Page 73 of Hot Knot Summer
Then his mouth is on mine, and any pretense of restraint evaporates like morning mist under a blazing sun.
This isn’t a gentle first kiss. It’s ravenous, consuming, as if he’s been starving for the taste of me. His lips claim mine with a possessive hunger that makes my knees buckle and my mind go blissfully blank. One hand cradles the back of my head, fingers tangling in my hair, while the other splays across my lower back, pressing me closer until there’s not even air between us.
I should pull away, but my body rebels against all logic, my hands sliding up his chest to tangle in his hair, holding him to me as if I’m afraid he’ll vanish if I let go.
He tastes like chocolate and sin, a combination that makes my head spin and my body burn. His tongue traces the seam of my lips, seeking entrance, and Iopen to him with a soft whimper that would embarrass me if I had any capacity for shame left.
The kiss deepens and turns molten. His tongue strokes against mine in a way that has me moaning against him. I’m drowning in sensation, in the heat of his body against mine, in the way his hands seem to brand me through my clothes.
When we break apart, he doesn’t go far. His forehead rests against mine, both of us breathing hard, his hands now framing my face as if I’m something precious he can’t bear to release.
“That was...” I try to find words but fail spectacularly.
“A mistake?” I suggest, pulse still racing.
He shakes his head, eyes locked on mine. “Not even close. That was inevitable. I’ve been fighting it since the moment I sat next to you on the plane.”
“This is a bad idea,” I say, though my body screams otherwise. “I’m not looking for?—”
“An Alpha. I know.” His thumbs stroke my cheekbones, gentle despite the hunger still evident in his gaze. “But sometimes, what we’re not looking for is exactly what the universe gives us.”
Before I can form a response, he backs me gently against the railing, caging me with his arms on either side. The position should make me feel trapped. Instead, I feel strangely protected, sheltered from everything but him.
“If you were mine,” he says with an almost growl. “I would tear down the fucking world if it made youdoubt yourself for even a second. Would brand my claim on every inch of you until you couldn’t remember the names of any man who came before me. Would worship your body, your mind, until you never questioned your worth again.”
His words send liquid heat coursing through me, pooling low in my belly and between my thighs, where I’m already embarrassingly wet. Every Omega instinct I possess is screaming at me to submit, to offer my throat, to let this powerful Alpha claim me completely.
I fight it, fight the pull of biology and desire alike.
“Big promises, Chief, but I’ve heard pretty words before.”
His head tilts to the side at the challenge in my tone. “I don’t make promises I can’t keep, Emma. And I don’t just use pretty words.” He leans closer, his breath warm against my ear. “I use actions. Would you like me to show you?”
God help me, I would. Despite every warning bell clanging in my head, despite all my promises to myself, I rise up on my toes and press my mouth to his again.
This time, there’s no hesitation on either side. His hands slide down to my hips, lifting me effortlessly until I’m sitting on the railing, my legs parting instinctively to make room for him between them. The position brings us perfectly aligned, his hardness pressing against the core of me through our clothes, and I can’t suppress the moan that escapes me.
His mouth leaves mine to trail fire down my jaw to my neck, where my pulse hammers beneathmy skin. When he nips gently, then soothes the sting with his tongue, I nearly combust on the spot.
“You taste even better than you smell,” he murmurs against my throat, his stubble creating delicious friction against my sensitive skin. “And you smell like fucking heaven.”
“Atlas,” I gasp as his hands slide under my sweater, calloused palms skimming over my ribs, thumbs brushing the undersides of my breasts through my bra. “We shouldn’t?—”
“Tell me to stop,” he challenges, pulling back just enough to meet my eyes. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll walk away right now.”
I open my mouth, but the lie won’t come. I do want this. Desperate for him.
He seems to read the surrender in my eyes. With a growl, he captures my mouth again, kissing me until I’m dizzy with desire.
Then, to my shock, he pulls me off the railing and onto my feet. He then drops to his knees before me, looking up with such naked hunger that I nearly come undone on the spot.
“Let me taste you,” he says, hands sliding up my thighs, pushing my skirt higher. “Let me show you how an Alpha should adore his Omega.”
The possessive growl in his voice should terrify me. Instead, it sends a fresh flood of wetness between my legs, my body betraying my mind’s caution with enthusiastic abandon.
“Someone could see,” I protest weakly, even as I lean back slightly, giving him better access.
His smile is pure sin. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by forest. But if the idea of being watched excites you...” He leaves the suggestion hanging, his eyes gleaming with wicked promise.
