Page 110 of Knot in Bloom
She turns to look at me with that expression I’ve learned to recognize—arousal and affection mixed with the kind of vulnerability that makes my chest tight.
“Reid, I know I’ve been obsessing over details lately?—”
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard,” I correct gently. “There’s a difference between excellence and exhaustion.”
“I just want everything to be perfect. The shop is doing so well, and I want to keep that momentum?—”
“The shop is successful because of your talent, not because you work eighteen-hour days.” I reach over to cup her face, feeling the exhaustion in the fine lines around her eyes. “You’re allowed to rest, sweetheart. You’re allowed to just... be.”
The concern in my voice makes her scent shift from bitter stress to sweet vulnerability. “Sometimes I forget that.”
“Then let me remind you,” I tell her, leaning closer to breathe in her familiar honeysuckle. “Let me remind you that you’re precious just as you are.”
The simple declaration makes her eyes well with tears she’s been holding back for weeks. “I don’t know when I started thinking I had to earn every good thing in my life.”
“You don’t earn love, Sadie. You just receive it and give it back.” I unbuckle both our seatbelts and guide her over the center console to settle astride my lap. “Let me take care of you.”
The confined space makes everything more intense—her scent wrapping around me while her weight settles perfectly against my growing arousal. This is about connection, about reminding her that she’s allowed to want things just for herself.
“This feels very teenage,” she says with a soft laugh, but her hands are already working at my shirt buttons.
“I never had time for teenage makeout sessions,” I admit, helping her strip away my clothes. “Too busy planning my escape from small-town life.”
“Poor sophisticated alpha,” she teases, but her touch is gentle as she explores my chest. “Look how that turned out.”
“Best mistake I ever made,” I agree, not caring about irony when her mouth finds my throat. “Led me straight to you.”
Her lips against my neck send sparks down my spine. The way she explores my skin with her tongue, tasting salt and something that’s purely me, makes my cock throb against her core. I can smell how her scent deepens with arousal, that honeysuckle and vanilla turning richer, warmer.
“I want you,” she says simply, her voice soft but certain. “Not because I should, not because it’s expected. Just because I want this. Want you.”
The honesty in her voice makes my chest tight with emotion. “Then take me,” I tell her, framing her face with my hands. “Take whatever you want from me.”
She kisses me then, deep and hungry, pouring all her need into the connection of our mouths. I respond with everything I have, tasting her sweetness while my hands map the curves of her body.
“Let me worship you,” I murmur against her lips. “Let me show you how much I love touching you.”
My hands slide under her sweater, and she arches into my touch with a soft gasp. Her skin is warm and soft, perfect under my palms. I peel away her clothes slowly, savoring every inch of exposed skin.
“So beautiful,” I breathe, cupping her breasts and feeling their weight in my hands. “I could spend hours just touching you.”
“Reid,” she gasps when I lean down to take one peaked nipple into my mouth. Her hands tangle in my hair, holding me against her as I worship her with lips and tongue and gentle teeth.
The taste of her skin drives me wild. Clean and sweet with that underlying omega scent that makes every alpha instinct I have roar to life. I alternate between her breasts, lavishing attention on each nipple until she’s writhing against me, soft moans spilling from her lips.
“Please,” she whimpers, her hips rolling against my hardness. “I need more.”
“I know what you need,” I tell her, my voice rough with want. “But I’m going to take my time giving it to you.”
My hands slide down to work at her jeans, and she lifts herself to help me strip away the last barriers between us. When she settles back onto my lap, completely naked, the sight of her steals my breath.
“God, you’re perfect,” I say, running my hands over every inch of exposed skin. “Look at you. My beautiful omega.”
The possessive words make her scent spike with arousal, fresh slick coating my fingers when I slide my hand between her thighs. She’s already wet for me, her body preparing itself for what’s coming.
“So ready,” I murmur, circling her entrance with gentle fingers. “Can you feel how much your body wants this? How much it wants me?”
“Yes,” she sobs, rolling her hips to increase the pressure. “Want you so much it hurts.”
