Page 139 of Knot Her Cowboys
I carted everything upstairs along with a jug of orange juice they’d added for us.
The others were partially awake when I returned. As I set everything down on the coffee table, Riley garbed herself in a blanket and shuffled over, the rest of our pack following.
“Blankets down,” Riley ordered. “No bare booties on my beautiful couches.”
“Where did all of this come from?” Cash asked me.
“Our very thoughtful staff.” I poured everyone some juice for the sugar boost and Riley chugged hers down before holding up her empty cup in a silent request for more. “One more, and then switch to water for the next.”
She pouted but acquiesced.
The lasagna was gone in record time, my own portion included. It wasn’t nearly enough to replenish the calories lost from ruining our omega, but it was a start, and while the heat wasn’t over yet, I was grateful for the brief reprieve, however short it ended up being.
Being in the bond was overwhelming, but in a way that felt like seeing the sun after being underground. I craved the warmth and light of it. Ofher.
Riley was officially ours now, and I was so fucking excited for the life we were going to build together.
Patience had never been one of my strengths, but I’d grown accustomed to waiting. This time I’d waited for Riley to be fully lucid so I could look her in the eye when I claimed her. I wanted her to have clear eyes when she bit me, no matter how much she’d insisted before going into heat that she wanted bonds from my pack.
She’d begged me more than once already, but luxurious kisses and a knot had contented her for a brief time. I’d thought about biting her and just not breaking the skin, but I didn’t trust my instincts to let me stop there. Dakota and Levi had taken on the lion’s share of the tending at the start with their fresh bonds to drive them, though I’d had no shortage of time with Riley coming apart for me.
She slid from Dakota’s lap to mine, gazing at me with so much affection I could hardly breathe. “How long are you going to wait? I’ll let you edge me twelve times again if it would help.”
I swallowed hard. “I want you to be sure.”
“I’vealwaysbeen sure about you. That’s not going to change.”
“You never know. I could’ve had a personality transplant while you were gone.”
“You didn’t. You grew, for sure, but I don’t think the boy who loved me has gone anywhere. Neither has the girl who loved you.” Her kiss was soft reassurance.
I had to ask anyway. “You’rereallysure you want my bond?”
“Are you asking becauseyou’renot sure about mine?” Her bottom lip wobbled. “What can I do to?—”
“It’s not that,” I promised.
“Then what?”
“I’ve loved you pretty well my entire life, and wanted to share a bond with you since I knew what one was, but it doesn’t feel totally real that I’m about to have it.”
She cupped my face and pressed her forehead to mine. “It’s real. I want your mark on my skin, and I want the whole world to see that I was always meant to be Cooper’s girl. I belong with you, with this pack. I love you.”
“I love you more.” I locked my arms around her, holding the love of my life close. “Do you think you’ll slip into the haze if I make you come before biting you?”
Riley shrugged. “No way to know, but I’m always happy to have your hands on me, and I’m telling you right now that I give you my full consent for you to bond me even if I do slip under. I know you worry, though, and that you like things to go a certain way. I’ll try to let you know if I feel myself getting close to the haze so you can bite me before that, okay?”
I searched her gaze, cupping her cheeks. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
I carried her over to the bed, where she pulled me in, her thighs spreading with a soft sigh on her lips. Sinking against her had always felt like coming home, and sinkingintoher was a unique euphoria I could never tire of.
Her breathy moan filled my ear, my omega wrapping her limbs around me. “Cooper, I’m not going to break. You can fuck me as hard as you want.”
With permission granted, I lifted her hands and crossed them over her head where Cash helpfully held them in place for me. I shifted her legs, propping her ankles on my shoulders and folding her like a little pretzel so I could grip her hips and give her exactly what she wanted. Bracing my arms around her thighs let me lift her, bringing her to the perfect height and angle to scramble that beautiful brain of hers.
Every broken curse that fell from her lips coaxed me on. Her slick heat and needy whines hooked into the heart of me, taking up residence in my chest even without a bond to tie us together. Tension coiled tighter with every thrust. I wanted to knot her, fill her up and brand her from the inside out. The cells making me up were already branded by her so it seemed only fair I get to do the same to her.
