Page 59 of Knight Life In Vegas

The other alpha scents were stronger here, but no hints of sex in her nest, just existence. All the better. Smelling her pleasure on the sheets might have been too much for the fragility of my coherence right now.

She purred softly and the sound instantly made me melt. I lay there in a drowsy state, drifting in and out of clarity as her scent and presence worked their magic. Knots of tension untangled themselves, my headache receded, and the low-grade nausea that had been plaguing me all week disappeared entirely.

I snuck my fingertips under the bunched hem of her shirt and laid my hand flat against her stomach. A burst of sweetness met my nose as she shivered. She shifted incrementally and froze when her ass brushed my tented cock.

“Ignore it. I can’t help it being this close to you, but I’m certainly not going to do anything about it.”

Charlotte rotated carefully, her hazel eyes bright with longing when they finally met mine. It only lasted for a second before she tucked her head beneath my chin, hooking one arm and leg over me.

I drew in a stuttering breath. When was the last time I had been held? A low growl had her clinging tighter and I cupped her head, drawing her impossibly closer. It was truly unfair how perfect it felt to be with her like this. I hadn’t afforded myself this level of intimacy in so long that I had forgotten what it felt like.

Her nails scratched lightly against my back and her purr roared when I threaded my fingers in her hair, stroking softly.

She was so dangerous.

An ounce of compassion from her and I was lost.

Peace was a stranger, joy was the enemy, and it cracked open the darkest parts of myself to feel both in her arms.

Life was never going to be the same again. It couldn’t be. Like an addict, I already knew I was going to crave her forever. I would shatter my whole life not to descend into that pit of madness and despair I had lived for so long.

“I don’t want to go,” I croaked out.

“No one is making you.”

“I can’t stay.”

“Why not?” Her lips brushed my skin as she asked it.

“We both know the answer to that.”

“Because you don’t want me?”

The statement was pure insanity given how we were interlocked right now. And since when had it turned into me not wanting her instead of us not wanting each other? Besides, Icouldn’twant her would be much more accurate. Or more likely, I didn’tdeserveto want her, and no amount of peace she gave me would change that.

“In what universe could someone not want you?”

His words warmed me down to my toes. I’d gotten so weak for affection, and while I’d invited him into my bed to help steady his instincts, now that he was wrapped around me, I couldn’t help but wonder what more would be like. I’d been with my other matches, but Beau had kept himself at a distance from the start.

“In fairness, I was pretty used to no one wanting me inthisuniverse. It’s only recently that’s changed.”

“I’m sorry that I contributed to you feeling that way.”

“It’s okay. You’ve got a lot more trauma about this than the others do. I don’t expect anything from you. We can keep going like we have been.”

Beau swallowed hard. “That’s justmeneedingyou, not the other way around. You don’t need me when you have them.”

“This conversation wasn’t about need,” I reminded him.

I snuggled closer, his arms tightening around me. He smelled unfairly good with that perfect blend of vanilla musk, cinnamon, and lavender, like an expensive cologne I wanted to douse my sheets in. He was trying so hard to stay at arm’s length, which was considerably more difficult when he relied on my presence to ease his suffering. Since I’d given in and gone to bed again with my other matches, the discomfort of being apart wasn’t so sharp. It was almost like my body had been reassured it would continue because it had happened twice and I didn’t have to be bullied into it anymore.

“When was the last time you were with someone?”

He hesitated. “Too long.”

“Since you lost your mate?”

“She was my first and last for everything.”

---