Page 92 of Knot in Bloom
“Much better,” I admit, though I can already feel the familiar ache starting to build again beneath the temporary relief. Theirgentle care has eased the desperate edge, but the deeper need remains. “But I can feel it coming back.”
“This is just the beginning,” Levi explains, his fingers stroking soothing patterns on my arm. “What you really need—what will actually satisfy this—we can’t give you here.”
I look between them, confused but trusting. “What do you mean?”
Reid settles beside me on the bed, his bergamot scent mixing with the others in a way that makes my pulse quicken again. “Your body is asking for claiming, sweetheart. Real claiming. Knots and bonds and everything that comes with them.”
The words send a fresh rush of arousal through me, but there’s something else too. A flutter of nervousness mixed with the want. “That’s so...”
“Permanent,” Caleb finishes gently. “We know. And we don’t want you making that decision in the middle of this, when you can’t think clearly.”
“But if you’re ready for that kind of bond,” Levi adds, his voice soft but hopeful, “we prepared something for you. Somewhere you can nest properly. Somewhere private where we can take care of you the way you deserve.”
My breath catches. “You prepared something?”
“Remember the cottage I showed you?” Caleb asks, moving to sit on my other side. “On Willow Creek Road?”
I nod, my pulse picking up for reasons that have nothing to do with the returning ache between my thighs.
“We bought it,” Reid says simply. “Yesterday. For us. For our pack.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “You bought the house?”
“The one with the nesting room upstairs,” Levi confirms. “The garden space you said would be wonderful for flowers. The kitchen where you could see yourself making coffee for all of us.”
My throat tightens with emotion that has nothing to do with biology. While I was panicking about festival logistics and fighting my feelings, they were planning our future. Building something permanent.
“But that’s such a big decision,” I whisper, overwhelmed by the implications. “What if this doesn’t work out? What if?—”
“Hey,” Caleb interrupts gently, his hand cupping my cheek. “Do you trust us?”
“Yes,” I answer immediately. “Of course I do.”
The relief that floods their scents is unmistakable. It mixes with my own honeysuckle and vanilla until the air around us is thick with contentment and rising arousal.
“Then let us show you what we prepared,” Levi says, pressing a soft kiss to my shoulder.
As they help me into soft clothes, I notice how careful they are. Reid’s button-down that smells like bergamot. Levi adjusting the sleeves so they don’t irritate my sensitive skin. Caleb making sure I’m warm enough for the short drive.
The thoughtfulness makes my chest tight with emotion even as my body responds to their proximity with renewed need.
The drive to Willow Creek Road should feel longer, but I’m too focused on the sensations flooding my system. Sitting between Caleb and Levi in Reid’s backseat, surrounded by their combined scents, makes the temporary relief from earlier fade quickly.
I can’t stop touching them. My hand finds Caleb’s thigh, fingers tracing patterns through his jeans. When Levi’s thumb strokes across my knuckles, I lean into him, breathing in his cedar warmth. Even Reid’s presence in the front seat, his bergamot scent mixing with the others, makes my pulse race.
“You’re trembling,” Caleb observes softly, his free hand coming up to stroke my hair.
“The relief is wearing off,” I admit, pressing closer to his solid warmth. “I need...”
“We know what you need,” Reid says from the front seat, meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Almost there.”
When we pull into the driveway of the cottage, everything looks different than when Caleb first showed it to me. The garden is immaculate, welcoming lights glow in every window, and there’s something about it that screams home in a way that makes my chest tight.
“Welcome to our home, and your nest.” Levi says softly as he helps me out of the car.
The word nest sends a fresh wave of arousal through me. This isn’t just a house anymore. It’s the place they prepared for claiming. For bonding. For the rest of our lives.
Inside, the cottage is even more stunning than I remembered. Fresh flowers in crystal vases, soft lighting that makes everything glow, furniture arranged for comfort rather than show. But it’s the nest that steals my breath completely.
