Claimed by the Boss: M/M Omegaverse Mpreg Billionaire Romance

Chapter 16

Agentle brush of fingers through my hair draws me from a fitful sleep. My lashes flutter up to find Nolan dressed in a suit and crouched on the floor by my head.

His brow creases with concern. “Hey, I didn’t want to disturb you, but I need to go out on some business.”

I rub my puffy eyes. “Why not just leave a note like usual?”

“You were tossing and turning all night.” He sweeps back my bangs. “I didn’t want you to wake up alone in a new place.”

Too late for that. Pain knifes through my chest, and I catch his hand. “Can’t you stay?”

Regret fills his eyes. “If only I could, sweet boy. But I already put this meeting off once.”

His rendezvous with his lover, Jade.

Desperation roils within me, and my hold on him tightens. “But what about our plans for pizza and ordering groceries?”

“Why don’t you take it easy and try to get more sleep.” He leans forward to kiss my temple. “If I’m not back before you get up, order what you like with the cash and credit card I left on the kitchen island.”

As he stands, anxious panic brings me half out of bed. “Wait!”

Nolan turns back. “Is there something wrong?”

The need to beg him to stay burns through me, but if not now, he’ll just go to Jade another time.

I swallow down my desire to keep him here and pull the blanket over my bare body. “The front door. How do I unlock it? Or am I supposed to accept deliveries through the window?”

“That would certainly get people gossiping. I’ll leave the password on the island, too.” He urges me to lie back down. “Try to get some more sleep. You look like you didn’t get a wink.”

“Yes, master.” I tug the covers over my head. “Have fun at your meeting.”

His hand touches the soft down over my head in a last caress, and then the bedroom door clicks shut behind him.

A few seconds later, the front door opens and closes. I push the blanket down and grab my clothing bag. In the bathroom, I take a long shower, pressing a washcloth to my eyes to ease the burn of too much crying.

It was hard to stifle my tears and pretend to sleep when Nolan returned to bed. I kept expecting him to notice something was wrong, but he never did. It helped that he had no reason to suspect I was awake.

Once I dress, I head downstairs, where I find the laptop in the office. I load up a grocery cart online but force myself to wait a full hour before I place the order for delivery.

Nolan will get an alert for the purchase, and I don’t want him to know I didn’t even try to go back to sleep. With the arrival window set for two hours out, I spend the time applying for jobs not connected to Rockford Holdings.

No matter how things turn out, I still need an income, but a connection to Nolan’s family no longer sounds like such a good idea.

My stomach twists, and I press a hand over it. What am I going to do? There’s no way I can stay by Nolan’s side when he and Jade are in love. I’m just the inconvenient accident in the way of them being together.

Tears threaten, but I swallow them down. No more crying. I always knew this could be temporary, so why is it so shocking to be proven right?

The ringing doorbell comes as a welcome break from the threatening spiral, and I race from the office to open the front door.

The delivery person is already sliding back into their car, so I snatch the paper sack off the stoop.

Instead of heading to the kitchen, I walk straight to the powder room next to the garage and shut myself inside.

My hands tremble as I upend the bag over the sink, and boxes of pregnancy tests spill out. Cold sweat breaks out down my back, and my chest tightens, making it hard to breathe. I grip the sides of the counter and lean forward, gasping in air.

The doctor will be here tomorrow to do the test, but I can’t wait that long. I need to consider my options without Nolan here, distracting me with everything I want that isn’t mine. When he’s near, I can’t think clearly. If he looked at me with those green eyes and told me I’d only ever be a side piece, I don’t think I’d be strong enough to say no.

Even now, I consider just waiting. If I pretend I never overheard him and Jade together, then this bubble might never burst, and I can continue letting Nolan take me to bed, to make me his.

It would be easy to keep living in this fairy tale until Nolan tells me it’s over and deal with picking up the pieces then.

With a deep breath, I lift my head to meet my red-rimmed eyes in the mirror and see a man already heartbroken.

No, I can’t pretend. It was fine when it would only hurt me, but now that my eyes have been opened, I can’t go back to the lies.

Hands shaking, I grab the first box and rip it open.

Cool air stings my cheeks as I step off the bus and heft my bag of clothes onto my shoulder.

The fifty dollars that Nolan left burns a guilty hole in my pocket, but he intended for it to buy me food, and that’s still the plan. It just won’t be going toward expensive delivery pizza as intended.

If I budget, it will cover groceries for the next month, providing I can dodge Gino for that long.

My steps slow as I near my apartment complex.

Maybe I was a little too preemptive when I ran away from Nolan’s townhouse. I hadn’t been thinking clearly after the fifth negative pregnancy test. Grief and disappointment drove me out the door and to the nearest bus stop before I was conscious of what I was doing.

Nolan had mentioned the Omega Outreach Program. Is there a chance they could help me? I’m older than the Omegas they usually take in, but it’s worth a shot.

I reach into my pocket to pull out my cell phone, only to find it dead. Since Nolan saved me from selling myself and took me to his family house, I haven’t felt a need to check it.

Okay, new plan. Get to my apartment, charge my phone, then look up the information for the Omega Outreach Program and see if they can save me. Or at least give me a reprieve from this nightmare.

God, I hope Nolan isn’t angry when he returns home and finds the bathroom of negative tests and the hastily scrawled note absolving him of any further obligation and wishing him happiness with Jade.

That might have been a little snide, but it tells him I know about his lover, and there’s no longer a need for pretense. We’re two men who had some fun and now we’re going back to our regular lives. Which doesn’t include each other.

The ache in my chest threatens to swallow me, and I stop at the stairs, clutching the rusty railing for support. When did breathing become so hard?

A hand grips my arm. “Leo, are you okay?”

With a frightened shout, I whip around.

“Whoa, there. Didn’t mean to startle you.” Mr. Bugrov raises his hands. “You looked like you were having a panic attack.”

“No, I’m fine.” I will my racing heart to slow. “Just a little out of breath from the walk.”

“No Mr. Rockford today?” He gives me an ingratiating smile. “I was hoping to thank him personally for my visit to Velvet Oasis.”

“I’ll pass along your message.” With a nod, I head up the stairs.

Mr. Bugrov trails after me. “If you’d told me you were friends with someone like Mr. Rockford, I would have given you a nicer room.”

“Can we discuss this another time, Mr. Bugrov?” At the sound of his footsteps behind me, I glance back. “I’m in a bit of a hurry right now?—”

“In a hurry to go where, Leo?”

Fear ices my veins as I turn to see Gino walking down from my apartment floor.

The bag falls from my shoulder, and I back down a step. “Gino, what are you doing here?”

His mean eyes fix on me. “A little birdy told me it looked like you were planning to fly the coop before you paid me back.”

Mr. Bugrov grabs hold of my arm. “Sorry, kid. It’s nothing personal.”

With a shout, I shove him hard against the side of the railing, and he releases me as he flails to catch his balance.

Spinning, I race down the stairs.

Gino’s footsteps pound after me. “Where are you running off to, Leo? I just want to talk!”

My heartbeat thunders in my ears as I reach the sidewalk. I glance back to see how much of a lead I have on Gino when strong arms wrap around me from behind.

The scent of stale cigarettes and alcohol fill my nose, familiar and stomach churning. “Not so fast, Leo.”

As my feet leave the ground, I kick my feet. “No, Tony! Let me go!”

“No can do.” Gino joins us, his face flushed. “You’re suddenly worth a lot more money to us.”

Shouting, I swing my foot into his gut.

He grunts, and anger twists his features. A slap cracks against my cheek, and pain explodes in my head.

“Hey, careful,” Tony protests. “Don’t ruin his pretty face.”

“I doubt it’s his face that has Mr. Rockford’s interest.” Hard fingers grab my chin. “How much do you think Nolan will pay to get you back?”

“Help!” I scream, fighting Tony’s hold. “Call the police!”

“Quit making so much noise!” someone shouts, followed by the slam of a window.

“No one’s going to rush to your aid here, Leo. It’s not that kind of neighborhood.” Mr. Bugrov hurries to a black sedan parked at the curb. “Get him in the car.”

“No!” My heels beat against Tony’s shins and knees. “Let me go!”

He grunts as he shoves me kicking and screaming into the trunk.