Page 37 of Knot Your Romeo

I walk straight past our front door, through the gardens, eventually to the lake Eli mentioned. The water is still, reflecting the afternoon sun like liquid gold. I sit on a fallen log near the shore, wrapping my arms around my knees.

“Rough day?” I startle at the voice, turning to see Eli standing a few feet away, a small wicker basket in hand.

“Sorry,” he says immediately. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” I say, wiping hastily at my eyes. “I was just thinking.”

He gestures to the log. “Mind if I join you?”

When I nod, he settles beside me, placing the basket between us. “I was about to have lunch,” he says, opening it to reveal sandwiches, fruit, and a thermos. “Care to share?”

My stomach growls in response, and Eli laughs—a warm, rich sound that somehow eases the tension in my shoulders.

“Shouldn’t you be at school?” he asks, handing me half a sandwich.

“Shouldn’t you be gardening?” I counter, accepting it gratefully.

He grins, the expression transforming his face from merely handsome to breathtaking. “I’m taking a well-deserved break.”

We eat in companionable silence for a while, watching a pair of ducks glide across the lake. The sandwich is delicious—fresh bread, avocado, and some herb I can’t quite identify.

“Did you make this?” I ask.

Eli nods. “Bread and all. The herbs are from my garden.”

“It’s amazing. I’m surprised you’re not an Omega.”

“High praise from an Omega and a southern city girl,” he teases.

“How do you know I’m from the city?”

He unscrews the thermos, pouring what smells like herbal tea into the cap. “Your hands,” he says, passing me the makeshift cup. “Soft and perfect nails. And you got lost in the woods, which most country kids wouldn’t do.”

I accept the tea, our fingers brushing briefly. “Observant.”

“I notice things,” he says simply. “Like how you’re not at school when you should be. And how your eyes are red from crying.”

I look away, suddenly uncomfortable with his perception. “It’s nothing.”

“If Romeo’s bothering you—“

“He’s not,” I say too quickly. “He told me to stay away from you, actually.”

Eli’s eyebrows rise. “Did he now? And what did you say?”

“Nothing.” I sip the tea, the warm, slightly bitter liquid calming my nerves. “It’s none of his business that I like being with you.”

He studies me for a long moment, his eyes the same deep green as the pines surrounding the lake. “You do?”

“What?”

“You like being with me?”

I set the cup down, staring at my hands. “More than I care to admit. I’ve never felt more at ease with another Alpha before.”

Eli is quiet for so long, I think he might not respond. When he finally speaks, his voice is low, thoughtful. “It’s reciprocal.” He takes a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the horizon. “There’s something about you, Jolie. Something that makes me want to be better than I am. Braver than I’ve been.”

“You’re already brave,” I say softly. “And kind. And honest in a way that most people aren’t.”