Page 20 of Knot Their Starlet

My gaze jerks down, and I wince.

Damn. They really do. They’re all white.

It was kind of intentional on my part. All the other bouquets the florists had looked too romantic. I didn’t want to make things awkward for her since I know she’s supposed to have a boyfriend.

I try to avoid reading about myself, but after last night, it was hard to Google Andi and not see my name floating around somewhere.

“I like them,” she adds, probably feeling mercy on me after seeing my panicked expression.

“You do?” I ask, my shoulders relaxing.

She nods before leaning her chin on her knees.

“This is perfect, absolutely perfect!” the tall beta man in a suit that feels far too pressed for a hospital says, clapping his hands together.

I don’t like the look in his eyes. It’s hungry. Like he looks at me and sees dollar signs.

That same hungry expression remains on his face when his gaze darts to Andi.

That weird feeling I had when I first stepped into the room returns.

“Mr. Knight, it’s so nice to make your acquaintance,” he says, stalking closer to me, his hand outstretched in greeting.

Eli steps forward, making the beta stop in his tracks, his eyes going wide.

“And who are you?”

“Elijah Castillo,” Eli grunts, his massive arms crossed over his chest. “Beckham’s manager. And you are?”

“Oh, well, I’m Stuart, the Sterling’s publicist.” The beta tugs awkwardly at the front of his suit.

The room fills with tension with the strange posturing going on in front of me. I don’t miss the way Andi’s eyes dart between Eli and I. She’s connecting the dots from last night. We’ll have to talk to her about that.

Preferably without half a dozen people in the room.

“And I’m Gina Sterling,” the other omega in the room says, stepping forward and extending her hand to Eli to shake.

I immediately know I don’t like her. I know Eli and I haven’t had a chance to talk about what we are, and that I technically don’t have any claim on him, but I hate the predatory gleam in this woman’s eye.

Everyone in Hollywood knows about Gina Sterling. If not by name, then they’ve heard the story of the reality TV star who unbonded her mate seventeen years ago. I guess being unbonded doesn’t stop you from being interested in a devastatingly handsome alpha like Eli.

Lucky for me, Eli doesn’t give her the time of day.

He shakes her hand, his gaze wandering the room like he’s bored.

“I’m Beckham Knight,” I say, extending my hand to shake hers. I was raised to be polite.

“Yes, I’m aware,” she sniffs, extending her hand before giving me the limpest handshake known to man.

I swear, she turns her nose up at me before turning and walking to her daughter’s bedside.

Yeah, I definitely don’t like her.

“How are you feeling… after everything?” I ask Andi, feeling the weight of everyone’s stares on me as I do. I’m getting more used to it at this point in my career, but this feels... weird. “You were in rough shape.”

“Like I got my head split open on a countertop,” Andi says, fidgeting with the empty styrofoam cup in her lap.

“That’s enough depressing talk,” Gina says, squeezing Andi’s shoulder. “We have more important things to discuss.”