Julian’s phone buzzed, signaling the start of a new day. He sleepily reached over and silenced it, squinting at the bright screen in the dark room. That’s right, he had an early training session with his new client, Richard. Was there something else? His still-sleepy brain nudged him that he was forgetting something.

He remembered Eric with a jolt. Slowly, he turned over.

The Alpha was awake and lying on his side facing Julian. He smiled slightly, illuminated by the phone screen’s glow. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Julian said, hoping the darkness hid the blush that was surely surging over his face. Last night had seemed like an impossible dream, but he was very much awake now. He suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. “Did you sleep well?” he asked.

Eric chuckled. “Very well.” He reached out and ran his fingertips lightly along Julian’s jawline. “Are you feeling ok?”

“Of course,” Julian said. “Why do you ask?”

“You seem nervous,” the Alpha said. “It’s just me, Julian.”

The Omega laughed. “Maybe that’s why I’m nervous. You’ve been the bad guy in my head this whole time, but after last night… well.”

A flicker of concern crossed the Alpha’s handsome face. “You’re still ok with everything that happened, right?”

“Oh yes,” Julian quickly said. “Last night was great. But now what?”

Eric smiled, a smile that made Julian’s toes curl. “Do we have time for a quickie?”

The Omega’s instincts were all in favor of that, but he decided to let his brain handle things for once. “I meant, now what do we do?”

Eric looked a little uncomfortable as he sat up. “Now we work on making the charity event awesome,” he said, reaching for his jeans. “And we take it one day at a time. Fair?”

The Omega could tell Eric was dodging the question a little bit, but he understood. Going from enemies to coworkers on a project to lovers in a few days was a pretty dizzying transition. He made himself smile up at Eric. “That sounds like a good way to do it.” He glanced at his phone, checking his schedule for the day. “Will you be at the meeting tonight? We’re going to start work on the stage.”

“I’m building the stage,” Eric said, amused. “So yeah, I’ll be there.”

Julian felt his face get hotter. “Right,” he muttered. God, he was a mess. “Oh, that reminds me. Before you go, I’ll give you a check so you can pick up the building materials today.”

The Alpha chuckled as he pulled on his t-shirt. “So, spending the night together is what it takes to talk you into going with my budget, huh? I should try that with all of my clients.”

He must have seen the expression on Julian’s face because he tried to duck, but Julian was faster. The pillow the Omega flung at him hit Eric square in the chest.

* * *

That evening, Julian had a little time between work and the volunteer meeting, so he returned to his condo for a breather. He was exhausted. The lack of sleep had caught up with him, combined with an attempt not to think about Eric all day. It hadn’t worked at all, and he’d spent the whole day distracted and flustered, grinning at random moments as memories of the night before snuck up on him.

Gabe had asked him if he was feeling all right, but if he sensed that something had changed, he didn’t press the issue. Julian was grateful: he was still trying to process what had happened and wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

He glanced over at the couch, and his face grew hot with the memory of last night. Jerk or not, Eric sure knew how to please a guy. Julian was grateful that the Alpha was upfront about his intentions. He didn’t want any illusions of love, not when the man would be leaving in a few weeks, so it was good that Eric felt the same.

It was dinnertime, but the Omega found he wasn’t hungry. He wandered over to the couch, sinking down onto the velvety cushions. He could still catch Eric’s lingering scent in the air, and it sent a shiver up his spine.

Profoundly glad that nobody was around to see it, Julian lay down on the cushion, pressing his nose to the velvet cover. The Alpha’s scent was much stronger here, and he felt himself growing hard and wet just from breathing it in, the events of last night flooding back in vivid detail.

Suddenly embarrassed, he covered his face with his hands. What the hell was he doing? He was acting like a giddy teenager with their first crush. He had to pull himself together. This would be a physical relationship, nothing more. He would try to enjoy it while it lasted, but not think about the future.

What other choice did he have?

He had to get a grip. Julian swung his feet over the edge of the couch, intending to get up and open the window to let in some fresh air. His foot landed on something slippery under the couch, and he bent down to see what it was.

The condom from last night! Julian wrinkled his nose. The Alpha had clearly tied it off and forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. Well, it wasn’t like he had remembered, either. But as he got the trash can and bent to pick it up, Julian noticed something strange.

There was a little puddle under the condom. And looking at the latex tube, it seemed not very full, considering how much Alphas usually came.

He realized what had happened when he gingerly lifted it to throw it out, and the tip flapped open, exposing a tiny tear in the latex.

The Omega dropped it into the trash, finding that he suddenly had trouble breathing.

The condom was ripped.

Which meant he could be pregnant.

* * *

Julian’s hands shook so hard he nearly dropped the trash can. His breath came in quick, panicky gasps, and he forced himself to suck in more air. Breathe, he ordered himself. He was an adult now. He could handle this.

After a few minutes of slow, deliberate breaths, his heart rate slowed from a crazy gallop to a mere higher-than-normal anxious beat. Ok. He wasn’t going to panic, especially when there was no proof that anything happened yet. Maybe the condom had ripped after Eric took it off. Or, even if it hadn’t, there was no guarantee that he was actually pregnant. He was getting worked up over nothing.

His phone rang, startling him so badly he nearly leaped off the couch. When he saw it was Logan calling, he swallowed, took a deep breath, and answered. “Hello?”

“Hey Julian. Can you go by the little hardware story by your place on the way here and pick up a few extra nails? Eric says we’ll need a few more.”

“Yeah, sure, I can do that,” Julian said, glancing at the clock. “I’ll head out now.”

“Thanks, buddy,” the Alpha said. He paused. “Are you ok? You sound a little strange.”

Julian cursed his friends and their perceptiveness. “I’m fine, just preoccupied. You know how I get when we get closer to an event,” he said, forcing a cheerful laugh.

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Logan said. “You know, I think Eric actually knows his shit. I’m looking over the plans for the stage and they look pretty good. So don’t stress, ok?”

“Ok,” Julian said. “I’ll see you soon.”

After he hung up, he went over to the kitchen sink and splashed some water on his face. He would be seeing not only Logan, who knew him well, but Eric. And he had to be sure that they wouldn’t notice anything was wrong.

The Omega squared his shoulders, grabbed his keys, checked his reflection in the mirror by the door, and headed out the door.