Eventually, the frantic pace slowed. When we finally caught our breath, I leaned back, letting Hailey rest on my chest as exhaustion began to claim us.
I was still so swollen. My knot wasn’t going down any time soon, and I actually didn’t mind. I enjoyed the idea of lying here with Hailey in my lap, still keeping me warm in her perfect pussy.
Hailey groaned, and I relaxed even more into the couch.
“Fuck, Merrick. I don’t think I can move. I’m…damn.”
She smiled up at me, her eyes blinking closed as exhaustion washed over her. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as the humming newness of the bond swirled through me. I felt so incredibly connected to her, to this woman who’d claimed my heart from day one and hadn’t even realized it.
“Ooh.” A shiver rippled across her, and Hailey went to sit up.
“Hold on.” I pulled her back into my arms, and she lay her head against my pec. “You’re not going anywhere. And if you keep rocking your hips, my knot will never go down.”
She giggled. “Hmm, I don’t think I’d mind that all that much.”
Hailey exhaled deeply, and I did my best to get comfortable on the couch with her still in my lap. It wasn’t as big a challenge as I might have expected. She felt right in my arms.
“I’m exhausted. Can I?—”
“Of course, darling. You’re good right where you are. Fall asleep, little omega.”
“Merrick.”
I looked down at Hailey’s nearly asleep face. “Yes.”
“Thank you. I…I wanted this too. You, I mean. I have for so long.”
Grinning, I squeezed her against my chest. “Anything, darling. We’re a set now. I’m not going anywhere.”
Shuffling to get more comfortable, she nuzzled her face into my chest, her hand right over my heart. “Good. I like that.”
“Me too, Hails. Me too.
She didn’t respond, and her breathing evened out into a steady rhythm, sleep finally claiming her.
Chapter 18
Hailey
“This is really nice,” I whispered into Merrick’s chest.
We were tangled up in his bedsheets, his hand gently wandering up and down my naked spine as I snuggled closer. We’d traveled here after the couch and basked in the afterglow of still more orgasms and the bond—something I hadn’t been able to enjoy last time.
“It should always be like this,” he said softly. “I’m sorry things went so wrong for you.”
I hummed. “I don’t know, things are starting to look up.”
My eyes met his, and I couldn’t help but smile at the serene expression on his face.
“Is it bad to admit that I’m kind of happy about this outcome?” he asked, cocking a brow with a somewhat guilty-looking expression.
I shook my head. “Not at all. This is…”
There were no words.
The bond with Merrick was so insanely different from the one with Preston. Everything in me was warm, comforted, and protected. Whereas, whenever I reached out for my bond with Preston, ithurt.
It was because of the distance, and I understood that, to a degree he didn’t want it that way either, but it didn’t make it any less crappy.