Page 38 of Knot Broken

My mate was finding my discomfort all too amusing.

“Yeah, but don’t they like only shoot them from the waist up or have them wrap a towel around themselves or something?”

Her elbow hit the couch as she stared up at me.

“Do you know how many shows I’ve been forced to watch with boobs on the screen?” Before I could answer, she forged on. “Showing a lot of full-frontal male nudity is a feminist statement.” My mate turned towards the screen, but her eyes slid sideways. “It’s not as if you’ve got anything to worry about. You’re packing more heat than that entire locker room.”

Yeah, I was. Nadia’s eyes were on the screen, but mine were on her. Watching the way she melted into the couch, her mouth falling open slightly, as if she needed to suck in deeper breaths. That and the sweet smell of her arousal had me shifting on the couch.

But that’s not what today was about.

She said no talking, so I’d abide by her rules, then when this damn show was over, I’d lay it on the line for her. My heart rate started beating faster and it wasn’t because of the sight on the screen. Would she accept the bond, even though I had no pack of brothers to protect and provide for her? Would she give me a chance to prove myself worthy? I’d asked myself that question all week, but now I knew I couldn’t leave without it answered.

So back to the TV screen, my focus shifted.

“Kiss her already!” Nadia said, pegging one of the bunched up wrappers at the screen.

“Why don’t they just tell her she’s the one for them?” I asked.

It felt like these guys were pussyfooting around this girl. Lots of longing looks and flirty comments, but no real action. That earned me an amused snort.

“That’s not what betas do.” Feeling my eyes on her, she turned my way. “There’s no fated bond tying them together. People have to get to know each other, work out if there’s something real there, and that takes time. Which is where the tension comes from in the story. Will they get it together? Is the relationship a solid one?” Her eyes creased slightly as she stared at me. “What’s it like for an alpha?”

I swallowed hard, then lent over to take a sip of the Coke on the coffee table. Too damn sweet, it did little to dislodge the lump in my throat.

“Is it just ‘hey, baby,’” Nadia said, affecting a deeper voice. “You, me, my knot. Let’s make this happen.’”

There was no way to stop myself from grinning, even as every muscle locked down tight.

“No,” I replied, feeling like the air in the room shifted. “Have you ever had a moment when you just knew someone was right for you?”

I wanted, needed her to say yes, that she was feeling exactly what I was, even though I knew that was unlikely to be the case.

“If you met any of my exes.” She made a rude noise. “You would not ask me that question.”

“Well, an alpha does,” I replied. Abandoning all pretence of watching the screen, I turned to face her. “Like he looks out at a sea of women and sees only his fated. No one else matters, will ever matter, except for her.”

Nadia wasn’t shrinking back or wrinkling her nose in disgust, so I was on the right track, wasn’t I?

The trouble is, she also wasn’t paying her full attention to what I was saying.

“Shit, she kissed the team captain!” The remote was picked up and she pressed down the rewind button just in time to see the big beta approach the pretty girl. When his fingers rose hesitantly, I think I knew what he was feeling. That he didn’t dare touch something so perfect but would die miserable if he didn’t. She gazed up at him, obviously willing him to broach the gap, and then as soon as his fingers touched her hair, they were launching themselves at each other. Hard, punishing kisses were recorded in 4K on the screen, the sounds of their muffled moans filling the room.

And I couldn’t have wanted anything more.

Any desire that was extinguished by the locker room scene came rushing back now. My knot was hard, throbbing, because as I watched the screen, it wasn’t the actors I saw, but us.

“Phew!” Nadia flopped back against the couch once the scene was over. “I feel like I need a cigarette or something now, but why did the coach have to walk in and interrupt?” The dialogue burbled in the background as she looked over at me. “So was it good for you too?”

“Ahh… yeah.”

She watched me shift on the couch, then her eyes widened, making me curse the fact I’d worn a loose pair of grey sweatpants. The tent my cock was making was all too evident.

“So you do like this show.” Without looking back, she hit the pause button and then moved closer. “Male full-frontal nudity isn’t that much of a turn off. Want me to put the show on where the two guys fall in love? I don’t mind.”

“No, I…” Whatever I was about to say died in my throat as she slipped off the couch and down on her knees before me. “Nadia, you…”

Her hands found the waistband of my pants and she had them down and around my ankles in seconds. Cool air bathed my aching shaft, a light caress, right before her hands took over.