Page 75 of Knot So Social

By then, I was completely at their mercy, which disappeared as fast as it came.

Hidden by bubbles, I track my hand across my body to the swirling scars running over my hip and down my thigh. At least I no longer have that bond; it’s the one good thing that came from being struck by lightning a second time.

“Willow?”

Jeremy’s question snaps me free of the memories.

He holds my shoulder. “Is the fever hard to bear? You’re shaking.”

I hold in my harsh laugh and instead latch onto his hand. “Climb in with me?”

His bright smile chases the shadows away. I watch shamelessly as he strips off his sweatpants and boxers. His cock hangs over his balls, soft for now but semi-alert. Maybe carrying a naked omega in his arms did that. Or maybe it’s my thick scent. His solid thighs flex as he steps over the tub’s edge and settles in, making the water wash over me. Bubbles fly in all directions, and he manages to get some on his cheeks.

I giggle and rise on my knees to scrape the foam off.

Jeremy looks up at me while I clean his face, as if I’m the best thing since sliced bread. My heart double beats, startling me. I stare down into his green-flecked brown eyes, finding an intensity there I wasn’t expecting. I straddle his lap, pressing myself into his chest.

“If this wasn’t your job,” I whisper, stroking my thumbs across his cheekbones. Our mouths drift closer, barely a handspan apart. Ghost memories of feverish kisses we’ve already shared flare in the space between us.

“If this wasn’t my job?” he echoes, voice husky.

No matter what answer he gives, it’ll break the magic of this moment. I shake my head and press my lips to his. “Nothing.”

There is no beyond, no future. Only this heat belongs to us. The Heat Wave service promises professionalism; I booked them precisely so there’d be no strings.

Once my temperature goes down, I’ll likely never see Jeremy again.

If that’s what I paid for, why does it sting so much?

It’s just the heat talking, I tell myself firmly. That’s what this weakness is. And who knows if Jeremy’s such a wonderful man outside of work. My heart knows that’s unfair, but I can’t help it. If I cling to the idea he’s always this warm and supportive, it might cut me to shreds.

I’m better off taking what I need and running. That’s how people always treated me. And right now, what I need most is to survive this blazing fire creeping through my belly.

I close my eyes and thrust across Jeremy’s lap, feeling his cock go rigid. He holds my waist, panting softly as his arousal comes to the boil. The friction, the water flowing around our skin, and the heightened scents in the bath chase away my hangups.

The alpha pulls me closer and kisses my shoulder, his lips plying my skin and sending fresh heat skittering through my veins.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs. “And I love your confidence. Take what you need, omega.”

A sob catches in my throat. Me, confident?

But with Jeremy, I can be. Maybe for the first time in my life.

I rise up and align myself over his cock, sinking onto it in one stroke. I need to drive away the complications, treat this like pure sex. But every catch of his breath and flare of his alpha scent muddies my intentions. And the sweet things he whispers? They’re stripping away my defenses one word at a time.

“That feels so good,” he rasps as I gyrate over him. “Take what you need, darlin’.”

I cling to his shoulders and ride him, heedless of the water splashing across the floor. Bubbles pop, spraying us with fine soap mist that disguises my sweat. My orgasm breaks along with tears, both rocketing through me with pleasure and pain.

Jeremy cradles my cheeks as I slump into his chest. “Well done. That was so powerful.”

The inner sob wells up and clogs my throat.

“Oh, precious,” he cries, hugging me close. “Cry all you need.”

But he doesn’t know my tears are for him.

Chapter twenty-four