Page 181 of Knot Unwanted: Part One

We sit there for a moment longer, the silence heavy with unspoken tension. Then Jax turns to me, his expression cold and determined.

“We double security,” he says firmly. “Every camera, every lock. No one gets in or out without us knowing.”

I nod, already thinking through the next steps. “And Ren?”

His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t argue. “We call him. If they come back…” He trails off, but he doesn’t need to finish the sentence.

If they come back, we’ll be ready.

But as I turn the SUV around and head back toward the house, the uneasy feeling in my chest doesn’t go away. Because whoever they are, they’re not just watching.

They’re waiting.

And we’re running out of time.

Chapter 43

Hailey

Iwake slowly, my body heavy and sore, wrapped in warmth that feels both comforting and overwhelming. My skin feels too sensitive, every inch of me alive with sensations I don’t know how to process.

The nest smells like Finn—clean, grounding, safe—and I’m cocooned in his arms. His chest is pressed against my back, his steady breaths brushing the back of my neck, and my thighs ache with a dull, persistent reminder of what happened.

The memories flash through my mind in broken pieces. His hands on me, soothing the tension in my body as the heat clawed at me. The way he whispered my name like it was the most precious thing in the world. How I begged him, over and over, to help me, to make the unbearable ache go away.

And the moment he did.

My cheeks burn as the vivid memory rushes back—his body moving against mine, the way he filled me, stretching me, grounding me in something that felt like both relief and surrender. I thought the heat would consume me, that it would tear me apart from the inside out. But Finn held me together. He pulled me back from the edge and gave me something I didn’t know I needed.

My first time.

I squeeze my eyes shut, my heart pounding as the realization settles over me. I gave him my first time. I don’t regret it—how could I?—but the weight of it is still there, heavy and unfamiliar.

“Hailey?”

Finn’s voice is soft, rough with sleep, and the sound of it washes over me like a balm.

I shift slightly in his arms, wincing at the soreness between my legs. His hand moves to my hip, steadying me as he tugs me toward him.

“Easy,” he murmurs. “You’re still recovering.”

His words send another flood of memories crashing through me—his hands gripping my hips, his mouth on my neck, the way he whispered soft reassurances as he moved inside me.

My breath hitches, and I feel Finn stiffen behind me.

“Hailey,” he says again, his tone more alert now. “Are you okay?”

I nod quickly, my face burning. “I’m fine,” I whisper, though my voice is shaky.

“Are you sure?” His hand on my hip tightens slightly. “If you’re in pain?—”

“I’m not,” I cut him off, though the ache in my body says otherwise. “I just… I’m just sore.”

He’s quiet for a moment, his thumb brushing softly against my hip. “That’s normal,” he says gently. “After last night…” He trails off, voice thick with something I can’t quite name.

I close my eyes, replaying the way he looked at me last night. Even as the heat raged inside me, he was careful, checking on me with every movement, making sure I was okay.

“Finn,” I breathe, my voice barely above a whisper.

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