Page 108 of Knot So Social

“Sure thing.” Jeremy leans his pits on his crutches and sticks two fingers between his lips. The resulting sharp whistle blares out so loud I jump.

The driver’s door opens, and a head pops out, tilting.

“Hey!” Jeremy calls. “You happen to know any good electricians around here? The lady needs one, but I can’t think of anybody.”

I chuckle.

A hand waves next to the vehicle, and I’m pretty sure it comes with the rude finger.

Jeremy flaps his hand, grinning from ear to ear. “Get yer ass in here.”

The stranger disappears out of sight as he throws the vehicle’s back doors open.

“You must be good friends,” I muse.

“Friends? Fuck no.”

His bluntness surprises a laugh out of me, which is rudely interrupted by a hiccup. My eyes widen as I slap a hand to my mouth.

Jeremy snickers and swings himself closer. “Cute.”

He taps my nose and, before I can react, stumps back to the kitchen. My ears burn with heat.

“Please tell me you had more than rabbit food for breakfast today?”

I draw myself up tall. “I made eggs benedict, thank you very much.”

“Good. How do you feel about more of my veggie muffins?”

I snort and shake my head. “Go right ahead, if you can find the ingredients.”

An alpha I’ve known for less than a week just made himself at home in my kitchen, and I have zero issues with it. Did I cross over to an alternate reality?

Footsteps sound behind me and I turn.

The electrician dusts one hands on his faded jeans, a big toolkit clutched in his other fist. He steps through the doorway and stops. “Hello, ma’am. Jerry says you need something looked at?”

The nickname registers at the same time as his eyes. Brown with green flecks, sparkling; identical to Jeremy’s. Not much else looks similar, except for a brawny build, but those eyes give me déjà vu.

“Brothers,” I breathe out.

“Yes, ma’am, we’re twins. Did the fool not even tell you that much?”

Speechless, I step back and lift my arm in invitation for him to enter. He ducks his head and goes to walk past me just as I take a deep gulp of air to free my overtight lungs. A full inhale of his deep scent. He smells of sunshine hitting stone, terracotta, summer days, and clay fresh from a kiln.

One moment I’m pressing back into the wall, the next I’m flailing toward him on unsteady feet and flinging myself into that scent cloud like a drowning woman clasping for a life ring. I grab a fistful of his collar.

Something clangs on the tiles and one strong arm dives under my thighs to hold my weight as I dip my nose into that divine cocktail. He smells of Jeremy, and mechanical things, as well as his own unique stone-baked sunshine musk.

Metal clatters in the sink.

“Jeremy! Help!” The strangled cry rings beside my ear, freezing me in place.

I blink, lifting my head enough to discover I’ve climbed Jeremy’s brother like a damn monkey, and now I perch with my legs wrapped around his waist and my hands grasping his collar. The man holds me with one hand, his other thrown up and back like he’s afraid to touch me.

What the fuck did I just do?

And still I don’t feel like releasing my captive or putting any distance between me and that life-changing scent. A shivery, liquid feeling floods through me from head to toe, bringing a rush of tingles and blazing embarrassment.