Page 45 of Knot Going Down (OlympicVerse #3)

DECLAN

I never expected to be here again.

The room is thick with it. Heat, sex, the kind of scent that rewires your brain. My mind is chaos, a snarl of memory and emotion I can’t quite untangle. But my body?

My body’s ready.

Every cell is vibrating, coiled tight, desperate to move, to claim, to fucking go.

Lucas presses against my side, an arm looped around my waist. A steady weight. Emily presses our omega closer until Ava’s flushed, naked body is fully against mine. Breath fast and uneven against my chest, her thighs are sticky with need.

Over Ava’s shoulder, I pull my sweet amaretto in for a reassuring kiss. I can sense her anxiety as clearly as I can sense Ava’s need. She’s worried about our omega. Maybe about more than that, too.

I can also smell exactly what they were doing up here. The air is thick with it. Blackberries and almond, graham cracker and boozy cream. Sweet and heady and unmistakable. The scene of Ava in full heat, tangled with Emily.

Gunner took one sniff, wrinkled his nose like a grumpy old cat, and got as far away from the stairs as he could before going right back to sleep. But the rest of us? We moved toward it like the tide follows the moon. Drawn up the stairs by instinct, by want, by her. By them.

I’m so turned on I don’t even flinch when Ava pulls Knox into the tangle of limbs and his hip brushes mine.

I stay exactly where I am. I won’t do anything to risk upsetting her—my omega.

‘Our omega,’ Knox’s voice corrects from the back of my mind, and I’m too high off the smell of our girl in heat to squash the thought.

Emily’s kiss shifts, tongue sliding into my mouth, deepening with hunger. Our omega lets out a soft, breathy whimper that punches through my spine like a lightning strike. I jerk back, eyes on her face, ready to stop, to soothe, but she’s fine. More than fine.

She’s blissed out.

Because Knox has his mouth on her, kissing her like he owns her.

A low growl rattles my chest. I don’t try to stop it. “Did I tell you to kiss her?” I snap, voice sharp.

Ava shudders, hips twitching. The scent of fresh slick fills the air like gasoline on an open flame.

Knox smirks. “Give me your command, Officer. Should I stop? Or should I keep making her moan?” His eyes flash with wicked mischief. “Or maybe you want me to do something much, much naughtier?”

“Naughtier. Always naughtier,” Lucas says. His sculpted ass looks heavenly as he kicks off his sleep shorts and boxers and heads to the bathroom. He returns a moment later with arms full of party favors: towels, a bottle of lube, massage oil, and a long, sleek black cylinder that hums with promise.

Knox reaches for the massager, brow lifted. I raise mine right back.

“For my muscles,” Lucas offers innocently, but he’s already grinning like the devil. Knox turns the massager on with a soft buzz. “But I think it will work for our ladies just fine.”

We don’t deserve Lucas. I don’t deserve him.

I pull him in for a hungry kiss anyway, rough with gratitude and want. His mouth opens for me immediately, and his teeth catch on my lower lip in a flash of playfulness.

“I did write the handbook,” he murmurs. “We are at your mercy, alpha.”

I tug off my shirt and slide down my boxers as Knox does the same. Emily pleasures Ava with soft touches and cooing praise, giving us a chance to strip down.

I can’t help admiring what Knox is packing. He’s thick. Though not as thick as me, I note with a grin.

“Scoot up the bed,” I command. Though there’s no bark in it, he surprises me by obeying. “Now, stay .”

My mind races with possibilities. So many ways I could take them, tease them, make them scream. I want to knot Ava until she can’t think, fuck Emily until she begs, drag sounds from Lucas’s throat no one else gets to hear. I’m almost glad for the extra knot Knox offers. Almost.

I press one last kiss to Emily’s lips. A quick one, because if I linger, I won’t be able to stop. My cock is rock hard, trapped against Ava’s slick belly. My balls are already drawing up tight. Every part of me aches, craves, demands. But I meant what I said to Emily.

I told her she mattered.

To me. To us.

And right now, before our omega fully loses herself to instinct, I have the chance to show Emily what that means. That she’s not second. Not an afterthought. This bond we’re building between us starts with her trusting me.

So I turn to her first. “What do you want, baby?” My voice is steady, even though I’m trembling inside.

“Knot. Knot. Knot,” Ava chants from between us, her voice a breathless plea.

Lucas chuckles, and I can’t help the soft laugh that escapes me, too.

I kiss Ava’s forehead. “I already know what you want, omega.” Sliding my hand between her thighs, I cup her pussy.

Fuck. She’s drenched, slick covering her cheeks and thighs.

So ready. So beautiful. “You need a big, fat alpha knot, don’t you? ”

“Yes,” she groans, rubbing herself against my palm. She’s gorgeous like this, so vulnerable, so open. All need and surrender. No walls. No fight. It’s like I’m seeing an entirely different person from the hard woman I’ve watched over the past few days.

My heart twists, and I kiss her forehead again, gentle. “Don’t worry. You’ll get my knot,” I murmur. My lips brush her cheek. “I’ll take such good care of you, omega. You’ll get everything you want and nothing you don’t.”

She lets out a small sound, barely a whimper, but her body softens, like she heard me somewhere deep in that overwhelmed mind.

With the heel of my hand still rolling slow, steady pressure over Ava’s clit, I turn my gaze back to Emily. “Well, baby? What do you want?”

“Me?” She looks wrecked already—kiss-drunk and panting—but her wide-eyed sweetness is still there, blooming through the lusty haze, lit up with eager curiosity that makes me want to give her every experience she’s never had.

She bites her lip, gaze flicking from me to Lucas before responding. “Um, I just want to take care of Ava.”

She’s perfect. Our sweet beta.

But she deserves more than just being the helper. She deserves to be wanted. Worshipped.

Chosen.

And I plan to show her exactly what that means.

“Mmmm, beta,” Ava moans, her voice honey-thick with need. She twists, reaching back to pull Emily’s face over her shoulder and into a messy, desperate kiss.

It’s an awkward angle, Ava’s body still pressed to mine, hips grinding against my hand as she fumbles to turn toward Em. But it’s also achingly beautiful. The way they crave each other. The way they lose themselves in one another, like nothing else matters. It’s raw. Wild. Honest.

And it should make me jealous.

It would have, once.

I remember that ugly pit in my stomach watching Kyle kiss someone else during that fucked up heat, like I was just a third wheel in someone else’s fantasy.

But not this time.

Not with Ava rubbing against my hand, her slick coating my fingers as she rocks into my palm like it’s the only thing keeping her sane.

Not with Emily’s hand tangled in my hair, using me to ground herself even as she devours our omega with her mouth.

Not with Lucas kissing his way across my shoulder, nuzzling the place where my neck meets my collarbone.

No. This time, I’m not outside the circle. I’m right at the center of it.

“Someone better get over here fast, or I won’t be able to keep my promise to obey,” Knox snips from the bed. He’s fisting his cock so hard the veins stand out on his forearm. A masculine sight that has my dick leaking pre-cum over Ava’s perfect feminine skin.

Gently, I take Emily’s chin between two fingers and turn her away from Ava. My omega complains with a whine, but it cuts off when Lucas takes Emily’s place, kissing her. I increase the pressure of my palm between her legs, dipping my middle finger inside to the first knuckle.

“Answer me, Emily.” I look my beta right in the eyes.

Before, she was too nervous to tell me, but now, punch drunk on Ava’s kiss, those nerves are gone, replaced by a playful, satisfied expression. That’s it, baby.

She leans in, presses her forehead to mine, her breath ghosting over my lips.

“Declan,” she whispers. That one word, my name, lands like a promise.

It tells me she’s not just caught in the moment.

She’s choosing it. Choosing us. “I want a cock,” she says, a little breathless.

Then, with a cheeky grin that makes my heart slam against my ribs, she adds, “I want Knox’s cock. ”

Her cheeks are pink, but her eyes are dancing, teasing me with that spark I’ve been waiting for.

“Looks like you have more than one brat on your hands,” Lucas says with a soft laugh.

I can’t help but smile even as I fight the possessive urge that wants to deny her.

I won’t. I love witnessing all the sexy-as-hell sides of my woman’s blossoming sexuality. Kissing Ava. Asking for what she wants. Looking out for the underdog, making sure everyone’s included.

I should have expected it. But this feels like the real test of how this heat will go. She’s giving me a chance to sort out my shit and share nicely. I won’t fail her.

But my chest still tightens, knowing Emily and Knox have a history, like Kyle and Lori. I know what it’ll cost me if they decide they want something more. My heart stutters, a jolt of territorial fear slicing through the heat and arousal, sharp and cold.

Then Emily kisses me, light and sure and exactly what I need. We agreed to do this together, for one heat. That’s all. And I won’t let anyone feel the way I felt all those years ago. I won’t let anyone be forgotten. Even Knox.

“Alright baby, climb over there and take what you want. Ride Knox.” I kiss her one more time before easing back. “Cowgirl style.”

Emily pauses her knee-walk to Knox, glancing over her shoulder and presenting me with a view my dick fucking loves.

“I’ve never done that,” she says, all wide-eyed innocence.

“I know.” Figured their one time was probably fumbling missionary with Knox on top. It’s gonna be so fun showing her a whole new world of possibility. I pull my finger out of Ava, then spin the little omega around, giving her a sharp smack on the ass. “Go show her the ropes.”

Knox settles on his back, smug and grinning, watching Emily with naked hunger. She swings a leg over him, settling on his lap, giving me a perfect view of her gorgeous ass.

Ava curls up behind her and presses a kiss to the curve of Emily’s spine, then another slower one just below it. Emily shivers. Her head tips back slightly, breath catching. Ava’s kisses trail lower. Down the dip of Emily’s spine. Over the small of her back. Lower.

Emily makes a soft, startled sound when Ava’s tongue slips between her cheeks.

My cock jerks hard, and I groan aloud. Fuck. I’ve never seen anything so filthy and so beautiful in my life.

Emily gasps, but doesn’t pull away. She braces her hands on Knox’s chest and turns her head to meet my gaze. Her thighs tremble as she holds herself upright, hovering over his cock. He’s gripping her hips like he’s already halfway gone.

“You okay,” I ask her.

She nods, sucking on her bottom lip.

“Go slow,” I command Knox, giving him the go ahead. My voice is tight, the need to growl at him fierce. “Let her feel every inch of you.”

With more control than I expected, he guides Emily down. She sinks onto his length with a moan that sounds like it’s been torn straight from her soul. Her hands shake on his chest as she takes him in, inch by inch, until her hips meet his.

“Fuck,” Knox curses, throwing his head back. “She’s so tight. Holy shit.” I fist my hands, remembering Emily’s sweet heat wrapped around me. Knox lifts up on his elbows to give Emily a quick kiss. “You feel so good, Ly. So fucking good.”

Emily rolls her hips slowly, testing the angle, getting her balance. Ava moves up to kiss her spine again, murmuring praise I can’t quite hear.

“Go take care of our omega, Luc.”

We’ve made our poor needy girl wait long enough. It’s time to give her what she wants.