For the first time in my life, I feel my impressive self-control wavering. I’ve always prided myself on my discipline, on being the alpha who thinks with his brain instead of his knot. But sitting here, with Holly’s scent filling my lungs and her warm skin against mine, that control feels increasingly fragile.
Holly seems to sense my internal struggle. Without breaking eye contact, she pulls back the sheet, revealing that she is completely naked underneath. Her body is flushed with heat, a light sheen of sweat making her skin glow in the dim light. The fingers of one hand are buried between thighs gleaming with slick.
I should leave. I should walk out that door and send Kai or Grayson to help her through this. But the thought of either of them touching her when I can’t makes something dark and possessive rise in my chest.
We’re already so far past the bounds of propriety. What’s one more step?
Especially when I’ve wanted to fuck her pretty much from the moment we met. And maybe if I do, there is some chance that I’ll stop spending nearly every minute wondering how it will feel to finally sink inside of her.
I push away from her and stalk to the door, hearing her sound of protest behind me. But instead of opening it, I turn the lock with a decisive click.
When I return to the bed, I loom over her, my decision made but my terms clear.
“No knots,” I say firmly.
Holly wraps her arms around my neck, dreamily repeating, “No knots,” in a voice that doesn’t sound particularly convincing. But I remind myself that I’m in control of my own body. I’ve spent years mastering my alpha instincts. I can give her what she needs without losing myself.
I lower my mouth to hers, and the moment our lips touch, a jolt of electricity runs through me. Holly moans, her body arching up to meet mine. The kiss deepens, and I’m lost in the taste of her—fresh and sweet, with an underlying sharpness of sweat and need that makes my head spin.
“I can almost taste your scent. It’s like a mouth full of mountain air and tree resin,” she whispers against my lips, sounding awed. “Is that normal?”
“Yes,” I lie. It’s not normal at all. It’s a sign of exceptional compatibility, the kind that leads to bonding if we’re not careful. But I don’t want to frighten her with that information, not when she’s already vulnerable.
Her hands tug at my shirt, and I help her remove it, then my pants, until there’s nothing between us but skin. The feeling of her body against mine is intoxicating, better than anything I’ve experienced before. I run my hands down her sides, marveling at how perfectly she fits against me.
“Please,” Holly whispers, her hips moving restlessly against mine. “I need you.”
I position myself between her thighs, still fighting for control. It’s been too long since I’ve been with an omega, especially onein heat. The scent of her arousal is overwhelming, clouding my judgment and awakening instincts I’ve long suppressed.
When I finally push inside her, the sensation is almost too much. Holly cries out, her nails digging into my shoulders as her body welcomes me. I have to pause, gritting my teeth against the urge to claim her completely.
“Please, keep moving,” she murmurs urgently, her voice breaking as her thighs lock around my hips, her ankles hooking at the small of my back to draw me closer. The shift in position makes me groan as it brings us impossibly deeper together, her heat searing and perfect against me. Her nails skate down my spine, leaving trails of fire in their wake, and I can feel her trembling with need beneath me.
“Don’t stop,” she whispers, her breath hot against my neck, and the desperation in her voice breaks what little control I have left.
The air between us crackles with electricity as I find our rhythm, each movement drawing desperate sounds from Holly’s lips. Her body arches to meet mine, hips lifting off the bed with every thrust, her responsiveness making my control fray at the edges.
My knot swells dangerously, the biological imperative to lock us together becoming harder to resist with each passing second. No knots, I repeat like a mantra, you promised her control. The reminder helps me focus, though my body rebels against the restriction. Holly’s inner muscles flutter around me, her breath coming in sharp, needy gasps as she climbs toward her peak. I adjust my angle, finding that perfect spot that makes her cry out, and drive us both relentlessly toward the edge we’re both chasing.
“Noah,” she gasps, and hearing my name on her lips pushes me dangerously close to the edge.
I love the way my name sounds when she says it in that breathy way, like she needs each letter on her tongue to get enough oxygen.
My teeth ache with the urge to bite her, to mark her as mine. I turn my head away, burying my face in the pillow beside her to resist the temptation. Holly’s body convulses around me as she comes, triggering my own release. Pride surges through me as I maintain control, keeping my knot from locking us together despite the overwhelming pleasure.
Then I feel a sharp pain that somehow heightens the sensation rather than diminishing it. I look down to see Holly with her teeth buried in the muscle of my upper chest, just above my heart.
The unexpected sight of it sends another wave of pleasure crashing through me, more intense than the first. A bond bite. She’s given me a bond bite.
Well, shit.
NINETEEN
HOLLY
On the daymy heat finally breaks—a full three days after it started—I wake to sunlight streaming through unfamiliar curtains, my body aching in places I didn’t know even existed. For a moment, I float in that hazy space between sleep and wakefulness, where reality hasn’t quite solidified. Then it all comes rushing back—the heat, the desperate need, and Noah.
Noah.
