I think this was the first time I could say I had an identifiable baby bump. It actually showed through my shirts, and my pants were getting tighter. It was way more comfortable to wear sweatpants and leggings, even if everyone else in my classes dressed nicer.

And Archer had started coming around more, making me feel like we were really a couple. I felt confident now that he wasn’t like the other alphas I’d been with. He was totally invested in the baby and me, and was taking incredibly good care of me. I’d never felt so pampered before in my life.

We were sitting in my apartment after eating dinner, sated and content. I was rubbing my baby bump more now, since it just felt nice to do so, and I loved knowing that my baby was right there, even if he or she couldn’t feel my caresses.

Archer loved my bump too. I was cradled in his arms, and he gazed down at it as if entranced. I couldn’t blame him. It was really magical, the way we could just create a baby between us. Of course, everyone said it was magical, but when you actually experienced it, it was something else entirely.

“Honestly,” Archer said, breaking the silence, “I find it kind of sexy.”

“Sexy?” I asked, genuinely confused. “I’m getting rounder. Shouldn’t that be the opposite?”

“No way, babe,” said Archer, nuzzling my neck. “I mean, I put that there. That’s what’s sexy about it.”

“Ooh, so you’ve got a secret pregnancy fetish, is that it?” I teased.

“No!” cried Archer in protest. “But I kind of get it. A tiny bit. Knowing that I got you pregnant is just plain sexy, I can’t explain it.”

I shrugged. “I guess it makes sense from a biological perspective.”

“Indeed,” said Archer, but his voice was much lower, and I could feel his hardness behind me.

I should have known this would arouse him. Both of us were horny as fuck nowadays, and I didn’t know whether it was the pregnancy hormones or something else. But it was a lot of fun, and we were enjoying our increased libidos.

It didn’t take long for us to start making out like teenagers, and the connection felt different this time. Archer was still my alpha, my dom, but there was a different, warm feeling in my heart.

He groped my ass, my cock, already straining against my pants, and within minutes, we were both naked, skins pressed against each other, hands roaming, mouths kissing every available inch of skin.

I couldn’t get enough of him. Of course, I’d been insanely horny before, but this seemed like it was next level. I felt like I was out of control, like I couldn’t stop even if I wanted to. My body knew what it wanted, and I was merely along for the ride.

Somehow, we managed to break away from each other just quickly enough to agree that we needed to be in bed, now.

Archer carried me, as small as I was, and I kissed his neck the whole time, sucking in his skin, marking him like he’d marked my ass before.

He laid me down on the bed and lowered himself next to me, kissing me again, softer this time. He was still in control, but this was probably the most vanilla we’d ever been. There was no kink here, but there was the relationship between a dom and the sub he loved.

I could feel the passion in his movements and his cock was hard against my thigh. I was already wet with slick, of course, and I started rutting against him, wanting his cock inside me. I could feel the emptiness inside me waiting to be filled. I wouldn’t feel complete until his alpha cock was buried in my ass.

He seemed to understand what I needed—or maybe he needed it just as badly. He flipped me over so we were spooning, then wasted no time in filling me with his cock. He was breathing hard, his breath humid in my ear and his stubble brushing against my neck like sandpaper.

I moaned as he filled me all the way, and I bucked back against him, urging him to go faster. He started fucking me hard, but it wasn’t rough like it usually was.

In fact, I felt like we were doing something different. We were making love.

We were a perfectly synchronized machine, and I groaned as I took his length, his girthy cock one I would never get tired of. I wanted Archer and only Archer, and I felt my orgasm build alongside his.

We were meant to be together. I knew this now. All the doubts I’d had before were washed away in the pure force of our love for each other.

“I love you,” he whispered in my ear, and my heart soared as I climbed the heights of pleasure, my orgasm building and promising to be a storm of sensation.

“I love you too,” I said, my voice trailing off in a keening wail. He held me closely to him, so I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. There was the dominant vibe I knew and loved.

I reached down to stroke my cock, tugging on it frantically, wanting to orgasm so badly that it hurt. He was desperately trying to reach the edge too, grunting and growling and thrusting his cock into me hard.

“I’m going to come soon,” I said, some part of me still needing his permission, needing him to lead this for me.

“Good boy,” he said, and warmth spread through my heart like a wildfire. “I want you to come for me.”

That was all I needed. I exploded in my hand, shuddering, and I felt his hot release in my ass as he held me tightly to him and twitched and quivered. I screamed his name and he groaned loudly as pleasure overtook him like a hurricane, and I could feel electric shocks of pleasure as we came down from the peak.

After he took his cock out, I turned around, wanting to be close to him, to be pressed up against him until we were one body, one being, one soul.

I was breathing hard, like I’d just run around the block several times, and he was too, his mouth open, his eyes wild as he readjusted to our reality.

“I love you,” I said. “I love you, Archer.”

He smiled, and this time, I didn’t see the badass dom, I saw the man he was inside, a good-hearted alpha who cherished me for who I was, who would always protect me and love me and support me.

“I love you too,” he said, and then he kissed me on the nose gently, such an incredibly sweet gesture from an otherwise demanding dom that I nearly teared up, as overcome with emotion as I was.

Tears were definitely pooling in my eyes, threatning to fall, because I was so touched by the intensity and passion with which Archer had just fucked me. We’d had tons and tons of hot sex before, obviously, but I felt like this was the first time we’d actually made love.

I’d never before understood the meaning of that phrase, but Archer had showed it to me, and it had been beautiful beyond all imagination. To feel so connected to someone on all levels—mind, body, and soul—was almost a spiritual experience.

And the afterglow was long-lasting. We were snuggled in bed, nesting in the covers, the sheets warm with our body heat. I wanted to press myself to him even more, even though we were both a little sweaty and probably needed a shower. I couldn’t get enough of Archer.

My alpha.

“Danny?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking… Since we’re making preparations for the baby arriving and everything… Would you be interested in moving in with me?”

I hesitated, my heart flooding with happiness. Had he just said what I thought he’d said?

“It’s okay if you don’t want to yet,” he said. “I just—”

“No, no,” I said, “of course I’d love to move in with you. You’re amazing. And this makes so much more sense. We can care for the baby much easier.”

“I thought it’d be more convenient for you too, since my place is closer to your school and work.”

I felt a rush of the warm fuzzies, knowing that my alpha had been thinking of my needs. It was amazing to think that I finally had a partner who improved my life in every way. In fact, I felt so warm and fuzzy, that—

“Will you marry me?” I blurted. “Um, wait, that’s not wh—”

Archer laughed and kissed me on the lips, cutting me off. “Of course,” he said. “We should definitely get married.”

“I really, really did not mean to just blurt that out,” I said. “Like, yeah, it’d be nice to get married down the line, but I really did just say that without thinking.”

“But it was on your mind,” said Archer with a sly smile. “And why not?”

“Aren’t we moving too fast?” I asked, almost worried what his response would be.

Archer shrugged. “Isn’t having a baby together moving too fast, too? We might as well go for the whole thing.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I said, feeling relieved that Archer had completely taken it in stride. “I just want to give my child the childhood I never had, and I guess I was thinking of us being a happy family and us being married was a part of that…”

“Of course, that makes sense,” said Archer, kissing me sweetly on the forehead and reaching down to rub my tummy. “We’re embarking on this adventure together, so we can make it official.”

“Wow,” I said. “I don’t even have a ring. Also, I’m the omega.”

Archer scoffed. “Omegas can propose, it’s fine. We’re modern guys here. And we can pick out rings together later.”

“Really? It’s okay?”

“Yes!” said Archer, squeezing me closely. “Babe, I want to marry you. I know you just blurted it out, but maybe you did that because it was the right time. This feels right. Right?”

“It does,” I said, quickly agreeing. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.

“Then let’s do it,” said Archer.

“Man,” I said. “I wonder what kind of parents we’ll be. Well, I know what kind of parent I’ll be. Probably too nice, as a way of compensating for my shitty dad.”

“Nah, you won’t be,” he said. “You’re very responsible and I think you’ll expect your kid to be the same way.”

“You think?”

Archer nodded. “And, not to be weird, but I do have experience with setting boundaries and enforcing discipline. Puppy dog eyes aren’t gonna cut it for me.”

“Huh,” I said. “I guess there are some similarities.”

“That’s kind of why you like kink, right?” he asked. “Because it’s a way for you to feel like you’re finally doing something right? Since your childhood was rough and your alpha dad made you feel like you were always wrong. Just spitballing here, but I’ve seen the same dynamic play out in other subs.”

“Wow,” I said, realizing the truth of what he said the more I thought about it. “I think you might be onto something here.”

“For some people, kink is just all about fun. But for those who have trauma in their backgrounds, it can sometimes be a way to heal. And I think if you had shitty parents, it’s possible that you’d look for a reparative relationship with an authority figure in a dom,” said Archer.

“God, you’re so smart,” I said, shaking my head.

He shrugged. “It’s just experience. And talking about it with other people. You’d be surprised how many people have similar stories, where kink helps them heal from some past trauma.”

“I would never have guessed,” I said, “but it seems obvious in retrospect.”

“It blew my mind when I discovered it, too,” said Archer with a laugh. “But yeah. There’s always more to learn about yourself.”

“Apparently.” I leaned up and kissed him on the lips.

“I can’t believe I’m lucky enough to have you,” Archer said softly.

“Me neither,” I said, and I kissed him again, feeling my cock stir.

It looked like we were already ready for round two.