Page 59 of Knotting Autumn

“You don’t need to doubt us,” Sawyer whispered. “You’re the love of my life. You still would be, even if we were never more than friends.”

Warmth blossomed in my chest, and I glanced up, in awe of the raw honesty in his emerald eyes.

“I love you too,” I said, pushing onto my tip toes and pressing my mouth to his.

Sawyer was tentative. His lips were soft and warm against mine, but he didn’t demand more. The knowledge that we were about to do something irreversible hung over our heads.

Breaking the kiss, Sawyer tipped his head back, his eyes rolling to meet Thorne’s. “Maybe this would be easier if you weren’t standing there like a disappointed chaperone.”

“I can’t participate, it might mess up your bond,” Thorne said.

“That’s not what I meant. Give us some privacy. I think we can manage without you,” Sawyer growled, tugging me toward the master bedroom.

Looking over my shoulder, I gave Thorne an apologetic smile, but I couldn’t bring myself to feel too sorry. I was finally going to get to fuck Sawyer, something I’d dreamed of for years but never thought would happen. Despite our dire circumstances, I wanted to clap with glee.

As we stepped into the bedroom, I kicked the door shut behind us, ignoring the tug in my chest to go back to Thorne.

“Finally,” Sawyer said, gripping my waist and walking me backward until my calves hit the edge of the bed. “I’m tired of sharing you with him.”

“I’m sorry,” I started to say, but Sawyer cut me off.

“I’m not mad. He’s your fated mate. You can’t help that bond. But I’m going to do everything I can to make you so happy that you forget about him.”

My smile widened. “Then you’d better fuck me, because it’s all I’ve been thinking about.”

Sawyer hesitated. Tugging him closer, I kissed his cheek and then his jaw, coaxing him to relax. He stayed stiff, and my stomach clenched.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, so quietly I had to tilt my head to hear him. His skin flushed deeply. “I haven’t done this with anyone yet.”

“Done what?”

“Sex, Autumn,” he said, dropping his forehead to his hand.

“What about your girlfriends?” I said, frowning.

He shrugged. “They weren’t you. The last one was using me to make her best friend jealous. The one before needed dates to company events. It was never real.”

“You’re kidding. You literally ate me out a few days ago.” I couldn’t fathom what he was trying to say. “And it was very,verygood.”

The scarlet across his cheeks was spreading to his ears and scalp. “What do you want me to say? It's just a fact, and I thought you had a right to know.”

My shock softened in empathy. Reaching up, I brushed my fingertips over his cheek, and he turned to kiss my palm.

“So this is going to be your first time,” I concluded, the idea bouncing around my mind like a pingpong ball. The idea that Sawyer was a virgin too, just like Thorne had been, absolutely blew my mind.

What was I? Some sort of virgin werewolf pied piper?

I’d assumed Sawyer had been sleeping with his girlfriends, like I’d done with the few guys I’d dated. But any time I ended a relationship, Sawyer would break things off with whoever he wasseeing as well. It always seemed like serendipitous timing. Now, I knew better.

“I want this to be really good for you,” Sawyer said, “and I’m worried about having to bite you. I mean, I’ve felt the urge to. A lot. But obviously I never have, and I don’t want to screw it up.”

“It’ll be okay.”

“I could hurt you. Or fail at it. What if I lose myself entirely and don’t manage to bond with you? I don’t want to chew you up and it doesn’t even help us.”

“Hey,” I said, squeezing his shoulder at a pressure point to snap him out of his spiral. “I’m confident you can do this. You won’t hurt me.”

“You don’t know that,” Sawyer said darkly.