by Shea Balik
A deep chuckle vibrated along his abdomen where Soren was gently kissing him, as if to pay homage to the life they created. “Have patience, brat. Let me make you fly.”
That sounded heavenly, or it would have had Soren not added another finger and pinged his prostrate, while using that husky voice that always made Cillian’s knees buckle just a bit. When it came from Soren’s mouth, it was almost wicked. But Cillian didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, he’d be as sinful as Soren wanted, so long as he kept his promise to make Cillian fly.
Not that he had far to go. His head was already spinning, and his legs were shaking with the effort to remain standing. Digging his fingers against Soren’s shoulders, Cillian tried to hold on, but it was becoming impossible to keep his focus on standing.
As if sensing his trouble, Soren backed Cillian up, so he was against the wall. He placed one hand on Cillian’s abdomen to hold him in place while he started to nip and lick his way down one hip. When Soren’s face was equal with his cock, Cillian tried to turn his hips so Soren would take it in his mouth but that just earned him another deep chuckle.
Goosebumps broke out all over his body at the sound. His head moved from side to side as he tried to find his center, but he was losing his damn mind as Soren played his body like a virtuoso. His fingernails dug into Soren’s skin, trying to hold onto the reality around him.
Then he felt it. Warm air blew over his cock and balls. He let out a whimper, praying Soren wouldn’t stop there. Wet heat encircled the tip and Cillian was lost to the sensations that were swirling around him. There was no more reality. No more worries about a baby. Only Soren. Only the feel of his touch on Cillian’s body. Only this moment.
A groan spilled out of him that came from deep inside his soul as Soren sucked Cillian all the way into his mouth. There was no way anyone should ever feel this damn good. Cillian was soaring as Soren continued to drive him out of his mind.
He was almost there. Cillian could sense he was at the precipice of ecstasy.
A cry fell from his lips when Soren’s fingers pulled free of his hole and his mouth came off his dick. Cillian wanted to sob with frustration, but before he could, Soren’s lips were on his and his hands lifted Cillian up by his ass. Then they were out of the shower.
He’d barely felt the cushions of the sofa before Soren was pushing into him, driving deep within Cillian’s body. Wrapping his arms and legs around Soren, Cillian wasn’t about to let this man go anytime soon.
The muscles of his channel gripped tightly to Soren’s thick length as he thrust into Cillian’s ass over, and over again. Each time he pushed in, Soren would nail Cillian’s sweet spot, sending sparks along his spine until they exploded into fireworks before his eyes.
He wanted this to last forever, but Soren was making him fly, and Cillian just couldn’t hold on any longer. He heard himself cry out, but it sounded distant to his ears as his orgasm rushed over him. Seconds later, he felt Soren thrust into him as his seed filled Cillian up even further.
Yeah, he could get used to this.
But that wasn’t possible, was it? How could they possibly work when they hadn’t even known each other for twenty-four hours yet? And a baby on top of that? No. No way could that happen.
Lips crashed against his, drawing Cillian’s focus back to the man who had fulfilled his promise to make him fly. The man who had taken Cillian into his home to keep him safe. Had sworn to protect Cillian with his life.
“Better,” Soren stated as he kissed Cillian again, this time softer and sweeter. Like a lover would. Is that what they were? “Stop over thinking this,” Soren said as he pulled back just enough to make eye contact.
“There’s a chance I’m not pregnant.” Cillian was grasping at straws now. There was no other explanation for his heat ending so quickly, other than pregnancy.
Soren smiled indulgently at Cillian, but it was obvious he wasn’t buying it. “That’s true. Until we know for sure, why don’t we get to know each other? I brought several types of takeout home, if you want to eat dinner with me.”
Soren pulled out of Cillian and they both let out a small groan of disappointment. They both jumped back in the shower to clean off. “Oh, and the suitcases Jamal and Shale packed are over on the couch in the bedroom.”
Grateful to be able to put on some clean clothes, Cillian followed Soren down the hallway. Then another hallway. Then stairs and another hallway. Through the living room that he hadn’t really seen during their first time having sex, which was probably a good thing, because the place looked like a palace with its ornate fixtures and furniture.
The room had to be a football field long. Finally, they entered what he was sure was an industrial kitchen of some kind. No way did this belong in a home. “Do you live in a palace or something? Because I don’t remember any fairy godmother or glass slippers before getting here.”
Soren chuckled, this time it was a bit lighter and more carefree than the one he used while they were having sex. “No. This is the family estate. My great-grandfather built it. He was the head of the mob back in his day.”
Cillian froze then blinked at Soren. “I’m sorry, did you say mob? Like killing people, gambling, guns, that sort of thing?” There was no way the Chief of Police was admitting his family had once been the head of the mob.
Soren nodded as he started unpacking the dozen or so bags that were on the counter. “Yeah. My grandfather and father also ran it, but when I decided to become a cop, my dad decided it was time to give up that life. It wasn’t easy, and he ended up getting killed by the man who’d taken over.”
Cillian was moving his head back and forth, not understanding any of this. “Wait. You’re telling me that your father was the head of the mob and you decided to be a cop? How in the hell did that happen?”
Soren handed him a plate. “Fill it with whatever you want. I’ll tell you the story over dinner.”
If Cillian had thought getting pregnant with a man he’d just met was surreal, he wasn’t sure what in the hell to call the story Soren told him.
Apparently, Soren’s mother had been killed by a rival gang. Soren had only been fifteen and told his father he was going to become a cop and put the bastard in jail for taking away his mother. He’d never gotten the chance because Soren’s father had killed the rival, but Soren had made good on his vow to become a cop.
After losing his wife, Soren’s father had lost the drive to continue running the mob. So, when Soren entered the police academy, he’d handed over the reins to someone else. Talk about bizarre. Compared to Soren, Cillian’s life had been a breeze. His toughest challenge had been paying for school since his parents just hadn’t been able to afford it.
It had given Cillian a lot to think about. Soren had turned a bad situation into his passion. He was driven and successful. More importantly, Cillian was starting to fall for him.
Was that even possible? He wasn’t sure in just a day if that was even practical, but it’s what he felt.
CHAPTER 8
“Pacing isn’t going to get Brace to give us the results any faster.” It had been two weeks since Soren had brought Cillian home with him. Two wonderful, amazing, yet long, agonizing weeks.
Cillian had thrown up that afternoon when he’d woken up to eat before going to work. With his sleep cycle completely different because he worked nights, it made sense that would be when he ran to the bathroom with his hand over him mouth.
The sounds of retching had killed Soren, but he’d put his big boy panties on and went in to help the man he had somehow fallen in love with in less than two weeks. He’d worried his emotions were tainted because of the possible pregnancy but it was hard to ignore the fact he’d felt this way since the moment he’d laid eyes on Cillian.
Brown eyes glared at him for a moment as Cillian paused his frantic pacing. Then, as if he couldn’t stop, he continued his back and forth motion across the room that only allowed four steps before he’d have to turn around in the other direction.
>
“None of this would have happened if you’d just put on a condom,” Cillian muttered for the hundredth time since he’d started puking his guts up.
“I don’t remember you complaining, brat,” Soren teased. Then, because he loved this man beyond words, he stepped in front of him, wrapped his arms around Cillian and murmured. “Pregnant or not, you and me, we’re a team. I know you still have reservations about our jumping into this relationship so fast, but I know what I feel.”
Pressing his forehead to his lover’s, Soren’s voice came out as a whisper around the emotions clogging his throat. “I love you, Cillian Driscoll. Too soon or not, pregnant or not, I love you and I plan to never let you go.”
A soft smile graced those lush lips and Soren, unable to help himself, leaned in for a kiss. It wasn’t until they broke apart that creases formed on Cillian’s forehead as he frowned. “You know, that was actually kind of creepy.”
Soren nodded. “Yeah, it sounded good in my head, but didn’t quite come out the way I wanted.”
That smile that had a way of making Soren’s world brighter lit up the room. “It’s a good thing I speak your language, or I might have run from the room screaming.”
Laughter spilled from Soren as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even though he hadn’t really laughed since his mother had died. The sound was a bit foreign, although he was getting used to it with Cillian around.
The door opened and they both whirled around to greet Brace, who wore a huge grin on his face.
Not even waiting for the man to speak, Soren lifted Cillian up and twirled him around and around.
“Uh, Soren,” Cillian’s voice was a bit stiff. “You do know that I’m still nauseous, right?”
Oops.
Putting his lover down, Soren kissed him until they were both breathless and desperately needed air. When they glanced back at the door, Brace was gone but Cillian’s chart was lying on the small, wheeled table that was in the room.
“Does this mean you’ll finally agree to marry me?” Soren asked – again. He’d been asking for the past week. Was he jumping the gun? Definitely. Not that it mattered. Soren wanted Cillian to be by his side for the rest of their lives.
So what if they hadn’t known each other that long? He really didn’t give a shit. Soren knew in his heart this was the man meant to be his.
Cillian hesitated, which meant he was once again going to bring up all the reasons this wasn’t a good idea. The thing was, he wasn’t sure why any of them mattered. He loved Cillian, and even though Cillian hadn’t actually said the words to him, Soren knew without a doubt he loved Soren just as much. It was there in his beautiful brown eyes.
“Stop overthinking this, Cillian. You know we belong together even if logic dictates it’s too soon to know something like that.” Soren gently kissed the love of his life again.
“Just because I’m being cautious doesn’t mean I’m overthinking,” Cillian insisted.
Soren had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing, but he couldn’t hold back the smile no matter how hard he tried. “Really? Because this morning when you got off work, you took forty-five minutes to decide if you’d rather have breakfast food or dinner.”
Cillian let out a huff. “You’re the one who offered the choice.”
When Cillian stuck out his lower lip in a pout, Soren couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Which had Cillian stomping his foot like a petulant child, causing Soren to laugh even harder.
“It’s not funny.” Those brown eyes glared up at Soren. “I was tired, and nothing really sounded good.” Glancing down at his stomach, Cillian frowned. “I guess now we know why.”
Soren placed his hand over Cillian’s abdomen and kissed him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed, but you have to admit, you tend to overthink things a lot.”
“That’s because I’m making split second decisions all night long. I don’t have time to think about what I’m doing most of the time.” Shrugging, Cillian said, “I guess I sometimes wonder if I’d taken the time, I might have been able to help the patient more. So, I tend to think about things in my life more carefully.”
That actually made a lot of sense. It had to be stressful to be responsible for all the patients Cillian dealt with each day.
Soren held his lover tight, loving the fact that Cillian sank against his body without any hesitation. This is what life was about. He just needed to take the time to woo Cillian. The man deserved it after all he did for others.
***
Yawning, Soren stretched as his alarm went off. He had started working more at night. That way he could spend time with Cillian. It didn’t always work out, as he still had to come in during the day at times, but Soren was discovering a lot more about the men who worked the night shift.
Most of them weren’t as bigoted as those who worked during the day. Then again, for the most part, the men and women who were stuck working third shift, often were fairly new. They hadn’t had time to be ingrained with all the hatred too many of the others had for Omegas.
Soren didn’t even understand why Omegas were so ostracized. He always considered them to be the heart of the home. It made no sense that Alphas would want to hurt them, yet for some reason, they had been treated as if they were outcasts to be used and abused.
That needed to change, but Soren still wasn’t sure how to make that happen. He’d thought by bringing Omegas into the force, it would help, but that had turned into a colossal mistake.
Well, not a mistake, exactly, but it definitely hadn’t turned out well. Not that he wasn’t going to try again. Jamal was currently training a new batch of Omegas, including a few of the Omegas who had recovered from the attack by their Alpha trainers.
Soren had been pleasantly surprised that most of the men hurt had wanted to still join the HPD. He was proud of them for sticking with it despite what happened.
Grabbing his keys, Soren headed to his car to pick up Cillian. As always, whenever he thought about the man he loved, a smile appeared. He just couldn’t help it. Everything about Cillian made Soren happy.
If only the man would agree to marry him. It had been a week since they’d found out Cillian was, in fact, pregnant. Soren knew Cillian needed more time. He just hoped he’d say ‘Yes’ before the baby was born.
Parking near the emergency room, Soren headed inside to see if Cillian was ready to head home.
“Is there a reason you aren’t doing anything to find my ex-wife?” Dr. Mitchel blindsided him with the question the moment Soren got through the door.
“We are trying to find your ex-wife.” They’d been searching for her since the stalker’s accomplice had been killed, as it had happened on Judy Mitchel’s property. “I thought you said you didn’t care if you ever saw her again.”
The annoying man had tried to refuse to answer any questions at the time his ex had disappeared. It was only after Soren threatened to arrest him for impeding the investigation that he’d cooperated.
“That was before I found out I’m still the beneficiary of her estate but since she is missing, there isn’t much I can do about it.” Talk about being cold-hearted. How in the world did the man become a doctor?
“I’m telling you, there has to be some clue as to where she is at her house.” Marley said. “I would have searched it by now but whoever killed Mika might see me and I don’t want to end up dead.”
Soren felt as if he was banging his head against the wall with this conversation. “I already told you we searched it. There was nothing there.”
“Did you check her saferoom?” Marley asked.
Soren blinked at the insufferable man in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell us there was a saferoom?”
Marley shrugged and said, “You never asked.”
The temptation to punch the idiot was stronger than Soren would have preferred. Deciding it was best to leave before he did something stupid, Soren asked, “How do we access it?”
The smile Dr. Mit
chel gave him was calculating. “I will meet you at Judy’s house in one hour and I’ll show you.”
That really wasn’t something Soren wanted to do, but he also didn’t think he had much choice. Sure, he could threaten to arrest the guy again, but this time, he was sure it would be easier just to let him come along. “Fine.”
Without another word, Soren walked away to find the only person who would be able to make this day better.
CHAPTER 9
As if he could sense Soren was there, Cillian looked up from his charting and watched his lover walk toward him. The smile that came to his face used to irritate Cillian. Actually, he’d hated it because it caused his heart to speed up and his hands to sweat. But that was before Cillian had come to realize Soren had been right, they belonged together.
He hadn’t had the guts to tell Soren he loved him yet, but Cillian couldn’t deny it to himself any longer. He’d fought it in the beginning, tried to stop the feelings from growing, but it hadn’t worked.
Was it too soon? To Cillian, it was. Still, none of that mattered, for it was what he felt.
“Good morning, brat,” Soren said as he leaned down and their lips met for a soft, albeit brief, kiss.
Cillian scowled at Soren. “Is there any reason you’re calling the Omega who is carrying your child a brat?”
All that did was make Soren chuckle. “Because you are a brat.” Then he leaned down for another kiss as if he were trying to take the sting of the word away. “But you’re my brat and I wouldn’t want you any other way.”
His heart melted, which was annoying. He was being called a brat. Just because Soren told him he liked Cillian the way he was, shouldn’t make that better. Yet… it was hard to deny the warmth that filled him when Soren said it.
“Are you ready to leave?” Soren asked.
Cillian shook his head. “It was a busy night. I have at least another thirty minutes of charting.”
Soren’s frown was unusual. He’d never minded waiting before. “Is there something wrong?” Cillian asked him.