Page 9 of Knot What I Expected

She was a pretty thing.

Dark hair.

Soft curves.

Tired eyes that still somehow lit up every single time that little boy of hers called her Mommy.

That kid of hers, Matteo, could be halfway across The Joint and all he had to do was yell for her and Gabby changed.

Every fucking time.

Her shoulders loosened.

Her face softened.

Those tired eyes warmed.

Like no matter how shitty her day was, that kid was her whole damn world.

Of course, I’d noticed.

I noticed too fucking much where Gabriella was concerned.

The way she tucked strands of dark hair behind her ear when she got flustered.

The way she planted one hand on a curvy hip when some asshole customer pissed her off.

How she kept smiling even when I could smell the exhaustion rolling off her.

How she always made sure Matteo ate when she never did on the job.

How she laughed with her whole fucking body when something really got her going.

And that fucking smile.

Bright.

Sweet.

Real.

Not something that belonged anywhere near a male like me.

My Wolf pressed forward suddenly.

Hard.

My teeth clenched.

“No.”

He didn’t retreat this time.

Instead, the bastard went utterly still.

Watching.

Waiting.