Page 141 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

I throw my head back and laugh. “I thought that was your thing?”

“No, give me snarky, intelligent, bitchy betas any day.”

“Aw, you say the sweetest things.”

“You’re talking too much,” he growls and lifts me before bringing me down hard. I gasp, arching against him. I run my hand over his head and guide him back to my breast.

“Oh, I missed these,” he murmurs.

“Show me how much.”

My nipples are hard, aching points, and I’ve got beard burn on my breasts when he pulls away and starts fucking me hard. I bounce on his cock, groaning, completely lost in him and his magnificent cock.

“I’m coming,” I call out and bury my face in his shoulder, biting but not enough to bond.

He gasps and stiffens, pulling me down with fingers that will probably leave bruises on my skin. He shudders and moans. I hold his sweaty body to me, unwilling to give him up yet.

But these moments can never last, and eventually, I tap his shoulder and loosen my legs. He reluctantly lets me slide down his body.

I stare up at him; the blue moonlight bathes one side of his face.

“Aaron?”

“You never call me, Aaron.”

I smile but turn away so he can’t see my face. I grab my clothes and pull them on piece by piece, mentally stepping away from him.

The sweat on my body is already turning cold. My heart, my soul, my blood. I hate this. So much.

He closes his eyes, his face pained, and I go still, staring at him, stricken. If I could change it, I would. He deserves better. So much better than stolen moments with me. I step through the leaves, crunching them as I reach up and cup his cheek, my free hand on his chest where I can feel his heartbeat.

He told me once that his heart beat for me. I told him how foolish that was. That he would only get hurt. That it could never be.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I whisper.

“This is the part I hate the most.” He opens his eyes, and his face is just one of misery. I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him gently, softly.

“What part is that?”

“The part where we say goodbye, and you disappear on me again.”

That part. Yeah, me, too, Alpha, me, too.

I reach up and stroke his stubbled jaw. “I’m not going anywhere, not really. Now you have her.”

“You will, though; you never come out. It’s Merle and Kestrel. But not you. And when you do come out, we have to pretend. Raven…it’s killing me.”

I swallow hard, but I have to ignore what he’s saying. I have to.

“I know you like them, too,” I tease lightly. “Kest and Merle. Even Raptor and Jay.”

“I love you more,” he says stubbornly. “I love you.”

I chuckle but my heart hurts. So much. “We’re the same. You and I, we’re two halves of the same heart, and you know we have to protect them. But I am Merle and Kestrel and Raptor, and I’m even Jay. I will always be there with you.”

“No, you’re not. You’re my Raven. The brave, incredible beta who is the most fierce warrior. The one who is my world.”

“I think you’re thinking of Raptor,” I whisper.