Page 21 of Ruin Me Knot
There’s nothing to stop them from taking the release my body is screaming for. I’m living catnip for Alphas. An Alpha trap with a magic pussy. A guaranteed fuck no matter what anyone wants. Biology at its finest.
They’re so close, heat and promise and temptation pressing in. My mind is a blur of hunger and fear, instinct clawing for relief, for touch, for something only they can give. I know what comes next, and this time, there’s no escape. Only the surge of arousal, and their bodies waiting to answer it.
Ronan sets me on my feet. His large hands wrap around my biceps, keeping me upright. "Kitten, let’s get you out of this shirt."
I open my mouth to protest, clutching the hem, but he’s faster, stripping the dripping t-shirt off with one smooth motion. I stand, naked and exposed, bracing for hands to grab. Panic stabs through me but then soft terrycloth envelops me. The fight drains away as Gabriel adjusts the fluffy towel around my shoulders, smiling down at me. "You like that, Sweetheart?"
I blink up at him, but my attention catches on the material, and I can’t help swiping my cheek. It’s sosoft. Heat rises off me, but everything sharp melts into a slow, sleepy comfort. The towel is big enough to hide inside, and I do, letting it swaddle me as my body tries to remember what safety is.
Jax grins as he watches me bury my cheek in the towel. "She does."
Gabriel settles his bright and easy gaze on me. "Good, because there’s plenty more where that came from."
Ronan slides his arm beneath me, lifting me with no effort and settles me against his chest. "Let’s get you dry."
"Yeah, kitty cats don’t like wet fur. But I do." Gabriel waggles his brows.
I can’t help but shrink into the towel.
Jax shoves his shoulders. "You’re making her uncomfortable, asshole."
Gabriel spreads his palm over his heart. "Too soon?"
"Waytoo soon, brother," Jax replies.
"That’s enough, you two." Ronan heads out of the bathroom.
I expect him to take me to the nest I want but can’t have, but instead he takes me to the enormous couch in the living room. There’s no sign of the mattress they hauled in from the nest, or the plethora of nesting materials they brought out with it.
Ronan settles on the plush fabric in between hoodies, throw rugs, and a mountain of cushions of all shapes, sizes and colors that have suddenly materialized, and sets me on his lap. I didn’t see all this before. It looks new. I spy tags still attached to some of the cushions. I brace for the usual tightness. The absolute wrongness I associate with softness like this, but…it doesn’t come.
"Where?" I wheeze.
"Just a little impromptu shopping trip." Gabriel shifts on his feet. If a predator lion could look unsure, this is what I’d picture. "But if you don’t like anything, we’ll take it away. I just made a guess as to what might be right for you."
They did this…for me?
I eye the assortment, none of it real nesting material, and my fingers itch to touch. My perfume blooms with rich, floral sweetness, untainted by the usual bitter edge. Fear locks my muscles as I dart a glance at Ronan. If an Omega’s heat doesn’t make an Alpha lose control, nothing will. But he only tightens his grip slightly, rubbing slow circles over my arms and back.
"Wha…what are you doing?" I ask.
His answer is immediate. "Making sure my Omega is comfortable and hoping I’m not fucking it up."
I stare at him, pressure mounting inside me because I don’t understand what this is all about. "Why would you even care?"
Gabriel kneels on the ground next to me, bringing his eyes level with mine, the warm gold of his irises steady on mine. "None of this is a game. We need you to be safe. More than that, we want you to be okay. All of the time, but especially now."
I start shaking my head. I want to accept what he’s saying, to believe in this soft world they’ve made, but everything in me shrieks danger. I recoil from his words even as they undo me, caught between the urge to run and the deep, animal yearning to lean in.
Ronan’s hands keep moving in slow circles, grounding me with every pass, damn him. "You’re never going to be just a body to us. Never just something to satisfy an itch. You won’t fall apart alone."
Jax approaches on my other side, his big frame blotting everything out. "You’re allowed to doubt us. You set the pace. You tell us what’s safe."
The helpless knot I’ve managed to keep twisted together and locked deep inside me frays. "You say that now, but what happens when I’m a mess? When all I can do is cling and beg and…" My voice breaks, too raw and close to ugly truth. "You’re going to take whatever you want."
And I won’t be able to stop them, just like I haven’t been able to stop anything else that’s happened to me.
Gabriel’s expression softens, ache darkening his eyes. "Then we’ll hold you as long as you need and be proud to do it." I taste Gabriel’s’ honesty, but they still don’t know. They still don’t understand.
