“Ollie?” Eric asked, worry in his voice.
Olivier bit his lip. Everything was wrong, worse than before. There was no way he could claw that pill out of his stomach. What if he called 911? Would that help?
Or did he deserve all of this?
“Ollie.” Eric knelt in front of him, cupping Olivier’s face in his hands. “Shh.”
“I can’t,” Olivier gasped, dread thick in his gut. He’d swallowed that pill. It was going to make his body reject any of Eric’s seed that remained, and... and Olivier had never wanted a baby this much before.
Should I really keep it?
“C’mon, Ollie.” Eric looked into Olivier’s eyes, touching Olivier’s nape. Then he pulled Olivier close, pressing their foreheads together. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“The baby,” Olivier croaked, touching his belly. He would lose it.
“It’s gonna go, isn’t it?” Eric frowned, confused.
That made Olivier cry harder. He almost said, I want that baby. Except if Eric ever found out, it would condemn him. And everyone else who knew... they would condemn Olivier, too.
“It’s a mess,” Olivier said, regret thick in his chest. “I can’t... It’s bad. It’s...”
“I’ll pay for everything, all right?” Eric stroked his fingers through Olivier’s hair. “If you need to go to the doctor, I’ll accompany you. And if you need an abortion, I’ll pay for that.”
It didn’t sound like he wanted the baby at all. Olivier groaned, hiding his face in Eric’s shoulder. Eric hugged him tight, the weight of his arms a comforting pressure.
What were the chances of Olivier keeping that baby? If it somehow survived... Eric could never find out about it.
“You should go,” Olivier said between sobs, his gut cramping. The liquid from the enema had begun to leak out, and Olivier didn’t want Eric here to witness it, didn’t want to imagine Eric’s seed flowing out of him.
If he could redo everything again... He would have acted differently.
Eric stroked Olivier’s hair, kissing Olivier’s jaw. Then he froze and looked away, as though he realized what he’d done. Ollie’s chest tightened. You don’t have to treat me like this just because you slept with me.
“Please go,” Olivier mumbled, looking at his feet.
Eric drew a deep breath, his hands tightening around Olivier’s face. “I want you to know that I’m here, all right?” He peered into Olivier’s eyes. “If you need anything... just call me.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this.” Olivier sagged. “I’m just... I’m just someone from your past.”
“You’re my brother,” Eric murmured. “And you’re now my omega.”
Ollie’s heart fluttered. “I don’t want Dad to disown you. And your mom...”
Eric clenched his jaw. “I’ll deal with it.”
He didn’t look so certain, though. Olivier pushed lightly on his shoulder. “I’m fine. Go home, Eric. Your daughter needs you.”
“But you—”
“I’m fine.” Olivier straightened his shoulders, pasting on a smile. “I’m all grown up. I can take care of myself. So go back to your family, okay?”
Eric hesitated, his honest gaze raking over Olivier, as though he was trying to find the crack in Olivier’s facade. Olivier held the smile as long as he could, relaxing a little when Eric finally turned away.
“Fine,” Eric said. “But I’ll be in touch with you.”
He looked around the bathroom, finding a notepad that Olivier used for his grocery lists. Then he scribbled down his phone number, looked back, and reached out for Olivier. Olivier leaned away, even though his body screamed at him to huddle closer.
“Good night,” Ollie said.
He stared at Eric’s face, memorizing Eric’s kind eyes, his full lips, the broadness of his shoulders and chest. He was a good alpha. He deserved everything good, and pure, and wholesome. Everything that wasn’t Olivier.
Olivier swallowed hard, looking away.
It hurt like a knife, realizing he still loved his stepbrother in the way he absolutely shouldn’t.
“Night,” Eric rumbled.
Eric turned and left, the front door clicking shut.
Olivier allowed his misery to consume him then, hunching over. At least Eric wasn’t around to see that.
6
Eric
It went against all of his instincts, leaving Olivier in that apartment. When Olivier broke down in his bathroom, part of Eric had broken along with him. He didn’t know why. Just knew that with every step he took away from Olivier’s door, the weight in his heart grew.
And now, Olivier carried Eric’s bonding mark on his neck. Eric’s heart did a funny little jump.
If Alice were still alive... what would she have said?
Eric shoved his hands in his pockets, imagining her smirk. I told you, she’d have said in that sing-song voice. You always get so angry when I mention his name. It’s not like I can help it, okay? Facebook is asking if he’s my friend. Should he be?
And then his chest hurt, because he missed her, too. Not as an omega, but as a friend. Someone he could ask for help, someone who could tell him it was okay that he’d fucked up. Because he had. Big time.
He’d gone and slept with Ollie, and both times he’d touched Olivier... Ollie had felt right against him, where Alice never had.
Would Alice have begrudged him for it? He’d tried his best to be an alpha to her, but he’d known, from the start, that it wasn’t the same as what he’d felt toward Olivier a long time ago.
Eric rubbed his eyes, unlocking his car. Was this cheating? But Alice was dead, wasn’t she?
Or had Eric just been using Olivier as a replacement?
Why’d you have to die, Alice? Why didn’t we head out of the house an hour earlier like I asked? Why did I have to crash that car?
The grief threatened to swallow him again. Eric breathed in deep, and thought about Olivier. So he didn’t feel like drowning.
Then he touched the gold band on his ring finger, and his stomach shrank into a hard lump.
He hadn’t even removed that ring when he’d fucked Olivier. Eric wanted to close his eyes and pull a pillow over his head. How did I fuck up this bad?
Not only had
