Page 20 of Knot Enough (Fruity Omegas #1)

It was midday when we got done helping Sorren with all the plants.

We were all sweaty by the time we finished.

Gabriel and I headed back into the house, wanting to bathe.

Before I could step onto the porch, a pair of arms wrapped around me, holding me in place.

Watermelon entered my nose as I felt a light touch on the side of my neck.

Almost just as fast, I was let go. My hands went to my neck, and my flush returned in full force.

I looked up to find Sorren looking away from me with a deep blush on his face.

He didn’t say anything and walked back into the house, leaving me in shock.

Gabriel called for me, and I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I headed inside after him.

The sun had set when Finn and Graham got home.

Tonight, Sorren and Finn planned on taking Gabriel out on a date.

I was nervous about being left alone with Graham, but I was much more worried about Gabriel.

Gabriel and I were hesitant to leave the safety of the house these past few days.

We didn’t want to reencounter Brett or Logan after what happened last time.

Sorren and Finn kept reassuring us nothing would happen.

Gabriel relented to their suggestions and decided today was the day he would leave the house.

They were about to head out, but they were all waiting on Sorren to finish getting ready.

“He takes longer than a bloody actress,” Finn grumbled as he tapped his foot impatiently. I chuckled at his comment .

“Okay, okay. I’m done.” Sorren said, rushing into the kitchen. He placed a chaste kiss on Gabriel’s lips before heading toward me. He did the same to me. My face reddened once again, not used to someone besides Gabriel kissing me.

“I’ll see you later, in the nest?” He asked. Warmth filled his eyes as he looked at me. I nodded, not trusting my voice. He smirked at my response.

“Good, can’t wait.” He said with anticipation in his eyes. He left with Finn and Gabriel, leaving Graham and me in the kitchen alone.

I shuffled, putting pressure on a different foot. Graham had kept that same polite smile on his face the entire encounter. I had no idea what to make of him or what he was thinking. I was about to leave the kitchen when Graham spoke.

“Let’s go to the living room,” Graham announced.

I blinked at him, watching him walk out of the kitchen.

Confusion riddled my face as I reluctantly followed after him.

He positioned himself in the middle of the couch.

He relaxed on the cushion, moving his legs apart.

I stopped in the middle of the room, unsure where to sit.

I wasn’t even sure what we were supposed to be doing right now.

I started to walk to the chair across from where Graham was sitting, but he stopped me.

“Stay there, " he ordered. It wasn’t an alpha’s bark, which was rarely used to order an omega what to do, but I had a feeling I still didn’t want to disobey him either.

I remained where I was standing but watched Graham closely.

Standing in front of him like this made me feel exposed and vulnerable. I wasn’t sure if I liked it.

“You're nervous around me.” He stated. I looked at any space but his eyes. I started to deny what he said, but he started speaking again. “It’s not a bad thing. I get it. I can be scary and a lot, but nervousness is the last thing I want you to feel around me. Excitement? Yes. Anticipation? Definitely. But, never nervous. So, to fix this, I want you to sit on my lap.” He finished, nodding like he was making sense.

“Huh?” I blurted out. Did my brain malfunction, or did he actually say that? Was he joking? He had to be joking, but he looked serious. Oh my, did he actually want me to?

“I said I want you to sit on my lap, " he repeated, patting his hand on one of his legs. He didn’t look bothered by his words; instead, he looked almost smug.

“Why?” I asked. I still couldn’t wrap my head around this man.

He had been distant since we moved into the house.

He was polite and kind, but I never saw him be even remotely interested in me.

Gabriel definitely, but not me. I’d noticed how his eyes seemed to travel everywhere Gabriel went.

It wasn’t hard to see how taken in he was by Gabriel; even a dog could see it.

“Didn’t you hear me? I want us to get comfortable with each other. I've found that being close to each other helps a lot.” He repeated, tilting his head to the side. I shook my head .

“No, I mean, why me. You have Gabriel. Why would you even be interested in me?” I explained. It was a thought I’d kept closely wrapped, but Graham had pulled it out of me. Graham kept his head tilted, but his eyes had an insightful look to them and a dumb smile was still on his face.

“Because I want to get to know you. You're beautiful. I’ve seen the way the others look at you. I want that for me, and if you think this is about sexual attraction or sex or whatever, it’s not.

I want to know you. I want to take care of you.

Protect you. Watch over you. I want to see happiness fill your eyes because of something I’ve done.

I want my bed to smell like you and Gabriel.

I want everything you're willing to give me, and most importantly, I want you to be comfortable enough around me to speak your thoughts, feelings and wants.” He uttered with rare sincerity.

His eyes, tone, and body language told me he wasn’t lying.

I wrapped my arms around me. I didn’t know what to make of his words.

He wanted me for me? No one besides Gabriel had ever said that. Not even my scent matches.

“Gabriel takes care of me plenty,” I said, my voice losing a lot of its usual confidence. I hated how easily this was convincing me to sit on his lap.

“I’m sure we can share the pleasure of doing so, but I want to be clear that I like it when my partners are open with me about their feelings and wants.

I don’t have to worry as much with Gabriel, but I want you to do the same.

So, Lydia, do you want to sit on my lap?

” He asked again. I swallowed my nervousness down my throat.

I couldn’t trust his words, but I could trust the sincerity in his eyes and his arms, which were wide open and waiting for me.

I inched towards him. I had decided to try what he suggested, but it didn’t mean I wasn’t nervous. Graham watched me. He looked amused at my antics but never tried pushing me to step closer to him until I was ready.

Memories of Brett repeatedly trying to touch me or do something I didn’t want to do preyed at the back of my mind. Mentally, I could tell this was different. Graham had asked me to try this, but he hadn’t pushed nor forced me to continue. My body didn’t quite believe my head just yet, though.

I don’t know how long it took, but I finally reached his legs.

The sides of my legs were now touching Graham.

He didn’t have his arms up anymore and had them resting on the top of the couch.

He continued to patiently watch me, a genuine smile on his face.

I took a deep breath as I tried to calm my beating heart.

I gave myself several seconds to ground myself before moving.

Graham shifted his legs a little closer together so that mine could wrap around his legs and waist. I didn’t dare look at him as I situated myself into a comfortable position.

My face was most likely a deep red at this point.

I had sat on Gabriel’s lap a few times, but it was always spontaneous, and I had never needed to think about the action before.

I rested my arms on Graham’s shoulders, still not daring to look at him .

“Feel free to explore.” He commented against my ear.

He unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his shirt.

He stopped at the last two and relaxed his arms on the couch.

I stared down at his exposed skin. I never had the urge to want to explore people's bodies. Gabriel had mentioned a few times about how much he liked sliding his hands along the back, arms, or chest of his partners, but I could never understand the urge. The closest I’ve ever felt to such a feeling was wanting to braid Gabriel’s hair, despite it being too short.

The opposite was true, as well. I usually didn’t like people touching me, especially in certain places.

The most common spots I didn’t mind being touched were my hair, shoulders, ears, or neck.

Of course, I only allowed certain people to touch me.

People I liked, trusted, or felt comfortable with.

“Hey. Where’d you go?” Graham asked, moving one side of my hair behind my ear. I wanted to lean into his touch, but I closed my eyes instead.

“I was just thinking,” I said simply. His hand trailed up to my ear, softly rubbing my earlobe before moving up to the rest of my ear. This time, I lean into his touch slightly.

“About what?” He questioned after a few seconds. His voice was soft and gentle.

I hesitated, not sure if I wanted to tell him.

I moved to lean my body against Graham, getting comfortable.

Using his shoulder as a pillow, I felt my eyes grow heavy.

His hand had moved from my ear to my back.

He didn’t push me to talk, but after several seconds of just being here with him, I decided I wanted to tell him.

“My old pack had this habit of pulling me or pushing me into things I didn’t really want to do.

It was small stuff like kissing or cuddling when I wanted to do something else.

Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to do those things sometimes, but they never liked it when I denied them.

” I confessed. I could feel Graham stiffen under me but he relaxed just as quickly.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. No one, not even scent matches, should pressure or make someone feel guilty for not wanting to be touched. You know no one in this pack would make you feel that way, right?” He asked. His voice was low, barely above a whisper now.

I paused, wanting to really think about his words. Did I trust them not to be the same? I think I did, but I wasn’t entirely convinced at the same time.

“I think I do,” I mumbled out honestly. I could feel the vibrations in Graham’s chest, letting me know he approved of my answer.

“We’ll earn your trust, yet.” He said while continuing to purr. I was asleep within minutes.