Page 13 of Knot My Secret Santa

Shit. My life was ruined. I tore myself from Nathaniel and pushed down my skirt and then fixed my bra and sweater. “I’m so sorry. I…” Damn my stupid heat, and damn my heart for not wanting to hurt him even as I wanted to flee. “My friends are waiting for me. They’re going to wonder why I’m late. I’m never late.”

Nathaniel blinked several times, his mouth tightening. “Avery…” He quickly tucked his spent cock away and did up his pants. “Do you need anything? Something to drink? Fresh clothes? I want to make sure—”

“I’m fine. I’m good.” There was no way I could go out in public with my slick soaked clothes. I had to get to my car and clean up when I got home. It was only a little white lie that my friends would be waiting for me. They’d be at my place at six.

“We need to talk about what just happened.” He buttoned his shirt, looking totally put-together already. My fierce Alpha boss was now standing in front of me, and I just couldn’t deal with this right now.

“Don’t worry. I know it can’t happen again.” I grabbed my discarded messenger bag, rushing to get away from him and opened the door. “Thank you, Mr. Donner.”

It tore at everything in me as I turned away. Then I ran. I had no idea if anyone else was there. I burst into the stairwell and thundered down three flights to the parking garage. It was only when I was inside my car that I burst into tears.

What had I done? In that short time we were in the storage room, the life I had carefully cultivated for myself had gone up in flames, and I had enjoyed every second as I burned with him.

CHAPTER TEN – Nathaniel

Everything in me said I should have gone after Avery. I shouldn’t have let her run off. I contemplated going to her home to talk to her, but not only did she say she was going out with friends, she lived with her parents.

Her scent remained on me through the night. In my dreams, I worshiped her, enjoying every sultry inch of her sexy body again and again. I woke up hard and reached for my Omega who wasn’t beside me.

MyOmega. Avery wasn’t mine, but every primal instinct in me bellowed that she was.

I sent her Christmas roses as her Secret Santa gift, and ordered a box of holiday themed pastries and baked goods to be delivered to her Sunday morning. I considered attaching my name to the flowers, but with the frantic way in which she left, I wondered if she might throw them away. And she’d be right to do so. I was her boss. I stepped over a line I promised myself I’d never cross.

And what was fucking worse was that I would do it again for Avery.

Nothing distracted me from that thought through the day, and when I had to attend a holiday party of a business colleague, I couldn’t stop glowering at all the happy couples, even Landon and his new mate. Never before had I envied anyone anything until now.

“You know, that was the third hot Omega who came up to you and literally rubbed up against you, and you about bit their heads off.” Landon raised a brow as he leaned in to be heard above the music. His mate stood beside him, holding his hand, and chatting to an older woman, this evening’s hostess. “What’s the matter with you tonight, Mr. Grinch?”

“Nothing.” I scowled at him and the whole room of merrymakers. “I hate this time of year.”

“You used to be tolerant of these parties, and you more than tolerated it when pretty Omegas came to flirt with you. Akari has lots of friends. We could introduce you… to…. Ah.” Landon nodded once and took a sip of his drink. “I see what’s going on. What’s her name?”

We’d been good friends since we were young teens, and at that moment, I hated that he knew me so well. I folded my arms. “There’s no one.”

“Liar. You’ve barely said a word to Akari all night, and nothing to any other female. That means there’s one on your mind.” Landon waited and then made a gesture with his drink in hand. “Come on, man. Spill it.”

I inwardly groaned. “There can’t be anyone,” I then added in a lowered voice. “Because she works for me.” It was a self-imposed rule, but still one needed to run a respectable business.

“Oh fuck, man. That’s tough.” Landon hissed sympathetically through his teeth.

“I can’t get her out of my head.” I even scanned the room for the impossible chance that Avery might be at the party. It was stupid, but I couldn’t stop that urge to look for her everywhere.

Akari turned to whisper into Landon’s ear and kiss his cheek. She then went off with the hostess. Landon downed the rest of his drink and placed the empty glass on the table behind us. “It’s hard for me to let her out of my sight. Even when I know she’s just going to use the bathroom, I feel I have to go in case she needs me for anything. It was ridiculous when we first got together, her first heat and me claiming her. We holed up in my townhouse for a few weeks and ignored the rest of the world.

“How you’re acting right now is like how I was when I had to be separated from Akari. Which girl is she? The leggy blonde?”

“No,” I grunted. I wanted nothing to do with Gina’s intern. And Avery wanted nothing to do with me. “When did the feeling go away?”

Landon laughed and patted me on the shoulder. “Did you not hear a word I said? It never goes away. Once you claim an Omega, you’re bonded for life.”

“But I didn’t claim her.”

“No?” Landon shook his head and gave me a small smile. “You’ve been hit hard then, Nate. If you haven’t knotted and claimed her yet and you’re acting like this, damn.”

I didn’t want his pity. I wanted to hit the wall. This was a situation I had never wanted to be in. I had one Omega intern in my office before Avery and the blonde, and I had zero interest in her as an Omega and then as an architect. She found her Alpha and left. I figured it was no risk having two more Omega interns at Donner Designs. I was so wrong.

“I should fire her.” The words slapped me in the face as I said them. There was no way I could do that. I didn’t want Avery to go anywhere, but she couldn’t stay. “I need to transfer her.” I didn’t like that either. Inside, I was growling that she was mine. “Maybe you could get a good word in to Mazria. She’s perfect for his company.”

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