supplies for the bathrooms. There are two downstairs, and they’re a quick clean because they’re the least frequented. One of my favorite songs starts to play, so I sing and dance alone while I scrub the porcelain thrones. The rest of the cleaning flies by with the fun playlist, and when I’m done, it’s only ten.
I’m training with Marco tonight but that’s hours away. Someone knocks on the door when I finish putting the supplies back in the hall closet. I chew on my cheek and walk down the hall, giving the front door a suspicious once over. The chances of it being someone bad are low, but the creepy emails have me on edge. Three more loud knocks.
“Who is it?”
“Jeff.”
Oh. I laugh at my ridiculous paranoia and let him in. Amelie is nowhere in sight, and I try to keep my smile from falling.
“It’s all right. I know my mate is the exciting one.”
I shrug. “She’s a little wild.”
He grins and nods. “Yeah, she is.” He sounds so in love it makes me sick. “Anyway, I came by to pick up some paperwork.”
“Oh, okay. The alphas aren’t here.” I cross my arms and study him. I know he’s the beta, but I haven’t been given any instructions on how to handle situations like this.
“I can come back if it makes you uncomfortable?”
“No. It’s okay… do you have your phone?”
