Page 110 of Knot So Social

I pressure her arms until she turns so I can kiss that little tear away. “Sweetheart, it’s nothing to cry about,” I soothe. “I find Joel’s scent relaxing too.”

She sucks in a shaky breath.

The omega must know he’s a scent-match, to have that kind of reaction. It’s good news for me if she takes an interest in my brother, but Willow might be overwhelmed right now, especially since it’s a shock. And she’s had issues with alphas in the past.

I just need to reassure her, and give her some time for it all to sink in. Let her get to know Joel. Nuzzling my nose into her face, I lift her chin.

“It’s perfectly normal for an omega to sometimes have strong reactions to an alpha’s scent. You’re only a few days out from your heat as well, remember?”

Willow stares up at me, biting her lip. “You’re not upset?”

She’s so fucking sweet, I nearly can’t handle it. I try to get my arm around her but wince as the position aggravates my groin. “Can we sit down, darlin’?”

She nods and grabs my crutches for me. A moment later, I ease myself down on her bed. The mattress springs a little but doesn’t bend along the edges. “Oh, this is nice. Maybe I should’ve taken you up on the offer to sleep here.”

Willow smirks and pretends to elbow me.

I grin and reach out to stroke her hair. “Normally I wouldn’t talk about this stuff, but since it might be important now . . .” I twiddle her golden lock between my fingers. “The only serious girlfriend I had was an omega I shared with Joel. Twins normally grow up close, you know. Share a lot of things.”

She studies her nails in her lap. “How long ago?”

“Back in senior year.”

She jerks upright. “High school? But that’s years—” She snaps her jaw closed around the rest of that sentence.

I chuckle. “Yeah. Around sixteen years ago now. Man.” I scratch my head, hiding my face with my arm. “Makes me sound ancient.”

“No more than me,” she says, nudging my shoulder. At least the stressed rasp in her tone lifts.

“Pfft. You can’t tell me you’re a day over twenty-six.”

Willow giggles. “Not even. I’m thirty-two.”

“Get out of town! I don’t believe you.” Of course, I knew that from her omega profile, but my denial teases a soft laugh from her perfect lips. When I stroke her back, she smiles up at me. I can’t resist the softness in her expression, so I lean over and drop another kiss on her mouth. It’s long and slow as I try to stuff my energy into her until the last stiffness in her shoulders relaxes.

Willow finally pulls back with a deep sigh and touches her finger to her lips to catch a drop of moisture. A moment later, she leans her head on my shoulder.

I rest my cheek on top of her silky hair. The position makes my thigh pull but not enough that I’m willing to break our cuddle. “What do you want to do, Willow?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugs gently, not enough to disturb my head. “I want my body to stop surprising me with new things.” The omega huffs out her breath. “I got used to things being a certain way, you know?”

I can’t help myself from turning enough to plant a kiss on her crown. “Yeah, I get that. Must feel a bit like presenting all over again.”

“Ugh, that was a tornado in a mud field.”

Her description makes me chuckle. I can picture it too, mud flinging in all directions.

“Puppies chasing our tails,” I agree, recalling my own hormone fueled teenage years.

We sit in silence for a long moment. I know she was planning to turn me down, but sitting like this in her bedroom, it feels like I’ve made a touchdown. Plus, every inhale tells me she’s turned on and has been ever since she climbed my twin.

But I’m too scared to break this glass-like connection between us. One push in the wrong direction and the fragile bond might shatter. So I sit and stroke her hair and wait for the omega to come to me.

She sits in silence, chest rising and falling, and I can tell her thoughts drift far away. A hint of anxiousness sours her scent, like crushed plant stems and turned over soil.

“Something worrying you?” I ask, stroking her hair. “You can tell me, whatever it is.”

Willow’s jaw works for a minute before she gathers her courage. “There’s this alpha . . .”