Page 19 of Knot The Only Onee

I watched everyone begin eating, seeing the expressions transform on their faces. It was an interesting thing, observing people. Something that I did frequently. You could tell so much about someone while they didn’t think anyone was watching.

James was enraptured by the food. He looked at it like he looked at Noah or Lucas when he thought no one else was watching.

Simon and Alena couldn’t stop taking random glances at each other. The love between them was almost nauseating.

When I looked back at Noah, he was watching me with curiosity gleaning in his bright blue eyes. My breath caught in my throat, as it always did when our eyes locked together.

“Eat, baby girl,” he whispered as he tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear. “You’ve got to be starving.”

I’m starving for something. It’s just not food.

I had no idea where that thought came from. These guys were sparking things to life that I never thought would come alive.

“Bridget,” Noah rumbled, his eyebrows lifting as his eyes drifted to my plate. “You need to eat.”

I dropped my gaze and picked up my fork obediently. No, I told myself, I was only doing this because I was hungry. Not because he ordered it with his inherently alpha voice that wasn’t quite an order, but not a request either.

Although there was a part of me that was thrilled that he cared enough about me to make sure I ate.

Fully concentrating on my plate now, I slowly ate most of what Lucas had piled on my plate.

Every bite was better than the last, and I couldn’t contain the deep groan of pleasure as I tried the first bite of cornbread.

“I told you,” Alena said in a sing-song voice. “Best thing ever, isn’t it.”

“Oh my God,” I moaned as I took another bite after I slathered it with butter and honey. “Lucas.”

“Darlin’, if you say my name like that again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” He grinned and winked at me.

A piece of cornbread lodged in my throat, and I began coughing and sputtering.

James sprang into action, kneeling beside me and patting my back as he helped me take a slow drink of water. “Shh,” he soothed as I kept coughing. “Breathe, little one. It’s okay. Now, drink a bit more.”

Under his careful attention, I was able to breathe easily and drink without feeling like there was a rock stuck in my throat.

“You okay, baby girl?” Noah reached out a hand and placed it on my upper arm. He rubbed up and down in a smooth, easy motion that soothed me. “Lucas sometimes doesn’t know how to communicate properly.” His eyes narrowed at Lucas with a brow raised.

Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry about that, darlin’.”

James pressed the glass of water to my lips again, silently urging me to sip again. I did it even though I didn’t need to. He rubbed my back once more before standing. “Careful now, little one. Chew thoroughly before swallowing.”

He went back to his seat silently, and I wondered how he wasn’t an alpha as I took deep and slow breaths. James was an unusual sort. From the moment I first saw him, I thought that. He wasn’t quite a beta, not in the same way Lucas was, but he didn’t have the alpha presence.

But he acted like one. That was for sure after that little display.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it, to be honest.

He didn’t say another word to me; he just kept sneaking glances at me every so often. I took a few more careful bites, but soon, I was completely and utterly stuffed.

Groaning, I pushed the plate away and leaned back in my seat. “Lucas, I don’t know if I should live here.”

The room stilled. Noah, James, and Lucas all leaned forward with a mixture of rage and sorrow playing along their features.

“Oh, no.” I laughed and held my hands up. “I meant because I’ll gain a bunch of weight because Lucas’ cooking is so amazing. Sorry, I should have sped that sentence up a bit.”

Noah closed his eyes and let out a harsh exhale. “Don’t scare me like that. About took ten years off my life thinking you were gonna leave us.”

I blinked, unsure what to say. Did they care about me this much already? So much that the thought of me leaving evoked that much emotion?