Page 23 of Love Me Knot, Part One (Knotty Omegas #1)

The rut’s on the edge of my consciousness, desperate to press forward until all she feels is me. My hips stutter as I try to hold it back. The first time I’m inside my omega is fucking biblical and I don’t want instinct interfering yet. I want to pause and enjoy this moment. Commit it to memory.

Daphne doesn’t feel the same.

Her nails dig into my arms, thighs tight on my hips as she tries to urge me faster, harder, deeper. “Please, Dez. I need your knot.”

“We have to wait. Just a little longer.”

Tears wet her cheeks, and I lick them up, savoring her on my tongue. The only thing holding me back is knowing my knot’s big. She needs to come before she takes it, or I could really hurt her.

“No, now!” In one move, Daphne plants a foot on the bed, sinks her claws into my ass and shoves our hips together.

The moment my knot slips inside, it swells, locking us where we are. The pleasure’s intense, but it’s a secondary thought as Daphne’s mouth drops, brows twisting.

“That’s really big.” Her voice is thready, the hint of pain in her body and scent absolutely wrecking me.

“I know. That’s why I wanted you to come first.”

The nest is silent as I work her over, back so tense it aches as I hold myself motionless above her. Inside her. Desperate to get rid of the strain on her face.

Daphne’s first orgasm is a relief for us both. She settles fully into the mattress, face relaxed and scent sweet once more. Meanwhile, remorse threatens to drown me.

I hurt her. I hurt my fucking omega.

Maybe this is why I’ve never had one before. Maybe Shelby knew she couldn’t trust me to take care of her. And because I didn’t figure that out, Daphne’s paid the price.

“Mental note, you can’t go first again.” Daph’s joking, but I can’t stop thinking my negligence ruined the moment. So eager to knot someone for the first time that I didn’t stop and use my brain.

My scent darkens to something awful and Daphne’s nose scrunches. “What’s wrong?”

“I hurt you.” God, it kills me to admit that, but it’s the fucking truth.

She reaches for me, face soft. I can’t jerk away without hurting her, but I try to put as much distance as I can. Daphne hates it. She wraps her thighs tighter around me, forcing my body to rest on hers.

“You didn’t do anything, Dez. I hurt myself.”

“I—”

“No, you didn’t.” Greedy hands pull me down and the second I’m within reach, Daphne presses kisses everywhere.

Along my jaw, across my lips, over my cheeks.

Each one melts my anxiety a little more until I’m willingly giving her my weight.

“I thought you were teasing me again, and I couldn’t handle it.

I should’ve told you as much. You asked me to, and I forgot. ”

I should’ve stopped it. She trusted me to take care of her and I failed. “I wasn’t giving you what you needed.”

Daph doesn’t disagree, hands running a soothing circuit across my thighs, my ass, my back. “Any other time, playing would be fine, but in a heat spike…”

“Things need to happen fast. I’m sorry.” My head sags into her shoulder, scent darkening more. Careless. I was so fucking careless.

There’s the faintest rumble coming from Daphne, not a purr, but a growl. She’s growling at me. Her little fingers pinch my ass, carding through my hair to pull my face into view again. “I want to play, Dez. I just needed you like this first.”

Something warm and gooey swishes in my chest when she smiles softly. Like she really means it. Like she cares.

“I’ve never knotted anyone before,” I confess. Needing her to know I saved this for her. Maybe I should’ve followed Nate’s example.

“Really? It does something to me to know that I’m your first heat, too.”

That's obvious. Her pussy clenches, shifting a little with a throaty sound.

“Stop moving. I don’t want to hurt you again.”

Daph slants her mouth over mine, moving restlessly against me. “To be fair, it was less pain and more surprise. How was I supposed to know you’re a grower?”

Her teasing steals my attention and my cock jerks, happy she’s talking about it. “I tried to tell you.”

“You did. It’s my fault. If you’d like a do-over, I’d be happy to volunteer.”

“Is that so?” She’s wiggling on my knot again, making us both groan as she fights for more stimulation. I haven’t come yet, and I want to. Want to watch her drip with me, smell our scents wrapped together for days. “If I fuck you again, are you going to listen this time?”

“Maybe.”

Laughing, I test her with a short, sharp thrust. My knot’s still inflated, our bodies tied together, but the drag and pull of that little movement is enough to make us moan. “What if you don’t listen to me?”

“Punish me with orgasms. That sounds good,” Daphne gasps, throwing her head back and flashing that perfect neck at me.

Bite her. Mate her. Make her yours.

It would be so fucking easy.

Instead, I hike her leg higher on my hip, watching her reaction. Making sure she’s okay. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

But she will.

The fear pushed the rut to the edge of my mind. I have no doubt by the end of this heat, it’ll be back, but not until my brothers are here to keep watch. I’ll only be able to relax when I know Daphne will be safe.

Until then, my knot and fingers work together to keep her coming and by the time I finally deflate, she’s too weak to lift her arms and I could drink an entire lake. No wonder packs are the norm. How the fuck did Connor do this by himself?

When Daph finally wiggles off my knot, I pull back to watch and god fucking damn. This is something else I want to paint. Her hair loose across the bed, pale skin darkened with love bites and an obscene amount of my cum dripping out of her pussy.

The urge to have her in my mouth is so strong, I can’t fight it. I dive, ready for a taste of sated, sighing omega, only to be stopped with a hand on my face.

“What are you doing?” Daphne shrieks, trying weakly to push me away.

“Cleaning you up. The others are going to be back any minute.”

Not that they’ll care. Heats are messy and one person’s cum is the same as another’s.

Daph’s eyes are wide and panicked. “But it’s…that’s not…you can’t…”

Smirking, my tongue darts out to clean her thigh. “I can and I will.”

She shakes her head again, legs trying to close around me. The instinct to push her comes back, and I’m tempted to ask if she’s up for a chase. It’s never been my thing before, but Daphne’s going to bring out a new side to all of us. I just know it.

“Unless you’re seriously saying no, I’m going to enjoy the fuck out of eating this pussy and you’re going to let me.”

I wait, but Daphne doesn’t say a word. In fact, she shifts, pushing herself closer. She wants this, but she doesn’t think I do. A conditioned response from whoever cut her deep enough to scar. Fucking assholes.

Wrapping my hands around her wrists, I pull until she’s gripping her own thighs, holding herself open so I can sit back and stare. “Look at that view. You really are gorgeous.”

She flushes, pretty pink glazing over her cheeks, her shoulders, those perfect tits. A fucking dream beneath me.

When I’m sure she won’t bolt, I lean into it, sucking, licking, and nibbling where I can.

Circling her clit with my tongue, only to replace it with my fingers when my mouth finds somewhere else to be.

I can’t stop groaning at the taste of us together, and the first caress of my tongue inside her makes Daphne shiver.

“Yes. God yes.”

Nate would say something like I’ll be your god if you want , but I’m the worshipful type. The one to get on my knees and whisper prayers along her body.

My cock’s hard again and Daphne’s full-on shaking, covered in sweat and so close to coming that she’s clawing tracks across my skin when the door opens.

I forgot to close the cover of the nest, so her attention immediately diverts to the rest of the pack, but I don’t mind.

There’s no room to feel left out when she’s clinging to me like she won’t let me leave.

Nate leans against the front door, fabric bags in hand, eyes glued to our omega’s chest as it rises and falls.

“How’s she doing?” The level of Connor’s nonchalance as he moves to put the groceries away is unbeatable, but it’s a lie.

The line of his shoulders tenses with every whimper and moan out of Daphne.

I pray to every deity out there that he got his shit together.

If he leaves, she’ll be utterly destroyed.

She whines when I pull back, thumbing her clit in slow, lazy circles. “Daph’s a needy little thing.”

When everything is where it should be, Connor leans against the counter, tucking trembling hands into his pockets. “Of course she is. She’s such a good omega.”

Daphne preens at the compliment, and he smiles. It’s pained, though. Anxious.

Nate catches my eye, and I know something went down—something huge. Something that will change the way the next few days go, and possibly our future. Because this is so much bigger than one heat.

The world seems to pause while Connor decides. Breaths held, bodies still, air frozen.

Then he steps farther into the room. Away from the door in a move that tells me everything.

Connor’s staying. He’s going to try. For us and for Daphne.

Thank fuck.

His eyes drill into Daph, and I feel her still. “You going to come for me, angel? Show me what I can look forward to.”

Caught in his snare, her scent gets thicker, deeper as she falls into instinct. Her fingers dive into my coils and yank me down to her again. I’m no longer in the driver’s seat as those hips rise.

She never takes her eyes off Connor.

Not when she rides my face. Not when the orgasm sneaks up on her. Not when I help her down from the high.

She holds his gaze the entire fucking time and I can’t imagine walking away from that.

“Beautiful.”

Connor slowly walks over until he can kneel beside us.

Daphne’s the first to offer herself to him.

Slim fingers tracing along his cheek, his jaw, his lips.

His shaking fingers brush along Daphne’s messy hair gently.

They run across sweat-slick skin, following the dip and curve of her body like he’s bewitched by the woman beneath me.

Eyes locked, they’re two lovers caught in each other’s embrace. Desperation, desire, connection, and fear bouncing between them.

Neither looks away. Neither runs.

A wave of nerves hits me as I once again wonder if I’ll be enough on my own, but Daphne runs her hand over my head, like she feels my panic and wants it gone.

This woman—this omega—is going to ruin us and I think we’re going to let her.