Page 15 of Down Knot Out
Nathaniel kisses along my jaw, down thecolumn of my throat, his teeth grazing my pulse point. The sensation sends shivers through me, and I tilt my head, offering more of myself. His leather-clove scent intensifies, and I inhale, letting it fill my senses.
“You smell so good.” His breath flutters over my collarbone. “I want to expand the garden so I can add your scent to it.”
His desire to incorporate me into his home shifts a hurt place inside me. Flowers take forever to grow. He’s planning for a future with me in mind, and it heals a piece of me that broke when my father disowned me.
His fingers trace patterns on my inner thigh, each circle moving higher, teasing. My breath comes quicker now, shallow and uneven as his hand slips up under my shirt to cup my breasts, thumbing my hard nipples through my bra.
I gasp, his touch igniting a molten heat in my belly that spreads downward, turning my limbs liquid. He watches my face, reading every micro-expression with intense focus as his fingers slip around to the back, undoing the clasp, and then palming my bare flesh.
His mouth finds mine again, hungrier this time, his tongue sweeping into my mouth in slow, languid strokes that leave me trembling. I answerwith a soft moan, fingers tightening in the fabric of his shirt. His heartbeat pounds through his chest, steady but strong, holding himself in check. His restraint only fuels my desire.
I shift in his lap, straddling him more fully, and his breath catches. His hands drop to my waist, steadying me, and his fingers skim below my waistband. Shivering at the contact, I press closer, desperate for more.
His lips trace a path from my mouth to my jaw, then lower, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin beneath my ear. “Still sure?”
“Yes.” The word leaves me in a breath, with no hesitation. I tangle my fingers in his hair to keep him close, heart pounding so hard it pulses in every limb. “Please.”
He exhales slowly, as if he’s letting go of something heavy, and his hands begin to move again with more confidence. One slides up beneath my shirt, fingers splaying across my back as he guides me to lean into him. The other glides down, along the outside of my thigh, making me hyperaware of every inch of skin, every shift of fabric.
“You’re so soft.” His lips brush along my collarbone. “So warm.”
I gasp when his hand curves behind my knee,lifting it to settle me more securely. The move surrounds me with his warmth, his body a wall of strength I never want to escape.
He shifts us, laying me back on the blanket. “Still okay?”
“More than okay.” I stretch out beneath him, back arching. “I need you, Alpha.”
Chapter Five
Chloe
My belly flips at the slow, knowing curve of Nathaniel’s lips as he stares at me.
Then he ducks down to kiss me again, soft at first, then deeper, his tongue teasing mine until I’m left gasping into his mouth. His hand follows the line of my waist, then tugs at the waistband of my leggings.
“Lift for me,” he murmurs against my lips.
I do, hips rising as he hooks his fingers into the band of both my pants and underwear, easing them down together. His touch is reverent, almost careful, but without hesitation. Just steady intention that drives me crazy.
The fabric drags down my legs, and I shiver at the cool ocean air on my skin. Nathaniel’s handsstroke down the outside of my thighs as he pushes the pants past my knees, then further, until they come off. He sets them aside before turning back to me, his gaze sweeping over my now bare legs with so much appreciation that my flush deepens.
His warm, firm hand slides back up, fingers tracing the curve of my calf, my knee, my thigh. When he settles his palm on my hip, thumb stroking beneath the hem of my shirt, I release a shaky exhale.
“You’re beautiful.” He leans down to kiss me again. “So beautiful, Chloe.”
“Nathan,” I whisper, his name a plea for more.
His fingers brush my damp curls, applying gentle pressure that has me arching into his touch. My hands find purchase on his shoulders before sliding to his back, feeling the subtle shift of muscles beneath the fabric of his shirt.
“I’ve thought about touching you like this,” he confesses, voice strained with desire. “Since the first time I saw you in the Homestead. The first time I smelled your pheromones.”
His admission sends another wave of heat through me. The idea of him lying awake, wanting me, fantasizing about this very moment is intoxicating. I pull him closer, seeking his mouth again, kissing him with newfound urgency.
Nathaniel’s fingers slip inside me, and I suck in a sharp breath, my eyelashes fluttering. Everything narrows to that single point of connection, his skilled fingers exploring, circling, testing pressure and speed until he finds the rhythm that has me moaning and clutching at him.
“That’s it,” he encourages, his focus intent on my face. “Let me see what you like.”
My body responds to his touch with embarrassing eagerness, already slick and ready. I arch my back as his ministrations intensify, my fingers digging into his back as a tide of pleasure threatens to sweep me away. Above us, seagulls wheel in a cloudless sky. Beside us, waves crash on the shore. But all of it fades to background noise muffled by the thunder of my pulse in my ears.
