Chapter 18 Micah #2
The kiss tastes like the salt of her tears and the cool mint of the tea she was drinking earlier.
I lift her up and set her on the edge of the exam table, the sanitary paper covering crinkling loudly under her weight in the quiet room.
I step between her knees and pull her flush against me, my hands finding the curve of her hips through the thin fabric of her skirt.
She wraps her legs around my waist, pulling me closer until there is no air left between us.
I pull back for a second to look at her, my thumb brushing over her lower lip to catch a stray tear.
Her golden-blonde hair is a mess, a soft halo around her face that I want to bury my hands in for the rest of the day.
I keep my voice steady even though my heart is trying to hammer its way out of my ribs.
"Are you sure about this, Zora? We are in the middle of a medical wing and anyone could walk by that door. "
Zora lets out a breathy laugh and pulls my head back down to hers, her fingers digging into my shoulders. She grips the back of my neck with a strength that tells me she isn't letting go. "I have never been more sure of anything in my life. I need to feel something that isn't work or stress."
I slide my hands under the hem of her silk shirt, my palms grazing the warm skin of her stomach. She shivers at the contact, her head dropping back as I trail my lips down the line of her throat to the spot where her pulse is racing.
I unbutton her shirt with slow fingers, keeping my eyes on hers to make sure she stays present with me.
When the silk falls away, she looks radiant in the dim light of the exam room, her skin glowing against the white paper of the table.
I reach out and cup her breast, my thumb rubbing over the peak until she lets out a low moan that vibrates through my chest.
Zora reaches for the buckle of my belt, her movements a little clumsy but determined as she works the leather loose.
I help her, stripping out of my clothes until we are both bare in the quiet room.
The air coming from the vent is cool on my skin, but the heat coming off her is intense enough to make my head swim.
I lay her back on the table, the thin paper tearing beneath us, and move over her.
I am careful with my weight, making sure I am grounding her against the table without making her feel pinned.
I enter her slowly, watching her face as I slide deep into her pussy.
She arches her back and grips my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin as I find a rhythm.
Her head falls back as she moans, and I can't help but lean down to brush my lips over her neck.
Picking up the pace, I use more force at an angle to rub the head of my cock along her g-spot.
The metal of the table groans. God, she feels so good wrapped around me.
I know she's been sleeping with Theo and Dameon, but this is the first time I've gotten to be with her since her heat, and I'm not going to last.
Gently, I ease her back so more of her lies on the table and bring my hand between us to stroke her clit, wanting her to come with me.
My cock pulses as the knot pushes deep into her until there is no room left for anything else.
Zora gasps, her eyes snapping open and searching mine as the fullness takes over her entire awareness.
Leaning down, I press my forehead against hers. "I am going to lock with you, Zo."
She doesn't pull away or tell me to stop before it goes that far. She just wraps her arms tighter around my neck and pulls me into a deep kiss. "Then do it. I want to be tied to you."
I watch Zora as she hits her peak, her body reacting to the intensity of the lock.
Her back arches and her chest heaves as she lets out a long cry that echoes off the cabinets.
She shakes under me, her release hitting in waves that clench around the knot in a tight grip.
I lose my hold a second later, my body tightening as I come deep.
I collapse against her, my face buried in the soft curve of her shoulder.
The knot holds me inside her while the initial rush of the release fades into a steady, pulsing heat.
We stay like that for a long time, locked together in the middle of the half-finished clinic while we wait for the swelling to go down.
The honey and vanilla of her scent is thick in the air, mixing with the pine and mint coming off my skin.
Zora reaches up and runs her fingers through my hair, her touch light and comforting.
She pulls my head back so she can look at me, and I notice the small tears gathering in the corners of her eyes again.
I reach out to brush them away. "Did I hurt you?
We can move to the chair if the table is too hard. "
She shakes her head as a real smile tugs at the corner of her lips. She runs her thumb over my cheek, her touch lingering on the stubble of my jaw. "I am not crying because of the table, Micah. I realized something when I was spiraling earlier."
I wait for her to continue, my heart doing a different kind of thud against my ribs while I wait for the knot to recede enough for us to move. "What did you realize?"
She looks at me with an intensity that makes my breath catch in my throat. "I love you, Micah. I think I have loved you since you were the one to suggest rub on tattoos when we were kids and you figured out I had face blindness."
I can’t help but laugh. “I’d make a tattoo permanent now for you.” I lean down and kiss her forehead, my eyes stinging with a heat I wasn't expecting. "I love you, too."
She pulls me back down for one more kiss.
We are still in a half-finished building with forty-two kids waiting for a home, but as I hold her on the exam table, the world feels small enough for us to handle together.
I pull her closer as my knot shrinks enough to allow me to pull out of her, earning a groan from her.
I help her back into her silk shirt, my fingers still a little shaky as I work the buttons.
We have a lot of work left to do before the technician arrives, but the heavy silence between us has finally been replaced by something that feels like peace.
I watch her as she fixes her hair, the gold-blonde curls framing her face in the afternoon light.
Zora looks over at the desk and the files that started the whole spiral. She doesn't look afraid of them anymore. She takes my hand and squeezes it tight. "We can do the rest of the intake together. I don't want to make these choices alone anymore."
I kiss the back of her hand and lead her toward the desk. "You never have to be alone with any of it. We're here for you in any way you need."