Page 8 of Knot Beneath the Mistletoe

"Ruby..."

This time, when she shivers, it's not from fear. Her scent deepens, flooding me with desperate desires, with a hunger so strong, it makes my head spin. I lean closer, giving her time to pull away.

She doesn't.

The first brush of my lips against hers is gentle. The second is pure possession. She tastes like winter spices and sex, her mouth opening on a gasp that I swallow hungrily. My fingers tighten in her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss, our mouths mashing together, my body pressing against her, feeling the softness of her breasts, the trembling of her body. Her hands clutch my shirt, nails scraping my chest through the fabric.

I kiss her like a starved man finding air. Every soft moan she makes vibrates through my bones, setting off primal instincts I'd thought long buried.

Protect.

Claim.

Keep.

Mine.

Her back arches, pressing harder against mine, her nipples hard, and I growl into her mouth. My free hand slides down her side to her hip, drawing her closer, eager to feel every inch of her. She makes a desperate sound that nearly undoes me, her fingers moving to tangle in my hair.

I need more—I need all of her.

When I finally pull back, my hands on her hips to lift her up on the bar, we're both breathing hard, but she instantly places a palm on my chest, pausing me. Her lips are swollen, her pupils blown wide, her hair a mess from my hands. I want to kiss her again. Want to fuck her right here on the bar, to make her scream.

Then she shoves me away so hard, I stumble.

"No," she says, voice shaking. "No, no, no. This isn't happening. I'm not ready for an Alpha, not sure I can trust…"

I can still taste her on my lips, can smell how our scents have mixed together into something intoxicating. Fuck, it's an addiction.

"Ruby—"

"Get out." She wraps her arms around herself, looking smaller somehow. "Please, just… I can't do this. I can't."

Everything in me fights against leaving her like this, my cock so hard in my pants, it aches, but I force myself to step back.

"I'll go if that's what you wish."

"Yes, it is." But she won't meet my eyes, and we both know she's fighting her own temptation.

I make it to the door before turning back. Ruby is still pressed against the bar, looking lost and frowning and fucking beautiful.

"For what it's worth," I say quietly, "I'm not trying to save you. I just want to know you."

Then I walk out into the night before I can do something stupid like kiss her again until we end up fucking. The cool air does nothing to clear my head—I can still smell that delicious sex scent, still taste her honey, still feel the pressure of her lips against mine.

I force myself to keep walking.

Ruby might not believe in fate, might not want anything to do with Alphas or relationships or me, but I know one thing with bone-deep certainty.

She's mine. She just doesn't know it yet.

4

GARRETT

I've becomethatAlpha. The kind who watches an Omega from across the street, on my third cup of coffee in two hours this morning while pretending I'm not completely fixated on her every move. But here's the thing—when your soul recognizes its mate, rationality goes straight to hell.

Mom always said I'd know.One day, Garrett, you'll scent an Omega, and everything will shift. It'll terrify you, but you grab that chance with both hands and don't let go.

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