Page 33 of Knot What I Expected

I know that.

She isn’t my mate. She hasn’t chosen me.

Hell, the woman probably doesn’t even know I’ve spent the last few days deliberately avoiding the restaurant because being around her is starting to make me fucking crazy.

None of that seems to matter to Monster.

And if I’m being real fucking truthful? It doesn’t matter much to me either.

Because then some asshole sitting at the bar leans toward her.

My entire body goes rigid.

He’s close.

Too close.

Close enough that I can see the way his gaze drops to the neckline of her shirt.

Close enough that if Gabriella shifted forward even a few inches, his fucking arm would brush against her breasts.

My fingers curl into fists.

Easy.

She’s working.

He’s a customer.

Gabby can handle a customer. The fucker says something I can’t hear over the music.

She gives him one of those smiles.

I know that smile.

Which is fucking ridiculous because I barely know this woman.

But I’ve watched her enough at The Joint to recognize the difference.

Her real smile changes her entire face.

It makes her dark eyes sparkle and puts this little crinkle beside them. Sometimes her nose even scrunches up when she really laughs, and fuck me if that isn’t the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen.

This isn’t that smile.

This one is polite.

Careful.

The smile a woman working for tips gives an asshole because she can’t tell him to go fuck himself.

And her eyes? Her eyes are telling a whole different story.

She’s uncomfortable.

Monster slams into my control.

Threat.