Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Alex
I could tell Seth was lost in his head somewhere, no doubt grappling with everything that had happened today. Admitting we were fated. The kiss. That kiss had been pretty great. It hadn’t been passionate, hurried, or anything our previous kisses had been. Instead it had been sweet and tender, but I had poured all of my feelings into that kiss, everything I wanted for us. For our future together.
Because I did want a future with Seth. He was mine, and he was having our pup, and all the rest would work itself out. I had no doubts. The Goddess had made him for me, and me for him.
I had never been one to believe in insta-love, but I could feel myself already falling hard and fast for Seth. Hell, who was I kidding? I had fallen head over heels for him in that hotel room on New Year’s.
Holding my key fob towards my Mercedes, it beeped, letting me know it was unlocked.
Seth whistled lowly, “Nice car. You must be doing a shit ton of business in Sweet Alps.”
Smiling ruefully, I shook my head. “Once upon a time, I was a big shot divorce lawyer in New York city. My billable rate was about a thousand dollars an hour. It’s why I can afford to take on so many pro bono cases and have a sliding scale and generous payment plans for my clients now.”
Seth didn’t seem to know what to say to that, but I could practically see his mind whirling. I hadn’t missed anything he had said in my office or at his doctor appointment. He had stressed he was “too much”. That told me someone, somewhere, had planted that idea in his head. I planned to help him get rid of that thinking.
Opening the passenger seat, I pulled out the items I had brought him. A dozen red roses and an expensive box of chocolates.
He stared at them like they were poison, not moving to take them from my outstretched hands.
“What?” he asked, looking perplexed.
“Valentine’s Day,” I told him, which just made him tilt his head and give me a look like he thought I’d gone completely around the bend. “You said you wished for roses and chocolates and not a positive pregnancy test. I wasn’t there for Valentine’s, or to sit with you while you waited for the test results. But I’m here now, Seth, and I’m not going anywhere. So, roses and chocolates.” When he still hesitated, I rolled my eyes. “Take them.”
He did, finally, sniffing delicately at the roses and holding the gold box of chocolates tightly against his chest. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not sharing these chocolates.”
My lips quirked in a smile, “Duly noted.”
“Unless there are coconut ones,” he said, making an ick face. “You can have those, because gross.”
“No coconut ones, I promise,” I made a cross with my finger over my heart. “Cross my heart. Caramels, coffee cream, and a couple raspberry creams.”
“Mmmmm,” he closed his eyes and smiled.
“I did okay, then?” I couldn’t help but tease him, but also, I wanted to know for future reference.
He gave a noncommittal shrug. “You did alright.”
He was a tough one, my pretty, bratty omega, but I was up for the challenge.
“Let me fix you dinner tonight,” I told him, brushing a lock of hair back from his forehead where it had fallen. “After you get off of work. We can talk about all of this.”
“All of this?” he took another small sniff of the flowers, still holding them and the candy tightly to his chest.
“Us,” I said, “being fated, our pup. The future. Do you even want a future with me?”
It was a risk asking him so soon, and I knew I was probably rushing things, but everything inside me didn’t want to wait. Not with him.
“You make me feel things I’ve never felt before,” he whispered quietly, “make me want things I never thought I wanted before. But I do think I want them. With you.”
My heart soared with joy at his words, but I tried to play it cool. Still there was no stopping the silly, wide grin on my face. “Yeah?”
He nodded, smiling back at me, “Yeah. It’s nuts! It’s absolutely insane! I didn’t even really believe in fated mates. Definitely not this instant love bullshit.” He seemed to realize what he said, and tried to back track, “Not that this is love. Nobody said the L word. Just forget you heard that. Pregnancy hormones, I guess. Maybe I need to eat. Yeah, that’s it. Low blood sugar, or something.” He somehow jostled the box of candy and flowers, until he had the lid off the candy enough to pop two caramels in his mouth and chewed rapidly.
“Dinner tonight,” I repeated, “my place. Let me have your phone.”
Since he was bogged down with his gifts, I slipped it from his hand, tsking when he didn’t even have it password protected.
“What?” he grumped, “I get tired of having to unlock it all the time. It’s freaking annoying. What’s someone gonna find on there anyway, my porn stash? Have at it.”
Shaking my head at him, I sent a quick text to myself from his phone. “Now you have my number.” I handed it back, and he somehow managed to hold onto it. Next I responded to the text I had sent myself with my address. “What time do you get off work?”
“Um, it will probably be close to six. We usually always have a last minute sick kid appointment, and Asher doesn’t rush his patients or their parents. Which is great, except on Fridays, when I’m ready for the week to just be over.”
“So, we’ll say six-thirty.” I told him, taking the flowers from his arms, and walking him to his car. Once I was convinced he was secured in, and he had stashed his flowers and the candy–not before popping another in his mouth–I leaned against his open door. “Anything off the menu? Besides the list they just gave us.” There seemed to be a shit ton of foods he wasn’t allowed to eat during his pregnancy. Cold cuts? Really? That seemed unfair, though I understood the sushi.
“Spicy stuff,” he rested his hand against his belly. “The pup is not a fan.”
Hmmm, that knocked out my abuelo’s tamales she had made me stop by and get yesterday. She always made the ones she gave me extra spicy, but I would come up with something.
“I’ve kind of been craving tacos lately,” he told me, almost shyly, biting his bottom lip in the adorable way I had noticed he did when he was unsure of something. “Not that I’m assuming you’re making Mexican food.”
“Tacos I can do,” I assured him, bending and planting a kiss on his lips so quickly, he looked shocked when I straightened back up. Two of his fingers touched his lips lightly, a dazed look on his face.
“Ugh,” Seth groaned, listing sideways on my sofa and patting his teeny tiny rounded belly, which I found incredibly sexy. I couldn’t wait to see him round with our pup. “I’m sooo full. What magic do you possess to make tacos that good?”
Grinning at him, I placed his sock covered feet in my lap and started to rub absently. He moaned, the sound shooting straight to my cock. “No magic. Just an abuela who taught me to cook. And my madre, and tias, it’s a big family. Besides, tacos are easy.”
Seth groaned again when I hit a pressure point on his arch. “Those tortillas were homemade.”
Frowning, I told him seriously, “As if I would buy store bought.”
“Really? Please never stop doing that,” he indicated his foot I was rubbing.
“Actually, I do buy store bought tortillas,” I admitted, “I was just trying to impress you.”
“Worked.”
“So,” I said after a minute or two of relaxed silence while I rubbed his other foot, “I was thinking we could set the birthing tub up in a corner of my master bedroom. It’s big and there’s a hardwood floor. And I can drag the garden hose in through the window.”
Seth sat up, nearly pulling his foot from my grasp, and I worried I had overstepped, gone too fast, asked for too much, too soon.
“I don’t know where you live,” I hurriedly said, “but my house is big. Four bedrooms, a large, fenced back yard. Great neighborhood.”
Seth stared at me with his pretty blue, black rimmed eyes, then nibbled on one of his purple painted nails. Holding my breath, I waited for him to say something. “Um, I live in an apartment. Which isn’t ideal for giving birth. It’s not really big enough for the birthing tub. And the neighbors might not appreciate me screaming my head off, which is bound to happen. What exactly are you asking me, Alex?”
Taking a fortifying breath, I plowed ahead. “I’m asking you to move in with me. I know it’s super fast, but you’re my mate. My fated mate. And we are having a pup. I have more than enough room, and if you don’t want to share a bed yet, there are three other bedrooms to choose from. Though one would be for the baby. I’m just saying, even though we are fated, and I feel…things for you, Seth, I’m not pressuring you. It’s your choice, and you have choices. I’m fucking this up,” I muttered, running a hand over my face and beard.
He shook his head, “No, you’re not.”
“I’m not?”
“It’s all those things you said, and more, but…yes. I think, yes. I feel things for you, Alex. I have from the first time I saw you, even before I swiped your drink.”
“Which you totally did to get my attention,” I told him with a smirk.
He grinned, “I totally did. But when you kiss me…it’s different than any kisses I’ve ever had. When you touch me, when you look at me…I don’t know, it’s all magnified by about a thousand.” He crawled into my lap, and I couldn’t remember a time I had ever been happier. “So yes, it’s all happening way too fast, but I don’t care. I want you. I want us.” He took my hand and placed it on his belly, where our pup was nestled, safe and secure, his hand covering mine. “Yes. Yes, I’ll move in with you. Yes, to it all. Please, please, don’t make me regret doing this.”
Capturing his lips in mine, I whispered, “I won’t, I promise.”
We kissed for a few more minutes, each brush of our lips against each other growing more heated, more passionate. Our hands roamed over our clothes, under, tugging impatiently, needing to feel skin, until we were both naked and Seth was stretched out on the couch in front of me. One shapely leg planted on the floor, the other thrown over the back of the couch.
He held his arms out to me, welcoming me, and I sank into him. Our tongues tangled together as my cock slid into his warm, wet heat. His hole was tight despite our foreplay, and he hissed as my cock stretched him.
We stared into each other’s eyes as we moved together, our panting breaths and sharp cries filling the air.
This was different from the night we had spent in the hotel. That had been pure need, desire, and lust. This was something more. This was lovemaking. Each kiss, each stroke of a hand exploring curves, and dips, and crevices. Each swipe of a tongue, each taste of skin, and slick, and droplets of cum.
This was nothing I had ever experienced before with anyone. I knew I never wanted to experience this with anyone else.
This was Seth.
My Seth.
My mate.
My love.
If it took the rest of my life, I would make sure he knew he was cherished and loved. That he wasn’t too much for me.
“Alex!” he shouted as my hips slammed into his, my cock sliding over his prostate, making him thrash beneath me. “Please, Alex, I need…”
“Come, sweetheart!” Our lips ground together in a hard kiss, as we both let our orgasms wash over us. We were so close, but still, we tried to get closer. Hip to hip, legs entwined, hands holding tightly together.
“ Te amo ,” I panted against his skin, over and over, as he lay beneath me in a boneless heap. Tiny aftershocks shook his body every few seconds, his eyes were closed, his face slack. “ Te amo .”
I knew he didn’t understand me, and that it was probably too early for him to say it back. He didn’t seem like a person who said those three little words lightly, but it didn’t stop me from caressing the words over his sweaty skin.
Because I did love Seth. Was pretty sure I had fallen in love that first night together. And one day, I knew he would say the words back.