Page 74 of Knight With Benefits

The look he gave me wasn’t quite a smile, but I had a feeling he wasn’t one to use that expression often.

“I’m Patch.”

The name only fed my curiosity, but as we swung around the corner and my café came into view, I shoved it aside and focused on the alpha I was about to have to convince to do exactly what I’d asked him not to. I didn’t even notice when Patch stopped walking with me, finding myself crossing the parking lot between the bar and the three men getting ready to paint on my own.

They’d moved fast, two of them priming a sprayer as Carl used a roller to get the first layer of paint over the nasty words marring my building. I waited until he stopped and turned to load more paint onto the roller before calling his name.

“Carl.”

His head snapped up, eyes locking on mine despite the distance and darkness between us. I had barely pulled in another breath before he was in front of me, hands taking hold of my shoulders as he searched my face.

“Gwyn, what’s wrong? Is it your house? Did they do this there too?”

My smile seemed to confuse him, but it stopped his rising panic.

“Yes, and no. No, they didn’t do anything to it, but yes, there’s something wrong with it.”

His brows bunched and I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. Carl cared so much, and it was so obvious, and I couldn’t figure out how I’d blinded myself to it.

“What?”

“You’re not there. It doesn’t feel right.”

The rest of the tension in his body drained away and his lips lifted. Pulling me closer, he wrapped his arms around me, enclosing me in his warmth and scent. It was something I wanted to enjoy every day for the rest of my life.

“I told you I’d come as soon as I fixed this.”

He murmured the words into my hair before pressing his lips to my head. Tipping my head back, I pursed mine and demanded he give me a kiss where I wanted it, but I kept it chaste before pulling back a little to see him better.

“I don’t want to be there. I want you to take me to your place.”

There was a whisper of fear in the back of my mind that he would deny me. That was his space after all, and he might not want me there.

It disappeared with the purr that poured from his chest, vibrating beneath my fingers where they pressed against his shirt.

“I’d love to take you to my home, but what about your nest? Your heat?”

I heard the uncertainty in his voice, but I didn’t want him worrying about any of that. I knew I was on the cusp of my heat, knew he’d planned to push me into it tonight, before this had happened, and I wanted it.

“I can make a nest anywhere. I want to start over. Again. With you. I want you to send me into heat, and I want you to claim me, Carl. And not because I’m scared of them, but because I want you as my alpha.”

His purr faded away, his chest stilling as he held his breath. He stared down at me with a stunned expression, and if it wasn’t for the sudden surge against my belly, I’d have worried he wasn’t as excited as I was. His cock was certainly trying to do its part as it strained against his jeans, but it took a moment for the rest of him to catch up.

A low rumble filled the space around us, and he held me tighter, crushing our bodies together. My middle cramped, and wetness soaked into my underwear, making me grimace as my skin suddenly became over-sensitive.

“Are you sure?”

Just the fact that he checked before carrying me away assured me I was making the right decision. Carl was nothing like Anthony or any of the other Purists who’d put me through hell for the first half of my life. I’d take living in Hell with Carl over proving I could do everything on my own.

Who wanted to be alone?

“Forget the paint. Take me home. Make me yours.”

His eyes flashed orange and a shudder rolled through him before I found myself head down over his shoulder. Squawking as I clutched at his back to stop from swinging, I missed half of what he called out to the others, his long strides eating up the space between us and where he’d left his motorcycle.

“…make sure it looks the way it did this morning, and that someone stays posted nearby. Remind Sebastian I’ll be busy for a few days, and don’t let Jackass skip his appointments.”

I lifted my head just in time to see one of the two we were leaving behind flip Carl the bird while the other laughed, waving when he saw me looking back.

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