Page 27 of Knottily Ever After (Crescent Lake Cozy Omegaverse #1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ben

T here was no sleeping last night.

Well, I think I got about an hour of rest before I spent the entire night gritting my teeth and clenching my fists while listening to Violet and Quinn fucking all night.

When it was finally over, their mingled scents filled the air, awakening my purr and my cock.

I laid there in bed and jerked off three times like some high schooler. And it still wasn’t enough.

So I took a shower around three in the morning, got dressed, and went for a walk. Wound up sitting on one of the benches by the lake, away from the antique street lamps.

Quinn is my pack brother. I should be happy that he and Violet had sex. That means that we’re one step closer to forming a pack.

But I’m not happy. I’m jealous as fuck.

And my dick hurts. Not something I’m used to.

I can’t get her springtime wildflower scent out of my lungs, my head, off my clothes. Yes, Quinn’s scent is mixed with it, but it’s her scent that haunts me. Beckons me.

I’m on that bench until the sun rises, and soon after, my phone chimes. When I rise to take it from my pocket, I realize my ass hurts now, too.

Great.

Quinn

Violet knows we’re meant to be together.

I huff a humorless laugh.

Vaughn beats me to the first response.

Vaughn

Really? I couldn’t tell after that whole night of headboard knocking and screaming.

I huff again. Looks like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t get any sleep. Not that I’m surprised.

Quinn

I’m sorry we were loud. But don’t you see how important this is?

I do see it. And I can’t be mad that Quinn had the balls to make it happen.

He did it for all of us.

In the long run, anyway.

Me

We should all have a talk tonight. I want to make sure Violet is totally on board.

Vaughn

Agreed.

Quinn

Let’s do it. Dinner tonight.

Me

I’ll order takeout.

This is either going to be an amazing or a horrible night.

I wait until lunch to head back home, finally feeling a bit more like myself. At least, until I step into the apartment.

Violet’s delicious, tantalizing scent punches me in the gut as soon as I open the door, but there’s a hint of cleaning fluid mixed with it. As I venture further down the hall, I stop outside my door where the chemical smell is strongest, my nose scrunching, Violet’s scent completely overwhelmed.

What the hell happened?

“Violet!” I call out of fear and start making my way to her room when her door swings open, her green eyes wide.

“Ben! Are you okay?”

I let out a deep breath, my body falling forward a bit, and I catch myself with one hand in the door frame.

She’s okay. You’re watching too many true crime docs these days.

My heart still pounding, I’m nearly breathless. “I was… making sure you were okay. The… cleanup in the hall.”

Her face turns red as a tomato, and my brow rises when she says, “Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. I, uh…” she swallows nervously. “I wanted to talk to you, and I accidentally spilled something outside your door and had to clean it.”

I blink at her. “Oh. What did you need me for?” My voice is a little more gravelly than I intended, and I clear my throat and stand up straight.

What did she want outside my door?

“I have a request, actually.”

I will drag the north and south poles together if you ask me.

“Anything you need.” That’s close enough.

Her lips purse together, like she’s holding back a smile. “I was wondering if you’d design a tattoo for me.”

I blink again, then again.

A tattoo? That wasn’t anywhere near on my list of possibilities, but… the idea of creating something that would mark her skin forever…

“And tattoo it for me.”

My heart nearly stops. This… this is a gift, not a request.

“I would be honored.” My voice is rough again, but I don’t care. She hurls herself into my arms, wrapping hers tightly around my middle.

“Thank you,” she says into ribs, giving me a squeeze before stepping back too soon.

“I’d like something that symbolizes Crescent Lake. Whatever you come up with, I’ll love.” Her expression is so happy and hopeful, I can’t help but smile down at her.

“I’ll start brainstorming tonight.” My excitement levels hit an all-time high. I’ll need to figure out the size and shape. “Where do you want it?”

I swear Violet’s lids grow a little heavy, that wildflower scent of hers billows off her creamy skin. “Right here.”

Her fingers dip to the front of her right hip, and she traces a line from just above her pussy to the outside of that hip, and my cock turns to steel in a snap.

Fuck me.