Page 55 of Love Me Knot, Part One (Knotty Omegas #1)

It needs my mark.

“Dez, please,” Daphne begs, eyes so fucking dark it’s like staring at the night sky. Her fingers dig into my skin, urging me closer, egging me on.

“Tell me what you want.”

“You,” she says. “Just you.”

My instincts say that’s her permission to bite, and my mouth waters at the prospect of binding this woman to me for life. Of having her in my chest, inside my soul where she fucking belongs.

“I’m right here, little muse.” And I always will be.

Her third orgasm takes mine too and everything shakes as I barely hold myself back from bonding her to me until there’s no place inside her I don’t exist. No place I can hide from our connection.

We might have to look at semi-permanent caps for the pack because we won’t make it three months without a bite at this rate.

I bring us down slowly, continuing small thrusts and clenching my teeth against the urge to knot her. Rut her. Make her mine .

Daphne’s flushed and glowing as she catches her breath and when I roll my hips again, she arches into me, those perfect breasts right there. She gasps as I nip her, leaving my mark everywhere I can. “You’re still hard.”

“Only for you.” I can feel my cum inside her, scent it when I pull out and thrust back in again.

We smell so good together, like we were meant to be like this.

Warm flowers and sweet sugar. Whenever the combination hits my nose, it drives my arousal higher.

“Give me one more and I’ll let you rest. Can you do that for me? Just one more.”

Daph nods, body clenching, stealing every second of my focus as I take her one last time. I blame that for why I don’t hear the key in the lock or the knob turning until the door’s nearly slamming into the wall beside it.

“Hello, my darlings. I’m just here with some food for my boys and—oh, shit.”

I wrench my face from Daphne, praying I’m hallucinating and not living my worst fucking nightmare. My mother, staring at my naked ass as I rut the omega suddenly playing opossum underneath me.

Talking about Mama to Marisol brought her here like a fucked up Bloody Mary. That has to be why she’s in my fucking living room.

This can’t be happening.

Daphne hasn’t moved. Is barely breathing. She knows it’s not my packmates coming through the door. I don’t dare look down at her face, even though I’m dying to offer reassurance. I can’t yet. Not when my orgasm just got sucked away and my balls hurt and holy fuck. I’m still inside her.

Growling under my breath, I shift so I’m not actively inside my omega and I mourn the loss already. “You’ve got to learn to knock, Mama.”

I didn’t think she could get more tense, but Daph goes full rigor mortis. I finally look to make sure she’s breathing.

“Did you just say your mother’s here?” she squeaks, cheeks fire engine red as she tries to sink into the cushions. Her eyes are so wide all I see is white and I’m a little nervous she’s going to hyperventilate.

“Yes.” I cringe as that perfect sweetness I worked so hard to coax out of her shifts into something almost sour. Panicked.

“ Oh my god.” Daphne shoves me, diving for the floor. I toss a blanket over her, grabbing my briefs and shirt because the only chance I have at covering my hard-on is hiding it beneath both.

When I’m dressed, I find Mama standing by the door, Tupperware in hand.

Her dark hair’s freshly done in the same small twists she’s had my whole life, brown skin shining beneath the foyer lights in her usual post-work t-shirt and jeans.

Her eyes, the same shade as mine, twinkle—fucking twinkle —as she takes in the situation.

And there’s that mischievous smile Nate inherited.

Don’t talk to me about genetics, they’ve got nothing on Mama B.

“My, my. It seems I’m interrupting.” She chuckles. “I’ll let you two get settled before the introductions.”

“There wouldn’t be any introductions if you’d asked before coming over, Mama.”

“I have a key.” The bane of my existence flashes in her hand.

“Enjoy it while you can. I’m gonna melt it down before the day’s over.”

Mama rolls her eyes and tiptoes toward the couch to peer down at the statue that was formerly my omega. “Come out when you’re ready, sweetheart. I brought treats.”

Then my mother looks me up and down and cackles her way to the kitchen.

“Is she gone?” Daphne whimpers, sounding absolutely miserable.

My chest hurts, desperate to help as I drop to my knees at her side. “Yeah, baby. She’s gone.”

“Can I slink out the door without her seeing?”

“Not a chance in hell,” Mama calls from the kitchen. “I’ve raised five kids, three of them my own. I’ve got eyes sharper than an eagle.”

“Let me die here.” Daph groans, trying to become one with the blanket. Or sink through the floorboards. I’m not sure which, but I refuse to let her disappear.

This isn’t how I wanted her to meet my family, that’s for damn sure, but this could be a good thing. She needs support and if there’s one thing the Barretts do, it’s support the people they love. And I know they’re going to fall for Daphne as hard and fast as I have.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. She’s the one who barged into our home.”

I pull the blanket off Daphne’s face, smoothing the curls away from her forehead. Kind of wish I’d wrapped her hair up before we fucked, but there’s nothing to do about it now. We’re going full sex hair this evening and she’s going to rock it.

“My exes were family friends I was forced with the second I presented, Dez. I’ve never met a new boyfriend’s mother and the first time I do, I’m fucking her son. ”

Daphne’s hiss is so pointed it could cut, but I can’t stop smiling. “You called me your boyfriend.”

“Oh my god, not the time.”

Uh oh. She’s climbing into dog whistle territory. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the best introduction I could’ve imagined, but Daph looks like she’s about to have a panic attack.

My instincts rush to the front, knowing I need to calm her down before shit gets really bad.

I wrap her up burrito style and pull my blanketed omega into my lap.

She fights for all of two seconds before I cup the back of her neck and squeeze.

Just like that, putty in my hands. I’ll have to thank Nate for the heads up later.

When I’m sure Daph won’t bolt, I stroke her back, reveling in the way she rests her head on my shoulder. How she softens with every breath of my scent. How good it feels to be there for her when she needs it.

Once I’m no longer concerned about heart attacks, I squeeze Daph tighter. “Would it help if I said this isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened with Mama?”

Her fingers tighten, little nails scratching my chest through the shirt. “If you tell me she caught you fucking someone else, I swear, I will revolt—bad impression or not.”

We both ignore the fresh cackles from the kitchen.

“When we were horny teenagers, Levi and I would get industrial packs of lotion so we could each have one in our rooms for—well, you know.”

“Oh, like…” Daph’s hand wiggles under the blanket and I laugh, pushing it down because joke or not, my dick wants her to jerk me for real. I can’t be aroused in the same room as my mother. It’s a universal law.

“Right. Well, one day, I was itching to destress, and I ran out of lotion the same day Levi did. The house was empty for once and I didn’t want to wait, so I snuck into Mama’s bathroom and stole hers.

Did my business and put it back before she noticed, but I forgot to put my lotion on the grocery list.”

“Oh my god. You didn’t,” Daphne whispers, biting her bottom lip as she tries not to laugh.

“Yep. I kept using it, until one day Mama barged in just before bed. ‘If you don’t stop using my good lotion for your spank bank, we’re going to have a problem.’”

Daphne’s entire body twitches as she tries and fails to smother a snicker. “Nooooo.”

“Yes. Then I tossed him an industrial sized bottle of lube and told him to use that instead. Gave the others one as well while I was at it. That lotion was too expensive to use on masturbation,” Mama says from the kitchen.

This time, Daphne tosses her head back and laughs so hard she nearly cries. I’d do a lot of terrible things, suffer through more embarrassment than I’d care to admit just to hear it again.

“I was fucking mortified, but Mama never mentioned it again. She’s good at that.”

Daph tilts her head, reading me like we’ve been together for decades. “You’re trying to tell me she won’t hold this over my head?”

Mama snorts. “Sweetheart, I’m almost sixty years old. If you knew half the shit I did when I was younger, you wouldn’t be embarrassed.”

I ignore her interruption again , waiting for my omega’s answer. Daph bites her lip, glancing toward the kitchen warily. “You’re not going anywhere?”

“I wouldn’t leave you,” I promise, heart swelling with her trust.

Watching those four little words sink into Daph’s brain is like breathing new life into her. She gives herself one deep breath, then straightens like she’s going off to war. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

We work together to pull her clothes back on, finding my shorts twisted in the blankets. Eventually, there’s no more stalling and I slide my hand into Daph’s, pulling her to the kitchen with silent, steadfast reassurance.

I’m here, little muse. Not going anywhere without you.

Mama’s back is to us as she sets up a plate of desserts on the counter. She’s brought each of our favorites, including those little pecan pie bars she swears she hates making. There’s an assortment of other things too and I just know the next time she comes over, Daph will get something too.

Pulling her into my embrace, I hold her steady as I finally introduce the two most important women in my life. “Mama, this is Daphne Barnes, the omega we’re courting. Daph, this is my mom.”

Mama turns and gives her the biggest smile. “Call me Mama B. Everyone else does. You’re absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Daph ducks her head, fussing with the edge of Nate’s shirt. I’ve never seen her shy before. It’s adorable. I wish I could send a picture to the guys.

Mama smiles and motions her over. “If you’re up for it, we’re a hugging family.”

“Oh. Then I should warn you, I’m not very good,” Daph jokes, but there’s a kernel of truth there. History she’s revealing.

“Nonsense. There’s no skill to hugging. Come over here.” With a cursory glance, my omega walks straight into Mama’s outstretched arms.

I maintain that a mother’s touch is healing, even if they aren’t yours. The longer they hold, the softer Daph gets until she’s clinging to Mama. Tension fades and there’s just something so right about it. I snap a picture because the peace on my omega’s face is something I want to remember.

This woman’s been denied love in the worst of ways, but we’re going to fix that. My pack, my family and our friends, one day at a time.

Though she tries to hide it, Mama’s face creases. “Oh, my girl. You’ve been through it, haven’t you?”

Daph looks at me in alarm, and I smooth a hand down her back. “Mama’s one of those people that just feels things. Emotions and stuff.”

It’s hard to explain because I’ve never really had to.

Nate grew up with us and Mama took one look at Connor and adopted him into the fold.

They grew up with her weirdness as much as Sol, Levi and I did.

As for Shelby, I’m not sure she spent more than five minutes in the same room as our family outside the wedding day.

“People weren’t kind to you, were they?” Mama steps back, hands on Daph’s shoulders to really look at her. My omega stiffens, smile a little strained. “Not to worry, we’ve got more than enough love to go around.”

“Mama,” I warn, knowing exactly what she’s going to do.

“Hush.” She waves me off, pulling Daphne over to her purse where she yanks out her phone. “Put your number in here and I’ll add you to the group chat.”

“Group chat?” Now Daphne’s really nervous. As she should be.

My family is wonderful, but they’re unhinged in the most loving, overly supportive way.

“Mama, please,” I beg. “We just got her to agree to courting. Adding her to the group chat is a surefire way to send her packing and I would really love to keep her.”

Daph shoots me a small, adoring smile while Mama rolls her eyes at me. “Don’t be so dramatic, Dez. Our Daphne’s full of stronger stuff, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

“Absolutely. Don’t worry, Dez. I can handle your family.” Daph’s mischievous side appears again as she inputs her number in, and Mama eats it up.

“That my girl. Now wash your hands, try one of these brownies and tell me everything there is to know about Daphne Barnes.”