Page 103 of Knot Broken

“Love.” I smoothed her hair back from her face. “We’re on your timeline. The omega sets the pace both in bed⁠—”

“Ethan!” she hissed, looking around her to see if anyone overheard us.

“And out of it. If you’re not ready to move in yet, that’s cool.” It would be once I had a chance to talk to the others. It would hit Grey hard at first, but he always recovered quickly. Tex would struggle to understand what the delay was, but I’d talk him through it. “You’re what’s important to us. If you want to keep your own place.” Yeah, I freaked hated that idea, but I knew that’s how some relationships worked, so I’d adjust. “Or you just want some more time, that’s totally fine.”

“Really?” The way she softened as she stared up at me was everything I didn’t know I needed. “I feel like a complete idiot. We’re fated to be together.”

“Which means we’ve got our whole lives to work out when’s the best time to move in,” I replied. “Something I’ll remind the others of when we get home.”

“Shit.” She pressed her cheek against my chest as her arms went around my waist. “I really needed to hear that.”

“On a completely unrelated note, if you were helping me to choose a colour for our guest room that you sometimes stay in when you feel like it, do any of these appeal to you?”

That earned me a dark look, but as her lips twitched in an almost smile, she faced the colour wall.

“This one.”

It was a super soft purple with pink and grey undertones and not something I ever would’ve chosen. Clients rarely chose purples for their commercial spaces for some reason, but when she handed me the swatch, I smiled.

“It’s perfect,” I said. “Soft, delicate, and completely feminine. It’s you. So, let’s go buy some paint, maybe some overalls for you.” I looked her up and down. “Some cute little pink ones. I could see you in them and nothing else, so when I undo the strap⁠—”

“Stop…!” she said, shoving my shoulder, but her flushed cheeks and her scent made clear she was having fun. Snatching the swatch from my hands, she stomped over to the paint counter to wait to be served.

Months later, me and the guys were standing in the room we’d renovated for Nadia. After I broke the news that our mate wanted to take some time before moving in, Tex and Grey had struggled with the concept, but we talked it through. We might be Nadia’s fated mates, but she’d had such negative experiences with guys before this, it made sense she’d be wary. When she came over, we slept in one of our bedrooms, which meant Tex finally started picking up his dirty washing off the floor and doing it more often. This room… Every afternoon we worked on it, installing a walk-in wardrobe and changing the lighting so that could be adjusted to suit our mate’s needs, it felt like we were building something together.

“So you think Nadia is gonna like it?”

I could count on one hand the amount of times I heard doubt in Tex’s voice, but it was clear that’s what he was feeling right now. The walls had been painted, a new bed installed and I’d worked with some ladies at the local soft furnishings place to find just the right curtains and bedding.

“I think so.” Scanning the room, something settled in me. The space had transformed from an anonymous looking spare room to a warm, inviting place. I’d found tons of blankets and throws made of different featherlight materials and stacked them all in a fancy chest at the end of the bed, ready for Nadia to use when nesting. “If it isn’t, we’ll just keep fixing things until she’s happy.”

“Whatever our mate needs,” Grey said with a nod.

“Whatever she needs.”

“Heyy!” The slam of the front door, then the sound of Nadia’s voice had us all turning around at the same time. “We’re back.”

Helena and Nadia insisted that they be the ones to pack their bags into her car and bring them over. We’d take our trucks and get the heavier things, but apparently the first lot of items were ‘girl stuff.’ With a nod to the other guys, we left the room and met her in the hallway.

“I’ll take this.” I plucked the bags from her grip to the sounds of Nadia’s protests. “Don’t worry, I won’t drop and break your tampons/diva cup/Hitachi Magic Wand or whatever the hell is in these bags you didn’t want to see.”

“Pretty sure it’s my bestie’s strap on collection.” Helena waggled her eyebrows at us. “She was worried about your reaction when you found out how much she loves pegging guys.”

“Shut up! I don’t.” Nadia looked from us to her friend in horror. “That’s not it.”

“Well, it’s not something I’ve got a lot of experience in.” I made a show of considering the idea. “But maybe I’d be into it. Guess we’ll find out.”

“We could customise some of the shelving in the wardrobe,” Tex said. “Have all the dildos lined up by colour or by size?”

“Size obviously.” Grey didn’t often run with our jokes, so his wry smile was a shock to see. “Then you can gradually work your way up.”

“OK, I’ve changed my mind,” Nadia said, making for the door. “I’m not moving in and I need a new best friend.”

“Nope.” Hooking an arm around her waist, I pulled her back against me. “If you decide you’re still not ready, we can work with that, but I think Tex is gonna lose his shit if he doesn’t get to show you the wardrobe he designed for you. Throw the guy a bone, omega.”

“Hmm…” She turned slowly, eyes narrowed. “Fine. Show me what you’ve been working on.”

“Eyes closed.” She made a sound of protest as I covered her eyes with my hands, then helped her walk down the hall. “Otherwise you’ll ruin the surprise.”