Page 62 of Knight Life In Vegas

My brain melted as another wave overtook me, his cock pummeling the spot that unraveled me like a ball of yarn knocked from a table. I lost track of how high I climbed, eyes closed and thighs trembling, as Beau took his pleasure.

My alpha, my brain whispered.Mine.

His breathing shifted, his pace stuttering, and the moan his own peak pulled out of him sent me spiraling a half second before he slammed in deep, his knot swelling and his cum painting my insides.

I wasn’t sure how long we lay like that, his weight braced on his forearms and his forehead against mine, our panting breaths mingled.

I shivered, angling my chin up to brush my lips against his. “Stay.”

He kissed me back, not soft and tender like he had been at the beginning, but with teeth that scraped my lip and a tongue that plunged to meet mine, his weight sinking against me. “Couldn’t leave even if I wanted to.”

He rolled us over and I wedged my head beneath his chin.

“Stay,” I whispered again. Maybe I was weak to ask, but my curiosity was piqued too high, my desire for him sated for the moment, but certainly not forever.

He threaded his fingers into my hair. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Guilt was an anvil on my chest. What right did I have to feel this much peace? The guilt doubled when I realized the ever-present hollowness that had formed with Emily’s loss was no longer there. I had lived with that ache for so long I hadn’t even realized itcouldstop.

Charlotte nestled in my arms, her purr sweet and steady, her scent a drug that infused every breath. The warm weight of her was an anchor while I wrestled with my demons.

My eyes burned.

Dammit.

Don’t fucking cry.

A thousand questions turned themselves into knots in my mind. I desperately wanted to know what Emily would think, but if she were around to ask, none of this would exist for her to give her opinion on. Would another scent match have triggered if she was still alive? I didn’t know how any of it worked: how fate chose matches, or when and how it thrust us into one another’s paths.

Charlotte let out a squeak, her purr stuttering. “You’re squishing me.”

I released my grip, not having realized how tightly I was holding her to keep the pieces of myself together. “Sorry.”

She stayed right where she was, and that was all the better. I was pretty sure if I looked her in the eye right now, I would break. I didn’t regret being with her, but I didn’t know how to escape the guilt of having taken this opportunity. I couldn’t run from the fact that I only had a chance with Charlotte because Emily was gone.

The symptoms I had been suffering since meeting Charlotte were gone. They had been screaming so loud that I didn’t know what to do with myself now that everything was quiet.

An alarm on Charlotte’s phone blared, breaking the silence between us. She sighed and reached out to turn it off. “That’s my reminder to get ready to pick up the kids.”

She sat up carefully, and my gaze was helplessly drawn to the smooth skin and curves I had only recently become acquainted with. Desire flooded me again, only marginally muted by guilt-driven nausea.

“What should I do?”

“Whatever you want. You can stay here, or come with me. If you’d rather stay at your rental you can go there, or visit Bryce.”

I couldn’t face my son right now. I was convinced he would sense my betrayal of his mother the moment he saw me, and I simply couldn’t stand it. “I’ll come with you.”

“I’m supposed to meet the others at the arena after their show. Did you want to come with me to that too?”

“Yes, please.”

I had very briefly met her other scent matches, but not in any real capacity. I didn’t know what Charlotte and I were now, but the foundations upon which I stood had irrevocably shifted the moment I’d tasted her lips. If I was going to return to my old life when my body finally settled, I should make sure the ones I was leaving her with were capable of taking care of her. I was going to make sure she had the best even though I couldn’t be with her long-term.

I glanced around her apartment. Maybe she would be receptive to a cash infusion to get her into somewhere more suitable? I didn’t dare suggest it right now, but I would like her to be in a space where she and her children weren’t tripping over one another.

She disappeared into the washroom and I sat on her bed, fists clutching her sheets as I waited my turn. I could only assume Emily would be okay with me making Charlotte’s life a little easier. She had always been so compassionate, volunteering her time, running charity drives, showing Bryce how he could make small differences in the world. All my son’s sweetness came from her. Charlotte’s children were still very young and chaotic, but it was easy to see they were learning it from their mother too.

Charlotte emerged, still blessedly naked, every luscious curve on display. “Bathroom is all yours.”

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