Page 160 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

I catch her, steadying her against my chest. “I’ve got you. He won’t hurt you. He’s fighting it so hard because he doesn’t want to scare you.”

“But I don’t understand.” Her voice breaks. “Why is he…why am I…why are you…”

“Because you’re meant to be ours,” I whisper, the truth I’ve been fighting slipping out. “All of ours. Even mine, though that makes no sense. You’re changing everything we thought we knew.”

She turns in my arms, pressing her face into my neck. Her breath comes in hot little pants against my skin. “Please,” she whimpers. “Please make it stop hurting, Finn.”

My heart aches at the sound of my name on her lips. I’ve been through heats before. More than I can count now. But this is different. Dangerous in ways I don’t fully understand.

“The water’s ready,” I murmur. “Let’s get these clothes off. They’re probably feeling awful against your skin right now.”

She nods, fumbling with her t-shirt. Her hands are shaking too badly to even lift the fabric over her head. Without comment, I gently shift her hands aside and do it myself. Each new inch ofexposed skin releases more of her scent—honey and vanilla and need. So muchneed—and I grunt as my cock stands at attention, straining painfully against my sweatpants.

Down the hall, Stone’s pacing becomes more agitated. The sound of his footsteps is erratic. I hear him curse, then the slam of his bedroom door. He’s trying so hard to give her space, to not frighten her. My chest tightens with pride and pain.

“He’s hurting,” Hailey whispers, surprising me. Even amid her distress, she’s worried about him. “Because of me.”

“Not because of you,” I correct gently, sliding her shirt off her shoulders. Her skin is burning hot under my palms. “Because he cares about you. Because he wants to protect you, even from himself.”

A whimper escapes her as cool air hits her overheated skin. I help her step out of the sweatpants and special panties we’d bought. They’re soaked, too. She’s trembling harder now, her scent thick with embarrassment and arousal.

And she’s naked before me. My cock bobs under the restraints of my clothing, fighting to escape. My mouth practically goes dry.

Hailey’s skin is flushed and so damp with sweat, it gleams in the dim light. Her curves are supple, her waist narrow, flaring into the gentle swell of her hips. Her breasts, full and heavy, rise and fall with each trembling breath. The soft curve of her belly, the delicate slope of her thighs…every inch of her is a masterpiece, an exquisite work of art that I can’t tear my eyes away from. The dark triangle between her legs, still glistening with her arousal, draws my gaze, the sight sending a jolt of pure lust through me. She’s beautiful. Breathtakingly beautiful. And the fact that she’s standing before me, naked and vulnerable, trusting me with her fear and her desire… it makes something deep inside me ache with a tenderness I’ve never known before. My cock throbs harder. The need to touch her, to comfort her, to claim her as mine is a burning ache in my gut.

I have to clench my jaw hard. I end up biting my tongue. The pain is enough to give me some clarity.

She curls in on herself, as if embarrassed by her bareness.

“Nothing I haven’t seen before,” I reassure her, though that’s a lie. I’ve never seen anything like her—all soft curves and delicate strength. My hands itch to touch, to soothe, to claim. I clench them at my sides instead.

“The water,” she gasps, swaying on her feet. “Please.”

I help her into the tub, supporting her as she sinks into the cool water. She moans at the contact—a sound that goes straight through me and culminates at the tip of my shaft. I can feel myself seeping. Down the hall, something heavy hits the wall. Stone must have heard it, too.

“Better?” I ask, keeping my voice steady as I kneel beside the tub.

She nods, then arches as another wave of heat hits her. Water sloshes over the edge of the tub, soaking my shirt. I don’t care.

“Finn,” she whimpers, reaching for me. Her wet hand finds my arm, grips tight. “Stay? Please?”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise. And I mean it with everything in me. Whatever this is between us—this impossible pull—I’m done fighting it. I stopped fighting the moment I admitted to her all my truths.

I stroke her hair back from her face, letting my fingers trail along her neck. She shivers, tilting her head to bare her throat. The gesture of submission—unconscious and perfect—makes something deep inside me growl in satisfaction.

The sound surprises us both. I…growled? Her eyes fly open, dark with heat and confusion. “How…?” she starts to ask.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “None of this makes sense. I’m an omega. I shouldn’t be able to…shouldn’t want to…”

“Want to what?” she whispers, though her dilated pupils suggest she knows exactly what I mean.

Before I can answer, an agonized roar echoes through thehouse. Stone. The sound tears through both of us. Hailey jerks upright in the tub, water cascading off her body. Her nipples are hard peaks, her skin flushed pink.

“He needs…” she gasps. “We should…”

“No.” The word comes out sharper than I mean it to. I soften my tone. “Not yet. Not until you’re ready. He’d never forgive himself if he scared you. Plus…this isn’t about him. This is about you.”

She subsides back into the water, but her scent has changed. There’s less fear now; more…curiosity. Interest. Need.

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