Page 109 of Stags

They both breathed, their breaths noisy and ragged. His knot was huge and still stimulating her. She whined, unsure if she wanted to rub herself against it or be free of it.

“Trapped inside you,” he said in a tiny voice.

“Yeah, trapped with you in me,” she said.

“You all right?” he said.

“I’m definitely all right.”

“Lie down,” he said, his hands gentle where he’d made her get on her knees. “Relax, little preykin.”

She lay down, and he came with her.

He nuzzled her neck, and she thought of the way they’d been before, in the bed in the hotel, him stuck in her then. He sighed heavily. “This is kind of freaking me out, if you want to know the truth.”

“No, I got that,” she said dryly.

“The knot is freaking me out,” he said, and his voice was unsteady. “I don’t like this, I’m realizing, being stuck in a woman.”

“You definitely don’t want to be tied down, do you, Lyall? Or tied in?”

“I…” He shuddered against her. Then he let out a sigh. His voice was small. “I don’t.”

She wanted to escape, suddenly, but she couldn’t, and she knew that.

“Fuck, what the hell isthatscent?” he muttered.

“It’s fine, really,” she said. “It’s the story of my life. It’s not that no one ever wants me, but the people who I want never really want me back. It’s typical.”

“Wait, I want you,” he said.

“Yeah, but, like, against your will,” she muttered.

He was quiet.

“It’s fine, anyway. I’m kind of a loner and I don’t even need a relationship. I don’t know if I even want one. I—”

“I can’t give you a relationship.”

“No, noted, that’s coming throughveryclearly,” she said.

He sighed. “But I… I… I need to see you again.”

“You mean, you need to fuck me again?” she said pointedly. “You need to knot me again?”

“Yeah,” he said in a gravelly voice. “I do.”

“People do have casual, no-strings, fuck-buddy situationships, you know?”

“Yeah,” he said. “I guess.” He nuzzled her neck again. He sounded helpless. “I don’t want you to fuck anyone else, though.”

“Okay, I won’t,” she said.

“But you just said the thing about casual.”

“It can be casual but also exclusive,” she said. “I want you to be exclusive to me, too.”

“Obviously,” he muttered.