Page 34 of Knot My Secret Santa

“Yes.” Noelle took a bigger drink of her whiskey. “Except a few who will be starting their travels with their families.”

“Then count me in, and I’ll be fitting the bill.” At her surprise, it was my turn to grin. “It’s the least I can do with the great year we’ve had. I should have been doing it every year. Donner Designs is nothing without its spectacular architects.”

“Nate, I could kiss you!” Noelle laughed and downed the rest of her whiskey. She set the glass on my desk and stood. “Thank you. I’m going to let everyone else know, so there’s no way you can back out of it.”

I chuckled into my glass and waved as she left the office. “I wouldn’t think of it.”

And honestly, even if Avery hadn’t been an intern here, I should have been treating my employees far better. My shoulders felt lighter, and I found myself looking forward to tomorrow’s dinner.

I sent a text to Landon and invited him and Akari to the dinner as well. Since he’d gotten together with her, I hadn’t seen much of him. And part of the reason was that I reached out less and less since he wouldn’t do anything without Akari by his side. I understood now, and hopefully I would have my own beautiful Omega permanently by my side in the future.

Checking over some inventory requests, I sensed Avery in the office before I saw her. My office door sat open and everything in me perked up as if I’d just smelled the most delicious pastry in the world. My body tingled, anticipation making me lean forward on my desk.

Her laughter reached my ears before I saw her walk around a pair of desks toward her own. Her cheeks were rosy and her smile shone like a million suns. Fuck, she was stunning. She wore a form-fitting white sweater and her coat, but it was unzippered, and she carried a pair of bags in one hand.

Noelle followed her, chatting away, every word clear. I could hear them greet the other intern and then Noelle encouraging Avery to open her Secret Santa gift for the day.

“I think I’m going to wait,” Avery replied. “I want to get a few things done here.”

“Open it, open it!” Noelle pleaded. “I can’t wait that long.”

Avery laughed. “You’re just like a kid on Christmas morning. Alright.”

I tilted my head as I listened, wanting to see her reaction, but I didn’t want to look like I was spying on her. When I heard her delighted gasp, I leaned back with a smile.

“I’ve never seen anything like this!” Avery exclaimed. “A kit to make a Frank Lloyd Wright gingerbread house.”

“I love it!” Noelle squealed. “This had to be specially made. We’ll make it our Christmas dinner table centerpiece.”

“Is that from The Gingerbread Factory?” The other intern nosed into the conversation.

“It is. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything from there. They’re always sold out around the holidays.” The awe in Avery’s voice was magical.

“You have to order like months in advance,” the blonde Omega said. Not if you had the money to pay for a rush order.

They chatted a little more, but then quieted as I guessed they went back to work. I tried to concentrate on the documents in front of me, but I itched to go out and just see Avery. Knowing she was maybe forty feet away and not being able to touch her was driving me mad.

I got up, pacing back and forth. There was too much pent up energy. Maybe if I went downstairs to the gym, I could work some of it off. My usual routine was to hit the gym in the mornings before work. I had a full private bathroom attached to my office to shower and change for that reason. Though I doubted lifting weights was going to drive away my need to be with Avery.

A flash of long tawny hair and white zipped by my door, and I heard the click of the storage room door as it closed.

I didn’t even wonder. I knew it was Avery. Forcing myself to wait thirty seconds, I stepped out of my office and entered the storage room.

She leaned against the far wall, breathing heavily and clutching her stomach. “Nathaniel…” She winced and groaned. “It hurts.”

I quickly gathered her to me, kissing her deeply. “We knew this might happen.”

“I tried to make it stop. I tried thinking gross thoughts,” Avery whimpered and pulled at my belt. “But all I could think about was you.”

“I’ll make you feel better, vixen. Let me take your pain away.” I kissed her again, sliding my hands under her sweater, and then paused. “We can’t do this here. Anyone could walk in.”

“And if you knot me…” Her eyes went wide and then she squeezed them shut as she shuddered from pain. She scrambled for my belt again. “I need you to knot me. Fuck, I need it so bad.”

And hell, I wanted to be deep in her as I knotted too. The storage room wasn’t the place, though. Once I had knotted, we’d be stuck like that for a while. There would be no hiding the fact if anyone walked in. I kissed her again before leading her to the door. “Let’s go to my office.”

“But…” Avery grabbed me, trembling against my body. I had to make her pain stop. We needed to get to my office immediately. “Someone might see us going in.”

I took a quick look around and snatched up a package of a half dozen long cardboard blueprint tubes. They were for big designs and were four feet long. “Stay behind this as I walk. My door is less than ten feet away.” At seeing the panic in her eyes, I squeezed her hand. “Everyone is going to be working to get their stuff done by the end of the day. No one is going to pay attention. It’s just ten feet, vixen. You can do this.”

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