Page 98 of Knot So Social

He holds it to my face and orders, “Blow.”

It’s filthy and disgusting and yet maybe the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. This alpha’s not afraid of the ugly parts of me. I blow my nose into his shirt and as my nasal passage clears, I breathe in his alpha scent. Salt, like the gourmet kind with extra nutrients, or just the sea air at twilight when the wind changes and the atmosphere grows dusky with the ocean’s mist.

It’s damn beautiful. My trembling heart soothes.

The worst of the mess dealt with, I snuggle down into his warm chest to catch my breath. Mr Shares creeps forward, nails clicking on the flooring, until his head lands on my belly. I dig one hand into his silky neck and stroke, spent but oddly comforted. Like my tears washed me clean.

Alessandro holds me in silence, his arms wrapped around my body like a barrier. I’d say I missed this, but my previous pack never truly made me feel safe from the world. I remember once when they let a stray dog chase me and it wasn’t until I burst into tears that they came to comfort me, calling me a big baby and chuckling. That wasn’t love. Love makes the person feel safe long before the laughter starts.

I nestle my head into Alessandro’s throat, listening to his heart pound under his breastbone.

“Thank you,” I murmur.

“Nothing to thank me for.” He strokes my hair and tucks strands behind my ears. “This is normal for friends.”

I chuckle wetly. “You must have had good friends growing up.”

He squeezes me in answer.

I sit up and reach for the shirt-turned-rag to wipe more of my tears. That’s when I catch a bitter scent lingering on his clothes. I press it to my nose and inhale deeply. His alpha musk answers, but it’s lined with something unhappy. Maybe even fear.

“Alessandro.” I peer down at him over the wadded material. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“No, cara mia! Not at all.” He pries the shirt from my hands. “I had a . . . small problem this morning, before I arrived here. Nothing to worry about.” He smiles so sweetly my heart lifts. A moment later, he offers me his wrist. “See? Happy alpha.”

I press my nose to his skin with a giggle, inhaling deep. Sure enough, he’s putting out pure alpha musk that hits all the right spots inside. An impulse seizes me, and I hold his wrist in place to kiss it, darting my tongue out to lick the olive skin.

Alessandro’s eyes widen.

“Oh. Merda,” he breathes out.

My body pulses and all fear streams away. I lower his hand and lean forward. Alessandro closes the last inch and our lips meet in a clash of sparks. He tastes so good, I could kiss him all day. We explore, lipping over every ridge of our mouths, supping and then deepening our kiss until we’re gasping for breath. Heat builds under my skin everywhere he’s holding me.

When I lean back and grab my shirt hem, Alessandro captures my hands in his roughened ones. “Willow, stop. In Italy, even friends may enjoy a kiss. But this is . . .”

I blink at him as my own words come home to roost. Why the hell did I say I only wanted to be friends?

“I lied.”

He smiles and captures a lock of my hair. “Oh?”

“I don’t want to be friends. I said that because I was afraid.”

“Afraid of me?”

“Not exactly. Afraid of my past repeating.”

He nods slowly and kisses my hair. “I understand. But I do not want to break my promise to you. I would like to build trust first.”

I rest my hands on his shoulders, staring down at this gentle soul who Mr Shares accidentally brought into my life. I’m not exactly sure what Alessandro means, but his words feed a place in my heart that I didn’t know existed. Is this what respect looks like?

An unexpected yawn splits my mouth and my cheeks burn as I cover it.

Alessandro grins. “Crying is tiring work, sì?”

I nod.

“Come.” He slides me off his knees and stands, working a crick out of his back before helping me off the floor. When I’m up, he sweeps me off my feet and into his arms. “Where is your room?”