Page 10 of Knot Letting Go (Knotty Streak Omegaverse #4)

A long hot bath scrubbed the sand and salt from my skin and added a rosy flush to my face, but my nerves were still tight. Something had coiled up inside of me. No, not just something, but several somethings.

Earlier this week, all my tension was because I was around two handsome Alphas who were inspiring my unconscious to give me sizzling sex dreams. Now I had fear tying me in a tangled mess.

The two things were opposites and didn’t mix well.

They battled inside my soul and pulled my emotions in every direction.

Lillianna came to find me while I was putting my damp hair up in buns. She had already drawn a sketch of what she wanted her mermaid tail to look like. Listening to her excited chatter kept me out of my head, and for that, I was grateful.

Her obsession with mermaids continued on to dinner where she had Enid sit with us and discuss it. Halfway through, Quill joined us from upstairs, and a minute later, Konstantin entered the kitchen from another entrance. Their presence had my stomach tightening, making it difficult to eat.

Enid got up and served them dinner as Lillianna told the story again of her mermaid adventures.

I squirmed in my chair, breathing in Konstantin’s smooth leather and vanilla scent, and then in the next breath, inhaling fresh mandarin and cypress from Quill.

Both scents were deeply male and made naughty images from my dreams flash through my mind.

Konstantin binding me with his tie and eating my pussy. Quill lifting me off my feet and fucking me against the wall.

“Aubrielle?” The sound of my name yanked me from my erotic thoughts. I blinked and looked toward Quill who grinned. Mm, that sensuous smile. “What color is your mermaid tail going to be?”

Oh, right. Mermaid talk. I swallowed and looked at Lillianna so if my naughty thoughts betrayed me, Quill wouldn’t be able to see them in my eyes. “Well, Lillianna is going to have blue and purple, so I might go with varying shades of pink.”

“That would be pretty,” Lillianna agreed and ate the last of her food pillows.

“So a blue mermaid and a pink mermaid with scales that go all the way up their necks. Lovely.” Quill smirked as he bit into a piece of cheesy garlic bread.

He sat half-turned toward his niece with an arm resting on the top of his chair.

The buttoned-up shirt he wore hugged his muscled frame. So casual, so incredibly hot.

“No!” Lillianna gasped. “Not up to our necks. That would look silly.”

“It would look right with your big giant round fish mouths. That’s what mermaids have, right?” Quill continued to tease her.

Konstantin said nothing, but quietly ate his meal with a look of amused affection at the two of them, which he tried to hide between bites. He still wore his suit, and for some reason that turned me on even more. He looked sharp and commanding, ready with a firm hand…

“Nooo! Mermaids have normal mouths. And their scales are only on their tails.” Lillianna huffed and poked her uncle. “That’s why they wear seashells on their chests.”

My eyes widened and my cheeks heated as Quill burst out with laughter. A chuckle even escaped Konstantin before he reined it in. Enid grinned as she cleared away everyone’s empty plates except my still half eaten meal.

“Seashells, eh? Now that I can appreciate.” Quill’s gaze went without shame to my chest. It was as if I could feel his hands cupping my breasts and the anticipation of his mouth about to descend up on a nipple.

Was he seriously ogling my chest at the table? Did he think I was attractive?

Not that I should even be entertaining such thoughts. I reminded myself of who and what and where I was again. There would be no stepping over any lines or jumping into anyone’s bed.

“Perhaps a swim shirt with a seashells print on it would be better suited for… being on a beach.” Konstantin steepled his fingers as he gave his daughter a fatherly smile and shot Quill a quick look that very clearly said to shut up.

He didn’t turn his head my way, but I somehow felt his attention on me. Hot and yearning.

Or maybe that was just me. Crap. I needed to stop thinking of them that way.

“Maybe. I’ll think about it.” Lillianna sighed, behaving again like a girl well beyond her years.

“Well, Miss Lillianna, while you’re considering mermaid wear, I have a dessert specially made for mermaids.” Enid brought over a plate on which an adorable dolphin made of ice cream swam between coral cookies. “Dolphin melone gelato.”

Lillianna squealed with delight. “I love it!”

“I’m so glad, dear.” Enid retrieved two more plates from the fridge freezer. She set one in front of Quill. “A jolly whale for you.” Then the second she sat in front of Konstantin. “And a crab for you.”

Quill snickered. “This is fantastic, Enid. You nailed each of us perfectly. The graceful and playful dolphin, the ornery crab, and the magnificent, handsome whale.”

“Daddy’s not ornoraree-ee.” Lillianna jumped right in to defend her father. “Crabs are clever and they can sing.”

Konstantin dipped his head to his daughter and smirked at Quill. “Thank you, Lillianna.”

“I have one for you too, Aubrielle dear. But you must finish your ravioli first.” Enid gave me a soft, motherly smile.

I couldn’t remember the last time anyone told me to eat everything on my plate.

In fact, the etiquette teacher at St. Anne’s taught us Omegas to always leave food on the plate lest we seem like hogs. “Yours is a sunfish.”

“Thank you. These are so cute. How did you make them?”

“When I got Lillianna some sand toys for the beach last week, I thought the molds looked like they’d be excellent for jellies and other desserts.

They’re plastic, so I can’t cook them, but there are a hundred gelato recipes, and I know a certain little girl who loves gelato.

” Enid laughed when Lillianna raised her hand and grinned with a mouth full of dessert.

The anxiety which had twisted my stomach earlier in the day had eased.

While I’d heard unhappy stories about family events from Callista, sitting here right now, I could see only a family who loved one another.

No matter the big manor we were in, right here in the kitchen felt cozy and warm. It felt like home.

Home. Where my parents and I laughed together. We could sit around the dinner table for hours talking about everything.

My eyes misted as my heart ached for my family. I looked down, hoping to hide it, and speared another ravioli with my fork to eat it.

Lillianna finished her last bite of dessert and wiggled happily in her chair. “All done! Aubrielle, can we go upstairs and plan more of our mermaid tails now?”

I set down my fork, ready to say yes and put my mind on something less morose, but Konstantin stood and picked up his daughter.

“I think we need to let Aubrielle finish her dinner before she does anything else. Right now, I need your help picking out some life jackets for when we take a boat out to Aunt Callista’s island.

Maybe you’ll find one that is suited to mermaids.

Then we can read together before you settle down for bed. ”

“Yay!” Lillianna kicked her feet as she hugged her father.

“Aubrielle,” Konstantin said my name stiffly. “I would like to speak to you later this evening after Lillianna has settled down. Please meet me in my office at nine.”

“Of course.” I bobbed my head, my abdomen tightening. There was no way I was going to be able to eat the rest of my dinner now. Was he displeased with how I handled the situation with Lillianna’s grandfather today? Did he think I was spoiling her and not being as structured as the previous nanny?

“Daddy, when is Aunt Callista going to be home? Do you think Isabella will be walking then? Can we make her a mermaid tail too?” Lillianna pelted her father with questions as they left the kitchen, and I was left wondering if I was going to have a job after tonight or not.

“That girl has her father wrapped around her pinky finger.” Quill chuckled and stretched out his long legs. “Actually, she has us all wrapped around her fingers.”

“And we’d have it no other way.” Enid bustled around, collecting plates and rinsing them in the sink.

I continued to stare at my dinner, trying to think of a way I could slip out of the kitchen without being rude. I needed to get outside and calm my nerves. I had considered the kitchen cozy only a moment ago, but now the walls felt like they were closing in.

My heart pitter-pattered fast in my chest and my breaths were shallow. Fresh air. Oh God, I was about to run out of the room like a scared bunny, wasn’t I?

“Hey Aubrielle, did you know tonight is a very special night?” Quill yanked me to the edge of the big swirling ball of anxiety in my mind. He’d straightened in his seat and sat perched on the edge closest to me. “Let’s leave Enid to clean up, and I’ll show you.”

What was he talking about? Was he trying to flirt with me? I was in no mood for such a thing.

“Go on, dearie. I’ll keep your gelato in the freezer in case you want a sweet treat later.” Enid gave me a soft smile as she finally took the remainder of my dinner away.

Quill stood and crooked his finger at me. “Come on. Consider it inspiration for your mermaid tail.”

What the heck was he talking about? I shouldn’t go anywhere alone with an Alpha, especially not one that turned the usual butterflies in my stomach into a frenzied pack of seagulls.

Yet Enid didn’t seem concerned about it, and I could excuse myself from his company faster than I could from the table when we were all seated there.

There was also something in me that wanted to follow him, that was desperate for his attention and his heady scent. It scared me and made it difficult to say no to him at the same time.

“Alright. Thank you for dinner, Enid.” I nodded to her as I stood and followed Quill up the stairs. He passed the second floor and kept going to the third. His floor.