Page 107 of Their Knotty Pack
"I do." Her eyes widen as she quickly clears her throat and stuffs her face with a cracker. My mouth is dry.
How does she do it? How can she disarm me, strip me bare of my confident facade in less than four words and then act like she has no idea the effect she has on me?
Unless she doesn't.
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
"Will you bite me during your next heat?"
She blinks at me, her tumbler halfway to her mouth. Then she chokes. She coughs and sputters, little bits of cracker flying everywhere, and then I'm grabbing a bottle of water from my bag, coming around to her side as I get on my knees in front of her.
Gratefully, she takes the bottle, immediately downing half as her eyes water. "Sorry," she chokes out, wiping her mouth. "I just…that was the last thing I expected you to say." She gingerly sets the half full bottle on the table before shifting herself to face me, and I shuffle forward so I'm on my knees between her legs. One of her hands runs through my hair as she stares into my eyes. "You get that it's permanent, right? If I bite you…you're bonded. You won't even have to bite me back."
"I know." Gods do I know. "I'm going to ask Miles too. But…the two of you…you're the only ones I want to be with, and I don't want to wait one more second than I have to."
"We've only known each other…well, it's been less than a month."
"I know."
"And we've been courting for…a week."
"Iknow."
"You don't think it's too soon?" Right. She went three damn years without being bitten by her other pack. Of course this must feel insanely fast.
I go with the truth. "What Ithinkis…I'm falling in love with you." Her mouth parts slightly, but I keep going. "Scratch that. Iamin love with you. I love how you talk about your plants like they're actual people, and how your nose wrinkles when you're thinking hard about something. I love that you're not afraid to push back at Kieran, but at the same time know when to pull back with Hunter. I love seeing you turn into a flirty little schoolgirl with Brody, and…how you always see me.Me. In a way that nobody else has bothered to look. Ever." My heart is pounding with my confession. When was the last time I put myself out there like this? Maybe I never have.
"Damien." Her voice is a whisper, and that's when I realize that tears have welled up in her eyes. Then her lips are on mine, her hands grasping my face as she leans forward. Our lips meld together in a tender, soul-wrenching kiss. I can taste her tears, but there's no sadness. Only…happiness?
"You love me?" She asks, hands slipping down to rest on my shoulders, her forehead resting against mine as we catch our breath.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?" Her question is so unsure, so hesitant, that I find myself taking her hands in mine.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." My guard is down, my heart is pounding, and it takes everything in me to not pull the blanket out of my backpack and lay it on the ground, taking her on top of it.
"Say it again." She demands, looking at me like she can't quite believe her eyes.
"I love you, bright eyes." The words fall from me easily, like I've said them a hundred times.
"And you want me to bond you, and be with you forever?" She chokes out, her eyes scanning my face for any hint of a lie.
"Am I accidentally speaking Portuguese?" I ask, half-joking. I'm not even fluent, just enough to understand my grandparents when they call.
"Just…indulge me. I need to hear it. I had a pack for three years who wouldn't bond me, and my brain is having a hard time understanding—"
"Bethany Thomas," I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and wipe away a tear, "I love you, and I want you to bite and bond me. I am in full understanding of everything that entails."
Biting her lip, she nods, a bright smile taking over her face. "I love you too, Damien."
Words fail me. "You do?" At most, I had hoped she was falling for me. I never dreamed she'd…actually be in love with me right now.
"Of course I do. You're sweet and more caring than you let people see. You always make sure Miles and I are taken care of, even when you think we're not paying attention. Your constant flirting is just a veiled way to communicate your love language—words of affirmation." She wipes my cheek, and now I realize I've begun tearing up.
"I…one moment." I turn from her quickly, yanking the blanket out of the very bottom of my backpack, shocking a laugh out of her. She mutters something about me being an actual Mary Poppins while I lay the blanket out on the hard stone floor. It's not going to be super comfortable, but it'll do. My omega watches me with an amused smile as I strip to just my shirt and boxers, folding my clothes in a neat pile on the edge of the blanket before sitting in the middle of it. "Come here, gorgeous girl." I reach my hand out to her, and she stands, walking over to me. She kicks her flip-flops off before standing on the blanket and taking my hand.
I pull her closer, before letting go of her hand and reaching so my fingers hook into the waistband of her leggings. I glance up at her, the question in my eyes, but she nods, biting her lip as she lets me pull them down and help her step out of them. When she's bare from the waist down, I pull her down on top of me so she's straddling my lap, her knees against the blanket. The violin music still plays softly as we finish undressing each other, her fingers running up my sides as she helps me pull off my shirt. I shiver at the contact, and when I have her shirt off, her breasts pushed front and center by the magic of her bra, I can't help but bury my face there, kissing and licking at the soft swells.
