Page 13 of Knotting Autumn

Thorne’s expression darkened. “There’s no avoiding our bond. You need me as much as I need you.”

“What?” I scowled. Was dream-Thorne really arguing with me? Fuck that! He was supposed to sex me up and be my ultimate fantasy. Why else was I dreaming of him?

Ignoring his obstinate expression, I reached for him. He jerked back.

“Autumn, this is real. I’m here with you.”

That had a sick dread welling up in my stomach, my veins turning to ice. Why would I make that up? It was so messed up.

This guy was really fucking with my head. If he started stalking me for real, I would have to file a restraining order. And Sawyer was going to lose his shit.

“Fine, then get lost. Disappear. Poof!” I snarled, scrambling to my feet and striding away from him.

I couldn’t help but glance back. Thorne was still on his knees, his open hands resting on his knees and the most forlorn, hopeless expression on that stupidly handsome face.

If I didn’t wake up soon, I’d turn around and go back to him. I wasn’t above begging. But that orgasm was good enough that I was feeling satisfied. Better than anything I could manage by myself. Maybe I needed to step up my game.

My alarm went off in the middle of my internal debate over orgasms.

Groaning, I flipped over and buried my face into my pillow. That was the best sex dream of my life, but it left me feeling uneasy.

“This is real. I’m here with you.” That was the worst thing my brain could have come up with in the middle of a sex dream. Thank goodness it wasn’t possible.

Rolling my eyes at my own ridiculousness, I crawled out of bed and headed to the bathroom and shower. I needed to scrub the feel of his hands and mouth off my skin.

Chapter 6

Apology Sandwich

True to his word, Sawyer walked me to work with his arm snaked around my waist, holding me close. It meant our walk took longer, but it was very comforting to have him glued to my side.

At the door, he pressed a kiss to my forehead, and my heart squeezed. He’d been blurring that line between best friend and boyfriend even more than normal, and I was so needy, I ate it up greedily.

“I’ll see you after work,” he said. “I told them I couldn’t stay late. I figured we could make dumplings and stream a movie.”

Patting his chest, I smiled up at him, my heart feeling full even as my stomach swooped uneasily. Nothing felt normal anymore, not since that day when I touched Thorne’s hand.

“Something funny, okay?”

“You got it. A Halloween slasher flick. Extra gory.”

“You’re the worst,” I said over my shoulder, pushing the shop door open.

Sawyer gave me an exaggerated wink, and I let the door swing closed in his face, biting my lip to suppress my smile.

The dusty, sweet smell of fresh hay hit me, and I sighed, heading to the back to put away my bag so I could help Margie wrangle the small hay bales we carried to the stall at the back of the store.

Two hours later, I’d sold chicks to a backyard farmer, dewormer to a competitive horseback rider, and bird food to the sweet little grandma who lived at the end of the lane and kept a parakeet for each of her grandchildren.

Taking a swig of my water bottle, I sat at the stool by the register. It’d been a busy morning, and I’d earned the break.

The door opened, and Thorne appeared, framed by afternoon sunlight turning his reddish brown hair to copper flames.

Oh, no. Not this guy. Absolutely not.

“Hey, hey, Autumn. Can I please apologize to you?”

He held his hands up in a peace offering. One of them held a bag from the local sandwich shop.