The Omega's Surprise Baby BOX SET

by Bonnar King

And you started it.

  A surge of guilt followed the hurt, and my emotions became at war again like they had the past few days. I wanted to talk to Charles about it, because he would know how to handle this drama. However, I didn’t want to bring it up, instead pretending the argument didn’t exist and I was perfectly fine.

  Eric asked me a question, and I turned my head to him to respond. Something red caught my gaze, and I paused as I watched a knockout blonde omega enter the room in a fire-red suit that showed off his extremely slim figure, broad shoulders and long legs. He looked like a supermodel. Curious, I turned to see who he had at his arm.

  I froze.

  It was Nicholas.

  He was wearing a formal black jacket and dark slacks, and what looked like a cream-colored shirt underneath. The clothes only served to emphasize his long, lean body and rippling muscles, making my mouth instantly dry. Then I saw the way his hand curved around the blonde omega’s waist.

  Like a douse of cold water, the desire was gone, to be replaced by an emotion that had my heart aching. It was jealousy, and I was stunned at the intensity of it. He hadn’t turned to look in our direction yet, and suddenly the party was the last place I wanted to be in.

  “Robin?”

  Belatedly, I realized that Eric was still waiting for my response. I forced a smile and turned to him. “I’m sorry. I think I got distracted at the desserts over there. Would you mind if I went over the table and checked them out?”

  He frowned at that. “But you just…ate.”

  I didn’t like the slightly judgemental tone in his voice, but perhaps it was my imagination as he smiled charmingly. “Go ahead,” he continued. “I’ll catch up.”

  I escaped as soon as I could, turning my back to the scene and looking at the chocolate pieces laid out in fancy plates. We had actually just gone here to dabble in some tasting, and I could understand where Eric’s confusion was coming from. But I didn’t want to look at Nicholas any longer than I should, and maybe food would make me forget he was even here in the first place.

  I took a small plate and stacked it with the ones I hadn’t tried, then systematically tried to bite into each of them. They were Swiss and absolutely delicious, with different surprise fillings—mango, cashews, coconut and the likes. I found I liked the caramel ones the best and reached out to get one more.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  The familiar voice had me stilling mid-reach. I took a deep, inward breath, put down the plate and slowly turned around.

  Big mistake. Nicholas was standing just a few inches away from me, his gray eyes piercing mine. This close, I could smell his aftershave and feel his heat, and it made the place seem smaller.

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” I responded, my voice coming out calm. Thank goodness.

  “Yes, there is. And I’d prefer it was somewhere private than here where everyone’s ogling us.”

  With a start, I subtly looked around. He wasn’t kidding. I could see some curious stares in our direction, including his date. I couldn’t see Eric around, but if they were really rivals, then this wasn’t good. Nicholas was a household name, and I still needed to win Eric over.

  But I knew Nicholas wasn’t going to let the subject matter go without a fight. So I stared at him and subtly nodded my head. “Left hallway. Five minutes.”

  I left after, carefully avoiding Eric. I waited in the hallway I mentioned, knowing it wasn’t the one that led to the main door and wouldn’t be used often. Nerves encompassed me at the thought of being alone with him again, but I had to deal with this before things blew up in my face instantly.

  Minutes later, footsteps sounded, followed by Nicholas’ silhouette. I looked at his unreadable face and lifted my chin, daring him to come closer. He didn’t.

  “What did Eric promise you?”

  “That’s none of your business,” I said coolly.

  “Robin…”

  “That’s none of your business,” I repeated.

  “Robin, if you don’t tell me right now—”

  “He promised to restore the library,” I hissed. “He promised the things you couldn’t provide.”

  The air between us changed, turning colder and making me shiver. He took a step forward, but I didn’t budge, not wanting to let him see any kind of reaction.

  “And you believed him?”

  “What do you think?” I asked. “When faced with the possibility of the library being demolished by you, I’d rather trust someone who planned to do something different.”

  Silence filled the place. “He’s lying, Robin,” Nicholas said quietly.

  I shook my head. “And you’re not?”

  “You know I never lied to you,” he responded, his voice turning hard. “And Eric is a born liar.”

  “You’re just saying that because you want the place for yourself.”

  “Damn it, Robin.”

  “It’s true. Like you said, you’re not lying—which means that what you said about you not changing your mind about the library is true.”

  Nicholas had nothing to say to that, and I knew I hit home. Being this close to him and saying such things were taking its toll on me, and suddenly I was tired. I didn’t want to argue with him. It was already painful enough that things turned sour between us so quickly. Wanting to get this done with as fast as possible, I nodded at him once. Then I stepped forward and started walking, passing by him with my parting words.

  “I’m tired, Nick. Let’s just forget about it and move on with our lives.”

  His hand clamped on my wrist—not hard, but firmly. He pulled me back, and I opened my mouth to contradict whatever he had to say all over again.

  But words left my mouth at the feel of his lips against my own. They weren’t forcing me to kiss him, but I opened my mouth all the same, automatically letting him in. His tongue slid in and collided with mine, and the heat that rose up between us was quick and too intense to handle.

  Our bodies were pressing against each other, and before I knew it, I was clutching on to the lapels of his jacket to keep myself in place. My knees were weakening, pleasure singing inside me at the feel of him. I wanted to sob out and rejoice at how good he felt, and the groan that came out of his throat had lust shooting down inside me—along with an ache in my heart that was just as strong, wanting to tell him I was carrying his baby.

  Stunned, I pulled away from the kiss and pushed him. We looked at each other with that shock reflecting in our gazes before I finally remembered what I was doing here. I was here with Eric for the benefit of the library, and here I was kissing Nicholas instead.

  It was unacceptable.

  I shook my head. “This can’t happen,” I whispered.

  Then I was out of there before he could pull me back in his embrace.

  Worse, before I gave in to my desires and did something I would regret.

  16

  Nicholas

  My date, Amos, was trying to chat me up and flirt a little bit, but he might have been speaking an entirely different language for all the attention I was paying him. My mind was elsewhere, and anyone who had a chance to witness my interaction with Robin would know instantly where said mind was. It wasn’t even about the kiss anymore—though hell knew I’d been replaying it in my mind over and over and just missing the feel of him all the more.

  His complete faith in Eric staggered me. It was like the alpha was some kind of saint in Robin’s eyes—and the way they acted now, as they stood side by side while mingling around, spoke of an easiness that meant they had become very comfortable with each other. I wasn’t a possessive alpha by any means, but the idea of Robin with that alpha just made my blood boil, especially with the knowledge I had about Eric.

  And now, it was obvious why Eric had decided to invite Robin to the party in the first place. The way he looked at him and stood extra close was just too much for my liking, and my hand fisted every time he placed his palm on Robins’s lower back and whispered in his ear. He smiled at him a
lot, too, and it was a smile that was a total contrast to the look of hurt he hadn’t managed to hide back when Robin had been running away from our kiss.

  Shit. I’d messed up and hadn’t handled that well, and I didn’t know whether it was too late or not now. But I knew that I wasn’t going to end the night without doing something about it.

  I waited for the right timing, not doing anything right away. I wasn’t even invited to this party because it didn’t involve my business, but no one would ever turn me away due to my clout and profile, and a lot of people came to talk to me and discuss their interest in my latest projects. I took a longer time to converse with my various business partners, with Amos providing the perfect side charm as he was also used to dealing with high-class types like the attendees here. But something felt like it was missing, and I suddenly remembered how more natural it felt back then when I had a different omega in my arm on a black tie party—particularly, the same omega I couldn’t stop thinking about now—Robin.

  I excused myself after a while, my eyes finding Robin wherever he went. He had gone to the food table again, and I couldn’t help smiling at how he was picking on the chocolates. I suddenly wanted to try cooking for him some more.

  Beside me, Amos murmured something. It took a while for the words to register due to my preoccupation, but when they finally did, I found my heart hardening.

  “He’s been at it since we came here,” Amos said, a laugh tinkling out of his throat. “If he isn’t careful, he’s going to ruin that beautiful suit and get fat.”

  I gave Amos the coldest look I could muster until the laugh disappeared from his face.

  “He looks perfectly fine,” I clipped out. “And I can always buy him another suit, no matter what weight he is.”

  Then I walked out on Amos’ shocked expression and took the opportunity to approach Eric, who was staring at Robin’s backside not-so-subtly from his position in the venue. He glanced in my direction as I neared, and a look of distaste crossed his face before he pasted on a polite expression.

  “Ah, Nicholas. Fancy seeing you here.”

  I wasn’t in the mood for polite.

  “Leave him alone.”

  He attempted to look surprised, but I wasn’t having it. I railed on, not giving him a chance to speak.

  “All this bullshit you’re feeding him? It’s going to come bite you back in the ass,” I said. “Robin deserves better than that.”

  The smile dropped from Eric’s face, replaced by a scoff. “Says the alpha who wants to burn the place to the ground.”

  I stepped forward and never let my gaze waver. “And you’re gonna be doing the same thing. You’re just not being very honest about it.”

  A pleased expression came on his face, which he covered up quickly. But I saw it, and he knew I did. A few seconds later, it was back, as if he was done trying to hide it. He stepped forward, too, this time to whisper near my ear as he shrugged casually.

  “At least I get both the building and the omega,” he said. “And you? You get nothing, Nicky boy. Now who’s the loser?”

  The smug bastard. A smirk was now on his face, and I wanted nothing more than to punch it off him. He frowned at me and stepped back, and my body vibrated with the anger at this idiotic alpha. This time, it was me taking a step forward again as my hand fisted and I focused my stare on his jaw—

  “Is it true?”

  The familiar voice had us stilling. I turned my head in Robin’s direction, at the same time Eric turned his. But he was the one stepping toward his, the smug look gone and a worried expression on his face now.

  “Robin, sweetie—”

  “Don’t call him sweetie,” I growled.

  “Don’t call me sweetie,” Robin said, his eyes frosting over. “I heard everything. Is it true, then?”

  “No,” Eric protested, subtly looking around. We were gathering a crowd, and I knew how much he hated his image being tarnished.

  I didn’t have the same reservation.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “Are you going to believe this liar here?” Eric asked, shaking his head. He made a move to take Robin’s hand. “Come on, let’s go. He’s just trying to stir things up.”

  Just as his hand reached for Robin’s wrist, Robin took it away and held it behind him. Then he took a step back, lifting his chin up. It was the same look he got when he was determined, and it shone on his face now.

  “As far as I know, Nick has never lied to me.” He turned to glance at me. “Right?”

  “Right,” I confirmed. “I want to buy the land and turn it into a luxury apartment.”

  It was then that Eric seemed to realize that the game was over, and he’d lost. He tried on a contrite expression this time to desperately salvage the situation, moving toward Robin again. But I blocked his way at the same time he moved back.

  “I’m sorry, Eric, but it’s best if I leave. I’ll tell David that the deal is off. Thank you and good night.”

  Robin walked off like a sassy diva, and I had never felt more proud of him.

  I turned to give Eric a warning look. He glared at me. I shrugged, then turned around to follow Robin. Eyes were following us, but I didn’t care, because I would rather follow Robin wherever he went than stay in this boring ass place any longer.

  It was scary to think about it, but there was no use denying it. Robin was a damn magnet, and following him had become my weakness. I’d never been the kind of alpha who ran away from things that scared me, so I faced this one head-on and didn’t look back.

  Robin was a fast walker even in fancy shoes. I finally managed to catch up to him in the hotel lobby, where I called out his name and kept calling until he finally stopped walking and just stayed still. He turned around just as I reached him, his eyes cautious.

  “I’m not going to do anything,” I assured Robin before he could say anything. “Just let me take you home. It’s late.”

  Silence. Then he nodded.

  “Alright.”

  17

  Robin

  Their short argument reverberated in my mind over my over until I found my head spinning from so much information. I felt numb all over with the knowledge that I’d been duped so badly and so convincingly, I pretty much had been convinced hook, line and sinker from the very beginning. The events of the last few days unfolded in my eyes, and I remembered the trickles of unease I felt whenever I was with Eric.

  Darn it. I should have listened to my instincts the first time. Instead, I had been so blinded and determined to save the library that I believed whatever lies were being fed to me.

  And Nicholas was the alpha who took care for me not to get hurt. Again.

  I could only imagine how protective he would be of his children. He’d be a great dad.

  A hot dad. A DILF.

  I glanced at him now as he drove us in silence through the quiet streets. It was almost midnight and the road was dark save for a few lampposts in the vicinity. Nicholas had been just as quiet as the streets since we got out, keeping to his promise that he wasn’t going to do anything. He kept driving and kept watching the road ahead, his jaw tense and his expression unreadable.

  His side profile was still so handsome, but that wasn’t why my glance turned into a stare. What got me staring was the disbelief that out of all the people who’d come into my life and declared their so-called interest, it was Nicholas who’d been sincere all along. He had never hidden his motive, and had never tried to use it to get me, either.

  And maybe I should stop hiding from what this was between us. Maybe I could tell him my secret—that I was pregnant with his baby.

  “Everything fine?” he asked, glancing at me before focusing back on the road. I nodded, realizing he probably noticed me staring.

  “I am. Thank you,” I said. “For doing that and letting me off easy.”

  “It’s fine,” he replied.

  “And I’m sorry for not believing you.”

  “You believe me now?”

 
“Yes.”

  “Good. Eric is an asshole. I should have punched him.”

  A strangled laugh came out of my throat at the image of Nicholas punching Eric. Somehow, I had a feeling one single punch from Nicholas would knock Eric out instantly, considering how soft he was for an alpha. I glanced at Nicholas’ calloused fingers, then up at the smug smirk that played on his lips. I started to smile back as happiness spread inside me, so intense and deep that it threatened to make me fly off the roof if I didn’t clutch on to the car seat.

  The smile dropped from my face as realization sunk in.

  I looked down at the floor and tried to regulate my thoughts, because it couldn’t be. Here was the alpha who still wanted to buy the library and wanted to destroy it, as he’d admitted earlier. I had vowed to myself to stay away from him and stop thinking about him.

  And here I was still thinking about him, still not staying away from him.

  And still wanting him so much that it hurt.

  I remembered what he said back then about the business and his desire for me being two different things and not related to each other, then shocked myself when I realized I began to think the same way, too.

  Connected to the library, he was the ruthless businessman who would eventually destroy it.

  Connected to me…he was an alpha, who wanted me as much as I wanted him.

  “Hey, Nick?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You just left your date back there.”

  He shrugged. “He was rude. He wanted to be at the party more than anything else, and I got him there. You could say we’re even.”

  “Oh.”

  “Did you want to go back and pick him up?” he asked. “I can still punch Eric if you like.”

  I shot him a grin. “Stop it with that macho nonsense.”

  “You like it when I’m being all macho.”

  “No, I don’t,” I said, except I did. I really, really did. Something pleasant settled in my belly, clear and bright and hot. I hesitated before asking the next question. “Were you and that omega…”