Page 46 of Knot Your Basic B*tch

We were in the parking lot in a generic shopping plaza. Behind us was a grocery store with an elderly lady comingout of the sliding doors, pushing her cart that seemed to be loaded with cat food and bags of chips.

Honestly, if my guess was correct about Brutus being the one responsible for all the expensive furniture in the pack house, I was a bit surprised about the date location.

It’s not like I’m some great connoisseur of relationships, but the grocery store just seemed like an odd choice for a first date.

Brutus opened the door for me, and all of a sudden he was standing before me. Right there and so close.

I bit my lip, taking all of him in.

Even fully clothed, with all of that glorious chest hair and the vast expanse of his muscular body fully covered, Brutus was magnificent. His very being exuded sex and raw masculinity—he was dangerous. I swear, being in close proximity was like a chemical reaction, turning me on and melting my thoughts into a giddy mess.

I was a shaken bottle of champagne, fizzy and exhilarated around him.

“Ready for more already, Love?” He leaned in closer, close enough that I was surrounded on all sides by his sweet bannana scent as he whispered into my ear, “keep looking at me like that and I’ll have to fuck you again in the back seat.”

My mouth dropped open.

Uhhh. That didn’t sound like a bad thing? Getting fucked versus whatever he had planned for me in the grocery store.

But like he could read my thoughts, Brutus winked as he took my hand, leading me away from the tinted windows and the comfortable leather privacy of his car.

I tried not to pout as I followed Brutus to a little salon just past the grocery store.

Inside was surprisingly elegant. A delicate crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. An ornate silver frame surrounded hundreds of rose blooms, artfully arranged together. A pink neon sign declared that this salon was ‘Polish and Bliss.’

“Brutus, it’s been too long!” A short man with bright purple hair sat up straight from where he was lounging. The man walked up to Brutus with a smile that was too wide and too enthusiastic. He walked all the way to Brutus, clasping his free hand in both of his. “What can I do for you?”

“Two mani pedis with the works, Fernando.”

“Only the best for you, honey.” The purple-haired man turned around hustling to the back of the store, presumably to fetch that ‘best’ for his ‘honey.’

Something sharp and prickly that I didn’t even know existed, reared its ugly head from somewhere deep within my omega hive mind.

It was ridiculous and territorial. I had to fight against the urge to start rubbing my scent glands all over Brutus and hissing at this intruder like a strung-out ally cat.

This other man hadn’t even done anything that seriously hinted that he had plans to take my Brutus away.

Woah now.

Since when was hemyBrutus? I’d just met the guy today.

From the moment the other man had touched my scent match, I’d gone very still. I was an ice sculpture, with cool anger thudding through my veins.

Though I hadn’t said a word, Brutus had picked up on the tension. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, pulling me in closer to the bulk of his body.

“Is my girl getting jealous?” Brutus teased in a low voice.

I couldn’t answer him. I was so tense it was overwhelming. Especially since I knew that I was over-reacting, and that my hormones were just acting up. Yet, despite having read about these reactions in a dusty corner of my text books, here I was experiencing it for the first time. Knowing that it was just a part of being an omega didn’t make me any less lost in it.

I didn’t want to admit that I felt jealous. It wasn’t fair. Brutus wasn’t doing anything wrong. I couldn’t just meet himfor a first date and then start making feral noises at the salon staff, just because they were doing their jobs.

Yet still. Seeing that short little man touchingmyalpha made me want to tear my hair out, drop to the floor and cry myself to pieces… which would be awful for my hair, and fuck up the make up I’d put on for the date. It wasn’t an option.

Brutus dropped a kiss on the top of my head. “I’m surprised you’re jealous, now… with my cum dripping out of you. But I’d be happy to remind you that I only want you. There’s no one else for me, Love. Just you and the twins.” Brutus leaned closer to me, with his low seductive voice… with sex dripping from every word. “If you need me toremindyou. Wherever you’d like, whenever you’d like. I’ll remind you that you’re mine.”

Something about his deep voice pierced straight through my anxiety, settling over it like a warm blanket, until my fears were able to settle like an alligator sinking back into the still water.

My cheeks were heated with embarrassment, but I forced myself not to show it. Being a little bit rabid and defensive of my alpha was completely natural. Especially now, as things between us were so new.