Chapter 5
Nathaniel
We soaked up the knowledge of each other one day at a time, but I’d yet to figure out how to break it to Mac that I was pregnant. Could he not see it? This bump? Surely he could sense something was off, right?
But he hadn’t so much as mentioned it, and he was far too much of a gentleman to call me out on being chubby, so maybe not.
Or maybe he knew and he was hiding it? I didn’t know.
I didn’t want to blurt it out at the least opportune time and then watch Mac’s dark eyes cloud over with distaste, knowing the Omega he’d been courting was sullied.
I stuffed those thoughts down deep and pulled the rug over them. That was a problem for future-Nathaniel. Present-Nathaniel was gonna enjoy this date and hopefully spend the night at his new boyfriend’s house again.
Mac picked me up around four, and we went straight to a holiday craft bazaar that was being hosted at the local middle school.
The lot was so packed, we had to park way in the back and traverse across icy asphalt just to reach the front doors.
People in winter coats and scarves milled about, and the smells of cinnamon and cider lingered in the air.
Hand in hand, we walked down the aisles between booths decorated in fabric, glitter and fancy ornaments.
Two big Christmas trees, dressed in colorful blinking lights, sat on either end of the auditorium.
Above, on the upper deck, the high school jazz band was playing lively renditions of popular Christmas songs.
It was wonderful, and I realized that whatever bah-hum bugginess I’d felt prior to meeting Mac had all but vanished into thin air. Holding his hand in front of everyone, knowing that he wasn’t ashamed to be seen next to a guy who wore more makeup than most women? It meant everything to me.
I was smitten, plain and simple.
Somewhere between the lesbian couple who were selling screen-printed t-shirts and the booth with handcrafted paper mache Christmas ornaments, I lost track of Mac.
One minute he was standing beside me, perusing, and the next?
Gone. I glanced around the large auditorium, scanning the faces in the crowd in search of my Alpha.
My cheeks flushed at the thought. My Alpha. I wish.
Then, out of nowhere, he appeared in front of me holding a single rose.
His eyes were as warm as hot chocolate as he offered it to me, and I realized that it wasn’t just any rose—it was carved entirely out of wood.
Each petal was delicately hewn. Even the tips of the little thorns were perfect, polished to a smooth shine. It was absolutely beautiful.
I gasped softly. “Mackenzie?”
“I thought it suited you,” he murmured, shrugging his shoulders, as if that explained everything.
“And I remember you saying that real flowers give you allergies, so…” He smiled and my heart squeezed so painfully tight.
I did tell him about that, didn’t I? Back when we first started talking. He remembered?
“Thank you. It’s wonderful,” I managed to say. I brought the wooden petals to my nose and breathed them in, just like I would a real flower. The swirling, woody scent of cedar filled my lungs. I let out a happy sigh. “You’re amazing, Mac.”
His grin was bashful. “I try. C’mon, they’re having a bake sale and I’m jonesing for some cookies.
” Wrapping his arm around my waist to tug me closer, he led us out of the crowded auditorium and out into the hall, where tables selling baked goods were set up.
He snatched up a small container of peanut butter no-bake cookies. “Mine. Pick anything you want.”
“Anything?” I smirked, leaning closer to steal a kiss beneath some construction paper mistletoe. “And if I said I wanted a different kind of sweet…? What’re my chances of getting that?”
His laugh was husky. “I’d say pretty damn good.”
Proud of myself, I tugged free of his grip and browsed the myriad of cookies and candies. I settled on a small bag of homemade peanut brittle. My granny used to make the best Christmas candy and since she’d been gone, I’d been missing the sweet, burnt-sugar taste of her brittle.
Mac paid for our treats with cash, then turned to me. “Ready to go?”
“Only if you’re gonna take me home and have your wicked way with me.
” I waggled my fingers in his face, and he responded by kissing my fingertips.
When his tongue flicked out to curl around my thumb, heat pooled between my thighs.
I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Apparently it was a “hell yes,” because we no sooner got in the front door of his place and he pounced.
Our goodies were forgotten the moment his lips crushed against mine, drawing a whimper from the depths of my lungs.
Yes, yes, yes. He tasted like the cocoa they’d been handing out, rich and sweet and chocolate-y.
His tongue drove into my mouth with reckless abandon, licking over my teeth before tangling with mine.
I leaned up on my tip-toes and carded my fingers in his dark hair before dragging him down to my level.
His moan reverberated in between our mouths.
I swallowed it down on a growl of my own, then yanked at the lapels of his winter coat.
He squirmed at the same time I shoved it off his shoulders. It landed on the floor behind him.
Pulling away only because I had to, I made quick work of my own coat, kicking off my boots in the process.
Then I was right back to kissing him, touching him, groping him.
His hands were all over me, his palms dragging down the sides of my shirt, his calloused fingers catching on the slinky material.
Every touch sent fire coursing through my veins, and I needed more.
He nipped at my lip, and I devoured him. I sucked on his tongue, drawing it into my mouth until I felt the big Alpha shudder.
“Yes,” I panted. Fisting the collar of his shirt, I tugged it up over his head.
His broad shoulders complimented a thick and sturdy torso.
My Alpha was strong and firm, and while he might not’ve had washboard abs or muscles upon muscles, there was power behind his every move.
I ran my fingers through the coarse, dark hair that ran down his chest, all the way to his happy trail. I bit my lip. “You’re so sexy.”
He huffed a laugh. “Glad you think so.”
“Baby,” I drawled. “I know so. Now hurry up and get naked—oh!”
I squealed as he wrapped those strong arms around me.
He hoisted me up off my feet, swung me around in a circle, then tossed me over his shoulder like a caveman.
I laughed all the way down the hall, clinging to his neck the whole way.
He practically tossed me onto the mattress, but I didn’t have a chance to complain.
“Strip,” he growled, one-hundred percent Alpha.
The dominance in his voice shot straight to my dick, which throbbed angrily in my skinny jeans.
I squeaked and shimmied out of the glittery sweater I’d worn, then popped the button on my pants.
Lifting my hips off the bed, I shoved them down and Mackenzie responded by grabbing them by the legs and tearing them off of me.
That’s when I realized that he was well and fully naked, his cock standing erect.
My mouth watered. I would never get enough of this.
He was long and slim, with a prominent—and very lickable—dorsal vein.
I reached for my own cock, pre-cum soaking into my manties.
Mac batted my hand away on another guttural growl.
Naked except for his crew socks, he climbed onto the bed to straddle me. I fell back, propped up by my elbows on the mattress. His knees pinned my thighs together, and I shivered as his gaze roved over my body. I saw hunger. Desire. Need.
I swallowed. “Mac…”
He replied by grinding the butt of his calloused palm over my cock, stroking me through the nearly see-through fabric.
My heartbeat fluttered wildly as he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of my underwear and slowly pulled them down.
His eyes were locked on my cock as it sprang free to smear wetness against my belly.
“You’re so damn gorgeous,” he uttered, awestruck. His big hands slid up my chest, to sink into the mattress on either side of my head as his body covered mine. His chest hair rasped against my nipples, making them ache, and when I opened my mouth to beg, he stole my words away with a hungry kiss.
And then he began to move.
He ground his body into mine with slow, seeking rolls of his hips.
Every time his cock slid against mine, sparks danced beneath my skin.
My hips snapped up off the bed in a desperate attempt at friction.
He only chuckled and kissed me open, molesting my heart as well as my body, and it felt amazing.
He wrapped his hand around our shafts, stroking us together, as one.
I threw my head back on a broken moan as our cockheads rolled together, slick with pre-cum.
I thrust into his grip, my fingers digging into the muscles of his biceps.
My world was spinning in circles, the popcorn ceiling swimming above me.
“Mac. Mac… Oh, fuck, I’m so close, I’m gonna come!
” I hissed and bucked, suddenly desperate for release, and my Alpha didn’t let me down.
He growled against my lips, nipping and sucking at them as his body ravaged mine.
His grip on our cocks tightened and when he grunted my name, I couldn’t hold back.
“Fuck!” I twisted in the sheets as my balls tingled and drew up tight, sending pleasure shocking through my soul. I spilled across my stomach and chest in several pulsing bursts. Mac wasn’t far behind. With a low cry of his own, he fisted over our slippery shafts until he came.
Both of us spent, Mac rolled off of me, panting hard—not that I blamed him. Damn, if I wasn’t still seeing stars. I groaned and flopped back into the pillows. This man… Wow.
“How the hell are you still single?” I uttered, dazed and breathless. “You’re way too perfect to be single.”
There was a heartbeat of dead silence, then Mackenzie sat up in bed, putting distance between us. The happy, airy mood we shared suddenly went ice cold. “I’m far from perfect, Nathaniel.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
His laugh was bitter. “Right. So perfect, in fact, that my ex-fiance went out and found himself a replacement. He had an affair with another Alpha for six months before he finally had the balls to tell me the truth—that I wasn’t worthy.
Then he left. Tell me again, how I’m perfect?
” His words stung like a slap to the face.
I gasped. “Mac, I didn’t—”
I reached out to him, but he twisted away. He shook his head sharply. He wouldn’t look at me. His shoulders stiff and his back hunched over, I could tell he was hurting and I felt like an asshole. What is wrong with you, Nathaniel?
“Mac. Please.”
“No. Just… Stop.” He growled under his breath. “I think…maybe you should go.”
Ouch. “I—Of course,” I murmured, my gut knotting. How could something so good, turn to shit so damn fast? “I’m sorry. I really am.” I fumbled around for my clothes, strewn across the floor, and got dressed in a hurry.
My chest aching with each frenetic beat, I hesitated in the doorway. I needed to say something, but Mackenzie was closed off to me. A stone statue.
I dropped my head and walked away.
It wasn’t until I was standing in the cold that I realized he’d picked me up.
I didn’t have a car. I sighed. This just wasn’t my day.
I walked the half-mile to the bus stop and sat on the freezing metal bench, waiting for a ride.
By the time I made it home, my fingers and toes were numb and I couldn’t stop shivering.
I took a hot shower to try and thaw myself out. All the while, my mind kept replaying what had happened between us. Taunting me. Torturing me. Damn it. As if I didn’t already feel like shit. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but I’d definitely struck a nerve.
I dried off and dressed in my warmest PJs, then retreated to the couch with one of Granny’s quilts. I queued up Netflix and then, before I could talk myself out of it, I texted Mackenzie an apology.
No response.
Feeling even worse, I sank down into the cushions of the couch and tried to focus on the show. I checked my phone periodically, but it remained silent. My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. Good going, dumbass. He probably hates you now. The thought brought tears to my eyes.
With a soft whine, I snatched the phone off the arm of the couch. Even though I was a strong, independent young Omega, sometimes, we all needed a little comfort now and again. I thumbed through my list of contacts and pushed the green call button.
“There’s my baby boy! About time you called me.” Mum’s voice was a warm respite from the bitter chill that had leeched into my bones. I cuddled deeper into the blankets and sighed. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“I think I might’ve fucked up this thing between me and Mac,” I told her. “I said something that I probably shouldn’t have. I wasn’t thinking and it just popped out, and I… He asked me to leave, so I left. I texted him, but…”
She tutted softly at me. “Sweet boy, you know as well as I do that Alphas are fickle. Doesn’t matter if they’re men or if they’re women, they’re all hardwired the same.
If I gave up on your mother every time we disagreed, you kids never would’ve come along.
” I could hear her smile over the phone line. “You apologized, right?”
“Yes…”
“Then give him time. If he cares about you, he’ll come around.”
“And if he doesn’t?” I whispered, only for Mum to laugh.
“Then he isn’t worth your time, honey, plain and simple. I raised you better than that.”
I smiled through the tears. “I love you.”
“I love you more,” she crooned. “And I can tell you’re really invested in this man.
I’m happy for you, Nathaniel. Now… When do we get to meet him?
Surely you’ll bring him to Christmas dinner?
Or is that perhaps a bit soon? It has only been a couple of weeks.
Sorry, I’m not trying to pry into your love life!
I’m just so eager to meet the man that’s tamed my baby’s wild heart. ”
I groaned. “Mum. Stop.”
She giggled. “Never.”
“Right now, I don’t even know if he’ll forgive me.”
“He will,” she assured me. “Have a little faith.”
Sure enough, Mum was right. A couple hours later, just as I was dozing off to sleep, my phone dinged. When Mac’s picture bubble popped up on the screen, my heart thumped and suddenly, I was wide awake.
I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have flipped out on u, it’s just hard. It’s been four years and I should be over it, but I’m not. It’s not ur fault tho and I feel like an asshole.
I held my breath, reading and re-reading the text with teary eyes. Before I could answer him with another apology of my own, my phone buzzed again.
I wanna make it up 2 u. Come to brunch with me tomorrow? If ur free...
I smiled through the tears and answered: I’m always free for you.