Chapter 121: No knotting

Reid’s comment made me blush even redder. Jeez, he was just so full of it, and I kept blushing harder with every stupid word that came out of his mouth. What the hell was wrong with me? No, what was wrong with him? It was like he had put some kind of ridiculous spell on me.

​Reid chuckled, the low rumble vibrating right against my ear as he leaned his forehead against my temple.

​"Looking good, Cap," he whispered, his voice dropping into that dark, gravelly register.

​Before I could snap back at him to shut up, his large hands gripped my waist, pressing my hips forward just a fraction harder against his thigh. My breath caught in my throat as a sudden wave of heat rushed straight to my stomach.

​I was hard. And because he had just pulled me completely flush against him, it was pressing right into his thigh.

​Of course he noticed.

​"Reid—" I choked out, my hands tightening on his shoulders as I tried to pull back, but his grip on my waist was completely unyielding.

He let out another low, incredibly smug hum, his grey eyes darkening as he looked down at how easily he could still unravel me, even after last night.

Reid suddenly lifted me clean off my feet and dropped me onto the kitchen island.

​"Reid, no," I said, my hands immediately coming up to rest on his chest.

​He just grinned, leaning into my space until his broad shoulders completely blocked out the rest of the kitchen. "What? I’ve always wanted to have kitchen sex, and you just made it much easier for me, Cap."

​"It’s just a reaction. I honestly don’t want to do it right now," I said to him.

​The smug smirk vanished from his face instantly, replaced by a look of genuine worry. I avoided his gaze, staring fixedly at the collar of his shirt instead.

​"Why not?" he asked, his voice softening, the teasing edge completely gone.

​"Because..." I exhaled, the weight of the secret finally pressing too hard against my chest. "I don’t want to have to take contraceptives today."

​He stared at me, his brow furrowing in complete confusion. "Contraceptives?"

​"Reid, I told you I don’t want to do anything that will put me and my career at risk," I muttered, my voice dropping to a raw, quiet whisper. "And we both know you knotting and cumming inside me continuously is bound to get me... you know. I can’t afford to be in that condition or have a medical record like that. Whether it’s a pregnancy diagnosis or an abortion. So... I’ve been taking measures."

​Reid went completely silent for a second. The realization of what I’d been handling alone, especially with the strict Thursday drug test looming, seemed to hit him all at once. He didn’t get angry, and he didn’t pull away.

Instead, he leaned in, pressing a soft, deeply apologetic kiss to my lips before whispering against them, "Yeah, I’ve been a really inconsiderate jerk. Sorry, Cap."

​Hearing his apology, a small wave of relief washed over me. At least he understood, and I knew he wouldn’t force anything. But then he shifted his grip on my waist, his grey eyes searching mine with a sudden, quiet intensity.

​"But that only means I don’t have to cum inside, right? Or... do you just want to abstain altogether?"

​Well. I looked away, tilting my head toward the living room to hide the sudden heat rushing back into my face.

​Did I want to be careful? Yes. But did I want to abstain from sex with him? Absolutely not. I loved every single moment of it, the heat, the weight of him, the way he completely consumed me—but there was no way in hell I was going to say that out loud to his face.

"Come on, Cap," Reid murmured, his voice dipping lower, that dangerous, vibrating rumble returning to his chest. He leaned in a fraction closer, his large hands squeezing my waist through my shirt. "You have to respond if you want me to know what you want. Or do you want me to assume by myself again?"

​I pursed my lips, my hands tightening on his shoulders as I stubbornly kept my eyes averted.

​Honestly? I did want him to assume. Because if he just took charge and figured it out on his own, it would be a hell of a lot less embarrassing than having to admit it with my own mouth. If I told him out loud that I still wanted him, he’d never let me hear the end of it.

​Reid tracked the stubborn set of my jaw, and a slow, knowing heat returned to his grey eyes.

He didn’t need me to speak; the slight twitch of my hips against his and the heavy, sweet spike of my orchid pheromones gave him every single answer he needed.

​"Yeah, that’s what I thought," he whispered, a lazy, incredibly dark smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

​He didn’t pull back. Instead, his hands slid from my waist down to the hem of my shorts, his knuckles brushing against my bare thighs as he parted my legs just a fraction wider on the counter.

​"We’ll be careful, Cap," he promised, his hot breath brushing my lips as his gaze dropped down to my mouth. "No knotting. No cumming inside. But I’m definitely not letting you off the hook today."

"You say it like you ever let me off the hook," I whispered, the words barely escaping my lips before he caught them, grinning straight into my mouth.

​"Then... wanna see me become a bad guy?" he murmured against my lips.

​I doubt I hadn’t already seen him being a bad guy. The thought barely had time to form before his mouth slammed back down on mine, deeper and hungrier than before.

I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, pulling him completely flush against me and letting him have his wish.

The cold granite of the kitchen island was a stark contrast to the burning heat of his skin as he handled me right there, slow, controlled, and careful, but completely relentless until my voice was entirely gone.