Page 45 of Ready or Knot

“Faedra? Is everything alright? I thought you and Logan were working on your room again today.”

Despite Carter’s voice being full of worry, his cadence dropping into a low, soothing baritone, the restless energy roiling through me settles a bit. Finally able to pull in a full breath, I let his voice pull my attention away from the full height window. He stands from where he’s perched behind his large walnut desk, a series of files spread across its surface nearest me and an Apple monitor and keyboard nestled into the middle of the other portion, the screen black.

He’s dressed in navy today, his grey tie held with a minimalist tie tack that matches his cuff links. He pulls off a small set of readers and sets them behind the keyboard. When I don’t say anything, he rounds the desk and crosses the room, extending a hand to me.

“Are you reacting to coming off the suppressors?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” I assure him, taking his hand and lacing our fingers together.

He runs his thumbs over my knuckles, and my thighs fucking clench. I amend the thought. Turned on and flustered as hell, but technically fine. He pulls me into his chest, arms wrapping around my waist as he kisses the crown of my head.

“I got packets from three of the schools and didn’t want to open them alone,” I explain, my lips brushing the buttons running down his chest. “Logan got a call a while ago, and now he’s meeting with one of his regular athletes.”

He kisses my temple as he steps away, leading me around the desk. “Come sit,” he says.

I’m content to follow him.

Once he’s settled in the chair, he extends his other hand to me, keeping me steady while I arrange myself sideways in his lap. I lean my head against his shoulder just as I drop my bag to the floor at his feet. His scent surrounds me, and I turn until my nose is buried in his neck. His hand rakes through my hair, and I can’t help but shiver as goosebumps echo the path his fingers take along my shin. His chest vibrates with a content hum.

With each second that passes, my stomach settles and the insidious restless, anxious feeling that’s been with me since Logan left finally starts to subside. Another deep breath full of his pine scent, and I manage to sit up and grab the packets from my bag. The hand that’s in my hair drops to my waist, coasting down my spine, and I clench my thighs again. Another hum rumbles through him, lower than I’ve ever heard before.

I grab all three packets, resting them in my lap, tapping my thumb on them as I look at Carter, my lip between my teeth as I try to decide in what order to open them. Eyes intent on me, he grabs a small letter opener from the top drawer of the desk, his arms creating a strong cage around me. I settle deeper into the safety of his touch, his body, him. He makes quick work of all three seals before wedging the packets between our bodies and putting the letter opener back. I blow out a breath and grab the first one, pulling the first page from the envelope.

“Accepted,” I breathe, and Carter squeezes my shin. He hands me the next packet, and my nerves tick higher. This one doesn’t have a succinct letter outside of the information, so I pull the entire packet out and fish through the papers until I find the one I’m looking for. I laugh, nerves falling away. “This one, too.”

Carter smiles, pulling me into him and kissing my temple. Blowing out a breath, I grab the last one.

“This is the one I really want,” I say, turning the envelope over in my hands. “It’s nearby and offers both an in person and a hybrid option. And it seems to be one of the more progressive schools in terms of accommodations for Omegas during their heats.”

I can’t manage to open the envelope, the words printed on the small, impersonal labels feeling larger than life at the moment. Carter gently pulls it from my hands, and my breath catches. He hooks a finger under my chin, guiding me to look at him. I go willingly, locking my gaze with his a moment before he’s pressing a gentle, intimate kiss to my lips. My eyes flutter shut, and he deepens the kiss, tongue tracing over mine. His hands brush mine as he pulls a single piece of paper from the envelope and sets it in my lap. I kiss him harder, eliciting a soft groan from between his lips.

Eventually, he pulls away, that finger under my chin becoming his entire hand cupping my jaw.

“Look, Faedra,” he whispers. “I want you to look before I see what it says.”

A lump settles in my throat, and I swallow, trying to get it unstuck. Why is this one so much harder than the paperwork the Council sent about my match?

Probably because I could actually fail this one. And I really don’t want to fail this one.

My eyes flick to the paper resting against my thighs, and my breath catches. I look up at Carter, a grin on my face, at the same moment he looks at the acceptance letter. He smiles just as I slam my lips into his, dropping the paper and twisting my hands into his wavy hair. His arm bands around me, fingers spreading across my hip, and pulls me closer into him.

“Good job, Faedra,” he whispers against my lips before kissing me again. “I’m so proud of you.”

His words touch a place in me I didn’t know existed, a deep well that absorbs them and desires more. A shot of heat races through me, pooling in my core, and I clench my thighs again, trying to find enough friction to ease the ache blooming between them. Carter’s hand tightens, fingers digging into my hip bone, but it only causes my skin to grow hotter, tighter. My tongue moves more insistently against his, communicating everything I can’t manage to put into words at the moment.

My scent floods the space in the next heartbeat, overwhelming us both before I can hope to stop it. He pulls away with a groan.

“Faedra, love, you’re hell on my control.”

His own scent strengthens, cocooning me in the smell of pine and smoke. I hum, pushing into him again, chasing his lips, following the instinctual drive of my body, the feelings more intense in the sudden absence of the suppressors.

Carter groans again, chest rumbling, and then I’m in his arms as he stands, the information from the universities crashing to the floor at his feet. He reaches out, pushing the open files to one side of the desk, making some of them fall off the edge. His urgency sets me aflame, and I whine into his mouth as he perches me on the desk. He steps between my legs, forcing them wide even as I squirm, my clit hyper sensitive.

I don’t even think as he crowds into me—I just grab my shirt and pull it over my head, dropping it at his feet. Carter’s response is instant, his hands cupping my breasts, his thumbs pushing aside the cups of my bra. His lips trace down my throat, his tongue flicking across my collar bones. A quick flick, and he has my bra falling to the ground beside my shirt.

He wrings a gasp out of me as he sets his mouth against me, pulling my nipple past his teeth and sucking gently. Goosebumps ghost across my skin, and I shiver. He moves to the other breast, giving it the same attention, his teeth lightly scraping as he pulls his mouth away. I can’t help but moan, squirming again, my clit so sensitive I can feel my heartbeat. Slipping beneath my skirt, his hands skate to the tops of my thighs, his fingers brushing the creases of my hips, and his eyes are hot as he takes in my green lace panties. He traces my pussy, and he groans, his finger coming away wet from my slick.

Slick I didn’t even realize my body could create until Jude wrung an orgasm from me a few days ago.

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