Page 88 of Knot Like Other Girls

I shouldn't be here. Should be the last fucking person in the world entrusted with this.

Bella shifts on the bed, a small whimper escaping her lips as another wave of heat crashes over her. The sound slices through me. Before I can stop myself, I'm moving toward her, my feet carrying me to the edge of the bed.

I keep my distance, though. Arms rigid at my sides, hands clenched into fists to keep from reaching out. "What do you need?" I ask, the words rough and awkward on my tongue.

She looks up at me through a curtain of dark hair. "Hold me?" The request is so small, so hesitant, it makes my chest ache. "The suppressants aren't working yet. Everything hurts."

I swallow hard, fear and longing warring inside me. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please." Her voice breaks on the word, and with it, my resolve.

Carefully, moving as if approaching a wounded animal, I lower myself to sit on the edge of the bed. The mattress dips under my weight, and Bella slides toward me slightly. Her scent surrounds me, stronger and more intoxicating than ever.

"Why me?" I have to ask, the question clawing its way out before I can stop it. "Any of them would be better at... this."

At comfort.

At gentle touches.

At being what an omega needs.

Bella's eyes meet mine, clear despite the fever of her heat. "Because I trust you."

Trust.

She trusts me?

Such a small word for such an impossible concept.

"You shouldn't," I warn her, but I don't move away.

"Too late." The ghost of a smile touches her lips. "I already do."

Another cramp hits her, and she curls forward with a gasp. Without thinking, I reach out, my hand hovering awkwardly over her back. She leans into my touch, and the contact sends electricity shooting up my arm.

"What can I do?" I ask, desperate and out of my depth.

"Just hold me." She scoots closer, her body radiating heat. "Please."

I hesitate, fighting every alpha instinct screaming at me to gather her up and never let go. This is dangerous territory. Touch isn't something I do anymore.

But Bella is waiting, watching me with those green eyes that somehow see past all my sharp edges. And I'm too weak, too selfish to deny her.

Awkwardly, I shift on the bed, my back against the headboard. "Come here," I murmur, opening my arms.

She doesn't hesitate. In one smooth motion, she's nestled against my chest, her head tucked under my chin, her body fitting against mine like she was made to be there.

And maybe she was.

Bella sighs, some of the tension leaving her body as I wrap my arms around her. "Thank you," she whispers against my neck.

I grunt in response, not trusting myself to speak. Her scent is overwhelming this close, seeping into my pores, becoming part of me. My heart pounds a desperate rhythm against my ribs, so loud I'm sure she can hear it.

But this isn't about me. It's about her. About getting her through this unexpected heat with her dignity intact. About being what she needs right now, even if that's the last thing in the world I thought I could be.

"This doesn't hurt, right?" she whispers into my neck, her breath fanning over the scars there.

"The scars don't hurt anymore," I find myself saying, the words slipping out. "Most of them, anyway. There are places where the nerve endings are dead. Can't feel anything. Other spots where everything's too sensitive. Like my skin's on inside out."

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