If this is supposed to be kinky, show it to someone else, Gareth wrote.
Aw, you guys are so cute, Alec added.
I hope you’re running. York threw in a fearful emoji. Dom looks like he might murder you.
Harris only laughed. You’ll never live this down, Dom. Congrats from V and me.
This wasn’t anything like what Harris and Valen had, but... Dom brushed that thought aside. He didn’t want to think about it right now. “You know they’ll rib us about it tomorrow, right?”
“Like they aren’t gonna rib us already.” Sinclair tucked his phone away, bracing his knee on the mattress next to Dom. “You went and kissed me in front of them.”
That had been so satisfying. Dom growled, flopping backward onto the bed. He hauled Sinclair down with him, stifling his groan when Sinclair’s body pressed flush against his own, a few stuffed toys squished between their legs. The bed creaked.
“I was staking my claim,” Dom whispered. “Mine.”
Sinclair brightened. “You can’t be for real.”
“Hell yeah, I am.” Dom touched the bite mark on Sinclair’s neck. Then he crashed their lips together, and Sinclair groaned, grinding closer, pushing his tongue into Dom’s mouth. All Dom could smell was cinnamon and honey. It was the best scent in the world.
“I’m gonna claim you,” Sinclair growled. “Gonna teach you what my cock feels like.”
Dom smiled wide—Sinclair was adorable when he thought he’d win. “Yeah? You think you’ll be on top this time?”
“I know I’m gonna be.” Sinclair thrust his hips viciously against Dom’s, sucking Dom’s lower lip into his mouth. Dom wasn’t prepared to mark this bed with their musk, but if Sinclair insisted...
Someone knocked on the door, two light, quick taps. Dom barely registered it. Sinclair broke the kiss, glancing up.
The door opened, Opal peeking in.
Sinclair froze. Then he swore and scrambled off Dom, his entire face turning red.
“Oh.” His mom looked just as taken aback. “I’ll be back later.”
“No, no.” Sinclair squirmed; he looked like he wanted to hide somewhere. “We were, um. We were fighting. We’re done now.”
“He was winning,” Dom offered, sitting up. Maybe he’d underestimated exactly how flustered this alpha could get. Sinclair looked like he wanted to bolt—and it was only his mom walking in on them.
Opal hesitated, glancing at the stuffed toys strewn around Dom. Dom thought maybe he should’ve been a bit more cautious. Opal was his age. He shouldn’t be putting his hands inappropriately on her son. At least, in front of her.
“We should go,” Sinclair blurted. “I shouldn’t have, um.”
“Wait, no.” Opal looked dismayed. “I wanted to ask if you and Dom would stay for lunch. And dinner. We haven’t seen you in so long, hon.”
Sinclair turned even redder—gods, Dom wanted to pin him, and kiss him senseless. “Maybe just lunch,” Sinclair blurted.
Opal cheered up. “I’ll make your favorite sandwich. Chicken with mayo, right?”
Sinclair nodded hurriedly, as though he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. “Yeah. I make that all the time. Even at the station. The others love it. I just tell them it’s your recipe.”
“That’s great.” Opal beamed, looking less awkward. Then she stepped into the room and touched her son’s shoulder. “You don’t have to be shy if you like another alpha, hon. It’s completely fine.”
“I don’t even like alphas,” Sinclair mumbled, turning redder.
“Well, you can enjoy ‘fighting’ with them, I guess,” Opal said dryly, glancing at Dom.
“Sorry we didn’t mention it earlier.” Dom stood and slipped his arm around Sinclair’s back. “It’s a bit of a surprise.”
Hell, it wasn’t even the last surprise.
“No worries. I’m happy that Jesse brought you to meet us, Dom.” Opal gave Dom a hug and smile, before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
Sinclair groaned, rubbing his face. “I wasn’t... I wasn’t planning on this.”
“But you wanted me to be here.”
Sinclair thumped his forehead against Dom’s shoulder, his ears still red. Dom smiled and kissed his neck. Then he brushed his knuckles over Sinclair’s bare abdomen, where the scar was. “Are you planning to tell them today?”
“I don’t know.” Sinclair sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t know how—how Dad’s gonna react.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“But I went into heat. And—And I spread for you.” Sinclair squirmed harder. “They’re gonna imagine it when I say that, won’t they? And Dad will just...”
Dom thought about it. “Well... When most couples say they’re expecting, no one imagines how they went about doing it.”
“How are you so sure?” Sinclair frowned. “Say if Harris knocks Valen up, wouldn’t you want to know how they did it?”
“Well... maybe.” Because Dom would be curious, even if he knew he shouldn’t think about it. “Just tell them about the uterus. It’s not like they haven’t conceived before.”
“Easy for you to say,” Sinclair muttered.
“I could tell them on your behalf.”
“No!” Sinclair scowled. “Besides, I still might not keep it.”
Dom’s stomach twisted. Yeah, there was that. He fought down the urge to stroke Sinclair’s abdomen, to lean in and say hello. He’d already nuzzled it last night, when he’d made sure Sinclair was asleep.
But the possibility always hung between them, that Sinclair might terminate the pregnancy. And the more Dom bonded with that baby, the worse his heart would break.
He knew the risk. He’d known that Sinclair could shatter his life, and here he was, giving Sinclair his marking, his promises, his everything.
What if he woke up one day, and found Sinclair gone? What would he do, then?
I love him, Dom thought, the words heavy like shackles around his heart. And yet he couldn’t stop. He’d been drawn like a moth to flame, and Sinclair would raze him to ashes, just like Mal had.
Dom sighed, pulling Sinclair against his chest. I’m such an idiot.
-
26
The Little Things
Jesse followed his dad out onto the back porch. “What did you want to talk about?”
Wayne Sinclair fixed him with
