That made Olivier’s cheeks burn. Eric, acknowledging Olivier as his own? “You’re too kind.”
“Maybe I’m just greedy, Ollie.” Eric’s breath puffed warm into Olivier’s hair. “Haven’t seen you in three days.”
Olivier’s face heated further. Eric wanted to see him? “It’s just three days...”
“Too long.” Eric kissed Olivier’s cheek, then his ear.
Olivier couldn’t help glancing around, in case anyone saw.
“Stop that,” Eric said, smacking Olivier lightly on the ass. “The more you act like a sneak, the more people are gonna notice.”
“Ow,” Olivier said. Not that it hurt. “Maybe you should smack me more.”
Eric raised a questioning eyebrow. Then he cupped Olivier’s ass and squeezed it, and Olivier buried his face in Eric’s shoulder, his ears scorching.
“Someone could see this.”
“Not if you’re hiding your face, no.” Eric rubbed Olivier’s ass, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “Mine.”
That lifted Olivier’s spirits. “Really?”
Eric snorted. “You see anyone else I’m talking to?”
“Well, there’s Jenn, and there’s the omega behind me, and—”
“There’s only one person I want to fuck right now.”
Olivier blushed. “You’re saying that in front of your daughter.”
“Oops.” Eric huffed, adjusting Jenn in his other arm. “Gonna have to try harder once she understands more. C’mon, Jenn. Let’s show Ollie we aren’t all about the swear words.”
Eric bobbed Jenn in his other arm, trying to coax a smile out of her.
“You are, though,” Ollie said. “You swear so much.”
Eric looked sheepish. “Here, shake hands. Jenn understands that.”
Doubtful, Olivier gave his fingers to Jenn. She grasped them hesitantly, and when Eric said, “Shake Ollie’s hand,” Jenn shook his fingers.
“There you go,” Eric said, his chest puffing up. “Atta girl!” He looked so proud of his daughter, that Olivier couldn’t help smiling.
“You really love her,” Olivier said.
“I do,” Eric answered, his eyes soft as he gazed at Jenn. “Say ‘Ollie’. Ol-lie.”
“Awwr,” Jenn said, looking at Olivier. Then she babbled, waving her hands.
Although Olivier didn’t understand her, it felt like she was telling him something. Something she felt he ought to know. And it shifted something in Ollie’s chest. Jenn was intelligent. Kind of cute, if he let himself admit it.
She blinked, then smiled at him, all innocent eyes and a toothy smile. Like it didn’t matter at all that Olivier was Eric’s stepbrother. Ollie’s heart softened.
Even if she was someone else’s... maybe she wasn’t so bad.
“She’s... I like her,” Olivier admitted, shaking Jenn’s hand again.
“Yeah?” Eric’s eyes lit up. “You do?”
“I think so. She’s curious like you.”
“She’s learning to do all sorts of things, you know,” Eric said. “She’s been starting to stand by herself, and she’s been loving the Peek-a-boo games, and her favorite toy is the stuffed panda Cole gave her—”
Talking about Jenn filled Eric with such joy, that Olivier couldn’t help smiling. “She sounds like a pleasure to have around.”
A bright, wide smile spread through Eric’s face, the happiest Olivier had seen him lately. Ollie stared, entranced by the sight. Then Eric’s gaze dropped to Olivier’s lips, and he leaned in.
Olivier’s heart stopped. Was Eric...?
Jenn burbled, grabbing Eric’s hair.
“Ah, fuck,” Eric jerked his head back. “You’ve got quite a grip, Jenn.”
Olivier fought the disappointment rising through his chest. Would Eric have kissed him, even if they were surrounded by people?
But Eric’s gaze returned to linger on Olivier’s mouth. Olivier’s lips tingled. I thought you didn’t love me.
Maybe it wasn’t love, just attraction. Eric clicked his tongue, releasing Olivier so he could free his hair from his daughter. “That hurts if you pull it, Jenn,” he said, shaking his head at her. “No.”
Jenn babbled more.
“Guess you’re not into hair-pulling,” Olivier said dryly.
Eric rolled his eyes. “Maybe if you pull my hair.”
“What if I rode on your back like you were a horse and pulled your hair?” Olivier whispered, leaning closer to Eric so no one would overhear. “I thought I saw some saddles for daddies in the store...”
“I dare you to do that,” Eric growled. “Pretty sure you’ll find your ass sore after.”
Well, Olivier wouldn’t say no to that.
Eric chuckled. “You’re seriously considering it.”
Olivier squirmed. “If you’re going to promise me a sore ass...”
“You don’t need a saddle for that, Ollie.” Eric grinned, roguish and charming. “I told you, all you had to do was ask.”
He squeezed Olivier’s ass again. Olivier hid his face in Eric’s shoulder, wishing they were home. So he could strip and offer himself to Eric, and no one could judge him for it.
“Later,” Eric murmured, pressing his nose against Ollie’s neck. “Get you all slick and ready for me.”
Olivier’s blood swooped south. “You shouldn’t be saying that here.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t.” Eric smiled, caressing Olivier’s waist. “But you know I will, right?”
Olivier gulped. He was looking forward to that. “Yeah.”
Eric leaned back, giving Jenn his finger to play with. “But you’re looking better now. What happened in the store? I walk off with Jenn, and when I get back, you look like someone had hit you.”
“I was just worrying. It’s fine.”
“What were you worried about?”
Olivier hesitated.
“Tell me,” Eric murmured, stroking Ollie’s back. His gaze was patient, interested, and Olivier couldn’t resist him.
“I was... wondering about you moving in,” Ollie mumbled. “And—and caring for Jenn. I don’t know how to deal with babies, Eric. What if I hurt her? What if I fuck up and something goes wrong?”
“Shh. You’ll be fine.” Eric pulled Olivier against his chest, rubbing his back. “I trust you.”
That was more than Olivier would give himself credit for. “I guess.”
“You’ve always been careful with me,” Eric murmured. “So I know Jenn will be fine with you, too.”
Olivier nodded, his stomach queasy. Maybe it was just his worry manifesting as nausea.
“Even so, I’m not expecting you to be responsible for her,” Eric said. “Even if Jenn and I move in... I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you, okay? You’re still your own person. Jenn’s my responsibility.”
Olivier scuffed his shoes on the sidewalk. “I understand.”
Eric slid his arm back around Olivier’s waist, rubbing the side of his ass. “So, about me moving in... What do you think?”
Olivier’s pulse raced. It seemed like a huge commitment. “I don’t know. Are you sure?”
Eric’s gaze was dark and simmering. “I’m not certain about you, but where I come from, alphas live in the beds of their omegas. We specialize in the cleaning of between-leg crevices.”
Olivier stared. Then Eric smirked, and Olivier realized that had been a joke. A dirty one. “Gods, Eric!”
“Am I moving in, or not?”
“You tell me!”
But Olivier was more than ready to have Eric in his bed, to have Eric next to him as he woke every morning. It would be a dream come true.
“Joke aside,” Eric said, his humor fading away. “Are you okay with Jenn, or do you need more time?”
Olivier looked at the baby, who was babbling at something over Eric’s shoulder. “I guess I’m okay with her. Mostly.”
But as innocent as she was, Jenn was a baby that Eric had created with another omega. Sooner
or later, Eric would move on. Or he would realize that he’d loved Alice more than he thought he did. And then Eric wouldn’t need Olivier anymore.
Ollie’s stomach squeezed nauseatingly. He rubbed his middle, swallowing his discomfort.
Eric frowned. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just... queasy.” Olivier gulped, wondering if he’d eaten something wrong for breakfast.
Eric studied him for a while longer. “Dad heard about us from Mrs. Sullivan. At the pharmacy.”
Olivier stopped breathing. “He what?”
Eric shrugged. “He didn’t say much. Just knows you were there for a morning-after pill. But he recognized your scent on me.”
Dad found out? Olivier’s stomach twisted. “Oh, gods.”
“I told him I was seeing someone with your scent.”
And despite knowing that Eric did it with the best intentions, something possessive growled in Olivier’s gut.
It must’ve shown on his face, because Eric caught Ollie by his nape, leaning in to brush a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’ll tell him differently if you want,” Eric murmured. “But I don’t want to risk things unless I know we’re on the same page.”
It wasn’t even his words that made Ollie’s heart flutter, but the kiss.
Eric had kissed him in public. Olivier blushed.
“Eric!” someone called from behind them. That sounded like...
“Cole,” Eric said, releasing Ollie ever so smoothly. “What’re you doing here?”
Cole stopped in front of them, a scarf around his neck. He was the same height as Eric, with broad shoulders, and he looked older than Olivier remembered. The last time Ollie had spent much time at all with his other stepbrothers, Cole had been in his teens.
Jenn reached out for Cole. She was smiling, happy to see him, and part of Olivier said, This is why I don’t belong.
Cole glanced at Olivier, surprise flashing in his eyes. “Olivier? I didn’t expect to see you around. You weren’t at Christmas dinner.”
Olivier looked at his feet. “I was, um, I was held up by work.”
The truth was that he’d been too embarrassed to show up for dinner. In the week prior, he’d bumped into Zan at the Christmas market. Then Eric’s mom had shown up, and she’d overheard Zan asking Ollie, Twenty bucks for a booty call. You up for it?
Eric’s mom had scowled so hard, it looked like her face would stay permanently twisted. And Olivier had agreed, touch-starved as he was.
After, he’d regretted following Zan to his apartment. The place had stunk, and Zan’s breath had smelled like stale booze. His touch had felt repulsive. The twenty dollars hadn’t been worth it.
But Ollie knew Eric’s mom would remind him of it if he showed up for Christmas dinner. She’d say, Santa favors only the good children, and she would glance at Olivier like he was something stuck beneath her shoe.
So no, Ollie had given his dad a lame excuse and skipped that dinner.
Eric scrutinized Olivier; it was obvious that he’d caught the lie. “I’ve never seen Ollie at Christmas dinners,” Eric said slowly. “Been home a couple times.”
“Yeah, it’s a miracle that you even found him,” Cole said, studying Olivier. “You doing okay, Ollie?”
Then Cole’s nostrils flared, his forehead furrowing. “Wait a minute—that scent. I thought it smelled familiar.”
Eric tensed.
“What scent?” Ollie winced. Had Cole smelled the honey of his pregnancy? “Actually, I should return to my shop. It’s almost Levi’s lunchtime.”
Cole glanced at Olivier, then back at Eric. “Eric’s been smelling like carnation this entire month,” Cole said slowly, suspicion glinting in his eyes. “Ever since he moved back. I thought he found another omega.”
Oh, gods. Olivier stepped away from Eric, realizing too late that Eric had been touching his waist.
“Ollie, you wanna return to the shop?” Eric asked flatly. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
It was a warning. Olivier nodded and turned, his heart thumping too hard. Cole couldn’t find out. If he did, if he brought the news back to Dad...
Olivier stepped away, straining his ears.
“You’ve been seeing an omega that has Ollie’s scent?” Cole asked, incredulous. “That’s sick, Eric.”
Eric growled. “None of your business who I fuck, Cole. Ah, damn it, we shouldn’t be talking about this with Jenn around.”
“You have some... brother complex, or something? I didn’t know that.”
When Olivier looked over his shoulder, he found Cole with a confused, disbelieving expression. Eric was glaring. Then Eric met Olivier’s eyes, and Cole followed his gaze.
“You should at least apologize to him, Eric,” Cole said.
That was nice of Cole. Growing up, Olivier had never been close to him. Eric’s mom had made sure Olivier stayed far away from her youngest children.
Eric sighed. “I’m sorry, Ollie.”
It was a front. They’d be fine once Cole was out of the picture. Except Olivier’s stomach heaved then, violently, and he clapped his hand over his mouth.
Worry darted through Eric’s eyes. He was next to Olivier in a couple of strides, curling his fingers around Ollie’s arm. “You okay?”
Olivier uncovered his mouth to answer. “Yeah—”
Then his stomach heaved again, and before he could stop it, he was throwing up onto Eric’s chest, chunky, globby fluid gushing out of his mouth.
Horrified, Olivier watched as his body betrayed him, heaving every last bit of his breakfast onto Eric’s sweater. He couldn’t stop the next heave either. The vomit landed on Jenn’s leg, and down Eric’s pants. Jenn babbled.
Olivier whimpered, turning away. The smell was terrible, and his stomach roiled, still unhappy. And Eric was now covered in Ollie’s puke.
14
Olivier
“I’m sorry,” Olivier said, horrified. And yet his stomach continued to churn.
“I’ll be fine.” Eric frowned. “You okay, Ollie?”
Olivier shook his head, his skin flushing hot and cold. People were staring. Some of them were his customers. Olivier wanted to burrow somewhere and never emerge. And the smell.
“C’mon, back to the store,” Eric said, slinging his arm around Olivier’s back. “We’ll get you cleaned up.”
“I puked on you!” And his stomach roiled again.
Olivier wiped his chin on his shirt, swallowing to keep down the rest of his stomach’s contents. He stumbled along next to Eric, trying not to notice his puke all over Eric’s clothes, and the pedestrians looking at the vomit in disgust.
Eric’s not going to want me now. I’ve made a mess of him. Olivier huddled into himself, wincing when Eric threw open the door of Olivier’s Strings. Some of the customers looked over. Olivier wanted to hide his face.
“Ollie?” Levi glanced at them, his mouth falling open.
“Bathroom,” Eric said, hauling Olivier into the backroom.
“Want a hand with Jenn?” Cole asked behind them.
Eric paused, turning to hand his daughter over. “Yeah. Thanks.”
Levi froze, looking away from Cole.
Ollie didn’t pay attention to it. He needed to hide. He’d puked in front of so many people.
Eric swept Olivier into the bathroom and shut the door. Olivier crouched next to the toilet, his limbs shaking, his face so hot he couldn’t think.
“Don’t worry about it,” Eric said, shrugging out of his sweater. “No one will remember.”
“I’ll lose all my customers,” Olivier groaned. Then he heaved, his stomach clenching, ejecting what little he had left into the toilet. The smell was terrible. And yet... Eric was here with him.
Eric tossed his sweater into the sink, crouching next to Olivier. Then he rubbed Ollie’s back, sweeping Ollie’s hair away from his face. “You’ll be fine,” Eric murmured. “I’m here.”
Olivier trembled against the toilet, heaving again. Tears prickled in his eyes; he h
eaved until his stomach felt completely empty, and he felt wrung out.
When there was a break in the vomiting, Olivier sat back, his limbs shaky.
Eric flushed the toilet and pushed a mug of water into his hand. “Here.”
Olivier rinsed his mouth. Swallowed some of the water, then wiped his face off. Gods, he couldn’t go out there and face his customers. And Eric—Eric had no change of clothes here. Ollie had ruined things between them, hadn’t he?
Why would you date someone who had puked on you?
“I’m sorry,” Olivier said, wincing at Eric’s soiled pants. “If you get your pants off, I’ll wash it for you. I’ll get your sweater washed, too, and I could even—I could get you a new sweater from the shop next door—”
Eric snorted. “It’s fine. I’m not taking my pants off unless you want to see me naked.”
Olivier laughed shakily. “But... you’ll have puke on you the rest of the day.”
“I can go home for some new clothes.”
Ollie squirmed, feeling especially unattractive. There were so many omegas out there, people who wouldn’t be puking on Eric. Surely Eric would rather have them instead.
“Hey,” Eric said gently. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you sure you want to stick around?” Ollie asked quietly, the words stuck in his throat. “I just... I puked all over you. In public!”
Eric blinked, looking down at himself. Then he chuckled. “Ollie, do you know how many times Jenn has puked on me? Spit up, pee, snot, drool... Seriously. This is nothing.”
It made sense. But Ollie was still doubtful.
Eric brushed his thumb over Ollie’s bonding mark, though, like that was more important. And the anxiety in Olivier’s chest eased.
Eric kissed his shoulder. “Are you feeling better?”
Olivier rubbed his stomach. “I think so. For now.”
Eric nodded, looking deep in thought. “It’s been a month, huh?”
It had. Which meant that this wasn’t some stomach flu—it was probably the start of Olivier’s morning sickness.
There was a baby in his belly. The pregnancy was real. Olivier pressed his hand to his abdomen, cradling it.
He was carrying Eric’s child.
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