Page 105 of Break Me Knot

Cole

“Ishould beg you,” I tell her as I catch her in my arms. Her soft, warm body melts against mine so easily. I can hardly believe I have this precious, precious omega in my arms. “After everything I did to you...” My hands tremble as I cup her face, remembering all the times I held back, all the times I watched her struggle. I thought I was only denying myself, but I denied her too. “Your forgiveness is more than I could ever expect. More than I deserve.”

And now she's asking to bind her soul to mine. This perfect, strong, incredible omega who survived hell and emerged even stronger. Who built us this beautiful nest with such love and care, weaving our clothes and scents together likeshe was always meant to be our mate. Who faced down her demons and still has enough trust left to offer herself to us so completely.

She’s a wonder.

Scent-matched or not, this is... this iseverything.

The claiming marks from Adrian and Zane stand out starkly against her skin, beautiful declarations of their bonds. Soon my mark will join theirs, completing our circle, making us whole. They are scars of a different kind. Born of love and not from violence. Love…

I’m in love with her, scent-match or no scent-match.

It’s that simple and that hard.

“Are you sure?” I have to ask. Even though she’s bonded to Adrian and Zane, she doesn’t have to bond me too. Shouldn’t feel as though she has to. My thumbs stroke her cheekbones. “You've already given me so much—”

She cuts me off with a finger to my lips, her eyes shining with certainty. “I want you, Cole. All of you. Forever.”

I stare at her, drinking in every detail. She's so damn beautiful, my chest aches with the strength of the emotion. The fairy lights cast her in ethereal gold, highlighting the curves and planes of her body, the claiming marks from Adrian and Zane, the trust in her eyes.

She's mine.

After holding back, fighting my instincts, trying to protect her by denying us… she's actuallymine. Wanting me. Trusting me with her heart and soul.

“I love you.” The words fall from my lips like a prayer. Words I've held back for so long, thinking I was doing the right thing.

Such a fool I've been.

The ends of her lips tug up. “I know.”

“How could you possibly know when I did everything I could to push you away?” Every avoided touch, every maintained distance, every time I fought against our natural pull… how could she see past that?

She traces my jaw with delicate fingers, the touch sending sparks through my system. “Only an alpha who truly loves his scent-matched omega would do something so monumentally stupid because he thinks he's protecting her.”

Zane chuckles and mutters something that sounds like ‘I told you so’, but I ignore him. I’ll cop it from him and Adrian later, but right here and now is for this omega and me.

The truth of her words hits me hard. I was stupid, so incredibly, monumentally stupid. I thought I was protecting her when I only brought her pain. Rejecting her when really I was just being a coward.

“You're right,” I murmur, bending to capture her lips in a soft kiss. I don’t deserve her in any definition of the word but, damn, I won’t hold back from anything she offers. Her mouth is warm and welcoming against mine, tasting of forgiveness and promise. “I've been an idiot. The biggest fool in all of history.” Another kiss, deeper this time. “But I promise to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you.”

Zane coughs ‘yes you will’. Adrian’s growl is immediate, cutting him off.

She melts against me, her body soft and yielding, her scent sweet with forgiveness and love. All my careful restraint, all my noble intentions, mean nothing in the face of this. Of her. Of us. Of the perfect rightness of holding her in my arms, of her offering herself to me with such trust, love, and certainty.

I'll never be that stupid again.

Our kiss deepens, turning from soft and sweet to hungry and urgent. My hands roam her body, touching, caressing, claiming every inch of her with my fingers and palms. I map the curve of her waist, the dip of her lower back, the swell of her hips, committing each detail to memory. She's soft and warm under my touch, her skin like silk, her curves fitting perfectly in my palms.

She straddles my lap, her knees bracketing my hips, her wet heat pressing against my straining cock. I groan into the kiss, my hips bucking up involuntarily at the contact. I'm achingly hard, my shaft throbbing, my knot swelling in anticipation. Every brush of her body against mine sends jolts of electricity through my system, making me drunk on her, on us.

Venom pools in my mouth, sweet and potent, a biological reaction to having my scent-matched omega so close, so ready. I swallow it down, wanting to give her pleasure first, to make her fall apart in my arms before I claim her fully. The thought of tasting her, of experiencing her coming undone on my tongue, makes my cock twitch and my knot throb.

My hands slide down to cup her ass, squeezing the soft flesh, pulling her harder against me. She gasps into the kiss, her hips rolling in a way that makes us both moan. Her slick coats my lap, her arousal mixing with my pine and her sugared lilac and vetiver. It's intoxicating, maddening, perfect.

“I need to taste you,” I growl against her lips, my voice rough with desire. “Need to make you come on my tongue before I claim you.”

Her answering whimper is breathy and desperate, her scent spiking with want. “Please, Cole.” Her hips rock more insistently now. “I need you. Need your mouth, your knot, your bite. Everything.”

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