Page 24 of Knot Broken

“If you really want to impress a girl.” We all turned around to see an older woman standing there, dressed in a heavily embroidered purple dress. “Try one of these.”

She handed over a large box with what looked like a back massager in it.

“Um… we can massage her better than any machine can,” I replied.

“Anthea.” She stuck her hand out, so I shifted the basket to my other arm and then shook it. “And honey, these were manufactured as massagers, but women worked out real quick they’re the most powerful thing you can put on your clit.”

“It’s a wand vibe.” Grey plucked the box from my hand and considered it. “If Nadia likes a lot of clitoral stimulation, it’s supposed to be mind blowing, but some women report it being way too intense.”

“Place a folded towel between her and the head if that’s the case,” Anthea said. “It diffuses the vibrations and makes them a lot less intense. You might need a towel under her either way.”

Her rakish wink had my eyes widening.

“If this is gonna rock her world, we’re getting it,” Tex said, shoving the box into my basket.

“You seem like a lady who knows her sex toys,” I said.

“Should do, considering this is my place.” Her keen eyes took us in. “You’re an alpha pack.” We all sucked in a breath to explain, but she cut us off. “Looking to spice things up with your omega?”

There was a pause as we all looked at each other. Nadia was Tex’s mate, not mine or Grey’s, but he seemed content somehow to share her with us up until the moment he claimed her as his. For simplicities sake, I nodded.

“Well, come this way. Have you seen our selection of knotted toys…?”

“So these can be incredible and too intense.” We’d been here for ages, going through each option, and now had a basket full of fun supplies. Anthea handed over a pair of small ball magnets.

“I’m too scared to ask what these are for,” I said.

“Nipple clamps,” she replied, like it was an everyday thing people used. “The trouble is the pinch is instantaneous. Good if it’s the right pressure. Really bad if it’s not.”

“Nope.” Tex put the offending items back where they were displayed. “Not doing anything that might hurt my mate.”

“So you’ve been bonded for some time?” Anthea was a strange creature. She went from kink encyclopaedia to motherly in seconds. “Just looking for something new to try?”

“We only met a short time ago,” he replied, “but the minute she walked in the door, I knew she was the one.” With a look at the wall, he picked out a few other things. “Which means I need to do everything I can to show her I’m the guy for her. My mate says she likes some nipple pressure, firm, but not too pinchy. Would these work?”

“Look at him.” I came to stand beside Grey. “Discussing the various merits of sex toys to find the right one for his omega. We do this right? Nadia will choose him for sure.”

“Is that what we’re doing?” Grey stared at me for a second, giving me one of those inscrutable stares of his, before moving over to the shop owner. “Restraints,” he said. “One’s that are easy to undo and self-releasing is possible. I was thinking something simple like Velcro?”

As he chatted to Anthea about rope, Velcro, and other forms of restraints, I felt the need to answer his question. Tex was our friend, I reasoned. Someone had to stop him from just declaring that Nadia was his mate, expecting her to fall into his lap, didn’t they? And in the meantime, if we had a little mutual fun, that was just a side benefit. A glance down at what was no doubt several hundreds of dollars of sex toys had me wondering if that was completely true.

Every time I picked something up, I saw Nadia’s face in my mind. I wanted anticipation, pleasure, joy, and maybe just a little gratitude. For her to look up at me with those big brown eyes of hers and think finally, some guy was stepping up for her.

And that was a problem.

Tex was a friend, but we weren’t a pack. Just a couple of misfit kids who happened to become friends, then partners in our business. And anyway, he had a massive grey wolf that would tear the throat out of anyone who messed with her, whereas I…? I’d managed to shift only four times in my entire life, with the team at Crowe Corp warning me that attempting to again might result in me getting stuck mid way. Forcing a latent to shift back to human or to finally take fur was a difficult, unpredictable process. A wolf as weak as mine meant there was no fated mate in my future.

“You coming?” Tex asked.

Everyone had moved over to the counter, ready to purchase the items in the basket, so I walked over and placed it in front of Anthea.

I might not have a mate, but I could sure as hell help Tex claim his.

“All of these?” Anthea asked, lifting her scanner.

“Ring it all up, thanks,” I said with a grin.

“So what now?” I asked as we headed towards the car.