Page 47 of Knot Now Knot Ever

“Bear with me, angel. I’m doing this for your own good,” I warned, then turned the spray of water at her feet. When that didn’t get a reaction, I moved up her body using soap and a washcloth to clean as I went.

It wasn’t until the water hit her stomach that I got a reaction that wasn’t her trying to grab my dick. With a loud gasp, Lyra almost fell backward off the stool. I tossed aside the showerhead and caught her before anything happened.

“Oh my God, that’s fucking cold,” Lyra shrieked.

“Yeah, sorry about that, but I wasn’t sure what else to do,” I explained, getting her securely back on the stool. “One sec… let me turn the water warmer so I can finish washing you.”

She blinked at me, utterly confused by what was happening, but didn’t argue as I got back to work. “Did something happen? The last thing I remember is you asking if I wanted to take a nap. How did we end up in the shower?”

“Well, angel, you slipped into a heat haze,” I shared. “Tilt your head back so I can get your hair wet, please.”

“I’m not in heat,” Lyra argued.

“Yeah, I feel like you’re gonna need to stop saying that,” I pointed out, squirting shampoo into my hand. “I’ve heard from other Omegas that finding their scent matches sent them straight into heat no matter where they were in the cycle. Plus, you’ve been stretching the limits and fighting off withdrawal, so it’s possible this is backlash for that as well.”

She reached up and grasped my hand, pausing my movements. “Thank you for taking care of me, but I can finish washing up.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable by doing this?” I asked, cocking a brow.

Lyra bit her lip, releasing my hand, then answered hesitantly. “N-no…”

“That’s good,” I said with a smile. “Are you enjoying that I’m taking care of you?”

She nodded, her expression betraying her confusion.

“Then why are you asking me to stop?” I challenged. “If you’re worried about being an inconvenience or that I don’t want to do this for you, I’ll tell you straight-up you’re an idiot.”

Her wince told me I’d hit right on the money. “I’m worried if I ask for too much, then you’ll resent me. You’re an Omega, too, and I never want you to feel like I’m stealing anything away when you were there first.”

The fact I’d never once considered her fear a possibility had me trusting that reaction to give me the correct response. I resumed rinsing the shampoo out of her hair, not wanting it to accidentally drip into her eyes.

“Angel, I think what you’re struggling with is having been with men who aren’t your scent matches. You thought you guys had a genuine, hard-fought love, and then it was all over in a second. The way you talk about them leads me to believe building your relationship took a lot of effort, and you didn’t always trust their commitment,” I reasoned. “It might sound cliché and a little overdramatic, but things with them would never give you what you needed because they weren’t us. As one of your scent matches and a bonded Omega, I can tell you firsthand the feelings you have for your pack don’t wane over time. In fact, it’s the total opposite. I love each and every one of my Alphas more as our bond grows stronger. You’ll have to trust me on this, but the fear and trepidation you have right now vanishes the second a bond is formed.”

Lyra hummed in response to my words, but something in her expression told me she heard what I’d said. Whether she’ll be able to accept the truth, only time would tell, but the fact she was talking about our future life together showed me we’d already made progress.

Finished with Lyra’s hair, I got to work on my shower but didn’t wash my hair since I’d forgotten to bring my pink-colored shampoo, which kept my hair from fading. With how light I kept it, most normal shampoos would strip half the color out in a single wash. Also, with my hair so short, I didn’t have to deal with all the oils and such from my body getting in my hair. We returned to the tranquility room where we started the day and agreed to eat lunch before heading back to Lyra’s apartment.

“Wow, I didn’t realize how hungry I was.” I laughed after wolfing down the salad.

Lyra nodded, hiding her mouth after she’d stuffed it full of the chia seed pudding they’d given us. “Everything here is so fresh and delicious,” she commented. “I need to find out what that dressing was on the salad.”

“Oh, it’s ginger miso and super simple to make at home,” I shared. “I begged them to tell me what it was when they threatened to change it out for a new dressing last year.”

“How long have you been coming here?” she asked, having finished and reclined back in her lounge chair.

I tapped my chin as I thought back. “Let’s see, I was given a day here by one of my regulars before I met the guys and when I was still working at the club. So the first time was roughly four years ago, but I became a member in the last two years, and I’ve been coming once or twice a month ever since.”

“It’s not hard to see why. This place is everything an Omega could dream of. Maybe I’ll join so I can keep coming with you, and we can make it our time together,” she said with a sweet smile.

“I love that idea, angel.” Leaning over, I kissed her lightly on the lips. “Shall we begin part two of our day together? Not trying to rush you, but I don’t want to risk something happening between us and you getting lost in that haze again.”

She gave me a quick kiss back, then got up and walked over to her neatly folded stack of clothes. “Better to be safe than risk slipping into a full-blown heat in a rather public place.”

“I’ll text Wade and let him know we’re ready to head back,” I offered since I already had my sweats on.

As badly as I wanted to take my time exploring Lyra’s body, I needed it to be in a place where we wouldn’t be interrupted and felt comfortable. With the message sent to Wade, I flipped to the notes app on my phone, looking over what I’d written after doing a little research. Why the hell was the fact Lyra was the first woman I’d be having sex with make me so nervous? If there was one thing I knew, it was sex. The only thing was all my tricks and skills were honed in on the male species. Most men were pretty straightforward and fell into three categories—those who wanted to be in charge, those who felt the need to take care of you, and those who wanted to protect or save you from the life you were living. Women were a whole new world to dive into, and the last thing I wanted was to fail Lyra.

Too many people had disappointed her or given up when she struggled to let them into her life. What would she think of me if I couldn’t perform as well as with the guys? It’s not like she wouldn’t see us all together, especially if her heat was right around the corner. My phone buzzed, and Wade sent a message back, letting me know he was out front.