Page 10 of Knot Their Starlet

Paparazzi.

Flash. Flash. Flash.

“Beckham Knight! Congrats on your win tonight!”

“Do you have any comments?”

“How do you feel about representing the male omega community?”

“I—” I open my mouth, trying to come up with something that distills how I’m feeling without any of the negative anxiety, while also balancing my attempt at not being cancelled.

“What do you have to say about critics calling your music teenage girl trash?”

Any possibility of words die on my tongue at that last question.

Eli steps between the paparazzi and I, his broad shoulders blocking out the bright lights.

“Enough questions,” he says, nudging me to continue walking with a light brush against my shoulder.

The touch sears through the fabric of my suit.

I blame it on the alcohol, but heat radiates from where he just touched me and travels through my entire body.

Maybe it’s because he’s an alpha, but the paparazzi don’t follow us down the hallway I wander aimlessly down. I don’t even know if this is in the direction of the bathroom.

“Over here,” Eli says, letting out a soft huff of laughter.

I turn on my heel, seeing him gripping the handle to a door with a very clear single-stall bathroom sign.

Oops. Guess I missed that.

My attention is drawn to the veins I see along the back of his massive hands.

“Sorry,” I say, shaking my head.

“Your head’s in the clouds, huh?”

More like in the gutter.

“Not really,” I mumble, stepping into the bathroom.

The heavy door shuts behind us with a definitive thump.

My eyes widen as my gaze darts around the bathroom.

“Damn, this place is a little ridiculous,” Eli chuckles, leaning against the bathroom door with his massive arms crossed over his chest.

He’s right. There are marble countertops and even a mini-chandelier. Who needs a chandelier where they shit?

“It really is.”

“Things sure have changed a lot, huh? We don’t have bathrooms like this back home.”

“We definitely don’t.” My laughter sounds nervous, even to my own ears. I’m like a parrot, repeating his own words back at him.

Eli pushes himself off the wall to stand in front of me. My breath hitches in my throat, almost like I’m hoping that if I hold my breath with his scent there, I’ll feel calm forever.

He reaches up and massages the back of my neck, his thumb digging into the crick that always seems to appear when I’m stressed.