Page 56 of Knotty New Year

“Oh god, they heard all the elevator farts?” I stuffed a fist in my mouth, mortified.

“Elevator whats? Nicky, I think she still has heat-brain.”

I crawled under the covers while Pax laughed. He came back to bed after a minute, interrupting my plans to move to a secret location and live out my life under an assumed identity. I would make a good surf instructor, if I learned to surf. Or an English teacher for really young kids in the Pacific. Or…

“You’d be great at all that. But if it helps, I’m pretty sure your parents have been staying at another one of our properties in Telluride all week.”

“All week? They’ve been here the whole time?”

He stuck his head under the covers. “Sweetheart, of course they’re here. Kati called them days ago. We were all so worried about you. You were lost on the slopes for hours in the snow. I promise I wasn’t the only one terrified. Your parents wouldn’t be anywhere else. They love you.”

He whispered the next few words, like he wasn’t certain what I’d say. “And I feel the same. I love you, Candy.”

Chapter24

Pax

Iheld my breath for a long moment, waiting for my little mate’s response. I hadn’t wanted to say those words for the first time when she was in the grip of her heat, or while I was knotting her.

I didn’t want her to mistake what I meant.

“You do?”

I pulled her out from under the covers, wishing I could start over again with her, and wipe the uncertainty from her face. I’d made her feel insecure in our relationship, and it was time to fix that.

“I do, and even if I don’t deserve you, I’m going to prove how grateful I am for the chance to spend our lives making it clear. Being your mate is my deepest dream come true. Every hope that someday I would have a love that changed who I am, made real.” I took her hand and pressed it to my mate mark. “Can’t you feel it, sweetheart?” I closed my eyes, concentrating on the emotions inside me.

“You do,” she said at last, her voice filled with awe. And joy. “You really love me.”

I cupped her chin on my hand. “Yes, and I will love you to the very end of my life, knowing you are the best part of it.”

“I love you, too, Nicholas Paxson.”

I felt the truth of that even before she said the words, but the soft statement sent another wave of joy through me. I pressed my lips to hers, and we both lost ourselves in the moment.

Until reality intruded, as it always does.

Lin called out our names, something hitting the floor right outside the room. “I’m leaving your outfits here, as well as Candy’s purse and phone. It’s lost its charge, sorry. You really do need to hurry things up.”

“We have a charger here. Give us an hour.”

Lin muttered something like, “Just don’t knot her butt again.”

Candy was a beautiful mess, her hair knotted almost as thoroughly as she had been. “No promises. Maybe make it two hours, sis.”

I grabbed the box Lin had left along with some energy drinks, then ran back to the bed. Pressing a kiss on the top of Candy’s head, I gave her closest butt cheek a smack, then strode to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I dragged my sleepy-eyed omega in behind me, washed and conditioned her hair, brushed it out, and blew it dry while her phone charged on the vanity.

I was putting a little smoothing gel on her hair when she said, “You’re really good at this.”

“I’ve had plenty of experience. Penny only stopped asking me to French braid hers three years ago.” I winked. “I have some new fishtail braid patterns I’ve never tried. Didn’t want to spoil her.”

“If we have a daughter, you could do it on her.” Her hand moved over her stomach, as if she were imagining it.

“To be honest, I can’t wait,” I admitted. “It’s terrifying and exciting and wonderful, like being on that first hill of a roller coaster, thinking you might be carrying my baby. My babies.” I dropped to my knees and turned her, so I was kneeling between her open legs. “I’m a worrier. But if it means getting to have you in my life, to love you? I’ll learn to relax. Maybe I’ll take up meditation and yoga, like Storm.”

“Storm?” she asked, dragging her phone across the counter and turning it on. “Is he a friend of yours…Oh, shit.” She started typing as fast as her fingers could move. “Abort, abort,” she muttered at the phone, scrolling through some texts, then dropping it with a groan.

“What?”

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