Special Delivery: Winter: An Mpreg Romance Collection

by Aria Grace

  “May I take your coat, Mr. Richmond?” Lucy asked, pulling me out of my amazement.

  “Yes, please. Thank you,” I said as I took it off and handed it to her, but she didn’t put it away. Instead, she folded it neatly and draped it over one of her arms. Maybe she’d hang it in a closet somewhere after she took me where I needed to be? I didn’t object; I could never have found my way through the labyrinthine manor on my own.

  “You’re just in time. The other guests have all recently arrived. This way, please,” she said and headed down an impressive, high-ceilinged hallway to the left. Plush beige carpet silenced the clicking of her high heels and felt like clouds beneath my feet as I followed her.

  We walked for what felt like forever, past dozens of oil paintings of departed kings and ancient Gilmouthan conquests, until Lucy halted outside an enormous set of white wooden double doors with intricate golden trim. The sound of voices and laughter spilled out from under the door, and when Lucy pulled it open, I found five other young omegas around my age standing in the light from a massive chandelier hanging above. They were all dressed to the nines in suits that probably cost two to three times what mine did, and they were all staring at me with unimpressed looks. They must’ve known each other, which meant I was the outsider. Great. I was already off to a fantastic start.

  “Help yourself to a drink and conversation with the other guests, Mr. Richmond,” Lucy said, gesturing to a nearly endless line of pre-filled crystal glasses along the far wall. “King Kenway will be with you shortly.”

  I opened my mouth to thank her, but someone beat me to the punch.

  “Actually, he’s already here,” a warm, familiar voice said, and I whirled to find King Heath Kenway standing not even ten feet away from me wearing a welcoming smile. A portly, red-faced man with a bald head I didn’t recognize accompanied him. Instantly, my knees threatened to give out, and I lost all ability to speak — not that I would’ve known what to say if I hadn’t.

  I’d never doubted how beautiful King Kenway was, but seeing him in person put things into a whole new perspective. The deep emerald suit he wore was gorgeous and perfectly showed off all the parts of him that counted, from his impossibly broad chest to his bulging biceps and everything in between. Flowing blond locks of hair tumbled in loose curls across his shoulders, and the color of his suit made his olive eyes shine, helped further by a light, smokey touch of dark eyeshadow. The golden, emerald-studded crown around his head was the icing on the cake.

  Despite myself, I wondered what he might look like with nothing but the crown on. The thought made me blush, and instinctively I dropped my head in a bow to hide my face. “Y-Your Majesty,” I stammered.

  King Kenway chuckled and stepped forward to rest a hand on my shoulder. His touch struck me like a chord, sending shivers through my entire body. “Now, now, there’s no need for all that formality. We’re here for a party, aren’t we?” he asked, and I nodded, unable to say anything more. “Good. Please call me Heath. And your name is…?”

  The King of Gilmouth, who still hadn’t taken his hand off my shoulder, wanted me, a complete nobody, to call him by his first name like we were lifelong friends. I couldn’t believe my ears.

  “L-Landon Richmond.”

  “Ah, yes. I remember the name from the guest list. Very distinctive, almost noble. And I see you’re wearing my favorite color, so you’ve done your homework,” he said as his piercing eyes raked over me — all of me. “I like that,” he said and winked at me, and I couldn’t tell whether he meant my body, the suit, or both. Unbelievably, I’d have to tell Dad his research paid off.

  Kenway narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized my face. “You know, I swear I recognize you from somewhere. Have we met before?”

  “I highly doubt it,” I blurted, and kicked myself mentally for it.

  Kenway’s brows furrowed. “Why’s that?”

  “Rubbing elbows with royalty isn’t part of my day-to-day routine.”

  He laughed again, a honeyed sound. “Well, you are now, aren’t you?”

  I shrugged. “Fair enough.”

  The bald man who’d arrived with the king stepped forward and whispered something in Kenway’s ear. His eyes widened slightly at whatever the man said. “George, you little devil,” he said to the man with a devious look, then turned back to me. “I knew I recognized you, Landon. You’re a waiter at Momma’s Table, aren’t you?”

  If I could’ve died spontaneously, I would’ve. Not only did King Kenway know I was a lowlife waiter, he’d now announced it to the entire room — which meant my chances with him were dead on arrival.

  But wait a second, how did he even know I worked there? There wasn’t any way I would’ve missed the King of Gilmouth and his entourage coming into the small family restaurant where I worked.

  “Yeah. H-Have you been there before?”

  “Many times. It’s my favorite Sunday morning hangover cure,” Kenway laughed. “You’d never recognize me, though. I’ve got more disguises than anyone could count.”

  Stunned, I stood speechless. Had I waited on him before without even realizing? It didn’t seem possible, but I also found it hard to believe he’d lie about something like that.

  Kenway turned to the man, who I assumed was his assistant. “George, would you be a gentleman and entertain the rest of the guests for a few minutes? I’d like to speak with Landon a bit.”

  George raised his bushy red-brown eyebrows at the king. “Your Majesty, you’ve kept your guests waiting quite a while already. Don’t you—”

  “Then what’s a few more minutes?” Kenway interrupted. “Besides, none of them look half as interesting as Landon does.” The other guests couldn’t have been happy to hear that, but I couldn’t believe it any more than they could. How on Earth could the king find me interesting when he had a room full of worldly, rich omegas waiting for him?

  When George failed to answer, Kenway clapped him on the back. “Thanks a million. I owe you one,” Kenway said and gestured down the hall away from the room. “Will you walk with me a while, Landon?”

  I didn’t know what to say. King Kenway wanted to spend time alone with me. It didn’t seem possible, so I reached into my pants pocket and pinched my leg just to make sure I hadn’t died and gone to heaven. The sting brought tears to my eyes, so I was definitely still alive — and, miraculously, my chances at wooing him apparently were too.

  “I-I’d be honored,” I said, still in disbelief.

  “The honor is all mine,” Kenway said with a beaming smile as offered me his arm.

  Despite the nerves writhing like a knot of snakes in my stomach, I took it without a second thought.

  Kenway flashed a mischievous look at George. “See? I know how to be charming when it counts,” he said, and whisked me off down the hall.

  4. Heath

  When I promised George I’d give the evening my best shot, I hadn’t expected to act on it impulsively like this, but as soon as I saw Landon standing outside the door to the reception room looking like a deer in the headlights, I couldn’t help myself.

  I knew too well how it felt, especially when I became king as a newly orphaned teen. Back then, the mansion felt more like a medieval fortress than a home. Allegedly, when the first king of Gilmouth built Kenway Manor hundreds of years ago, he intentionally designed its interior to be intimidating to guests, all part of the royal power plays of the day. Judging from Landon’s nervousness, even after all these years and the thousands of photos of the manor now widely circulating on the Internet, it hadn’t lost its ability to intimidate newcomers.

  And I had to admit, there was something adorable about seeing him so out of his element. I hadn’t lied when I said I recognized him; he’d caught my eye on several of my incognito forays into Bryton to walk among my people but, ironically for a king, he intimidated me too much to talk to him. He’d seemed so confident and caught up in his work — the exact opposite of how he appeared now with his clammy, fidgety hand resting on my forear
m.

  “I take it this is your first visit to the manor?” I asked to break the ice.

  Landon swallowed hard and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve always wanted to take a tour but just haven’t found the time.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t bother; they’re a waste of time and money, honestly. Pure tourist traps made to pad the crown’s pockets.”

  Landon glanced at me with disapproval. “Then those pockets must be pretty damn fat by now,” he sneered, then blushed and glanced at the floor. “I mean, not that I have anything against that. I know you have to pay for all this somehow.”

  I chuckled and patted the top of his hand. “Don’t worry. Criticizing the crown is one of my favorite pastimes, so you have a friend in me there. The whole institution is so ridiculous to me.”

  His eyes snapped to mine again and his brows furrowed. “It is?”

  I gestured my free hand around at all the excessive opulence we passed in the hallway. “You don’t think all this extravagance is over the top?”

  “Well, yeah, but you’re the king. You’re supposed to be extravagant.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe, but most days I’d give anything to just be normal.”

  Landon flashed me a smile. “Well, I’m willing to trade places with you anytime. Maybe after your hands crack and bleed from nights of washing dishes in chemicals so harsh even their fumes could kill an elephant, you’ll change your mind.”

  “On second thought, I’d like to stay right where I’m at,” I said and returned his smile.

  He laughed and shook his head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

  Judging from the nerves radiating off him tonight, I wouldn’t have guessed he had such a quick wit, but the discovery delighted me. We walked to the end of the hallway in pleasant silence, enjoying each other’s presence, until his oceanic, entrancing blue eyes found mine again.

  “Have you really been to my restaurant before, or were you just saying that to flatter me?”

  “I wasn’t lying. Momma’s Table has some of the best hangover food in all of Bryton. Usually if I want something like that, I have to have it brought to the manor, but sometimes I give the staff the slip and make my way into town when I just can’t take any more of their prattling.”

  “I guess I can’t blame you for that. It would drive me crazy to have someone chasing after me all the time too. But I dunno, isn’t that kinda dangerous? What if some psycho kidnapped you for ransom or something?”

  I flexed the bicep his hand had curiously crept up to and winked at him. “I’d like to see them try.”

  Color flooded his adorable, boyish face, but he held my gaze. “I’ve been watching you on TV for years, but I didn’t know you were in such good shape.”

  “I bet there are a lot of things you don’t know about me.”

  The blush on his cheeks deepened to a crimson red, but a goofy grin appeared on his face. “Just like there are a million things I’d bet you don’t know about me.”

  “Surely. How might I go about learning?”

  “Just ask. You’re my king; it’s not like I can refuse.”

  “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds like you’re not all that interested in answering.”

  “Oh, believe me, I am,” he laughed, and I reached up to rest my hand on his, pinning it between my palm and bicep. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I felt him quiver, which sent all the blood in my body rushing to my core. “Where are we going, anyway?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “Wherever you’d like. My home is your home.”

  He paused for a moment to think. “What’s your favorite place in the manor?” he asked with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

  “You mean besides my personal chambers?”

  Landon swallowed again, harder this time, but held his confidence. “I’d love to see those sometime too, but maybe not on a first date.”

  “How respectably modest of you,” I said with a smile. I couldn’t believe it, but his refusal didn’t disappoint me. For once, I’d met an omega I was more interested in getting to know than getting into my bed, though I wouldn’t have said no to that. “And what’s this about a date?”

  He glanced down at our linked hands. “Kinda hard to call it something other than that, don’t you think?”

  My smile widened. “I agree.”

  I had to hand it to George; his choice of Landon as a potential partner for me was spot-on. The omega struck a perfect balance between cocky confidence and boyish innocence, exactly the attributes that’d drawn me to him the first time I’d seen him at Momma’s Table.

  But how did George know I’d had my eye on Landon? He’d never accompanied me on any of my journeys through Bryton, though I didn’t doubt for a second he’d had me followed, both for my security and his sanity. After receiving word I’d fixated on Landon, had George snuck out to learn more about him personally before he extended the invitation, or sent someone else to do it for him?

  It didn’t matter. I was just glad to have Landon there. Even if I never saw him again, which I hoped wouldn’t be the case, it was nice to have someone to spend the evening with; it made the manor feel much less empty.

  “You never answered my question,” Landon said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “What’s your actual favorite place in the manor? I’d like to see it.”

  “The battlements are, though I wouldn’t want to drag you up to the roof on a chilly night like tonight.”

  “The battlements? Really? Why?”

  I shrugged. “It’s quiet and people leave me alone when I’m up there. They know it’s where I get my best thinking done.”

  Landon raised an eyebrow. “Do you think they’d leave two people alone up there to talk?”

  I liked his thinking. “They will if I order it. I’m the king, remember?”

  “How could I forget?”

  “Okay, then come on,” I said and pulled him back down the hall in the direction we’d come from. We hurried past the reception room, careful not to let anyone see or hear us through the open door — not that George’s droning voice would’ve ever created an opportunity.

  I led the way to the grand staircase in the foyer. Laughing, we climbed it quickly like two children scurrying back upstairs from the kitchen after nearly getting caught scarfing snacks late at night. We wound around the landing to the second and then third set of stairs, where we paused for a moment to catch our breath.

  “How are you holding up?” I huffed.

  Landon smiled. “Better than you, apparently. I would’ve thought after living here for so long you’d be used to scaling these.”

  “Well, normally I have someone carry me up here in a carriage, but the staff is all preoccupied tonight, so forgive me for being a little winded,” I joked, and Landon laughed. The sound brought a smile so bright to my face that the corners of my mouth hurt from the effort.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had fun in the manor, much less in the company of a very attractive, very witty omega. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep my hands to myself once I got Landon alone up on the battlements, but somehow, I didn’t think he’d mind.

  “How much further do we have to go?” he asked.

  I pointed across the landing to an inconspicuous corner where a narrow, stone spiral staircase wound up to the very top of the manor’s tallest, central tower. “Not far.”

  “I’ll race you,” Landon said, his mischievous expression daring me to refuse.

  “And you’ll lose,” I said and tore down the landing.

  “Cheater!” Landon shouted as he ran after me. Amazingly, he overtook me quickly — no doubt thanks to legs strengthened from all his nights waiting tables — but because he didn’t know the layout of the manor, he careened around the corner to the staircase and slammed into the stone wall, laughing uncontrollably.

  Unable to slow down in time, I crashed right into him, which only made him laugh harder. I couldn’t help joining. The whole thing was so childish and stupid, and yet I couldn�
�t deny I was having the time of my life with him.

  Our eyes locked for an electrifying moment, and when Landon licked his plump lips eagerly yet nervously it took everything I had not to kiss them. Instead, I leaned forward, using my weight to pin him between my thrumming body and the wall. We were so close that his hot, ragged breaths spilled down my neck, sending chills rippling across my skin.

  “W-what are we doing?” he whispered, playing bashful, though the look of raw desire on his face told me he knew damn well what we were doing. I’d always loved a man who played hard to get.

  “Testing our chemistry. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that I’m looking for a compatible mate, haven’t you?” I breathed into his ear with my lips tantalizingly close to his lobe. The goosebumps that tore across the exposed skin on his neck stimulated me in ways I couldn’t explain. If he were anyone else, I would’ve ripped his clothes off and claimed him right there on the stone stairs, but I didn’t want to take him like I did the others. Inexplicably, I wanted to earn it. I closed my eyes and inhaled the intoxicating, pheromonal scent of his sweat and arousal, which made my cock swell against his leg.

  Landon gulped. “I take it that means I’ve passed?”

  “With ease,” I laughed. “I’d like to kiss you now, Landon. Is that okay?”

  “Who am I to say no to my king?” he asked breathlessly as he ground his body against mine, and I couldn’t help myself any longer. I lunged for him and held his face between my hands as our mouths crashed. Though he seemed surprised and unsure at first, when I parted his lips with my tongue, he sighed and shuddered, and the tension in his mouth and jaw dissipated.

  He groaned as his hands gripped my shoulders, and as I lost myself in the kiss, all I could think about was having him do exactly that when I entered him for the first time. I’d felt lust for omegas before — countless times — but this was different in a way I couldn’t explain. I didn’t merely want to bed Landon and move on like I had with so many others; I wanted to make him mine, to know every little detail about him, inside and out.