The uterus.
That hadn’t been a nightmare, then. It was real. Larson had sunken his claws into Jesse, and Jesse hadn’t even known those experiments were still inside him, until now. He felt nauseous again. He pulled up his shirt, staring at the big scar, wishing it wasn’t there.
Worse, Dom had been at the medical center. He’d heard all of it.
He knew how powerless Jesse had been, back at the Facility. How Jesse had omega parts inside him even now.
Shame crept up Jesse’s face. He flopped back onto the bed and pulled a pillow over his head, his neck burning.
No, he didn’t know how he was going to step out to face Dom. What part of him had decided that crashing at Dom’s place was a good idea?
The part that was making his tight shorts even tighter. Obviously.
Jesse groaned, shoving at his cock. No, they weren’t doing anything. Especially now that he was... pregnant. With Dom’s baby.
How could that even happen? They’d only fucked once. Did Dom see Jesse as some weird trophy notch on his belt?
Jesse reached for another pillow, pulling it over his head. He fumbled around and found a third pillow, and pulled it over the other two.
He spent a short while feeling sorry for himself. Then he shoved those thoughts aside and stood. It wasn’t like moping would change anything. He’d just make Dom some food as thanks for the drive, and then he’d take a cab back toward the station, where his bike was.
The sooner he stopped thinking about the uterus, the less anxious he’d be.
Jesse slipped out of the bedroom, listening carefully to make sure Dom wasn’t moving through the house. He stopped by the bathroom. Then he headed to the kitchen, in search for something to eat.
It was 6PM. He’d been asleep for a while, then.
As Jesse moved through the house, he realized that it was all really nice. The living room led to a mini bar and a dining room, and the kitchen was all polished counters and smooth lines. Things that he hadn’t thought to pay attention to, the last time he was here.
Some cookies later, he found a bag of potatoes in the pantry, and some butter in the fridge. Then he looked in the drawers for knives, but there weren’t any. At all. In the entire kitchen. The only knives he found were butter knives, and a fruit peeler.
What kind of person had no knives in their kitchen?
He peeled the potatoes and set them in a pot to boil. While he waited, he looked back down at his abdomen. If he could remove the uterus from his body... things would go back to normal, wouldn’t they?
Had it given him hormones that made him want Dom? Was that why he was so attracted to Dom’s scent?
Did that make him some sort of omega?
If word somehow got out... would the rest of the team treat him differently?
Jesse closed his eyes, wishing he’d never agreed to go to the medical center. He would’ve been better off not knowing. How long could he even hide this? What was he going to do with a baby?
He’d never had to think about shit like this before, and it made him uneasy. What if Dom decided that Jesse wasn’t fit to work on the team? What if he lost the station family he’d worked so hard to be accepted into?
Jesse swallowed, his throat tight. He wasn’t sure what to do. His stomach twisted.
“Sinclair?” Dom asked.
Jesse jumped a foot into the air, his heart slamming against his ribs.
“Sorry,” Dom said. He was there when Jesse whirled around—just watching him. And he was still wearing the same clothes as before. Had he not slept? “How’re you feeling?”
“Like crap.”
Dom winced. “Want to talk about it?”
“What’s there to talk about?” Jesse glared at the stove. “I don’t need you looking down on me, or thinking I’m an omega, or—”
“Sinclair.” Dom strode forward until he was right next to Jesse, his warmth soaking into Jesse’s arm. “I don’t think of you any differently.”
“How is that possible?” Jesse scowled, turning to face him. “You know what I have in my body. You know I’ve been tied down like a slave. You fucking know I’ve been less, and it’s just so—so...”
Humiliating. When he wanted Dom to respect him.
Dom met his eyes. The he pulled Jesse against his solid chest, and wrapped his arms tight around Jesse. “Should’ve done this earlier.”
Jesse struggled, alarmed. What was Dom doing? “I’m not—”
“Let me hug you, damn it!”
Dom tightened his hold around Jesse, stroking a palm down Jesse’s back. And the touch sank into his skin like comfort from a warm blanket. Dom’s touch said, You don’t have to be afraid. Part of Jesse calmed, his anxiety easing. He sucked in a sharp breath, his body tingling. “Why the hell are you doing this?”
“Because you need it.”
Jesse’s eyes burned. No, he didn’t want Dom to pity him. “I don’t need it,” he choked. “I’m fine.”
“No, you aren’t.” And Dom pressed his lips to Jesse’s temple, kissing him there.
All the thoughts rushed out of Jesse’s mind. “What—”
Dom kissed his temple again. This time, Jesse felt the warm brush of his lips, the intimate touch. As though Jesse was important to him.
Jesse’s heart stumbled.
“I don’t see you any differently,” Dom rumbled. “If anything, I wish I’d been there to stop it.”
Jesse’s stomach twisted. “So I wouldn’t become an omega?”
Dom sighed. “No. So you wouldn’t have to be in so much pain.”
He cupped the side of Jesse’s head, where the scars were. Then he stroked down Jesse’s body, touching it all—his shoulders, his arm, his back. There were scars on every inch of Jesse, and not once did Dom pull away in repulsion.
Instead, the friction sent butterflies down Jesse’s nerves. Jesse stilled, unsure what was happening. Dom held him snugly, chest-to-chest, his warmth radiating into Jesse like acceptance. He felt so
