Page 6 of Knot for Sale

The blanket Elijah lifted for me smelled of old-fashioned rose blossoms after a thunderstorm. Together, we shoved pillows around until we were cushioned on all sides, and I could almost pretend we were at the center of a pile of protective packmates. My head fit perfectly in the dip of Elijah’s shoulder, and his arm came around my back to press me close. Two minutes later, he was snoring softly, dead to the world.

Dangerous, my instincts warned.

Shut up, I told them, burying my nose in the rich scent at the base of Elijah’s throat.

Tonight, I would be an omega. Tomorrow, I would try to come up with some kind of contingency plan for paying next month’s rent. And bright and early on Monday morning, I would present myself at the IMGE offices to find out whether I still had a career.

FOUR

Emma

MY SUNDAY BRAINSTORMING session hadn’t yielded anything terribly useful when it came to making money appear from the ether. As it stood, if I paid the rent, I wouldn’t be able to afford food. And if I paid for food, I wouldn’t be able to make the rent.

Jessica—a dark-skinned, willowy girl with short, natural hair and twinkling brown eyes—appeared a little after eleven a.m., while Elijah and I were sitting slumped over the cluttered kitchen table. He was eating a bowl of Cap’n Crunch. I was still running on last night’s ice cream.

“Heya. Did you and Dee get out of church early or something?” Elijah asked.

“Ha,” Jessica said flatly. She eyed him with mild interest. “Must’ve been a good heat. Your love bites are showing, playboy.”

Elijah shrugged a shoulder, unconcerned. “They’ll heal up before my next shoot. In the meantime,someoneshould appreciate them, even if it’s only my roomies.”

Jessica snorted.

I took a couple of controlled breaths, planning my words so I wouldn’t stumble over them. “How’s Dee doing?”

I’d only met Jessica’s latest girlfriend a couple of times, but she had a forthrightness and unapologetic butch ethos that I found appealing. I was genuinely rooting for the pair, even though Jessica had never been one for long-term relationships in the months I’d known her.

She smiled now, though—and in my estimation, it was the smile of someone who was rethinking their lifelong allergy to commitment. “She’s doing good. The gallery opening is going better than anyone could have expected. She’s even been contacted by a couple of investors.”

I smiled back, finding it oddly uplifting that not everyone seemed to be struggling the way I was. “I’m really happy for her. She does some amazing work.” Sobering, I forged ahead. “I’ve got bad news, and I’m sorry to dump it on you like this, but it wouldn’t feel right k-keeping it to myself.”

Jessica set her handbag on the table and sat down, giving me her full attention. “The rent, I’m guessing?”

I cringed inwardly, forcing myself to hold her gaze despite the instinctive omega desire to look down at the floor. “Yeah. More clients have cancelled on me, and now the agency is calling me in for a meeting tomorrow. I’m k-kind of freaking out, to be honest.”

“I can confirm that she’s freaking out,” Elijah said, with limited helpfulness.

Jessica rested an elbow on the table, massaging her temple. “Okay. I had an idea this might be coming. I know you’ve been having a hard time getting gigs. Do you think your agency is going to dump you?”

“Maybe,” I said miserably.