Chapter Fourteen
Wyatt
When Blade walked in, he looked drained. He waved a weary hello, and then he disappeared into his room. I wanted to give him his space, so I didn’t bother him. After a while he came out dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, and he went into the kitchen to grab a bottled water.
I was at the dining room table researching my next client, and I kept at it until he came back in the living room. Then I closed my laptop and joined him, sitting next to him on the couch.
He sniffed the air. “Smells good in here.”
“I have a roast cooking.”
“That makes me ridiculously happy.” He laughed. “I’m starved.”
“Good. We still need to fatten you up.” I ignored his frown. “You look tired.”
He nodded and pinched the skin between his eyes. “I have a headache, my feet are swollen, and I just want to sleep all the time.”
Once again, I felt that familiar stab of guilt.
He sighed and rested his feet on the ottoman. “I can’t believe women put up with this shit for nine months. How is it there are so many babies in the world? And why would any woman in her right mind have more than one baby?”
“I guess women are more selfless than men.”
“Pfft. Ya think?”
I bit my lip. “So did you hear the news about Shield and Fist merging?”
He nodded, and he closed his eyes. “I’ve known about it for a while now.”
That annoyed me. “How?”
“Darcy told me the same day he assigned me to watch over you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t supposed to.”
I scowled. “Why would you be in on that news and no one said a word to any of the Fist guys?”
“How would I know?” He gave me an irritable glance. “He told me not to say anything, so I didn’t say anything.”
“Is this how it’s going to be after the merge? The Shield guys get special treatment while us Fist employees are kept in the dark about stuff? And why did we take your name? Fist has been around longer.”
“Again, I have no idea. Personally, I think we should have changed the name completely. Made a fresh start.”
“Agreed.”
He sighed again and rubbed his stomach. “I found out what my next assignment is today.”
“Me too. I have to watch over the head of a crazy conservative church.”
“Huh. Sounds dull.”
“I guess we’ll see. At least it’s a nine-to-five kind of gig.” I studied him. “Who’s your guy?”
“Riley West.”
“Who?” I frowned.
“He’s some hotshot rock star.” I smirked. “He’s probably not on your radar because you’re an old fart.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You have no idea who he is either, do you?”
He grinned. “No.”
My stomach warmed at his dimples. “Where’s the job?”
“I leave tomorrow for Texas. He’s got a concert in his hometown, and he wants to look like the real deal by having private security.”
I didn’t love the idea of him traveling and spending the night away from me. I knew I had zero right to tell him what to do; in fact, if I tried, I had a feeling he’d be twice as determined to go.
“How long will you be gone?”
“Two days.” He turned his head toward me. “I’m a little worried about it, to be honest. I’m still sick a lot, and we’ll have adjoining rooms. This could get awkward.”
I pulled my cell from my pocket and looked up Riley West. I found his fan page, and I scrolled through the menu to Photos. He looked like he was maybe a little younger than Blade, long blond hair and dark eyes. There were tons of messages from swooning fans and I could see he had a big US tour planned. “You’re just doing the two nights in his hometown?”
“That’s what Darcy said.”
“Weird. Because he’s traveling all over the US promoting his latest album.”
“Like I said, I really think he wants to show his friends and family he’s hot shit. That’s where I come in.”
“Maybe his record label is hiring the security for the rest of his tour. Looks like he’s in that in-between stage where he has a lot of fans but isn’t yet a household name.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” He shifted a little, drawing my eye.
I allowed my gaze to roam over his prone body. It was hard to keep my hands to myself sometimes. We hadn’t fooled around since that day in his kitchen, but it wasn’t because I didn’t want to. I just wasn’t sure what exactly our relationship was. We were joined because of our alpha and omega, but other than that, we really hadn’t discussed our feelings about being together.
Some alphas and omegas raised families together but still had open relationships too. I knew Blade needed me right now, but once the baby was born, would he still want my company? Or would he crave his independence?
If we decided to raise the child and be a couple, we’d have to face coming out to all of our friends and coworkers. While I was prepared to do that if he wanted to be a unit, I had no idea if he was.
“I’m not sure I like the idea of you going away for two days.” I hadn’t intended to say anything about his trip, but it kind of popped out.
Instead of bristling, like I expected, he nodded. “I know. I don’t like it either.” He sighed. “But I have no legitimate reason to turn down the assignment. Not without Darcy reading me the riot act.”
“What if something happens?”
He frowned. “You mean like with the baby?”
“Yeah.”
“I guess I’ll have to hope for the best. It should be fine. Yes, I have morning sickness, but other than being super tired, I think I’m in pretty good health.”
“You should have seen a doctor by now.”
He chuffed. “Yeah. How would that work exactly?”
“This is why I said we should just go up to the mountains now. You could be examined by the doctors up there who understand male omega pregnancies.”
“And I explained that I can’t get that much time off from work. Neither can you, come to think of that.” He shook his head. “But I did ask for June off.” He sighed. “And Darcy grudgingly gave it to me.”
“I already asked Tork before I knew about the merge. It better not interfere.”
He wrinkled his forehead. “Do you think it will raise suspicion that we both want the same month off?”
“Yes. Before our two companies joined it wouldn’t have, but now it probably will.”
“Great,” he growled. “All I need is for people to start asking questions.”
“They can’t prove anything. We just deny and ignore.”
“Okay.”
I studied his angular profile. “It’s going to be weird with you gone for two days.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t let that rock star seduce you.”
He glanced at me with a funny expression. “Jealous?”
“Maybe.”
“You can relax. You’re the only guy I’ve ever been attracted to.”
I lowered my head. “Good.”
He licked his lips, and his gaze ran over my body. But then he shifted his position and closed his eyes. “I’m so tired I can barely keep my eyes open.”
“Take a nap. I have work to do, and dinner won’t be ready for a couple of hours.”
“You won’t think I’m lazy?”
I laughed. “No. You’re pregnant. You need rest.”
He exhaled a long, tired sigh. “This sucks so bad. I used to come home and work out. Now I come home and sit on the couch like a slug.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“I guess.”
“Here.” I patted my thigh. “Rest your head on my lap.”
He looked surprised, and he hesitated. “I thought you had work to do?”
I shrugged. “You said you have a headache. Let me rub your head.” My pulse spiked as he nodded and moved closer. He lowered his head to my thighs, and I stroked my hand over his smooth forehead. He sighed and put his feet up on the couch, curling into a more comfortable position. “Just relax.”
He closed his eyes. “I’ve never had my own personal head scratcher before.”
My fingers tingled as they pushed through his cropped hair. It was always a surprise to me how much I loved just touching him. “I’m at your service,” I said softly.
“Mmm.” He exhaled and tension seemed to leave his body. “Your hands feel nice.”
His position gave me a rare opportunity to study his handsome face without him noticing. His lashes were thick and dark against his cheeks, and his full lips were tempting. My heart tugged as I studied him, memorizing every inch of his face. In the past when I’d seen him he’d annoyed me on sight, but now simply a glimpse of him filled my gut with excitement.
I wouldn’t have admitted it to him, but my favorite part of the day was when we both got home from work. We’d eat dinner together and talk and laugh about our day. We didn’t bicker nearly as much, and it allowed me to see that, when he wasn’t defensive and uptight around me, he was funny and intelligent. A part of me felt like I should protect myself and not allow my feelings for him to grow, but we were having a child together. If there was ever a time for me to examine my life and see where I could make positive changes, it was now.
His breathing became soft, and his arms and legs twitched slightly as he fell into a deep sleep. He made little whimpers, and he frowned every now and then. I wondered what he dreamed about and if I was ever in his dreams. He’d definitely infiltrated my sleep at night. I consistently had dreams of Blade. Sometimes we were just doing mundane things, sometimes we were fucking. But he was always there, next to me.
I stroked his head and fiddled around on my phone as he slept. I was a little surprised by how I felt like more of a homebody these days. It was as if the moment I’d accepted that Blade was pregnant with my child, I felt more settled. Almost as if this baby and relationship was meant to be.
My mom had floated the idea that Blade and I might be fated mates. I’d heard of that happening, but hadn’t ever expected it would happen to me, and certainly not with another man. Not to mention the nature of our previous adversarial relationship had made the idea of being meant for one another ludicrous. But the more time I spent with Blade, the more right it felt to be together.
I moved my hand from his head slowly down his cheek to his shoulder. The slow rise and fall of his chest let me know he was still asleep. I smoothed my hand gently down until it came to rest on his flat stomach.
Our baby was in there. My chest swelled and a pleasant shiver went through me. Our child grew inside his abdomen, getting bigger every day. There were no outside signs of his pregnancy just yet, but I knew that in a few months his flat stomach would be rounded and plump with my baby.
There was something so sensual and exciting about having him carrying my child. I’d been resistant to the idea of marriage and kids for so long, these new emotions were a shock. My career had been all I cared about. I hadn’t felt like I could have both, especially after Sheena and I had split. I’d seen how difficult my job was on that relationship, and I’d sort of given up the idea of having my career and a family. But now it seemed as if maybe I could have both. I still wasn’t sure if Blade was willing to be a part of the baby’s life, but I hoped he would.
His confusion was obvious. And he still didn’t trust me, at least not like I wanted him to. I could tell he assumed I was only interested in him because of the baby. But from the moment we’d had sex, something had changed for me toward him.
Obviously, when we’d discovered he was pregnant, that had made everything much more intense, and it had forced me to examine my attraction to him. Otherwise, I might have pushed it away and tried to pretend I wasn’t that into him. But I was. I’d still want to be with him even if something horrible happened and he lost the baby. But I didn’t trust he felt the same. I knew he needed my help and support right now, but was that as far as his feelings went for me?
I decided not to worry about it too much just yet. There was still time for us to bond and grow closer. He gave a little snore, and I grinned and smiled at him, my heart tight with affection.