Page 32 of Knot My Secret Santa

I wasn’t going to wait for Santa to see if he brought me what I wanted. I would find a way to make this happen myself.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – Avery

My night was filled with dreams of Nathaniel. His wicked smile, his sensual groans, his big cock knotting me as he fucked me in every which way. When I woke, I was gushing slick and already climbing back on his hard body to ride him. We ended up with me pressed against my headboard and his knot rubbing me in all the right ways.

I barely remember texting him, even though I promised myself I wouldn’t. The pain had gotten so bad, I’d passed out at just after midnight. I came to, writhing on my bathroom floor and crawled to get up to my loft, grabbing my phone along the way. Nothing I’d done had eased the agony. And not even after he ate my pussy did it end. My body instinctively knew what it needed, and now we were locked together again with his knot.

For some reason, there was no panic. I didn’t shriek about the fact we’d had unprotected sex nor the fact my family could wander over to my house at any time to find us together. I couldn’t even bring myself to worry over the fact that I wasn’t worried.

I would have said my head was clear and my heat was over if I didn’t feel so blissed out. I tried to count the days in my head. If I started from the moment Nathaniel touched me, it was eleven days. Now that he’d knotted me, maybe there was a day or two left. “I think I should warn you, I don’t believe my heat is done.”

And at the back of mind, that pebble of a thought that something was wrong with me for not nesting had grown in a heavier stone. If I was almost done with my heat, why hadn’t I nested? Had I stressed myself out so badly that I warped my base instincts?

“If it isn’t done, it isn’t done. I’m here for you. Whatever you want.” Nathaniel seemed to want to say something else with that, but caught himself and said instead, “You tell me what you need.”

I raised my brows and lightly poked him. “You were going to tell me what to do, weren’t you?”

His fingers tenderly stroked my side. “Maybe. I’m trying very hard not to be your boss here, or a boss.”

“Bossy,” I teasingly corrected him.

“I’m not bossy.” When he saw my doubtful smirk, he sighed. “Alright, sometimes I can be. But,” he stressed. “I do it because I think it’s the right thing, the best way to keep you happy and safe.”

I laid my head back and remembered back to what I learned in school. “Alphas are natural leaders precisely because they want to help and protect not just their Omegas but everyone. You’re a good boss because of that, if sometimes a really hard boss. But what you think may be the right thing for me might not be. Even after… everything, we don’t know each other that well.” My body and soul sang that I knew his beautiful heart, but I hadn’t talked to Nathaniel much before my heat, and it truly had just been eleven days. “What I’m saying is that I do appreciate you trying not to be a hard headed Alpha.”

“So you’ll forgive me when I have my Alpha moments?” Nathaniel smirked and kissed me behind the ear, which had me giggle. “Like when I say I want to hide you away up here and keep you all to myself?”

My stomach fluttered as I found myself snuggling up to him as if supporting that idea. And oh, did it sound wonderful, but my holiday to-do list could not wait. “Neither of us can hide away from the world. You have work. I’ve got choir practice this evening and hot chocolate on Snowflake Lane with friends. I do have to stop by the office to drop off my last Secret Santa gift for Ruby. I got her name this year.” I grinned at him. “You should play it next year. I’d be curious to see what gifts whoever gets your name gives you.”

“A new tie?” He lifted his tie from under my pillow and held it up with what looked like a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

My cheeks heated. “Yes, because a tie is such athrillinggift.” I laughed and then nipped my lip. “I will be going shopping this Saturday and to see The Nutcracker. My Secret Santa gave me tickets as a gift. He went way overboard with his gifts, but they were so thoughtful…” I shouldn’t say anymore. I didn’t want to provoke possessive Alpha mode, especially since he was currently knotted inside of me. “Yes, so you see, I’m very busy. And I need space to do the things I want to do without an Alpha hovering over me.”

“Your Secret Santa was so thoughtful?” Nathaniel murmured near my ear.

Crap. I had to tread carefully here. “Yes. The gifts he gave me were very… me.” That seemed fair. And safe. “Good surprises.”

“You say it’s a he. Do you know who it is?”

I reminded myself it was a Secret Santa game. Names were pulled from a hat at random. Nathaniel couldn’t be angry about who got my name, even if I suspected Kris asked around to get mine. “I do.” I wet my suddenly dry lips. “It’s Kris, one of your junior architects.”

Nathaniel suddenly went still, his body stiff. “Kris Boone?”

I hesitantly nodded. “Yes…”

“You’re certain about it?”

“Have I asked him and he’s said yes? No,” I kept my tone neutral. “But my aunt and I have narrowed down who it could be, and he’s the only one who fits the bill. He’s been away all week, and my Secret Santa gifts have been delivered with the mail, so it just makes sense.”

“Is that why you asked him to go to The Nutcracker with you?” His jaw was tight as he spoke.

“How do you know that?” I wanted to push back and cross my arms, but we were locked together in the most intimate of ways. The bliss I’d felt just a few minutes ago was fast waning.

His gaze weighed heavily on me. “Office gossip.”

Was my aunt talking about it with people? Maybe. Kris? I didn’t think so. It could have been Jessalyn. It didn’t matter. I didn’t realize I was a topic of gossip and that it somehow got to Nathaniel. “I thought it only right since he bought the tickets and all.”

He was silent for a moment and then let out a slow exhale. “So you’re going on a date with a Beta?”

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