Page 39 of Wolf It Down, Knot Me Up

My knees give out, and I barely catch the edge of the stump to avoid falling over. “Wow. Is that what the romance novels taught you?” I’m breathless in his presence.

“Never said I read them.” Another slow step. “I just pay attention.”

I want to issue a comeback, but I’ve got nothing because he keeps moving closer. My gaze drops to his throat, the stubble along his jaw. Then there are those forearms, and he catches me staring, which is why the corner of his mouth curls upward.

“See something you like, songbird?”

“A gnat. Right by your ear. It’s enormous.”

He grins while I contemplate bolting, but he’s got that look, the one that says he’d have me before I finished the first stride and enjoy every second of it, so I plant my feet and tell myself I can deal with him.

“Don’t think your size scares me,” I tell him, tipping my head back because he’s close enough now that I have to.

“Wouldn’t dream of scaring you.” His voice drops to a sexy whisper. “Not in the fun way, anyway.”

Then his hands are on my waist.

A high, helpless little moan slips past my lips. God, I need the ground to open right now because he definitely heard me. Before I can die properly, he lifts me off my feet and sets me to sit on the stump.

“There, now you’re eye level with me. Better?” That wicked curl of his lips comes again. “Or was that a moan of complaint?”

I scrunch up my face. “I didn’t moan.”

He leans in, delighted with himself by the huge smile. “It’s all right. Happens to people around me all the time. I’ve made peace with it.”

I give him my best glare when his hands grip the stump on either side of me, caging me. He’s suddenly all stormy eyes and broody, and I have to lean back just to hold his gaze because he’s that close.

“Talk to me, Lucy. What happened back there? I’d cut my own arm off before I’d hurt you, so I’m sorry for pushing. But you’ve got to see it from where we’re standing. We’re about to lose our freedom, and every one of us is watching you, trying to read which way you’ll jump.”

I flatten a hand on his chest and push, buying an inch. “I just need to breathe.”

“I have that effect.”

Slowly, I drag in a breath, which is a mistake, because it’s all coffee and cut wood, and not helping me. “And yeah, I get it. The bite, the bond, all of it happening this fast, it’s a lot, and my approach was a stupid, cowardly thing to do because obviously you’d rather be out here than in a cell.” The words come faster, and fire burns up my neck and into my cheeks. “Then you opened that big mouth and made it clear you saw right through me. And the truth is I hadn’t decided anything. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but honestly”—I wet my lips—“I’m not sure I actually get a say in any of it, as it feels like I’m on a roller coaster and my path has already been decided for me.”

“No pressure. Nobody’s cornering you.” He tilts his head to the side, studying me for a long pause. “What does your heart want?”

I meet those steel-gray eyes, deciding I have nothing to hide. “To know you all better. See how real this scent-match thing is and work out what you three actually want, because it’s not just my life on the table.” I release a shaky laugh. “I get you wanting me to confess how attracted I am to all of you, while, for all I know, you’ve been locked up for years and I’m just the first Omega to wander past. Maybe this is a good time for you. That’s it.”

He doesn’t blink. “You want my honesty, then here it is. Roman’s gone, smitten to hell and back with you. Grayson’s already halfway lost, but he’s the patient one. He’ll wait you out if it kills him.” His gaze locks onto mine. “And me, in case you missed it, I’ve used every excuse to be near you since you turned up. So no, songbird, this isn’t a good time for us. We’ve wanted an Omega to build a future with more than you’d believe. We talked about it when we were inside, just never expected it to happen so suddenly.”

His words are swirling in my mind because it’s a lot, and he’s right that this is moving fast.

“When I was in my cell at night, I used to watch the stars through a window no bigger than my hand.” He glances up at the clear sky overhead. “Then I started borrowing books from the prison library and teaching myself the constellations. I became obsessed with the three stars in a line that make up Orion the Hunter. Greek mythology says Orion was a giant who boasted that he could kill anything that walked the earth, so the goddess sent a huge scorpion to stop him. When they both died, the gods placed them in the sky to chase each other forever, but never to fight again.”

His gaze settles on me once more. “Orion didn’t get to choose that fight. Neither did the scorpion. They were just the two unlucky bastards who happened to meet.” A corner of his mouth lifts. “That’s the thing about life. You don’t get to choose every battle. You only get to decide which ones you carry with you afterward.”

His words strike me deeply, and I don’t miss the symbolism of his life in comparison. “I didn’t have you pegged as a stargazer.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “Might even surprise you, if you stop disappearing into the woods.” He’s near again, and I’ve stopped pretending I’m not breathing him in.

“Ethan told me why you went to prison,” I suddenly say.

A humorless laugh envelops him. “Yeah? Then you know enough.”

“I know what happened. I don’t know you.”

He exhales loudly. “I worked for my old man, who ran a drug cartel. Moved product. Collected debts. Did what I was told until the day I stopped.” He shrugs, but there’s nothing careless about it. “I’m not dressing it up to make myself easier to swallow. I did the time because I earned it.” He runs a hand through his hair.