Page 49 of Knot Going Down (OlympicVerse #3)

EMILY

I ’ve completely lost track of time.

I’m not sure how many hours, or days, it’s been since Ava’s heat started. Anything outside of this room has blurred into insignificance. It’s every bit as intense as I heard, and also nothing like I imagined.

I’ve had to break up one near fight between Declan and Knox, jump between Knox and Ava when he almost bit her twice, and force-feed Ava more times than I can count. She’s too far gone to remember to hydrate, let alone eat.

I’ve also come more times than I thought humanly possible.

It should feel overwhelming. And in some ways, it does. But not in a bad way. Not awkward. Not uncomfortable. Just raw and messy and…natural. Like we were always meant to crash together like this.

Now, for the first time since the heat began, everyone’s asleep.

All four of them. Finally.

Before now, there’s been at least two people up at all times, tangled in each other, usually fucking.

Ava has barely slept at all, passing out only when she’s knotted and waking up the second it deflates, begging for more.

She’s been insatiable. Mesmerizing. I’ve never seen anything or anyone more captivating.

Too thirsty to sleep, I gently crawl to the edge of the bed, careful not to wake the others. I’ve got a whole spread of half-empty water glasses and room service leftovers stashed on the side table like some post-orgy survivalist.

I down half a glass of lukewarm water.

Declan stirs, eyes cracking open as I move. “You okay?” he whispers.

“Mmhmm.” I pass him the glass.

He sits up and drinks a few slow sips before setting it back on the nightstand. Easing off the bed, his hand finds mine. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

He doesn’t answer. Just leads me gently into the bathroom and closes the door behind us with a quiet click .

I catch my reflection in the mirror and nearly flinch.

I look like I’ve survived something primal.

I’m covered in dried slick and cum and sweat.

Ava seems to love that—she threw quite the tantrum when we tried to clean her up in the shower earlier.

As soon as we got her out, she demanded I sit on her face while the guys covered her in cum.

It was impossible to argue with her. Not that I tried hard.

I love when she pulls me into the center like that.

But I’d kill for a shower right now. I glance toward the massive walk-in, but Declan’s already turning on the tap for the tub instead. Warm water spills into the deep basin, steam curling in the air.

“Come here, baby.” Voice all rough-edged sweetness, he holds his hand out to me. When I take it, he pulls me into a tender, sleepy kiss. “Let me take care of you for a little while, alright?”

I nod, pressing my face into his shoulder. I don’t expect the sudden sting of tears in my eyes, but I don’t fight them either. It’s not sadness. Just the release of being cared for. Of being seen.

There aren’t a lot of people in my life who take care of me.

Declan helps me into the tub and climbs in behind me, settling first so he can pull me into his lap.

His arms wrap around me like I belong there.

He reaches for the nearby bottle and pours in a generous splash of bubble bath.

The scent is clean and soft—eucalyptus and vanilla.

The water is almost too hot, but it feels like heaven on my sore thighs.

For a while, we don’t talk. He simply holds me, tracing slow patterns on my stomach with one hand. We could stay like this for hours, and I think I’d be perfectly fine with that.

Eventually, he breaks the silence. “You given any more thought to what happens after this?”

I turn my head toward him, cheek resting against his collarbone. “After Ava’s heat? Or after the cruise?”

“Yeah. All of it.”

I let out a soft breath. “All the time.”

“And?”

“I think we could make something… real… out of this.”

“Me too,” he says, voice barely audible over the lapping water. “I’m in. You’re in. Lucas. We’ve buttered Ava up.”

Literally. The food play got a little greasy for a while. I’m sure housekeeping will need to burn the sheets. They might even need holy water.

I smile a little, prodding my man with my shoulder as I wriggle against him. “That just leaves Knox.”

Declan’s fingers tighten ever so slightly on my waist. “Yeah. Knox.”

There’s a pause, and I don’t fill it right away. I feel him weighing his words, sorting them through whatever filters he keeps in place when he doesn’t want to say something he might regret.

“He’s trying,” I offer. “In his own cheeky, brooding, nothing-is-serious, emotionally constipated way.”

Declan snorts, but it’s a tired sound. Not mean. Not amused, either.

“He’s not a bad guy,” I add.

“That doesn’t mean he’s good, either. Or that he’s right for this pack.”

I tilt my head enough to see him from the corner of my eye. “You don’t trust him.”

“Do you?” His words are soft, but they land hard.

I shift and nestle back against Declan’s chest with a sigh.

He lets me get away without answering. His arms drift loose around my waist, fingers lazily skimming over my hip bone like he’s memorizing the shape of me.

He hasn’t said anything in a while, but I can feel him thinking just like I am.

Heavy thoughts. The kind that press behind the ribs and don’t let go.

“I’m worried he’s gonna run,” I admit. Those old feelings of standing alone at prom hover in my heart. Of waiting for him when he never showed.

Declan sighs against my back. “I’m worried he’s gonna hurt Ava. Or you. Or me. Maybe not on purpose, not out of malice. But maybe he doesn’t know how to stay. And I don’t know if I want him to.”

“I think he wants to be better,” I whisper.

“I don’t know if that's enough, baby.” He nuzzles against my neck, scent marking me. “If that’s enough for this. For you. For what Ava and Lucas deserve.” He drags his fingers down my thigh underwater, more grounding than sensual. “I keep waiting for him to bolt. For the other shoe to drop.”

“I get it,” I whisper. “I’m not saying you’re wrong. I just... I see something in him. I know him better than you do.”

He nods against me, jaw brushing my temple. “I know you do. And maybe that’s what makes me hesitate.”

I go quiet, not sure how to answer. It’s not a rejection of the idea of something with Knox. It’s not jealousy. It’s just honest. And that’s one of the things I like about Declan. He won’t lie to keep the peace.

He exhales slowly, a warm breath against my hair. “I want this to work, Em. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

His arms tighten, protective, possessive, but not suffocating. Just sure.

I close my eyes, listening to the water shift around us in the tub. This is the first quiet moment we've had in days. The first one that’s just been ours since Ava’s heat hit.

“I think he wants to be here,” I say finally.

Declan doesn’t answer.

And for now, that silence will have to be enough.