Chapter 21
Aspen
Idashed off a quick email to my boss.
Heat leave. Going home now. I’ll be back Friday.
It was only a week after I stopped taking my birth control pills. The off-schedule heat came as a surprise. But I had a mate and husband, now. The bond between us affected both my emotional and my physical being. The heat sent me burning nearly out of control right in the middle of a meeting.
I excused myself quietly and ran to my car, then emailed my boss from my phone.
There was nothing he could do or say about me rushing out of the office.
Heat leave was a shifter right. Some bosses, usually human alphas, wanted it counted as sick leave, but the laws in our country gave special heat days to omegas.
You couldn’t be fired for it. No one could deny your leave, or they’d be turned in for harassment to HR.
Next, I texted Dale. We didn’t call each other at work unless it was an emergency. This sort of counted as one. I was on fire. But I was still able to drive.
Aspen: Come home, husband. I had to leave work early. I need you. Don’t make me beg.
Dale: I feel it through our bond. I’ve already emailed my manager for spousal heat leave. On my way now. I love you!
How did I get so lucky and pick the best alpha on the planet as my mate? Winter Wonderland’s errors had become our dash for the win. Double-booked should be our lucky phrase.
I thought I’d make it home before Dale, but when I pulled into the garage, his car was already there. I scrambled to get out of my seat, catching myself on my seatbelt I’d forgotten to unfasten. When I stood and slammed the door, my car beeped telling me I’d left the keys inside.
I cursed under my breath at my foggy brain. Heats were like that, sending all the blood from my head downward.
I moved toward the inside door, fumbling with my key. Finally, I got it open.
When I stepped inside, I smelled alpha. My alpha. All fresh pine and spice. And sex.
I ran to the living room, but he wasn’t there. There was no fire going. I’d not expected that from him. He loved hearth fires. Where was he?
I started to call out his name but stopped when my reindeer scented his trail.
Up.
I took the stairs two at a time, tripping at the top step and catching myself on the banister. This was going to be a big heat. I was already losing my mind.
I jogged that last few steps down the hall to our bedroom. The door was ajar. I pushed it open and stepped inside.
The entire room glowed from the dozen or so candles flickering on every surface.
Over the head of the bed were twinkle lights like we’d had at the Christmas cabin.
The covers were turned down. Soothing music played softly.
A stack of clean towels and lube—which we never needed—lay on one bedstand.
The lamp on my side was turned on, the stained-glass dragonflies adding color to the entire scene.
Dale stood at the foot of the bed wearing only dark blue satin boxers with a prominent bulge. His chest was puffed, his flat stomach showing off his six-pack. The pine and spice scent grew stronger. Even the candles couldn’t blot it out. I was homed in on my alpha and nothing would deter me.
He smiled like the pretty alpha he was. “I’m here.”
“Damn straight you are.” The words left my mouth before I realized what I’d said. I was past lust-drunk and ready to fuck.
Dale held out his arms.
I went right into them, not caring that I was still wearing my suit and tie. I was desperate to feel him. My underwear was wet. My cock ached and my hole was swollen.
“You look so beautiful,” Dale said. He nuzzled my neck and face before kissing me until I couldn’t breathe.
“Let’s get you out of these clothes,” he said, pulling back as I gasped.
“I can’t wait. Just the pants. Tear them off. Then take me. Love me. Breed me.” I was spinning out of control.
Dale undid my belt and zipper, pulling my trousers and underwear off in one sweep. My shoes and socks were quickly kicked away.
“Now the rest,” he said, reaching for my suit jacket.
I tore myself away from him and jumped on the bed on hands and knees, ass in the air. “No time. I need you now.”
Dale must have swept away his boxers when I wasn’t looking, because in seconds he was crouched behind me, his cockhead probing exactly where I wanted it.
“You’re gorgeous and so ready,” he said, leaning forward and sliding partway in. “Ready to make a baby?”
“Yes! Don’t tease. All the way. I need you or I’m going to turn to mush.”
He put one hand on my lower back, pushing my work shirt and jacket up, and the other beneath me to cup my balls, and slid all the way in.
It wasn’t enough.
“Move. Thrust. Get it deeper.” I had no rationale left. “Please.” My manners came from auto-programming. My mind knew it wanted something and thought it could get it faster by saying the magic word.
“Please, Dale!”
Dale began to thrust. My mind took off for other realms as his cock drove over my prostate and hit deeper places inside me that sent me flying. I came hard and fast. Dale followed not too much later. A minute? A second? I’d lost all track of time.
Fast and messy. That was what I wanted. Needed. Already I felt his knot at my rim. “Knot me, Dale. Please. I need your knot.”
My cock was still dribbling. My ass convulsed.
Dale’s knot swelled and he shoved hard until that part of him breached my rim and stuck us together. Finally.
I let my arms bend and collapsed face first into a nest of pillows. Dale’s body covered me, warm and loving.
The euphoria of the knot created a brilliance through our bond I’d never experienced before.
Dale wasn't just inside me physically, but in my mind like a big golden flower with the sunlight detailing all of its petals.
The flower blossomed bigger and bigger until my mind was both encompassed and surrounding it at the same time.
Through it we could communicate all our love and passion.
It was nonverbal and natural. A meeting of minds in orgasmic splendor.
The pulsing between us slowed after many minutes. The flower transformed into a scintillating star, its light the essence of both of us entwined. He turned us both on our sides and cuddled me until his release was complete and his cock softened.
“You look really sexy wearing a bottomless suit.”
I giggled.
I fell asleep with him holding me, his chest against my back.
For two nights I burned with heat. It never stopped being wonderful each time Dale took me, knotted me.
We were like one being with two hearts. I felt drugged afterward, satiated, and definitely pregnant.
To confirm that last piece of knowledge, I would have to wait a couple of days at least to take a real pregnancy test.
But deep inside, I knew. Our love and enthusiasm had made a new life. In nine months, we would have a little one of our own to teach, to cherish, to love.
When Dale came home from work on Friday, I greeted him at the door with the box for a pregnancy test in hand.
“Did you take it yet? What did it say?”
“No. I was waiting for you. I want us to both find out together.”
“Let's go.”
We ran upstairs to the bedroom. Before I entered the bathroom, I turned. “We both want this so badly. What if it's negative? Will you be okay?”
Slowly, he nodded. “We'll just try again.”
“Yeah. We both love that part.” I smiled up at him, but my lips were trembling.
He caught my chin in his hand and kissed me. “Either way, we're going to be fine. If we have to wait for another heat, then that's the way it is.”
He was the best. My husband was a keeper.
When I came out of the bathroom holding the stick in my hand, our eyes met.
“It's going to take a minute.”
He looked at the stick. “How do you read it? I've never really seen one of those before.”
“If a pink plus appears that means we're pregnant. If it's just one line it's negative.”
“Easy enough.”
Huddled together, we both stared at the readout. The seconds ticked by achingly slow.
“I think I see something pink forming,” Dale whispered.
As we both watched, we saw a single line begin to form. My heart began to drop; that was the sign I really didn't want to see.
I took a shaky breath.
Dale's arm came around my shoulders. “Wait. We have to be sure. I think I see more pink.”
He was right. A very faded plus sign began to show itself. My hand was shaking, making the stick wobble. Dale placed his palm underneath my hand to steady it and together as we held the test we saw the pink plus turn brighter. We both began to jump up and down, throwing our arms around each other.
“We made a baby!” I shouted.
“We sure did.”
We laughed and embraced and fell onto the bed rolling over each other, sharing our happiness. When we both sat up, we stared at each other with teary eyes.
“We need to celebrate. I'm taking you out to dinner.”
In the car, I said, “When my mom and dad find out they're gonna explode.”
“They'll be the best grandparents ever,” Dale said.
“You'll tell your parents, of course. They'll want to know.”
“Yeah, but don't count on them being in the kids’ lives too much.”
“You said kids, plural.”
“Did I? I suppose it could be twins. But probably it was just a slip.”
“You're thinking far into the future. So am I. But before we have another, let's see how this one goes first.”
“Good thinking.” He bowed his head. “I want to give our child everything I feel was missing from my own childhood.
There will be no coldness in our household.
I'm not perfect, Aspen, but I promise to be the best daddy I can be.
I'll do everything. Cook, clean change diapers.
Maybe that doesn't sound traditionally alpha of me, but I don't care.
I won't be an absent alpha father. I'm in on this one hundred percent.”
“I already knew all that about you.” I took one hand off the steering wheel and clasped his. “But that was the most wonderful speech ever. I do love to hear you talk. Your words. You say the nicest, most incredible things to me.”
“I love you so much.”
“Me, too. But it's more than that with you. You're a giver. You're special. Don't ever forget that.”