Page 6 of Knottily Ever After (Crescent Lake Cozy Omegaverse #1)
Chapter Six
Vaughn
A ll throughout dinner, I cannot keep my eyes off Violet.
Her auburn hair falls in waves around her face, the overhead chandelier making the red highlights pop whenever she moves.
Her skin is smooth porcelain, her eyes like shining emeralds fanned with black lashes, her lips the color of pale pink rose petals, and that’s without any tint on them. And her scent…
By all the gods above, the scent this Omega gives off has had me discreetly adjusting myself since she walked into the brewery yesterday.
Springtime wildflowers have never smelled so erotic.
She is mine. Ours.
Even if she doesn’t seem to know it yet.
I almost called her “Good Girl” earlier, and I don’t know if she’d even enjoy that. Maybe she would have found it offensive.
I have to be very careful.
“So, Violet,” Quinn says between bites of spaghetti. “How’s Los Angeles these days?”
There’s a spark of interest in her eyes, a quirk in her brow as she peers at him over the section of meatball on her fork. “Have you been to L.A., Quinn?”
He gives her his usual broad, white smile, not a speck of food in those perfect teeth. “I was born there. My parents moved us here when I was a teenager.”
Violet grins, her shoulders visibly easing. “It’s busy as ever.” A little laugh. “Overcrowded, polluted. But it’s home.”
I sip my Pinot and tilt my head at her. “Did you come to Crescent Lake to write your book?”
“An author!” Quinn exclaims, brows high. “That’s awesome.”
Violet lets out a laugh and sips her water. “It’s not awesome all the time, but I’m doing all right now.”
“What do you write?” Ben’s voice is calm and low, as usual.
Violet shifts in her seat, looking uncomfortable. I’m about to step in, say she doesn’t need to tell us, when she says, “I’m a romance author.”
I love this bit of information, getting to know more about this beautiful woman.
Quinn lets out a low whistle and leans back in his chair, mischief in his brown eyes. “The spicy stuff?”
I shoot him a warning look. Violet was already uncomfortable. As educated as Quinn is, he’s never been the best at reading people. Or maintaining boundaries.
“Yeah.” Her response is just this side of clipped, everything about her posture screams discomfort.
“How long are you planning to stay in Crescent Lake, Violet?” Ben’s calm tone washes over the table, and Violet turns her attention to him, her throat working on a swallow.
She recaps the situation at Lilly’s and how I offered for her to stay while repairs are underway.
“Hopefully, the crew will finish in a month, maybe a little more, if necessary,” she says. “I’ll stay at Lilly’s for six months once it’s ready.”
“Good,” Quinn says. “We’ll get to know each other better.” He digs back into his food like what he said is no big deal.
But it is.
When the room grows quiet, I look at Ben. “How’s Adam doing?”
He nods slow before swallowing his food. “Good,” he says smoothly. “He’s settling in nicely.”
“Computer science can be really tough these days,” Quinn offers, food in his mouth but he’s covering his face with his fork hand. “Remember that I know some people if he needs a hand with his coursework.”
Ben waves him off. “Appreciate it, but Adam is the smartest person I know. He studies hard and works harder.”
Violet’s eyes flick back and forth between Ben and Quinn as they talk, and Ben takes notice, addressing her. “My little brother just graduated and went off to university. Earned a scholarship and everything.”
“Oh, wow,” she breathes. “That’s amazing. Good for him.”
Ben’s head bobs up and down, that glow of pride in his eyes that only shows up when he talks about his brother. “He’s a good kid. I took time off to travel with him up to Stanford. Spent some time together.”
“You just got back today?”
“Yeah.” He pushes food around his plate before grabbing a chunk of garlic bread from the basket on the table. “I don’t get to see him often, so it was nice to spend a few days with him.”
Violet smiles. “I always wanted a sibling. I’m sorry you don’t get to spend as much time with yours as you’d like.”
Ben gives a small smile, then stuffs some bread in his mouth, obviously done speaking.
When everyone has finished what they’re eating, Violet lets out a sigh and turns to me. “That was the most delicious meal I’ve had in ages, Vaughn. You’re an amazing cook.”
Pride warms my chest, and I fight the urge to rub at it as I smile. “Thank you for all your help.”
“I’ll help you clean up,” she offers, pushing her chair from the table.
“No need for that,” Quinn says, rising with his hand out, palm down in a “stay down” motion. “Those who don’t cook clean up.” He sends her an exaggerated wink that makes her cheeks turn pink.
As Ben and Quinn clear the table, I pull my cell phone from my pocket and turn to Violet.
“I’d like us all to exchange numbers,” I tell her, heart racing faster than it should.
“In case of an emergency.” It’s only a partial lie.
I would always want her to be able to reach us if something happened, but I would feel much better having her number, too, just because.
“Of course,” she says with a smile that brings Ben and Quinn back to the table with their phones. She recites her number, and we all text her our names in rapid succession. She’s still smiling when she’s finished saving our contacts and lets out a yawn.
“You should go relax before bed.” Ben’s stare is a little intense, and they hold one another’s gazes for a beat before she nods at him.
“Thanks, I will.” She finishes her water and brings the glass to the kitchen counter. “Thank you all for a wonderful dinner. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I watch her hips sway as she travels the hall to her room and disappears.
“Holy fuck,” Quinn breathes, and I turn to see him doing what I’ve had to so many times: adjusting himself. He gapes at me. “How did you conjure her?”
My head shakes side-to-side as I say, “I wish I had. She just showed up.”
“Fate,” Ben mumbles, his ice-blue eyes still set on her closed door.
“She doesn’t seem too bothered by us.” Quinn is obviously disappointed.
I frown, having noticed this as well. “You two recognize the scent match.” It isn’t a question.
At their affirmative nods, my frown deepens. “She’s obviously physically attracted to us,” I say more to myself than them. “But why isn’t she reacting as strongly to us as we are to her?”
None of us have answers, and all I walk away from the kitchen with is more questions.
Before I turn in for the night, I decide to check on Violet.
I knock quietly, hear shuffling behind the door before it swings open to reveal her in a black camisole and the shortest bright pink shorts I’ve ever seen.
The curves of her breasts are on full display, and I watch as her nipples grow taught under my gaze, poke through the thin material.
Her pale thighs clench, and I swallow the pool of saliva in my mouth, force myself to meet her green eyes.
“I, uh…” I clear my throat and take a breath.
She’s torturing me with her beauty, her scent, and her apparent indifference to me.
Well, not complete indifference. My eyes flick to those protruding nipples and back up to her beautiful face.
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t need anything before I went to bed. ”
Like, to be fucked to sleep.
Her smile is kind as she steps back and opens the door wider, like an invitation. “That’s really nice, but I think I have everything, thanks.” She stares at me, a strange look crossing her face as I stand in the hall, unmoving. “Do you… not want to come in?”
I blink at her, once, then again. “Oh, um…” My brows furrow. “Sorry, we’ve never lived with an Omega before. I didn’t want to invade your space.”
She lets out a laugh. “This is your apartment,” she says, head shaking. “I’m the one invading your space, no?”
“You’re not invading anything,” I tell her, my confusion growing, and perhaps a few alarm bells ringing as well. “You’re one hundred percent welcome here, Violet.”
Her smile is warm, her head tilts. “Thank you, Vaughn. I really appreciate that.”
The confusing interaction sapped my libido before I bid her a restful sleep and retreated to my room.
Ben, Quinn, and my scent match just showed up out of nowhere, and the gods gave me the opening we needed to get her to live with us.
Yet, she doesn’t react to our scents and doesn’t seem to act much like an Omega.
Everything I’ve ever read, everything I ever heard or witnessed from other packs, including my parents’, clearly indicated that Omegas need their own space and you should never invade that space without express permission.
And somehow, Violet doesn’t know this. Not even instinctively.
Who is this Omega?