Page 29 of Knight With Benefits

I wasn’t foolish enough to try any kind of flourish as I lowered the food toward the ground, as overburdened as I was. The way I preferred to eat them was considered unconventional, but since I didn’t know how he took his, I’d made sure I had everything he could possibly want. Peppers and onions, cheese and sour cream, salsa and guacamole. I even had refried beans and Mexican rice, as well as pico de gallio, and both flour and corn tortillas. Whatever we didn’t eat for lunch I would repurpose for dinner for myself.

“Wow. I didn’t expect all this.”

His wide-eyed stare had my lungs frozen until he reached for the food, helping to spread everything out where it was easier to access. He waited until I put a tortilla on my plate and started piling things on it before making his own.

“I’ve raised two alphas, so I know how much you can eat. Don’t be shy.”

He’d only grabbed two tortillas, but I knew that would never be enough for a man his size. I’d heard shifter appetites were greater than a human’s, it helped them heal faster than we did, and my boys would have demolished at least four for lunch.

Shooting me a quick grin, he snatched two more tortillas before starting to layer on everything else. It was satisfying to watch him eat the food I’d prepared, my omega side happy the alpha seemed to be enjoying it. When he made two more after polishing off the first four, it sent a thrill coursing through me that I hadn’t felt since my boys were young.

“That was delicious. I don’t know how you expect me to get off the ground after that, much less work. I think I might be in a food coma.”

I laughed as he flopped back on the blanket and rubbed his stomach. The motion pulled the edge of his shirt up, revealing a peek of dark hair disappearing beneath his waistband, and the lust from earlier returned. With the way my body kept reacting to his, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep resisting the temptation he represented.

But I wasn’t willing to give up my newfound freedom for it.

Chapter Twelve

Carl

Iwas truly stuffed, the meal excellent despite it being reheated. I’d never had the patience to cook for myself and usually grabbed takeout, so anything homecooked was far superior to my regular diet.

I let out a groan, still rubbing my belly as my eyes slipped closed. My bear was ready to curl up and take a nap beneath the tree, the breeze keeping me nice and cool despite the midday warmth.

It also brought me the sweet scent of pastries and peppermint, thick with honeyed slick.

My cock leapt in my jeans before I could even peel my lids open again, always ready when I was around Gwyn. She might have tried to play it cool, but she could never hide the way her omega side responded to me, and my lips curled as I stared up at her. She’d stood to take the leftovers back inside, but her gaze was locked on my midsection, the ridge of my shaft too obvious for her not to notice my desire for her. Her gaze was dark, cheeks flushed as she breathed through her mouth, taking in more of my pheromones.

“Need any help?”

The question was innocent enough, but we both knew I was offering to do more than carry the dishes inside. I would have been perfectly happy to carryherinside and eat her for dessert, despite how full I was.

“N—No. I’ve got it.”

She was slow to pull her attention away, my smirk growing at her obvious struggle. She had been closed off when we’d first met at The Hangout, but I’d definitely slipped behind her walls.

I wanted to slipintoher, and feel her walls around me.

“I’ll be back in just a moment.”

I watched her walk inside, my focus centered on her ass until it disappeared behind the door. I’d wanted her from that first meeting, and the more time I spent with her, the more my desire grew. Something would have to give, or my dick was going to grow raw from being crushed against my jeans constantly.

Groaning, I adjusted myself before sitting upright. I hadn’t lied when I said I didn’t know how she expected me to work after a meal like that, but at least the discomfort helped pull my mind away from the track it wanted to stay on. By the time she came back out I’d managed to get to my feet and fold her blanket over my arm, breathing in the mingled scent of us now permeating it. I’d almost splooged in my pants when she’d handed it to me, smelling so strongly of her I couldn’t help thinking she’d taken it straight from her nest.

My balls tightened at the thought of her inviting me into her nest, but I’d seen her expression when she thought I might enter her home. She may have been comfortable enough with me to feel attraction, lust even, but she still wasn’t at a place where she’d bring me into her space. The home was an extension of her nest, and if she wouldn’t allow me through the door, she’d never let me into her bed.

Good thing I didn’t need to be in her bed to fuck her.

A growl slipped out as I shook my head, trying to force my thoughts away from anything sexual. It was hard.

So was I.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I moved my attention to the roof of the duplex, going over what I’d be working on the next day. The top of the café was flat, which made my bear more comfortable, but the duplex was steepled like most homes, and the discomfort I’d be in while I was up there already licked at the edges of my mind. I was going to need my meds to get through it.

“Oh, thank you.”

I startled at Gwyn’s voice, surprised by her appearance when I hadn’t heard her come out. I was usually far more alert to what was going on around me, but I wasn’t the only one who had slipped behind the other’s walls.

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