“Good thing we’re talking about thisnow, then,” I say, grateful Lucas had the foresight to initiate this conversation. I’ve never heard Declan talk so much, let alone be so vulnerable. “I’ve, uh, never been part of a heat before. Is there anything that might help keep my face from getting pounded?”
Declan’s quiet for a while, and I don’t realize he’s moved until there’s a shadow hanging over me. With his knees to the side of my hips, he leans close, hands coming down on either side of my head. “You listen to me and to Ava. You obey. If I tell you to get on your knees, you get on your knees. If I tell you to go faster, you go faster. No backtalk. No questions. That’s what’ll help. Can you do that, Knox?”
Fuck, how’d he know I like being someone’s fuck toy? I may be an alpha, but I love being bossed around. I’m a brat, and I’ll push back, but when someone tells me what to do, it lights up every bit of me.
“Maybe we should practice?” I swallow thickly, waiting for his first command.
“Okay,” he says.
My breathing picks up so much I’m nearly panting. He leans down until our stubbled cheeks are right next to each other, his scent suddenlyeverywhere.He’s scent marking me. Declan McLaren is scent marking me!
“Go. To. Sleep.”
Then he sits up, leaving only cool air and disappointment.
“Asshole,” I groan and flop onto my back.
Declan’s voice drops to a dangerous purr as he settles back on his bedroll. “Sleep while you can, Knox. Next time the handcuffs have to come out, I’m using them.”
41
AVA
Iwake in a cold sweat, breath shallow, skin damp, a deep ache curling low in my belly. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt—sharp and hollow all at once—and before I can think better of it, I’m reaching for Emily. My hands find her in the dark, and I pull her close, needing her.
She exhales softly, still asleep, but she doesn’t resist. I press my body around hers, curling like I’m trying to shield her, or maybe trying to protect something fragile inside myself. Her warmth seeps into me slowly, soothing the pain enough to catch my breath.
But not enough. Not nearly enough.
The bed feels too big. Too cold. The sheets, which felt soft and luxurious yesterday, are now suffocating, cloying against my skin, like I’m being smothered by fabric. Even my clothes feel wrong. Too much. Too tight. Too everything.
I wriggle out of my top, careful not to wake Em. The cotton peels away, and the air hits my skin like a balm. My breasts ache with a sting that makes me bite down on a gasp. Deep in that strange, primal place inside me I know what I need isher. Skin to skin. Her touch, her warmth, her breath.
I hesitate, not wanting to wake her, but I can’t resist. I slide my hand beneath the hem of her shirt, fingers trembling as I press my palm to the flat, smooth plane of her stomach. Her skin is warm. Real. Comforting. She stirs, hips pressing back into me, and a soft sound escapes her lips.
My breath catches.Is she awake?
Another cramp coils low, sharp and sudden, stealing the air from my lungs. I cling to her like she’s the only thing keeping me anchored. My body feels like it’s burning from the inside out. I kick the covers away, desperate for air, and shift enough to slip off my shorts. They scrape against my legs like sandpaper. Every sensation heightened—and yet, not heightened enough.
A whimper escapes before I can swallow it.
Then she’s there. Awake. Looking down at me like a vision. Her short hair is tousled, haloed in the bathroom’s dim spill of light. Her eyes are soft, concerned. And when she touches me—just the brush of her fingers across my cheek—I feel everything in me crack open.
“My sweet omega,” she whispers. “I’ve got you.”
Tears I didn’t realize were falling are wiped away with a touch so gentle it makes my chest ache. She kisses me, soft and slow. For one precious moment, the fire inside me dies down to embers. My whole body sighs into her.
But it doesn’t last.
The next wave is stronger, lower, more urgent. My hips stutter against hers. I feel like I’m coming apart. Desperate and empty and aching. I bury my face in her neck, whining, and rubbing against her. I can’t think. Can’t breathe.
I just need.Her.
This heat is worse than what I felt with Knox. Deeper. Hungrier. I’m not completely lost to it yet, but the edges of my vision blur, everything narrowing to one point of focus. Emily.
I grip her hips and roll her gently beneath me, kissing her with a desperation I can’t temper. She responds with a moan that curls through my core like lightning. Her hands tangle in my hair as I pull her shirt over her head, and then?—
Oh.
