Page 16 of Knotty Pumpkin

Corey stands beside me and nods, a signal to kick the door together. This time it breaks free with a loud crack, wood splintering and hinges clattering to the floor. The knot in my throat thickens as I rush in with Corey on my heels, not sure what I’ll find inside the room. Fuck I hope Luke hasn’t made it here.

What I see as I enter the space has me freezing in my tracks, unsure of what to do next. I expected to find Saylor in a state of distress, of potentially having to take on the mother fucker stalking her. What I didn’t expect to find was her spread out butt ass naked on an oversized readingchaise, clamps on each peaked rosy nipple, pushing a fake alpha knot inside her dripping wet pussy.

I should look away—that would be the right thing to do—but I can’t drag my eyes away from the gorgeous, sexy woman lying in front of me, her body slowly relaxing as her orgasm slows. Her pumpkin spice scent is thick in the air, stronger than I remember it being—even when she perfumed for me. It’s even more enticing too. My alpha instincts know she’s going into heat.

Mate.

My alpha wants to pounce on her, close my mouth over those pretty clamped nipples, the lick up every drop of slick sliding down her thighs before replacing that fucking toy with my own rock-hard cock. Give her a real alphas knot, not that poor impression of one.

But that’s not what she needs right now.

“Saylor, honey, open your eyes,” I say, managing to keep my voice steady as Corey grapples with the broken door frame.

Her pretty chestnut brown eyes flutter open, focusing on me, then dancing to Corey and back again. Our sassy little omega perfumes for us and I watch as more slick gushes from her, coating her toy and pooling on the burnt orange blanket beneath her.

Swallowing hard, I try to hold onto my control. It’s a battle I almost lose before Corey hands me a silk robe he grabbed from who knows where. Stepping forward and dropping to my knees beside where Saylor lies on her lounge, I drape it over her, covering her glorious body.

My fingers brush her arm, her burning skin scorching the tips. We need to talk to her fast and get her somewhere safe before the heat takes over and she can’t think straight. Every part of me wants to take her home with Corey and lock us all in our nest for the next few days. But she needs to know what’s going on and tell us what she wants to do.

“Pumpkin,” Corey says, moving forward with a bottle of vitamin water. Where the fuck did he get that? My better half has always been softer, more of a caregiver than me. He places it on the bed beside her and taps me on the shoulder. “We thought you were in danger; we misinterpreted your screams. Sorry for bursting in on you like this. It’s important that we speak to you about something. We’ll wait in the lounge, give you some privacy, if that’s okay?”

Saylor nods and I rise, not really wanting to leave her, even if I’ll only be in the next room. But Corey is right, we should give her privacy. We barged in on a private moment she might not have wanted us to be a part of. The fact that she’s going into heat and didn’t call us causes my stomach to sink. It feels pretty clear to me that we’re scent matched,but maybe it isn’t that way for her. She barely knows us, so why would she have called?

I trail behind Corey, too unsettled to sit with him on the couch and instead pace the length of the space. He raises a brow at me, and I scowl at him. Corey only grins back at me, forever the calm to my storm.

A few minutes later, Saylor sashays through the broken door, wearing a silky orange robe hitting the middle of her thighs that stops my incessant pacing. Her cheeks are flushed, a slight sheen of sweat across her brow. Her features are tight, like she’s uncomfortable. But whether that’s from the heat clearly about to claim her or from the fact that we just barged in on her pleasuring herself I’m not sure.

“Are you okay, Saylor?” Corey asks, his voice soft as he rises from the couch and guides her to sit beside him. “We’re sorry we…”

“No, no, don’t apologize,” she waves her hands through the air in front of her shaking her head. “I’m not worried about that. I’m pretty open sexually. I don’t mind an audience.”

My inner alpha rears his head, my jaw clenching as I wonder who else has seen my omega in that hedonistic state? A growl rumbles through my chest and Corey glares at me, silently telling me to cool it. I’m not sure I can.

“I’m just not sure what you’re doing here.” Her captivating eyes dart between the two of us, searching for answers.

Corey takes a deep breath, reaching for Saylor’s hand and holding it in his own as he begins to explain what happened earlier tonight. She listens intently, a crease forming between her brows as her nose crinkles and her posture tightens.

Tension is evident in every line of her taut body, and I lose the battle of keeping my distance. My feet are moving before I can even give it any thought. Sitting on the opposite side of Corey I throw my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against my side.

Her skin is hot to the touch, burning against my side where our bodies are pressed together. She shivers as I tuck a loose strand of her behind her ear, relaxing into me as her scent grows stronger in the small space.

“Luke is here, Pumpkin. The entire Linnara Police force is out searching for him right now. I don’t know what he did to you, we aren’t privy to the details of previous assaults. Only that they occurred and who was responsible for them. Sargent Hudson respected that but was concerned for your safety. We are too.”

“That explains why they didn’t answer my call,” she mumbles, mostly to herself.

Corey and I exchange a glance, curiosity and concern flooding the bond joining us as pack.

“You called them?” I ask, my fingers tracing circles on her heated upper arm.

Saylor takes a deep breath, “Yeah, I scented Luke at the festival. I guess I went into flight mode. That’s why I asked you to take me home, Noah. The date was wonderful, the best of my life, and I definitely wanted to spend more time with you, and you Corey,” she says, twisting to look at him with a small smile. “But his scent… It took me right back to… to the weeks he kept me caged.”

Her heavy exhale sets my blood on fire, pure unbridled rage boiling in my gut

“Caged?” I growl, suddenly wishing I could be out searching for him. I will rip this motherfucker’s head off for treating her like an animal.

“Breathe, Noah,” Corey instructs, sensing the uncontrollable rage building inside me.

Saylor tilts her chin, looking up at me from behind long, dark lashes.

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