Page 65 of Ruin Me Knot
Danger.
That voice echoes in my head, but the other voice is just as loud.
Mate.
The word is strong enough to infuse itself into the flutter of my heart. Rightness unfurls inside me as I acknowledge the voice; the effect ripples through every part of me. Safe. Cherished. Loved. My body goes boneless, my spirit settling for one impossible, golden moment.This…this is what being treasured is like. This is…
Fool. Donotlisten to her.
Warmth is replaced by iced reality. My panic is sudden. Electric. I jolt, the heat of their bodies turning to quicksand. I’m breathless, heartbeat scattering, the ache of wanting to stay just for a breath longer ripping through me as I force my eyes open and into Jax’s already alert gaze locked into me.
"Relax, Omega," he says.
His fingers spear through my hair before I can give in to the feral urge to push away, but his grip is firm enough to keep me in place against him.
"You’re safe. We won’t hurt you." His thumb traces slow lines behind my ear, stilling everything inside me. "No one can reach you here."
The words slide under my skin, honey-thick and impossible. They’re a balm, and a taunt. A promise I want to believe with every bruised part of my soul, but he wants the kind of trust I was broken to accept. The ache in my chest is sharper than panic, and longing scrapes nerves up my throat.
"Breath us in. Touch us. Feel us inside you. Let your instincts guide you," Jax whispers, pressing his lips to my forehead. Natural and gentle and everything I want but I’m locked in a crossfire.
Sharp claws rake my ribs while every rough word from my ‘training’ rains down on me.
I want to lean in.
I want to melt.
But I know better than to want.
Trap. Trap. Trap…
A deep rumble bursts to life and vibrations shimmer along my spine, brought to me through the sound of their purrs. An image flashes through my mind. Jax’s soapy hands cradling my scalp, Gabriel’s cheek pressed to my shoulder, Ronan’s big palms steadying my body. My heat was all-consuming, but their touches were anchors. They banked the wildfire in me. Purred for me, like they are now.
They became the net when I drowned in fear. I melted for them. Gave into the sanctuary they offered, and floated there as they did delicious things to my body, eased the agony shooting through me until the waves of heat dragged me under. Now I’m awake and the heat has gone, leaving memories of safety stitched into my bones.
Ronan buries his face in my hair, and I’m whole again, all the fractured pieces settling back into place. I shift onto my back, looking up at him. The urge to lean into him is greater than the urge to push, and as he rises over me, his eyes dark and lips soft my body ignites in a way it’s never done before.
The blaze of my heat is gone, but Gods. The want. The cravingremains.
Ronan’s gaze burns, dark with hunger yet mixed with softness that liquefies the dark pools of his eyes. "Leah." His voice scrapes low. "May I kiss you?"
The velvet voice folds around me, shivering down to my toes. He asked me. Not Omega. Not mate. But me, Leah. The part of me that has a choice. Who can decide yes or no.
I trace the line of his jaw, the bristle of his stubble prickling against my palm. Ronan’s eyes flutter shut. He nuzzles into my palm, his breath sighing over my wrist as though he can’t get enough of my touch and…realization cracks me open.
He’s undone by me.
I’m as dangerous to him as he is to me.
I’m not in heat. My Omega side isn’t directing my urges. This is…my choice. I can use my voice, and I…I want this. I want him.
For no reason but my own.
"Yes," I whisper. "Please kiss me, Ronan."
Intensity flares behind his eyes before he dips his head, sliding his hand up to cradle my cheek, thumb brushing my lower lip. The faintest brush of lips touches mine, the kiss slow and lush. He coaxes me open, taking his time tasting, savoring, worshipping.
This is a kiss that both gives and receives, answering hunger with hunger, want with want. His purr starts low, building in his chest, rumbling against my ribs where his body presses close.
