Page 56 of Knot The Only Onee

Lucas came to stand by my side, and he kissed the top of my head as he leaned into Noah. They were all so close. I felt their warmth, and my insecurities that had been drilled into me since I was born began to slowly melt.

I had started to panic when I should have believed in them.

No, in myself.

Maybe it was time I started to.

“Not to mention,” Lucas ran a hand down my hair, playing with a few curls. “This looks professional! You’ve brought it into this century.” He pulled on the bottom of my hair, tilting my head back to look up at him. “Our beautiful omega.” His lips brushed against mine, and his hand moved to grip my neck lightly.

The pressure went straight to my pussy. My clit throbbed as I felt my slick run down my thighs. A soft groan left my mouth as Lucas deepened the kiss.

I whimpered, my fingers threading through the soft strands of his hair as our tongues continued their intimate dance.

“Fuck, Cub,” James rumbled as he broke off into a string of curses. “You have to stop before Noah grabs Bridget, I grab you, and we run upstairs.”

Lucas reluctantly broke the kiss but kept his lips hovering above mine. “And that would be a bad thing because…?”

I giggled. The answer was so perfectly Lucas, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Noah cleared his throat, the sound drawing our attention to the alpha whose thigh I was practically riding. “I need to talk to y’all. It’s important.” He lifted me easily—much to my surprise—and placed me on top of his desk.

James and Lucas stepped back, allowing him to move to the center of the room.

His hands ran through his hair, mussing the strands and making them stick up every which way from his head. He paced the length of the room, not meeting any of our gazes.

“Noah?” I resisted the urge to spring to my feet and stop his pacing. “Please tell us. What’s got you so on edge?”

He halted, and his eyes shut as he exhaled sharply. He lifted his head, blue eyes shimmering with so much pain I had to rub the center of my chest. “I can’t keep it from you guys. The ranch is in trouble.”

There was silence for several moments.

“How much trouble are we talking?” Lucas folded his arms over his chest.

“If something doesn’t change, we’ll be closed before the end of the year.”

CHAPTER25

Noah

Iwinced as Lucas started cursing loudly, and James stood still, rage brightening his eyes. I couldn’t even look at my little omega. I wouldn’t be able to take the disappointment that I knew would be reflected in her bright blue eyes.

“Lucas, please.” Her soft voice interrupted my passionate beta, making him abruptly pause in his colorful expletives. “We need to let him continue.” She hopped off the desk and stood before me, putting her hands on my chest.

Her eyes trapped me, pulling me completely under her spell as I gazed down into them.

I loosely grasped one of her hands in mine and brought it to my lips, kissing her knuckles lightly. “Sit, little omega. This isn’t a short story, nor is it a pleasant one.”

Bridget stared at me for several seconds before nodding and drawing away to sit on the couch.

Lucas exhaled, sounding frustrated as he came to sit beside Bridget. Instead of being content to sit beside her, he lifted her into his lap, settling her legs sideways over his.

James joined them on the couch, drawing Bridget’s feet onto his lap and rubbing them lightly.

“Things go back to my dad,” I began, gazing at the floor so I held my strength together. “After mom died, his gambling got even worse. By the time he got sick, he’d already taken out a loan for the equity on the ranch. Not to mention the extra loan tacked onto the deed for his loan shark.”

Fuck. This was more difficult to talk about than I thought. Just remembering it made my blood boil.

“I’ve been trying to get out from under the loan since he died. The interest is killing us and with no customers, we’re bleeding money.” It took everything in me to confess this, my throat was hoarse as I clenched my fists.