Page 40 of Knot Enough

“I’m sure he would, and you can ride anytime, though Graham might have something to say about that,” I mused. I could picture his worried expression now. Lydia laughed, probably imagining the same thing I was. She looked around at the lonely parking lot with wide eyes.

“This isn’t where you’re planning to kill me, is it?” She asked. I laughed at the thought. “Where are we anyway?”

“Of course not. Come on. I’ll show you.” I said as I roughed up her hair. She squirmed from my touch, but grasped my hand when I held it out to her. I checked my phone while I guided her up the stairs that led to the top of a mountain. My grin faltered a bit when I saw the weather report had gone up another 10 percent.

“Something wrong?” Lydia asked from her place beside me. I shook my head to clear my worries before glancing back at her.

“Nope,” I replied. I pulled along the concrete steps a little quicker to distract her. She was breathing hard by the time we made it up the steps. I stood between her and the thing I wanted her to see.

“You're carrying me back down.” She breathed out while bent over.

“You won’t see me complaining,” I admitted. Any excuse to get her in my arms was good for me. She rolled her eyes, but stood up, wiping sweat from her brow.

“Why are we here again?” She asked.

“Close your eyes,” I demanded. She squinted her eyebrows, but complied with my demand. I stepped away and went to stand behind her. I covered her hands with my own.

“On the count of three, open them,” I whispered in her ear. She was quiet now, but she nodded in agreement. Smiling, I started to count down. “One, two, three.” When I got to three, I simultaneously released her and my hands. I watched as her breath stopped and her body stilled. Below the mountain ledge was a view of the entire city we lived in, and above was the entire galaxy. We could see every star in the sky and every car moving. In the city, we could barely see one star, but here you could make out constellations with ease.

“How’d you find this place?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I pulled her closer to me while I gazed at the stars with her.

“I went riding one night in college and ended up in the parking lot. Feeling curious, I went up the stairs and found this place.” I explained.

“It’s beautiful," she said with wonder. I turned my attention back to her. I watched how the stars seemed to twinkle and shine in her eyes. Her cheeks were rosy from the slight chill of the night air, and her hair was ruffled from the ride and helmet.

“You are,” I admitted quietly. Lydia looked at me in surprise. The stars were still filling her eyes, and a thousand emotions filled them, but one was clearer than all the others: love.

“Bite me.” She asked softly. Our faces were close enough to feel each other's breath. I turned her slightly toward me.

“You sure?” I asked, looking between her eyes and lips. I yearned to kiss her, but if I did, I knew I wouldn’t hold back.

“Yes.” She barely breathed out before my mouth was on hers. I pushed her back till we hit a nearby tree with our bodies. Her hands held both my cheeks, keeping me close to her. One of my hands fisted her hair, angling her mouth to me while my other held her in place by her hip. We made out like this for god knows how long before we finally broke apart. Both of us were breathing heavily and red in the face. My hand that was clasping her hair now trailed herneck, looking for the perfect spot to place my mark. Lydia shivered under my touch.

“Hurry, please.” She begged. A purr ripped through me at her eagerness and impatience. My hand landed on a spot on the side of her shoulder where Graham hadn’t marked her, right above her collarbone. I pulled down the shirt she wore under my leather jacket with a single finger. Her breathing hitched, and I felt her body tense at my touch. My other hand moved from her hip to her face. I covered her eyes, wanting her to focus on the bond snapping in place and my touch. I didn't want to wait any longer, so my teeth clamped down on the spot I wanted and broke the skin. My body shivered as I felt us finally become bonded. Her emotions swarmed through me like a hot flash. I would get addicted to this feeling. Removing my hand from her eyes, I quickly returned my lips to hers. Her arms around my neck pulled me closer to her. She moaned as she battled my tongue for dominance. When she released me, her pupils had widened, and there was a feral glint in her as she bit and claimed me back.

“Thank you.” She panted as she rested her head against mine.

“No need to thank me. I could do this all night.” I admitted. She chuckled at my words. Deciding this was the best time, I let go of her with one of my hands and grabbed the object from my pocket. She watched me curiously as I handed her what I had retrieved.

“What’s this?” She asked, taking it.

“Open it and find out.” I told her, wanting to see the surprise on her face. She tore through the wrapping paper to find a small wooden bear I made.

“It’s beautiful.” She says, holding it up to the night sky. “Did you make this?” She asked, looking at me. I nodded.

“I’m glad you like it.” I admitted holding her tighter.

“But why a bear?” She asked after several more seconds of admiring it. I thought for a moment before answering.

“Because you remind me of a bear. They are tough and strong. They’re brave through difficult situations and come out more resilient.” I explained. And I believed it too. She was tough and strong like a bear.

“I don’t think I’m that strong though.” She admitted while looking down at the bear.

“You are. You're the strongest person I know and I know a lot of strong people.” I assured her. “And one day you will believe it.”

Chapter 22

Lydia

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