Page 45 of Knot Going Down

Her eyebrows pull together. “Never what?”

“Emily.” I sit up fully, the blanket falling to my waist. “You’ve nevermasturbated?”

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

“They’reasleep,” 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—Iusedmy 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 itmaking loveorhooking uporcoitus?

“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’rescandalized.”

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’renot 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.