Page 28 of Knot Forever

My cheeks flare red at the thought, and Asher raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you well? You look flushed.”

Shaking my head, I drop my eyes to the floor. “I’m good. Sounds good. All of that – the shopping – that sounds good. Excellent.”

Jesus. I sound incoherent, but my ramblings are enough for Asher to give me a firm nod. “Good. We’ll take my car.”

Maybe I should tell them my heat might be coming. But we’ve just met, and we’re throwing out all sorts ofgetting to know each othervibes. I don’t want to disrupt that with hormones. I don’t even know if Marcus would want to help me through my heat, and my stomach twists at the idea. I don’t like the thought of leaving him out.

Chapter fifteen – Nova

Asherleadsmeoutsideto his car, a sleek, fast-looking matte black number from a very well-known brand.

“I’ve never seen this type of car before,” I admit when he holds the door open for me and I slide in. I sink against soft cream leather, the scent inside the car undeniably Asher’s as he gets in next to me and we pull away from the house.

He smirks at me. “It’s custom.”

“Of course it is.” Exaggeratedly, I roll my eyes at him, and he smirks.

“If I wasn’t driving, I’d take you over my knee for that, Nova Chevnik.”

My breath stutters in my chest, warmth rushing over me at the dark promise in his words. My scent fills the car in a rush, and Asher takes a deep breath.

“You smell delicious, little one.”

He sounds like the big bad wolf, and god help me, but I am here for it. My underwear is damp just from that one sentence. And I need more.

“Just out of curiosity. Do you mean… spanking?” I wonder aloud, and he snaps his head towards me, eyes glittering.

“Don’t tempt me,” he grunts, and I force my smile back.

We pull into the parking lot of the local omega shopping store, and Asher finds a spot close to the entrance before he turns to me.

His eyes trace over me, and I stare straight back at him.

“Who would you be, Nova Chevnik?” he murmurs. “If someone set you free?”

“What do you mean?”

He hums. “I can see it. You’re full of fire and passion, but you keep it locked away, in case someone punishes you for it.”

He pauses at my flinch, his tone softening. “I will never punish you, Nova. None of us will – at least not in a bad way. I have a feeling you’ll enjoy the punishments I like to give.”

I might agree, but the combination of our scents, of Asher watching me in the small space, is making my head spin. My hand moves to the door handle, and I scramble out, taking bracing breaths of the chilled air to clear my fuzzy head.

Asher rounds the car, but he stays a few steps away. “Too much?”

I shake my head, but I need to be honest with him. “This is… I met you allyesterday, Asher. Not even twenty-four hours ago.”

And now it feels like if they leave, I’ll spend the rest of my life thinking about these hours with them. But I’ve had enough broken promises to place all of my hope on a pack.

I’ve been wrong before. Who’s to say I’m not wrong again? Even the thought hurts, like a jagged rip inside my chest.

His head tilts. “Sometimes, you don’t need all the time in the world, Nova. Sometimes, we just know.”

“Just a little slower, Asher.” I keep my voice firm. “I’m not… I know what you’re saying. But I need a little time to get my head around this.”

“Take your time,” he says softly. But he’s walking towards me, and as I back up, his arms loosely cage me against his car.

“Take the time you want,” he murmurs. “But I’m not a patient alpha, Nova. I know what I want. I knew it when you baited me at the auction, and I know it now.”

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