Page 41 of Knot Only For One Night

“You really do look amazing.”

“Thank you,” I say, giving his lips one more peck and walking towards the door with a hand in each of theirs.

“Remeber, Esper, no pressure.” Neven says as the bell above the door chimes. I nod. No pressure. No pressure, and yet my omega is completely restless.

It’s only been a week of talking to this man, but I’m also oddly protective of him. Something about him just makes me want to protect him.

I made Neven and Reed swear they wouldn’t look him up and they promised. They haven’t said anything to me about him, so I hope we are all starting on the same playing field for this date.

Asher is so funny. Such a freaking hottie too. He isn’t tatted like Reed or Soren. He is mixed-race alpha, his dad is Black and his mom is white. He’s got beautiful brownish hazel eyes and keeps his hair super short, practically a buzzcut. His hair is dyed light brown, super close to his skin tone. He's tall too, apparently. His profile says six-foot-five.

Which was true, definitely true, as the bell of Juni’s rings above us. I see him heads above everyone else here. Clearly above the booth wall he’s sitting in. I’m about to approach him, eager and anxious all at once.

Then he turns.

His eyes catch mine.

It’s like those cheesy movies where everything slows down, time moving in half-time. I stand frozen at the door, both of us trapped in this first meeting off the screen. He smiles too. His smile is wide and welcoming, and I want to see it all the time now that I've gotten a taste of it.

Asher doesn’t waste any time, his eyes glued to mine as he stands and waves. He wears a long-sleeve shirt that’s loose on him (and even then I can tell he’s got lean muscles), cargo pants like Reed loves to wear too, sneakers that cost more than my books this term walking over to us.

“Hi!” I wave my hand despite being like right in front of him.

Smooth, Esper. Very smooth.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Reed snaps as he rounds the table to stand in front of me. My stomach drops, and I’m confused why he’s being so rude to our date.

He shouldn’t even know him!

“Reed,” I say, but he doesn’t budge. His entire body is tense, his hand gripping mine tightly.

“Red, Hacker— what are… You guys are her other matches?” Asher lets out an incredulous laugh. “What a fucking coincidence.”

“Was it, though? Was it a coincidence?” Reed asks, tilting his head and getting in Asher’s face, letting my hand go. My omega hates that. I grab Reed’s arm, trying to yank him back, but he’s like a stone wall between Asher and me. I look back at Neven, who stares between the three of us with a thoughtful gaze.

I switch tactics from pulling Reed to making Neven do something instead. He’s an alpha after all, and I cannot risk getting another warning from the Juni employees. They let what happened last time slide because Reed took it outside (well, sort of), but Reed is so pissed off he’s completely focused on Asher and I don’t think they’ll let another fight on the premises go.

“I can’t live without Juni’s cookies. Please do something,” I beg.

“Our omega is hungry, Red.” What a fucking genius. Neven sends a wink my way and I turn toward Asher and Reed, whose eyes have both snapped to me. I swallow my nerves and smooth down my hair out of habit as I nod.

“Yeah, I need… I need a snack. ASAP. Please. Let’s go get something.” I drag Reed by his arm, and this time he lets me. His tattooed arm is warm in my grip. Not the comforting kind of warm, but a broiling, angry kind of hot. His face is slightly red as he lets me guide him to the counter. He orders me a few chocolate chip cookies, Neven a cranberry crumble bar and a puff pastry. My gaze snaps to Asher behind us, who shrugs.

I tack on a glazed donut for Asher but pretend it's for me.

Five minutes later, we’re all seated around Asher’s table, Reed next to me, with Neven and Asher in the booth across from us.

“Have you tried their chocolate chip cookies?” I hand Asher one on a napkin.

“If they are as good as you are kind, then I’m sure they are delicious,” he croons, taking a bite. The gooey chocolate dips on the side of his lip and my omega pounces, reaching over and swiping it off his lip. I wanna lick it off my finger so badly.

That’s so weird on a first date, oh my god, get it together, Esper.

Hesitating a bit, I wipe the chocolate goodness on a napkin.

There, decorum won out. Happy?

“Sorry,” I say, realizing I just touched his face without asking. Reed’s hands are on my hips, forcing me to sit back down with a grumble.