Page 11 of Knot Now Knot Ever

Unable to help myself, I snuggled closer so my nose brushed his neck. “Lewis is a sweet old man who helped with the elevator the day I moved in. I wasn’t expecting to find such a warm person in a big city like this.”

Eli nuzzled the top of my head like it was the most natural thing to do. “Mother mentioned you moved for the job. Can I ask where from?”

“I suppose… it’s not like it’s a secret or anything,” I said with a shrug. “A little town called Rockton. I worked for a startup company that helped non-profit organizations get loans and other types of funding. It was an idea the guys came up with for a project in college. When we all graduated, they decided to make it a reality, and I watched them transform it into one of the top companies in their field.”

“You’re not talking about Service Corp, are you?” Eli asked.

“That’s the one,” I confirmed. “I’m surprised you’ve heard of them. Most people not in that world even know something like that exists. So many people think non-profit, then the government must pay their bills. They have no idea the hoops they have to jump through to make that happen.”

When we stopped at my door, I realized I never told Eli what apartment I was in. Then again, this was given to me by the company, so it’s probably in my file or other paperwork he had access to. With reluctance, Eli set me down but didn’t let go of me just yet, keeping me trapped between him and the door.

“My mother and Rawlins are avid philanthropists spending most of their time traveling the world helping one cause or another. I believe they even have a system of schools they’ve helped build in areas that desperately need them,” Eli said as his gaze bore into mine. It was almost as if he wasn’t sure he’d ever see me again and wanted to burn my image into his memory.

“I see… that makes sense,” I offered awkwardly, unsure what to do now that I was home.

“Lyra,” Eli all but whispered, brushing his knuckles along my cheek. “I don’t want to leave you, but I’m a man of my word, and I promised you I wasn’t going to press for more. However, I want you to know this will be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. But because I hold out hope that one day you’ll feel the same way about me, it will be worth it.”

Most women wouldn’t find that as swoonworthy as I did. But damn, if a man respecting my boundaries and not making me feel like shit because I wasn’t ready to just give myself to him wasn’t sexy as shit. Giving into the impulse, I grabbed his sweatshirt and pulled him down so I could kiss the damn man. Eli was more than willing and cupped my face as I twined my arms around his neck. The thud of my things hitting the floor did nothing to deter what was happening between us. With a growl, Eli grabbed my hips and lifted me so I could wrap my legs around his waist. I let out a soft grunt as my back met with the door, but it quickly turned into a moan as I felt Eli’s rock-hard dick rub against my pussy.

The world fell away once more, and I simply let this man possess me. His tongue caressed mine, drawing me to deepen the kiss even further. I flinched at the feel of his cool hands sliding under my sweatshirt, but in no way did I want him to stop. Omegas were highly sexual by nature, which made sense since we were the one designation who would become pregnant each and every heat cycle we had if precautions weren’t put in place. That and almost all Omegas had more than one partner they were scent-matched to, so having a high sex drive was helpful in meeting the needs of your pack.

Just as one of Eli’s thumbs swept over my peaked nipple, the door I was being pressed up against opened.

“Oh shit, sorry. I thought you might have had your hands full and needed help opening the door,” a strange male voice said from within my apartment.

There wasn’t time to think before Eli yanked me away from the door, and in a maneuver I couldn’t explain for the life of me, I was tucked safely behind his body.

“What the fuck?” Eli barked out, making me flinch at the commanding Alpha energy behind the words. “Why the hell are you here and in Lyra’s apartment, Crew? I know she didn’t give you permission to enter her home, so your explanation better be damn good.”

Peeking out from behind Eli, I took in the man who was getting his ass handed to him. It was obvious they knew each other, and something about this guy, Crew, seemed familiar. The man had style, but it was a casual feel. He wore jeans, a black T-shirt, and a red and black checkered flannel shirt. I could see tattoos on his hands, meaning he probably had more, gauged ears, a neatly trimmed beard, and hair that was buzzed on the sides but longer on the top and slicked back. If I were back in Rockton, I would have assumed he was one of Elora’s friends. Most people around her were in the music scene one way or another, and he would fit in perfectly.

“Big bro, you need to take it down a couple of notches, okay?” Crew said, sliding his hands into the jeans pockets. “As for why I’m here, you can blame our mother. She heard something happened to your assistant and ordered me to bring over some things. I hadn’t planned on being here when she got back, but you got out of there faster than I expected.”

Eli grunted at his brother’s explanation but didn’t budge. Knowing this was Eli’s brother, I wasn’t as freaked out. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a little creepy he’d been in my home, but at least he wasn’t a stalker or burglar. I stepped out from behind Eli and gained his brother’s attention instantly.

A wide smile grew on Crew’s face as he reached out. “Hi, I’m Crew, Eli’s younger brother.” We shook hands, and a glint of mischief appeared in his light green eyes. “Sorry if I freaked you out, and I’m even more sorry if I inadvertently became a cockblocking dick.”

“Crew,” Eli snapped, taking a step forward.

The unabashed brother threw up his hand. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, but come on, how many times do I ever get to tease you about making out with a woman in the hallway? Actually, I have to say I’m pretty proud of you. I know how difficult it is for you to let go and have some fun.”

“I will give you five seconds to leave before I drag you out by your ear,” Eli threatened.

Crew let out a sigh, shrugged, and clapped his hands together. “Well, folks, that’s my cue to leave, but before I do…” Crew paused and pulled something out of his back pocket, and offered it to me. “Mom wanted me to give this to you… it’s her personal cell phone number. She told me to tell you if you ever need a listening ear, she’s happy to be there for you.”

Taking the business card, I saw her number scrawled on the back. Checking the other side, I found it was for a company called Vibestation Recording Studio. Then I noticed it listed Crew as the owner just above where his phone number was printed.

“Now you’ve got my number, too, if you ever can’t get a hold of Eli,” Crew explained. “Mom might have mentioned you moved here by yourself, so I figured you might need a friend you could bitch to about Eli. Trust me, I’ve got lots of good stories to tell if you ever need to get even with your boss.”

“Why would she need to get even with me?” Eli asked, crossing his arms. “I’m an incredibly fair and reasonable boss.”

Crew nodded. “Sure you are, big bro, but everyone needs to bitch about their boss at some point or another. I don’t make the rules… it’s just how it is out in the working world. Lyra, it was lovely to meet you, and I hope you’re feeling better.” With that, Crew gave us both a wave and headed down the hall to the elevators.

Once he was out of sight, I felt the bubble of laughter building until I couldn’t hold it back. I covered my mouth, trying not to be too loud, and hurried into my apartment. Eli followed me in, shutting the door behind him as I flopped onto my new overstuffed sage-green couch. I continued to laugh until I started to cry, my cheeks were sore, and my stomach hurt from how hard I’d been laughing.

“Oh my God,” I gasped between lingering chuckles as I wiped my face with the sleeve of my sweatshirt. “What a way to meet someone.”

Eli had chosen to sit across from me on the matching oversized ottoman. “Please allow me to apologize for my brother. He always has the best intentions in his actions.”