Page 30 of Knotty Nights

After two nights of feverish rutting, Jazmine’s Heat pheromones dropped to a simmer.

I continued to push lazily between her legs, my knot tying us together as her belly stretched and swelled beautifully. Jazmine’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes half-closed as she tilted her hips upwards to meet each of my thrusts, weak as a kitten.

In a strange way, this was more intimate than anything else we’d done. This slow, languid, unhurried fucking tempered the spark that had ignited in my chest the moment I’d set eyes on her.

The rush in my ears gave way to a strong, steady pulse.

Heat pheromones had a way of eradicating rational thought. As they ebbed, I could feel my judgement settling like specks of ash after a fire. The stillness between us was filled with the certainty that we needed each other.

I savored every soft sigh, every flutter of her lashes, my breath catching each time she squeezed me tight.

The scorching sun gave way to soft moonlight as I fucked her with a shivering, lazy rhythm.

Jazmine’s Heatfaded on Monday, dropping to a low simmer as she dozed on my bicep. One of her thighs lay curled over my waist, and I savored the weight of her as she snored lightly.

The sheets beneath us were uncomfortably crusty, and I reminded myself to strip the bed before I left.

The thought of leaving Jazmine made my heart lurch in protest.

How had I become stupid enough to get used to her softness? I’d told myself repeatedly that this was an assignment—a favor I was doing for Jasper. Anything said within the fever dream of these few knotty nights was not real.

Yet here I was, lying at Jazmine’s side and tracing every curve and slant of her face to commit her to memory. When she opened her eyes, our rendezvous would be over. I would go back to my little cubicle at Alpha Net as though nothing happened, and she would return to recycling scrap metal. We’d be two individuals living separate lives.

Breed me, Alpha. You’re the only one who gets to.

I tried to shake the memory of her words, but they returned to grip me tight, refusing to let go.

I can’t nest without your scent inside me.

I remembered the way her lips had quivered as she’d said those words. She’d been Heat-drunk then, and probably didn’t realize she’d even said it, but I held those words close to my chest.

The memory of Jazmine would be my only companion for a while. I didn’t think her words would stick the way they did—heat-drenched and half-whimpered. At the time, I’d been too fargone to understand that I’d be replaying every one of her filthy words like a starving woman licking her fingers for crumbs.

Despite what she thought of ‘Alphas like me’, I’d never hooked up with anyone for the sake of their Heat or my rut. I wasn’t wired for casual flings or one-night stands because something inside me liked to latch on to sweet things. My brain tended to fixate on something interesting until I relished it completely.

I knew I’d spend the next few weeks trying to forget that I knew the shape of Jazmine’s hips under my palms or the way her curls wrapped around my fingers.

And her scent… How was I supposed to walk away from the memory of her creamy heat-drenched pheromones when my foolish Alpha had trapped it in the deepest part of my primal brain?

Dread curled through my veins as I worried about what would happen when she woke up. Without the ache of her Heat, would she simply roll away and thank me for my service?

The thought made my skin prickle.

She’d paid for a service, and I’d provided that service—this should be the end. So why the hell did it feel like something had been carved out of me and left behind with her?

My brain kept circling to the final question: was I just a transaction to Jazmine?

As if hearing my thoughts, the sleepy omega stirred in my arms, her fingers curling over my side and pulling me even closer.

“Are you awake already?” she asked, her eyes barely open.

“No,” I lied. “It’s early. Go back to sleep.”

Please don’t wake up and tell me to leave.

God, I was pathetic.

I wanted to cling to the hope that this could be more than just a transaction. If she snoozed for a little while longer, I couldspend the time fantasizing about what a life with her could look like.