Page 85 of Knot Their Starlet

Her lips are soft and plush against mine. I swallow each and every one of the little breathy sighs she makes, but it only makes me hungry to see what other noises I can coax from her. She clings to my t-shirt, her hands pressing against my chest like she’s holding on for dear life.

Her chamomile scent swirls around us, filling my head with a buzz that I don’t think the best chemists in the world could replicate. Even if they were given an eternity to discover a drug that could give me the same feeling she effortlessly does.

When we finally come up for air, her eyes flutter open, almost like she’s reluctant to confront the world around us.

“Wow,” I breathe out, my thumbs brushing her high cheekbones.

The single syllable seems to break the spell between us, snapping her back into her body.

She pushes away from me and even though it takes every ounce of willpower within me not to follow her, I let her have space.

The pot of broth bubbles between us, the only sound in the room second to us catching our breaths.

“That was—that was—” She shakes her head, pressing the backs of her hands to her blushing cheeks.

“It’s okay. Take a breath with me.” I breathe in deeply, waiting until her chest rises with mine before I let out a deep exhale.

All those breaths seem to do for me is fill my lungs with her. Though now, it’s tinged with the bitter notes of her stress.

“Beautiful, just like that,” I murmur, taking a single step towards her.

When she doesn’t move back, I close the distance between us, reaching out and clasping one of her hands in mine.

Physical contact is as necessary to an omega’s health as movement and exercise are to the rest of us. Will the lack of it mean the omega dies? Definitely not immediately, but it can have long-lasting effects on them, and it’s obvious Andi has gone without for far too long.

Her jaw works as if she’s struggling to find the words to say.

“Hey,” I murmur, brushing some of her hair away from her face.

Wow. I can’t get over how stunning she is. Truly.

“This doesn’t have to be complicated.”

Shit.

My words don’t land the way I intended.

Her scent sours once more and she takes another step back. Though surprisingly, she keeps her hand in mine even though she could break that point of contact too. Almost like her body craves it, even if her mind is rebelling..

“Does that—does that mean you don’t care?”

Okay, maybe I could’ve worded that better.

“No,” I say with a vehement shake of my head. “Not at all.”

“What the hell else was it supposed to mean?” she asks, letting out a harsh scoff of bitter laughter.

I tug her towards me, gently enough for her to have ample opportunity to move away. She doesn’t, so I take the opportunity to wrap my arms around her.

“I just don’t want to necessarily stress you out. I know what’s possible between us right now. I should’ve said we can take things as slowly as you need. Your pace, Andi. Always.”

CHAPTER 19

Andi

My hands tentatively wrap around Leo’s slim torso. There’s something so soothing about his mild beta scent. I never have time these days to pick up a book and read, but his warm paper scent makes me want to.

The longer I stay in his arms, matching his breathing, the less I feel like my heart is going to pound its way out of my chest.