Page 65 of Knot Just Their Nanny
Her fingers trace idle patterns on my back, and it’s bliss. Despite the craziness of our rut and heat-induced tumble, there’s a sense of rightness that settles deep in my soul. She has to feel it. She has to. It’s like all my life, I’ve been waiting to fit with someone just like this.
Zara yawns then, a small, exhausted sound that makes her seem impossibly more adorable. “Stay,” she mumbles, the word slurring slightly with her weariness and the aftershocks still coursing through her body.
I don’t need telling twice. “I’m not going anywhere,” I reply, my voice laced with a contentment that’s new to me. I’m used to caring for the omegas during their heat, but this is different. Zara isn’t just another omega; she’s mine in a way that has nothing to do with biology or instinct and everything to do with the way my heart races at her smile.
Her response is a contented sigh, and slowly, her breathing evens out, but before she drifts off to sleep, she murmurs, “Meant to be.”
Chapter 36
Zara
Waking up with a start, I feel cool. Still hot from my heat, but the warmth of Liam’s body next to mine is gone. Sitting up, I feel weird, like I should be succumbing to my heat urges again, but I’m not. Glancing around, I frown. It’s still light out but getting dark, which means I haven’t been out for very long. Wondering where Liam went, I don’t have long to wonder when he taps lightly on the door and pushes it open, carrying a tray of sandwiches and a bottle of water.
“Hey, princess. Thought you might be hungry,” Liam says, his voice carrying that gentle tone that makes my stomach flip in the best possible way. I smile at the sight of him caring for me like this.
“Do I even want to know what Ben and Henry have to say about this?” I ask, hiding my face behind my hands as he kneels and places the tray and himself on the edge of my nest, respecting my nesting boundaries.
He frowns slightly. “I wouldn’t know. I didn’t see either of them. I assume they’re holed up in their rooms, trying not to pounce on you.”
“That’s sweet,” I murmur, my cheeks flushing at the thought of all that pouncing. It’s not a horrible thought. In fact, it’s one that the omega inside me decides she likes. A lot. Clearing my throat, I reach for a sandwich.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better now,” I admit. “Thank you. But it’s a bit odd.”
“What do you mean?” he asks with concern.
“It feels like the heat is receding slightly. I mean, more so than would be usual after a knot.”
“Oh?” He arches an eyebrow and bites into a sandwich.
I do the same, just for something to do that doesn’t feel awkward after my confession.
“I’ve heard of that happening,” he says after a few chews and a swallow. “Not often, but it can happen under certain circumstances.”
Snorting, I ask, “So what? You’re the omega expert now?”
He chuckles. “I’ve had my fair share of ruts, princess. I learn stuff.”
My jaw tightens at the mention of him rutting with other omegas. Not that I can say anything about it, but the green-eyed monster is trying to rear its stupid head, and I can’t push it back down.
He sees my mood change and smiles darkly. “Oh, jealous, are you?”
“No,” I spit out and then shove the sandwich into my mouth again to avoid more conversation. That doesn’t stop him, though.
“You are, and I love it, but you have absolutely nothing to worry about, Zara.” His face goes serious. “I meant what I said about us and that we’re meant to be. I feel it. Do you?”
“I wouldn’t be jealous if I didn’t,” I murmur, looking away.
“Don’t be jealous,” he murmurs. “They were nothing compared to you, to this. I’m not jealous of your past alphas because I know they didn’t getthiswith you.”
“Well, aren’t you so bloody perfect, then?” I ask with an embarrassed giggle.
He laughs, too. “Not even close. I just know what this is.”
We lock gazes, and I return his smile. “Me too. But I’m still confused about the heat.”
“Maybe it was fate trying to give us a jump-start,” he says.
