Page 24 of Knot Going Down (OlympicVerse #3)

AVA

T he mattress dips when Emily joins me in bed.

It’s late, and I want to ask her a million questions about her time out with Declan.

I want to tell her what I learned from Knox, but I pretend to be asleep.

Maybe it’s Declan’s scent all over her, the way it permeates the room and lets me know that whatever they were doing involved bodies close together.

Or maybe it’s the whiff of Lucas on her too.

The scents of the two men mix in a heady combination that makes my mouth water and slick gather between my legs. Stupid fucking omega hormones.

I need an escape from the images those smells induce. I need the oblivion of sleep.

We can talk tomorrow.

But Emily’s breath doesn’t even out. The more she tosses and turns, the more restless I become. We’re lying side by side in a bed that should be plenty big enough for an entire pack, but I feel every shift her body makes. I’m tuned in to every hitch of her breath.

She rolls over again with a frustrated sigh, yanking the sheet higher like she’s trying to cocoon herself.

“If you roll over one more time, I’m sedating you,” I whisper into the dark.

Emily freezes. “Sorry. Did I wake you?”

I turn onto my side to face her. There’s enough light coming from the bathroom to let me see the frustrated expression on her face. Her short hair is a tangled mess against the pillow, cheeks warm and flushed.

“You didn’t wake me,” I murmur. “You just made me regret not bringing melatonin.”

Emily groans, flipping onto her back. “I can’t sleep.”

“Shocking revelation.”

She snorts. “I’m serious.”

“So am I. I’d like to sleep before the sun comes up. Don’t want to miss the conga line.”

That earns a quiet laugh. She pulls the blanket tighter. “It’s nothing. I shouldn’t be this wound up.”

After a beat, I gently prod, “But you are.”

Emily sighs. “Yeah.”

I prop myself up on one elbow. “Let me guess—Declan?”

She doesn’t answer, but I catch the way her face tightens in the dim light.

“I knew it,” I whisper smugly. “What’d he do? Call you a good girl while handing you a fork? Accidentally steal a peek at your ankle?”

If I wasn’t trying to hide my new designation—and if Declan wasn’t already claimed by Em—I’d have climbed that tree the first day I met him.

“I hate how accurate that is,” Em says.

“You’re flushed, twitchy, and vibrating like a fucking chihuahua. Emily, what happened?”

She hesitates for a long moment. “He has the suppressants,” she says in a voice so soft I almost miss it.

That’s clearly not what has her so aggravated, and it doesn’t slip my notice that she’s avoiding telling me. Or maybe she’s working up to it.

“I couldn’t find out where,” she adds. “But he has them.”

I want to tell her they’re in his wallet, but then I’d have to explain how I found out, and I’m really not ready to tell her about kissing Knox. Plus, if I interrupt her, she might not ever tell me what really has her so agitated. So I keep quiet. There’ll be time for sharing more later.

“So… in order to find out, I kinda had to flirt. Which, you know, I’m not good at, but it sort of worked.

” Emily groans and buries her face in the pillow.

“And Lucas was there, which should have made me feel embarrassed with how much Declan was touching me all possessive like, but instead it made me feel all… hot.”

She turns her face away, and I hope she’s blushing. She’s so cute when she blushes.

“And then when we got back to the room, he pulled me out on the balcony and kissed me before I came upstairs, and he… touched me. And it was getting really good. But then his phone rang, and I came up here feeling like my whole body had short-circuited.”

There’s a beat of silence. I want to know everywhere he touched her.

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.”

I bite back a grin. “Sounds like someone needs to take matters into her own hands.”

Her head lifts just enough to squint at me. “What does that mean?”

“Ohh emm gee. Emily, have you never…” I let the words trail away and shoot her a suggestive look she probably can’t see in the dark room.

Her eyebrows pull together. “Never what?”

“Emily.” I sit up fully, the blanket falling to my waist. “You’ve never masturbated ?”

“Shh!” she hisses, swatting at me. “Keep your voice down! They’re right downstairs!”

“They’re asleep ,” I whisper back. “And this is important. This is like… sex-ed. I’m sure there’s a chapter on it in the Beta Handbook.”

I’m not a beta anymore, but Lucas really should write that manual.

Emily clearly needs one. Pretty sure I need an omega handbook about now, too.

I have no idea what I’m doing, and I feel out of place in my own skin ever since I designated.

I’ve never been particularly touchy—I used my sexuality, for sure—but I didn’t crave touch the way I have the past few days.

It’s like suddenly my body feels wrong unless I’m close to someone else.

Surrounded in their scent and presence. I’m constantly fighting the urge to cuddle up with Emily. I’m fighting it right now.

Em stares at me, clearly scandalized. “I’ve had sex. With Knox, actually. I know how it all works.”

I wave a hand toward the stairs. “Then help yourself, missy. He’s right down there, if you don’t want to handle it yourself.”

If Em and Knox hooked up in this suite, I might combust.

“I’m not going to go… fuck … Knox.”

She’s so damn cute. In her head, does she call it making love or hooking up or coitus ?

“Well, then your solution seems clear.” I wiggle my fingers in front of her face. “You don’t have to wait for someone else to make your toes curl. You can do it yourself. Anytime. Anywhere. Well, within reason. You can get arrested for that, and one criminal in this suite seems like plenty.”

Emily makes no reaction to my little joke, and I think her brain might be hyperventilating.

I raise an eyebrow. “Want me to show you?”

Her mouth opens, then closes. Then, opens again. And closes again like an adorable, flustered fish. Her gaze drops to the tangled blankets between us. Her voice is barely above a breath. “Maybe?”

I don’t reply, giving her space for her overthinking mind to process—and say—what she wants.

Sweet thing probably needs reminders to use her words in the bedroom.

I bet Declan would love that. I can just picture him saying, ‘use your words, baby,’ in that deep rumble of his.

I clench and unclench my hands to try to distract myself from that thought.

But it doesn’t stop slick from soaking the scent dampening underwear I bought at one of the clothing stores earlier.

Emily bites her lip. “Okay. But no laughing.”

“I would never,” I say, already grinning like a heathen. This conversation is so much better than being asleep right now.

She rolls her eyes. “You’re already laughing.”

“Only because you’re adorable when you’re scandalized .”

She glares halfheartedly, then tucks the blanket up under her arms like armor. “So… what do I do?”

I shift onto my back, mirroring her position and squeezing my thighs together under the comforter. “Okay. First step—get comfortable. You can’t be all tense and clenched like you’re about to take a math test.”

“Too late,” she mutters.

I nudge her with my elbow. “You’ll do great. Now… start with your hands. Just let them wander a little. See what feels good. Doesn’t have to be a full performance.”

Emily hesitates, then the blankets loosen, letting me know she’s eased off her death grip.

I keep my gaze on the ceiling, giving her the illusion of privacy, but I can feel the air shift, her breath hitching, the rustle of sheets, the slight tension of her body next to mine, and the hit of her scent.

Amaretto and smoky vanilla, soft at first, like the first inhale of a dessert you’re not supposed to want.

But the more relaxed she gets, the richer it becomes, blooming into something headier, syrup-sweet and warm like a stolen sip of liquor beneath soft candlelight.

“Okay,” she whispers. “I think… this feels kind of nice.”

“Where are you touching?”

“My stomach.”

I smirk. “That’s not an erogenous zone. Go either higher or lower.”

She giggles, the sound breathy and uncertain. “Why does it feel so weird doing this with someone next to me?”

“Because I’m very pretty and distracting,” I say lightly.

She snorts, but with the dim light skimming her face, I can see the blush on her cheeks deepen. Not that I’m looking or anything. I jerk my eyes back to the ceiling.

“Okay… now what?” she asks.

“Now… go lower. Start with the outside. No pressure, just explore. You’re not trying to win a prize here.”

“I feel like I should’ve lit a candle or something,” she mutters.

She deserves candles. And rose petals, and someone giving her all the pleasure she craves. “This isn’t a séance. We aren’t calling on dead ancestors to summon the orgasm. Just… find what feels good.”

There’s a long pause, and then a sharp intake of breath.

“Oh,” she says, stunned.

I grin. “There it is.”

“I didn’t think—wow. That’s… okay, yeah. I see what the fuss is about. I didn’t think it would feel the same if it wasn’t a partner doing it.”

“Told you,” I say smugly, still not looking at her, but picturing her expression in vivid detail. “Try circling your fingers. Different directions. See what your body likes.”

Emily’s quiet, but her breathing changes. Soft. Ragged. Focused. I risk a glance and find her lips parted on a silent moan, lashes fluttering against flushed cheeks.

“You’re doing great,” I say gently. “Such a good girl.” I bite my lower lip to cut off the dirty praise threatening to tumble out. My whole body feels flushed and hot. I push down the covers as slowly as I can, trying not to distract her.

She peeks at me through her lashes. “Do you… do it a lot?”

“Lately? Constantly.” I laugh, but there’s a bitter tinge to it.

I used to control my desire, now I feel like my desire controls me.

Or tries to. I’m not going to let it take over right now.

This is about Em. All for her. But I’ll give her an honest answer.

“My hormones are throwing a rave, and I’m the only one invited. ”

That makes her laugh, and it’s this beautiful, warm sound that fills the room. Then she sighs, and it’s heavier. “This is kind of amazing. I wish someone had told me about this earlier.”

“You’re telling me Knox never tried to show you?” The man reeks of kink and play. Oh, that thought is dangerous territory, and I’m already way too horny.

Emily shakes her head. “We were awkward. Sweet, and good, but teenagers. Honestly, I think he was more nervous than I was.”

“Sounds about right,” I say with a smirk. “No offense to your former—and, I’m assuming, only—-lover, but your body deserves a little more worship.”

She doesn’t correct me on my assumption, just shifts under the blanket, a little more confident now. “So what do I do if I want to… finish?”

I turn toward her, resting my cheek on my hand. As much as I want to give her some semblance of privacy, I don’t want to miss this. My control only goes so far. “You just let go. Ride the sensation. Don’t overthink it. Your body knows what to do.”

She nods, chewing her bottom lip in concentration. Her eyes drift closed.

For a while, there’s only the sound of her breath, the faint lull of the waves, and the distant rumble of Gunner snoring in the living room.

A moan slips past her parted lips, and I feel it right between my ribs. The sensation sizzles down my spine to rest deep in my core. I fist the bedsheet to keep from doing anything rash.

Her knees fall to the sides, splaying herself.

But covered by the blanket, I can’t see the paradise under her fingers.

Her hand moves faster as her head falls back.

The rise and fall of her chest is sweet torture as the soft moonlight from the open window kisses her pebbled nipples. Emily tenses. “Oh… oh my…”

Her whole body goes still, and she lets out another little moan. “Oh. Oh oh oh,” she pants. The sound of her pleasure mixes with the sound of her fingers working the wetness between her thighs. It’s the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen, and I can’t even see it!

She lets out a gasp, then a long, deep moan as her body flexes. Muscles locking as the pleasure overtakes her. It’s stunning to witness.

A few seconds pass before she collapses back against the pillow like a deflated pool float.

“Holy crap ,” she breathes.

I smile and reach over, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “Welcome to the club.”

Emily’s eyes open, and they’re glassy with awe. “I didn’t know it could feel like that.”

“I told you. Clits are magic.”

She laughs again, loose and joyful and satisfied. “I feel like I should thank you.”

It takes approximately seven seconds for my lust-fueled mind to think of a dozen raunchy ways she could thank me. None of which I can actually say aloud.

“You’re welcome.” I shift, trying to get comfortable. “Next time I give you life-changing advice, just bring me a cupcake or something.”

“I’ll get you a whole damn cake.”

I snuggle down beside her, both of us still a little breathless.

Emily murmurs, “You’re a really good friend.”

I glance over at the beauty beside me. “That’s one word for it.”

She nudges me with her foot under the blanket, but her smile doesn’t fade. “Shut up.”

As I slip into sleep, her foot is still touching mine.