Page 14 of Knotty Escape
“Are you saying all you needed was minutes?” I’m breathless as I ask, ignoring his offer to remove his clothing.
“All I needed was your scent lingering in the halls of my apartment. Fuck, one breath of you and I wanted to fuck the blankets you slept in. My instincts are telling me you’re mine, something I don’t want to ignore. Do you?” His hand caresses me from my hip to my stomach as he pulls me harder against his body. I’m covered in his scent. A thought that excites me further.
“N-no,” I admit. But my doubts are too loud to ignore. Would he be as willing to smother me in his scent if we weren’t in this escape room? If other omegas were here? Harrison said he was on a date the night of my birthday. “What about the other omega?” I have to ask. I have to know.
“Who?” River grunts, pressing mindless kisses to my skin as I shiver. This is more attention than I’ve gotten in weeks.
“From last weekend,” I murmur as anxiety claws its way up my throat.
“What?” River stops kissing me, lifting his head. “Harrison told you about that?” He doesn’t sound angry, but I brace for the moment he lashes out anyway. “That was a mistake. One made in desperation, that won’t be repeated. Especially now that we’ve found you.” The possessive way he holds me calms my nerves, and I nod my understanding.
“Promise?” I whisper, wanting to believe him so badly it aches in my chest.
“Cross my heart and hope to die. Just let go, Lila. What's the worst that can happen?” he asks gently, echoing my words from earlier this week.
The worst that can happen? You realize how desperately touch-starved I am, making me easy to manipulate. You figure out that I’m easy as hell, and can’t play hard to get to save my life. You decide I’m not worth the time you’re spending on me,and change your mind before this even turns into something more?
Lust fades. Even if he and his pack are a potential scent match, what's to stop them from doing what Larry did? What if I give in, and then get my heart destroyed so irrevocably that I never recover?
“Fuck it.”
I should enjoy the fun while it’s here. Accept what he’s offering, even if it ends when he realizes I’m not what he wants. When everything Larry said turns out to be true. I try to shove those thoughts away. I know I’m a good omega. That I can care for alphas the way they deserve, but there’s still a little voice in the back of my head that asks,‘What if Larry was right all along?’
“Fuck me? Already? But I’m a gentleman, Lila,” he teases, biting my neck in a very ungentlemanly way, making me giggle. His playfulness distracts me from the negative thoughts enough to relax into his arms.
“There’s a famous character with a similar line. He was indeed the opposite of a gentleman.”
“Fantastic, now you’ll think my only intention is to ravish you under the stars.” He emphasizes his teasing by nibbling my ear lobe, sending goose bumps across my skin. I don’t miss his reference to the scene in the show, either.
“Let's do this puzzle, before I lose any more of my sense,” I huff, trying to shake off the way my instincts are pushing me to scent mark him.
“As you wish,” River’s voice is husky and deep, clouding my senses even more, as I attempt to focus.
“Tell me where to put my hands,” I say, as I hold them over the puzzle board.
“I have a few ideas about where you should put your hands, Lila,” River groans, but I shake my head.
“Focus, Alpha,” I scold, wanting to take this blindfold off already. I’m so overwhelmed by his scent that I can hardly think straight.
“Move your right hand an inch to the left. Good, now forward three inches. Okay, now slowly lower it toward the board. Pause. Wow, look at you, following my orders like a good girl,” he purrs, making me blush.
“You’re going to make this entire task sexual, aren’t you?”
“Not at all. I was just admiring your ability to take orders, Little Omega. Now focus.” He turns my words against me, and I can’t help but laugh. This playful banter between us sets me at ease with him. It’s fun to flirt.
My heart might be in danger, but at least I’ll enjoy the torture along the way.
Chapter 8
Lila
The puzzle ends up being a lot of fun, and by the time we finish, some of the sexual tension has faded.
Right up until we walk into the kitchen, where a shirtless man is cooking lunch. The last time I saw him, he was shirtless then too.
Wavy blond hair that hangs just past his ears, pale inked skin stretched taut over the muscles of his body, and black sweatpants. He’s assembling some kind of fancy sandwich as he dances around, singing along to the music playing on his phone.
Holy tattoos. He’s a work of art.
