I wanted to hold him now, pull him in close and tell him everything was going to be alright, even though it probably felt like his life was falling apart right now. That had to be my first port of call, to make Niko feel as comfortable as possible, to make sure he knew that I was there for him no matter what.
I needed to take action and I needed to take it quickly to stop him having that horrible sad look on his face. We’d not been seeing each other for that long, but we were fated and I really cared about him. If we were going to have a baby, I needed to take the advice I’d have given to Jarrett or Chasen if they were in this situation and get Niko to move in with me.
We could do this. I knew we could. No matter what happened, we would be able to pull through it. We were fated for crying out loud, not just two random people meeting on the street. This was meant to be, it was written in the stars a long time ago. We could overcome anything that got in our way.
I wondered how Fishstick was going to take to having a baby around. That was one thing we would definitely have to deal with. There was no way I was getting rid of Fishstick.
10
Niko
I was pretty much silent on the ride home. I didn’t really know what the heck I was going to do. There was no way that I would put my unborn child at risk by working nights at Club Rumblefish, but how was I supposed to earn money, how was I supposed to live? I’d moved to Furbitten Falls so that I could save money and now I wasn’t going to have any income at all. I was going to be pregnant and out on the streets. What the fuck?
Slater didn’t really say anything either, spending most of the journey back from the doctor with his brow furrowed, deep in thought. I wondered if he was thinking the same. We’d gotten ourselves into quite a predicament here and I would have guessed neither one of us knew what to do next.
We pulled up outside the apartment building but Slater didn’t get out of the car. He kept his hands on the wheel, staring straight ahead. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, crawl into that big beautiful head of his and know what was about to happen.
“What’s up?” I said quietly.
“Niko, I need to ask you something,” he said. “And I need you to not freak out when I ask you, okay?”
I nodded slowly. “Okay.”
“How would you feel about moving in with me?”
My insides flipped upside down, my brain suddenly producing a million questions, all of them asking variations of why the hell Slater would want me to live with him when we hardly knew each other. I didn’t want to get in his way; I didn’t want to be a burden I-
“I know it’s a big step,” he continued. “I know that it’s a huge commitment, but we’re pregnant, we’re going to have a baby, we need to get to know each other and I mean really get used to each other.” He cleared his throat. “And I don’t want you to have to stress about money or having somewhere to stay.”
“I’ll be fine,” I said, trying not to sound like I was batting his idea away, doing my utmost to not sound defensive. “I honestly will, I’ll be perfectly okay. I can ask Nyle to help or I can go and live with him or-“
“Niko,” he said, reaching across the gap between us and taking hold of my hand. “I would love it if you moved in with me. I’d love to wake up with you every morning, I’d love to cook breakfast for you, to take care of you and then help you take care of our baby when they come along. I totally understand if you don’t feel comfortable doing that right now, I know this is all very new, but I just wanted to put it out there that I am ready to dive head first into this with you, okay?”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, couldn’t stop the tears from filling up my eyes as he spoke. I never really thought that I would have someone care for me like this, have someone who wanted to treat me like a fucking king like Slater wanted to. Maybe it wasn’t the traditional way to make your way to that dream, but maybe my route was a little different than the fairytale. Maybe I would have to build my own fairytale.
“But I have an apartment,” I said before my brain could stop me. “I’m not saying no, fuck me, Slater I so want to live with you, but I need to get out of my lease, I’ll need to talk to Nyle, he’ll know how to do that. And, fuck, I have so much stuff, you’re going to hate the amount of stuff I have. Your apartment is so clean and tidy, I guess I’ll just have to learn how to be-“
“Are you saying yes?” Slater asked quickly. “Are you saying you want to move in with me?”
“Of course I am!” I exclaimed. “Sorry, my brain, it just-“
“I know.”
“You’ll get used to it, I guess?”
“I guess I will.” He leaned across the gap and kissed me hard on the lips, all the joy, all the wonder, all the brilliance of this moment in that one kiss filling me up like it was everything I didn’t even know I needed.
Over the next week, we moved my stuff from my apartment to his. Nyle had got me out of the lease, working his magic with some kind of break clause and basically saving my life. He was happy for me though, even if it was a bit of an inconvenience to have to talk to the landlord about it.
Slater never really let me help around the house, pretty much determined to have me be a kept omega as much as possible. It was equal parts sweet and infuriating.
The way he made me breakfast, the way he cleared up after me, the way he always seemed to be there whenever I needed him made me feel like I was a burden. I was financially dependent on him and he was an artist, he couldn’t have been earning tons of money and here I was being a total drain on that. He didn’t need that kind of pressure and I didn’t want to be the one to put that on him.
There was that and the fact that I felt unworthy of him in almost every way. He was a sweet, sweet guy and he deserved someone who was a hell of a lot nicer than me, someone who maybe hadn’t spent a good couple of weeks being a dick to him before they eventually got together. I had no idea how I was going to fix that particular transgression.
“Here it is,” I said, putting the last box of records on the kitchen table. “I’ve finally done it, I’ve got all my stuff out of next door.”
Slater checked his watch. “About time too, new neighbors move in tomorrow.”
“See? Perfect timing.”
He shrugged. “Let’s just call it that, huh?”
He looked around, taking in the apartment that was now sort of littered with boxes. It was a bit of a mess right now, I had to admit, but I would fix it. It would be ages before I became so pregnant I couldn’t do anything, and I had this sudden urge to make everything nice, to create a nest. Apparently it’s natural. It was sort of nice; I’d never felt it before, this paternal urge taking over me.
“I’ll fix it,” I said, quickly. “Don’t look like that, I will, I promise.”
“Don’t look like what.”
“Like you’re disappointed that I live here,” I mumbled.
“Okay, I don’t know what look it was you saw on my face just now, but it was the exact opposite of that,” he said. “How can you think for even one second that I’m not excited to have you here? We’re going to be a family Niko, it’s going to be wonderful.”
I could only hope he was right. I didn’t want him to get bored of me or upset with me. It was hard. This was his space before I invaded it. In a lot of ways it would be easier if we were starting somewhere fresh.
“It won’t always be like this,” he said. “We’ll move somewhere when the baby comes, settle somewhere a little bigger so we can do this properly and not from a rented apartment that looks way too cool to be parents in.”
“A little bigger or a lot bigger?” I said, seeing it in my head as we spoke about it.
He shrugged. “You tell me.”
“Okay then,” I started. “Don’t get mad, but I was thinking a lot bigger. Somewhere that has a room for you to do your art and one for me to make music, room for a nursery, a great master bedroom and maybe some smaller bedrooms either for more kids or for guests.”
“You a
lready want more kids?”
“That’s why I said or for guests. I don’t know if I’m going to like this one yet,” I retorted with a smirk. “I always pictured settling down a little further away from a town or a city, somewhere the kid or kids could go out and play or whatever.” Slater was staring at me and smiling a lazy sort of smile that made my knees go weak. “Sorry, I’ll shut up, it’s stupid.”
“It is not stupid,” he said, rushing over and taking hold of my hands. “It’s beautiful. It’s a dream. And I want to be able to help you achieve it some day.” He kissed me lightly on the lips and looked into my eyes. “I have something for you,” he said suddenly.
“What? Come on, you’ve already done so much, you don’t need to be getting me things.” But he’d already rushed out of the room and to his studio. What was he doing? He’d already given me a place to stay; all this was doing was making me feel worse, like I was really taking advantage of him.
He appeared again, carrying what looked like a few planks of wood. He presented them to me and I took them in. I gave him a confused glance.
“Read it,” he urged, practically bouncing up and down on the spot.
I looked down again and saw that etched into the wood, right by some green cat paw prints, were the words ‘What’s meant to be will always find a way.’ And it was a little reminder that we were fated, that we were meant to be together, that we were bonded.
“Where did you get this?” I asked, trying to keep the shake from my voice.
“Um…” Slater started to look around a little sheepishly. “It’s actually the wood from the balcony out there,” he said. “I pulled up some of the boards and put the quote on there. It’s…it’s from the first day we properly met, when we bonded, when Fishstick hopped over the fence, painty paws and all, and properly brought you into my life.”
“The best day,” I said.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” he replied.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. It didn’t seem like enough, no words seemed like enough to really be able to thank him for everything he’d done for me. “Really, Slater, this is everything.”
He stepped forward and planted a soft kiss on my lips, sweet, innocent, not asking for anything or pushing for things to go anywhere, but I wanted them to. I wanted him just like I’d wanted him that first day. I wanted to feel that connection with him.
I put the gift down on the sofa and took a tentative step closer to him, reaching my hands up to cup either side of his head and pull him down to me. The heat in the air skyrocketed, the air becoming thick between us, the feeling of his lips on mine sent shockwaves through my body.
We kissed our way across the room, Slater guiding me towards the bedroom where he slammed the door and started furiously undressing. I did the same, exhilarated, thrilled to be stood in front of him completely naked, my cock stood to attention, as was his.
He pushed me back onto the bed and got himself between my legs to kiss me again, electricity coursing through my body as his tongue started to dance with mine, his hands fire across my body, moving quickly, somehow knowing where to go, what buttons to press, how to make me writhe and burn with his touch.
“I want you to fuck me again,” I groaned.
“You’re sure?” he panted between kisses.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” I replied. “It’s not like I can get pregnant again.”
He grinned and kissed me again, softly, slowly, not wanting to rush the moment. Everything had been so frantic the first time, this time he seemed to be exploring me, taking me in, mapping me out one bit at a time. His lips travelled from my lips to my cheek, down my neck and my chest, taking the time at every curve, every swerve to take me in.
He ducked beneath my leg so he was behind me, his chest pressed close to my back so his wiry chest hair tickled me gently, his lips quickly kissing at the nape of my neck. His breath was shallow, calm, and I found myself matching his every breath, like we weren’t two people about to have sex, but like we were one person, connected, right here in this moment, ready to join once more.
He pushed himself inside and, almost immediately, I noticed there was something different this time. He still filled me up, he still made me moan, but this was sweeter, slower, less about the raw, animalistic moment, more about us. I turned my head, forcing myself to open my eyes so I could look at him, so I could take in that beautiful face, the face of the man that was my fated mate, who I was bonded to for life. The mark on my shoulder burned as he fucked me, like it was reacting to him being inside me, coming alive as we became one, just for a moment.
I stared into his eyes, not wanting to let him go as he thrust into me, the feeling of his body pressed close to mine more than anything I could possibly want in the world.
He kept pushing, my entire world Slater, the scent of him filling my nostrils, his breath heaving, his body pressed so close to mine, the two of us dripping with sweat.
“Niko,” he panted. “Niko, I’m going to-“
“Do it,” I groaned, grabbing hold of my cock and stroking it in time with his thrusts, desperate for us to finish at the same time, to feel that ecstasy with him.
His thrusts became more insistent, his breathing more labored and it wasn’t long before he filled me up with his cum again, mine shooting across the bed sheets in front of me.
He fell to the bed behind me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, his body convulsing, the two of us spent, worn out. And as I felt his breathing on the back of my neck, a reminder that he was there, and I thought of the gift he had given me just a few short moments ago. Maybe I could get used to being spoiled by Slater. Maybe fated mates could be the best thing that had ever happened to me.
11
Slater
It was great living with someone else. Sure, I had Fishstick, but he was a cat and sometimes you wanted more than a meow when you were talking. I’d not lived with anybody since college and I had no idea what it would be like living with Niko, until he got here. But something about having a fated mate made this better than any college roommate I’d had before. There was a part of me that worried he would be young and messy like I was, but he seemed to be taking to the apartment really well, nesting a little bit, keeping it clean and tidy while I painted.
And damn, did I need to keep painting right now. Money was already getting tight. Niko wasn’t working so didn’t have an income and I just couldn’t seem to shift my paintings in big enough quantities at the art fairs and gallery openings I went to, to really make an impact. We were struggling, but I didn’t really want Niko to know that.
Whenever I got back from a show, I’d tell him how well it had gone, how people had admired the paintings, which was true. There were a lot of admirers of my work, just not a lot of people buying them. I didn’t know why. Were they too abstract? Were they not abstract enough? What the heck was I supposed to be doing?
There was nothing quite as disheartening as standing next to your work painting a fake smile onto your face and trying not to let it show that nobody paying your work any attention was really starting to get you down. It was getting a little bit too much to deal with.
I told Niko that I needed to go out for food, promising to pick him up some Doritos wherever it was I went. I got into the car and plugged my phone in, calling Jarrett and Chasen in a panic. I hated doing this to them. We were brothers, of course, and we had each others back when things got tough, but I was the oldest of the three of us and I hated being the one that was having problems. I was so used to solving there’s that this was throwing me through a loop and making me feel pretty embarrassed.
“What’s up, bro?” Chasen said as he answered the phone. There was a lot of clicking in the background, which told me I’d caught him at work. I forgot not everybody lived the freelance life like I did.
“Well timed, Slater,” Jarrett said. “It’s lunchtime and the classroom is empty, what you got for me?”
“Oh god, where do you want me to star
t?” I sighed, turning on the ignition and starting away from the apartment block.
“That bad?” Chasen said, the clicking stopping. “Come on Slater, what’s happening?”
“I’m struggling, you guys,” I said.
“With what exactly?” Chasen said. “Niko’s great. I honestly didn’t think I’d get on with someone so young so well but-“
“Well, you are a child,” Jarrett interjected. “He really is great though, Slater. Quite a catch you’ve got. What’s the problem?”
“I’m not struggling with him,” I said. “I’m struggling with money, with my art, with all that stuff.”
“Right,” Jarrett said.
“Yeah,” I groaned. “I’m short on money right now because my art isn’t selling enough to keep both of us afloat,” I said. “It was all right when it was just me, but now that I’m having to take care of two of us, I’m not sure what to do. I can’t…I can’t seem to make enough money to cover everything. I don’t know what to do.”
“First of all, breathe,” Chasen said. It was easy for him to say that. He had a steady job, and his work had gone through the roof since Main Street had turned out so nice. They were going to move on and update the older part of town next, for double the price. “Do you want to borrow money?”
“What? No, that’s not why I’m calling,” I said. I didn’t want to be indebted to either of them in that way. “I want advice. Or a pep talk telling me that everything was going to be all right, I guess.”
“Everything’s going to be all right, Slater,” Chasen said, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. “You feel better?”
Furbitten Falls Alpha's: A Wolf Shifter Mpreg Romance Bundle Page 31