Page 36 of Knot Enough (Fruity Omegas #1)

F inn

Today was my day to take Lydia out on a date.

My entire body was buzzing with excitement.

I nearly closed my shop early several times so I could return to the house and steal her away.

Unfortunately, I had appointments to keep and cars to fix that I had been putting off due to courting our omegas.

I wouldn’t have much of a business left if I kept leaving my shop to flirt with Gabriel and Lydia.

I was under a car when my phone buzzed from inside my pocket. I stopped what I was doing to pull it out. There was a single text message from Sorren.

I pulled up my weather app and looked at it. There was little chance of thunder or lightning when I had planned to take Lydia out.

Finn: I’ll be fine. Thanks for checking in with me, though.

Graham: Let us know if you need help. There’s no shame in it.

After reading Graham’s text, I tucked my phone away and focused back on the car.

I had a lot to do today if I was going to get out of here on time.

I didn’t have time to ponder the warm feeling in my chest at my pack’s thoughtfulness.

I knew it was going to be a risk to take Lydia to the place I planned during the rain season, but I wanted to show her somewhere that meant a lot to me, and I was willing to take a chance to prove my devotion to her.

Before I knew it, the day had flown by, and it was time to close shop.

I checked my phone again for the weather forecast, and the chance for it to rain had increased by 5%, but my bit of worry about it was pushed back.

I texted Lydia, letting her know what she should wear, and tucked my phone back in my pocket.

I reached my motorcycle and started to head home.

I did my best to follow the speed limit, but the urge to see Gabriel and Lydia was strong.

Once I got back to the house, I headed straight to the showers to wash off the accumulated grime and grease.

Once I was dressed and ready to go, I headed to Gabriel and Lydia’s room.

I knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

“Come in!” I heard Gabriel shout from further inside the room.

Taking a breath, I opened the door. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. It was dumb.

I’ve gone on dates before, and I wasn’t a virgin, but this nervousness reminded me of asking my high school girlfriend to prom.

It’s been years since I went to high school.

I shouldn't be this nervous. The only person in the room was Gabriel.

I looked around the space, wondering where Lydia was. Gabriel snickered at my reaction.

“I’ll go get her,” Gabriel said, practically singing it out.

He hopped to the bathroom and went inside, closing the door behind him.

I swallowed the extra saliva in my mouth as I waited.

Voices came from the bathroom, but they were too quiet to make out what they were saying.

The door opened shortly after, and Gabriel appeared again.

“It’s my honor to present to you, my love, heart, and mate, Lydia.

” He said as he bowed. My mouth twitched at his antics.

Cherry blossoms and slightly overripe strawberries wafted out of the bathroom.

She was nervous. Why was she nervous? Soft footsteps could be heard from the bathroom, and Lydia finally appeared.

She looked adorable in the large leather jacket, leggings, and army boots.

Her hair was done in a tight braid, which would keep it out of her face while we rode on my motorcycle.

Looking at the jacket closely, I recognized it as one of mine.

Her eyes darted around the room as she used one of her arms to cover her face.

“Doesn’t she look adorable in this get-up? I chose the jacket myself.” Gabriel asked. He placed his hands on Lydia’s and made her twirl. A chuckle escaped me as I watched them.

“I don’t think adorable is a big enough word to describe how cute she is in my leather jacket,” I replied, almost purring the words out. Lydia turned a light shade of pink at my words.

“Are you not mad that Gabriel stole it?” she asked, looking at me shyly. Unable to resist myself, I trotted to her and wrapped my arms around her. I rubbed the collar of the jacket with one hand as I looked down at her.

“I’m nearly feral right now knowing you are wearing a piece of my clothing,” I growled out, leaning down to rub my scent against her cheek, marking her.

“Now you smell like me,” I whispered in her ear.

A feeling of delight spread through my body while I watched her shiver at my words.

I pulled back a little, but kept her hand in mine.

If I continued breathing in her scent, we wouldn’t reach where I had planned to take her.

“Have fun, kiddos! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Gabriel yelled out from the spot he had moved to on the bed while I was distracted by Lydia. Lydia rolled her eyes at his expression.

“That’s not a lot.” She retorted as I guided her out of the room. Gabriel chuckled and I closed the door. Lydia’s scent had gotten lighter, happier. I grabbed the keys to my motorcycle from the counter as we walked through the house. Once we were outside, Lydia spoke again .

“Are you finally going to tell me where we’re going?” She asked. I smiled as I tossed her the helmet I bought for her. She flinched, but still caught it. A proud smile spread across her face as she put it on.

“Not a chance. You’ll see once we get there,” I replied, walking up to her to check her helmet. “Have you ever ridden a bike before?” I asked, double-checking the latch on the helmet. She shook her head.

“Don’t go against the bike, go with it like a bicycle.

Once you get on behind me, you'll use your legs and arms to hold on to me. The tighter, the better, got it? ” I asked, crouching a little to stare through her visor.

She nodded, and I patted her head as a reward.

I got on the bike and waited for her to follow suit.

She was hesitant initially, but she managed to get on without incident.

Not satisfied with how far she was from me, I grabbed both her legs and pulled her closer to my back.

I gripped her hands as well and wrapped them around me.

“You good?” I asked, checking in on her.

“Yep.” She squeaked. If I couldn’t smell how excited she was, I would have thought she was scared by the cracking of her voice.

I chuckled to myself and started my bike.

I went slower at first, getting her used to the speed, the rush, and the wind.

I felt her legs and arms tighten around me.

After a few seconds, I sped up and felt her hold tighten even more.

I’ve always enjoyed the wind running against my body.

My bike's rush and power helped me feel free and calm my thoughts. When I was younger, I’d ride out on some empty country roads to get away from my parents' fighting.

My problems always felt a lot smaller when I was on the road.

I hoped Lydia felt even a fraction of what I felt while riding my bike.

The sun had fallen by the time we arrived at the location I had in mind. The parking lot was empty except for a lone lamp pole in the corner. I parked and got off my bike before helping Lydia off, as well. After I removed her helmet, her eyes looked excitedly at me. I smiled down at her.

“That was amazing. We should do it again sometime! Gabriel would love it.” She squealed out, bouncing on her toes. Amused by her excitement, I bent down and kissed her. I felt her breath hitch as I pulled back.

“I’m sure he would, and you can ride anytime, though Graham might have something to say about that,” I mused. I could picture his worried expression now. Lydia laughed, probably imagining the same thing I was. She looked around at the lonely parking lot with wide eyes.

“This isn’t where you’re planning to kill me, is it?” She asked. I laughed at the thought. “Where are we anyway?”

“Of course not. Come on. I’ll show you.” I said as I roughed up her hair.

She squirmed from my touch, but grasped my hand when I held it out to her.

I checked my phone while I guided her up the stairs that led to the top of a mountain.

My grin faltered a bit when I saw the weather report had gone up another 10 percent .

“Something wrong?” Lydia asked from her place beside me. I shook my head to clear my worries before glancing back at her.

“Nope,” I replied. I pulled along the concrete steps a little quicker to distract her. She was breathing hard by the time we made it up the steps. I stood between her and the thing I wanted her to see.

“You're carrying me back down.” She breathed out while bent over.

“You won’t see me complaining,” I admitted. Any excuse to get her in my arms was good for me. She rolled her eyes, but stood up, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Why are we here again?” She asked.

“Close your eyes,” I demanded. She squinted her eyebrows, but complied with my demand. I stepped away and went to stand behind her. I covered her hands with my own.

“On the count of three, open them,” I whispered in her ear.

She was quiet now, but she nodded in agreement.

Smiling, I started to count down. “One, two, three.” When I got to three, I simultaneously released her and my hands.

I watched as her breath stopped and her body stilled.

Below the mountain ledge was a view of the entire city we lived in, and above was the entire galaxy.

We could see every star in the sky and every car moving.

In the city, we could barely see one star, but here you could make out constellations with ease.

“How’d you find this place?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I pulled her closer to me while I gazed at the stars with her.

“I went riding one night in college and ended up in the parking lot. Feeling curious, I went up the stairs and found this place.” I explained.

“It’s beautiful," she said with wonder. I turned my attention back to her. I watched how the stars seemed to twinkle and shine in her eyes. Her cheeks were rosy from the slight chill of the night air, and her hair was ruffled from the ride and helmet.

“You are,” I admitted quietly. Lydia looked at me in surprise. The stars were still filling her eyes, and a thousand emotions filled them, but one was clearer than all the others: love.

“Bite me.” She asked softly. Our faces were close enough to feel each other's breath. I turned her slightly toward me.

“You sure?” I asked, looking between her eyes and lips. I yearned to kiss her, but if I did, I knew I wouldn’t hold back.

“Yes.” She barely breathed out before my mouth was on hers.

I pushed her back till we hit a nearby tree with our bodies.

Her hands held both my cheeks, keeping me close to her.

One of my hands fisted her hair, angling her mouth to me while my other held her in place by her hip.

We made out like this for god knows how long before we finally broke apart.

Both of us were breathing heavily and red in the face.

My hand that was clasping her hair now trailed her neck, looking for the perfect spot to place my mark. Lydia shivered under my touch.

“Hurry, please.” She begged. A purr ripped through me at her eagerness and impatience.

My hand landed on a spot on the side of her shoulder where Graham hadn’t marked her, right above her collarbone.

I pulled down the shirt she wore under my leather jacket with a single finger.

Her breathing hitched, and I felt her body tense at my touch.

My other hand moved from her hip to her face.

I covered her eyes, wanting her to focus on the bond snapping in place and my touch.

I didn't want to wait any longer, so my teeth clamped down on the spot I wanted and broke the skin.

My body shivered as I felt us finally become bonded.

Her emotions swarmed through me like a hot flash.

I would get addicted to this feeling. Removing my hand from her eyes, I quickly returned my lips to hers.

Her arms around my neck pulled me closer to her.

She moaned as she battled my tongue for dominance.

When she released me, her pupils had widened, and there was a feral glint in her as she bit and claimed me back.

“Thank you.” She panted as she rested her head against mine.

“No need to thank me. I could do this all night.” I admitted. She chuckled at my words. Deciding this was the best time, I let go of her with one of my hands and grabbed the object from my pocket. She watched me curiously as I handed her what I had retrieved.

“What’s this?” She asked, taking it.

“Open it and find out.” I told her, wanting to see the surprise on her face. She tore through the wrapping paper to find a small wooden bear I made.

“It’s beautiful.” She says, holding it up to the night sky. “Did you make this?” She asked, looking at me. I nodded.

“I’m glad you like it.” I admitted holding her tighter.

“But why a bear?” She asked after several more seconds of admiring it. I thought for a moment before answering.

“Because you remind me of a bear. They are tough and strong. They’re brave through difficult situations and come out more resilient.” I explained. And I believed it too. She was tough and strong like a bear.

“I don’t think I’m that strong though.” She admitted while looking down at the bear.

“You are. You're the strongest person I know and I know a lot of strong people.” I assured her. “And one day you will believe it.”