Page 55 of Knot Enough
Could she handle me?
Would she want to?
Did it matter?
As I stared at her, I realized it did. Her opinion mattered. And I needed her to like me. I needed her to need me. The sun had set. There was no one here to protect her from me. No one to intervene. Before I could second-guess it, I stepped out and joined her under the moonlight, huffing loud enough to announce myself. I played dumb, pretending I didn’t know she was here.
She jumped when I stopped beside her, her big brown eyes filled with fear.
A little late for self-preservation.
I crouched, dropped my hands to my knees, and put on a show of catching my breath. With my hands shoved through my hair, I watched her shoulders droop. Her chin dipped, and her gaze darted to where I’d come from.
Doesn’t she know how easy it would be to have my way with her?
I dropped my shoulders, trying to shrink myself despite being built like a tank. When I looked up, our eyes locked, and she gasped. I flashed her a smile.
I knew the effect I had on women, but it had never been as satisfying as it was in that moment. People were often caught off guard by my eyes. The attention usually irritated me, but seeing the flush rise along her cheeks made something flutter in my long-dead chest.
“Your eye . . . is one blue and the other brown?” she breathed.
“Yeah, I get that a lot,” I laughed. She offered me a smile, and I became greedy. I needed another.
“Sorry, that was rude of me. I’d offer you some water if I had any. . . ” The blush spread down her neck and beneath her shirt. How far did it go?
“Oh, no worries. I appreciate the thought…?” The pink turned a deeper shade of red as I waited for her name, even though I already knew it.
“Lena.”
“Grimm.”
I took a step closer and offered my hand. She stared at it, and I licked my lips as I waited. When soft warmth finally touched mine, I held tight.
The wind shifted. Her hibiscus scent hit me.
My alpha instincts reared their ugly head for the first time in my damned life.
Fuck.
Mate.
“Grimm,” she said my name like she was seeing how it fit. Her spine stiffened, and her eyes lifted back to mine. Long, beautiful lashes fluttered shut as she inhaled.
Could she tell?
She had to.
She was mine. All fucking mine. When her eyes opened, they were dilated.
“That’s… fitting,” she murmured, her eyes lighting up as if it pleased her.
A smile stretched across my face as her breathing quickened. All I wanted was to kiss her feet and beg her to sit on my face. When her gaze dropped to my fangs, I saw what lay beneath the surprise.
I was done thinking about it. She’d either love or hate what I was going to do.
I fell before my goddess. She gasped as shock carved itself into her features. The moonlight filtered around her, making her look like the purest of omegas.
“What’re you?—”
