Page 105 of Knot So Sweet
"And if what I want is to take care of you?" She squeezes my hand. Her grip feels firm, grounding. "What then?"
I look at her. Really look. Her hair is a mess, tangled and wild like she's been through a storm. Dark strands going every direction. Two bite marks on her throat, claiming her as pack.Raised and red, the skin around them slightly swollen. My shirt hangs off one shoulder, revealing smooth skin and the curve of her collarbone. The hollow at the base of her throat where her pulse beats steadily.
She's perfect. Bonded. Theirs.
"You already have two alphas," I point out. The words scrape out. "Don't need a third cluttering things up."
Her expression shifts. Confusion bleeds into something that might be hurt. Her brows draw together. "Cluttering things up? You think you'd be cluttering?"
"You have Xaden's tactical mind. Garrick's steady presence. What do I bring that you don't already possess?" The confession tears out of me. Raw. Honest. "What makes me necessary?"
"Are you serious right now?" She turns to face me fully, pulling her hand free. Both palms come up to frame my face, forcing me to meet her gaze. Her skin burns hot, still fever-warm from the heat. "You've been here for three days. Monitoring me. Making sure I stay hydrated. Checking my temperature. Holding my hair when I threw up yesterday. Staying awake so the others could sleep. And you think you're cluttering?"
"That's just medical care." I try to pull away but her grip tightens.
"That's love, you idiot." Her thumbs stroke my cheekbones. "You show love by caring. By being present. By making sure everyone stays safe even when you're falling apart."
The words hit harder than they should. Truth cuts through every defense I've built. Because she's right. I am falling apart. Have been for three days, watching her with them. Wanting her. Holding back because being professional felt safer than being vulnerable.
"I'm not falling apart," I mutter. The lie sounds weak even to my own ears.
"Your hands are shaking." She's right. They are. Fine tremors I can't control. "When did you last eat?"
"Yesterday. Maybe." Time blurred together, one long stretch of monitoring and waiting. Hours bleeding into each other.
"Liam." Her voice goes soft. Tender in a way that makes my throat tight. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"
"Because someone has to be responsible." The words come out rough, scraped raw. Like sandpaper on exposed nerves. "Someone has to make sure everyone stays safe."
"And?"
"And I don't know how to be anything else." The confession tears out of me. Something I've never said aloud. "Don't know how to not be the one taking care of everyone."
Understanding flashes across her face. Her eyes soften, warm with compassion. "So now you just... never ask for what you need?"
"Something like that."
"That's not fair to you." She moves closer now, practically in my lap. Her vanilla scent wraps around me. "You deserve to be cared for too."
"I don't know how to let anyone care for me," I admit. The vulnerability feels like being flayed open.
"Then let me teach you." She shifts, straddling my lap. Her thighs bracket my hips. Hands on my shoulders, eyes locked on mine. "Let me take care of you for once."
"Violet." Her name comes out strained. Broken. "Your heat's almost over. You don't have to..."
"It's not over yet." She rocks her hips against mine and I feel how wet she is through my jeans. Heat and slick soaking through denim. "One more wave. The final peak. And I want you for it."
"You don't need me. You have..." I start, but she cuts me off.
"Stop." A finger presses against my lips. Soft pressure. "Stop telling me what I need. I need you, Liam. Not because you'reconvenient. Not because my heat demands it. Because I love you."
The words stop my heart. Everything goes still. Silent.
“D you love me?" My voice cracks on the question.
"Completely. Have been falling for you since the first day." She leans in, forehead against mine. Her breath feels warm, sweet. "You think I didn't notice? How you always made sure I ate. How you checked on me after bad days. How you never made me feel weak for needing help."
"That's just basic care." I'm grasping for logic, for distance.
