Special Delivery: Winter: An Mpreg Romance Collection

by Aria Grace

  “Why would I call the cops?” I retort. “You probably already know my hands are tied. I can’t do anything against you or him.” I purposely avoid using names.

  No one uses the boss’s name. It’s too risky.

  Darren lifts his gaze and looks around with uncertainty. “We shouldn’t talk about this out here. Either come in or go home.” He steps back from the door.

  “I didn’t come here to talk.” I step confidently into the apartment. I’ve been in worse situations with scarier people. At least this is a situation I chose for myself.

  “Then why are you here?” Darren asks, closing the door behind me. “You clearly figured out that I’m the one who left that note. You obviously know who I work for. There’s nothing more to discuss.”

  “You know that’s not true,” I say. “When you kissed me yesterday, that wasn’t all an act, was it?”

  He looks back at me, his brow knitting together as if he’s trying to puzzle out my motivations. “Of course it was.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “That’s your own problem. It’s true.” He turns away from me and retreats farther into the apartment. “I was told to spy on you, so I did. I bugged your apartment, put a tracker on your car, and I’ve been following you for weeks. He told me to distract you, so I did that too.”

  “And what about what you said outside?” I counter. “What did you mean? How will this all be over?”

  “You just gave me an opportunity, and I took it.” He shrugs and drops onto the sofa as if I’m not even there. “By tomorrow evening, I expect the bastard will be in cuffs.”

  I march into the living room and stand in front of him. “And what about us?’

  “There is no us.” He looks up at me, but I can see the doubt in his eyes.

  “Well, maybe there should be.”

  He grits his teeth in frustration. After a moment of consideration, he grabs my wrists and tugs me toward him.

  I stumble forward, climbing onto his lap as he stretches up to kiss me.

  Our lips meet and I’m once again filled with the satisfying heat of his touch. His hands clutch at my back as he presses into me. I can feel his urgency, his need for me. He’s been denying it this entire time, but his actions speak loud and clear.

  He’s been feeling the same pull I have. The inexplicable feeling that’s been tugging me toward him for weeks. It was easy to ignore at first, but after that kiss, all hope was lost. We were always going to wind up like this. Entwined in one another’s arms.

  It was just a question of when.

  Turning in place, he swivels me onto the sofa and slides into position above me. Looking up into his eyes, I’m overwhelmed by the intensity of his expression.

  “You have no idea how long I’ve imagined this moment.” He inhales my scent before kissing my forehead.

  To my complete bewilderment, he rises from the sofa and walks a few steps away. “Then what’s the matter?”

  “How can you even ask that?” He turns toward me with a glare. “You march up here like there’s nothing wrong. But you know I’ve been spying on you for weeks. You’re acting like everything’s just business as usual, but I just told you that shit’s about to hit the fan. Whatever this is, we don’t really have time for it.”

  “Look, I don’t know what you think you did, but nothing is ever going to put that old bastard in cuffs,” I tell him as I slowly sit up. “He’s never going to let me go, and I’ve just...accepted it I guess. I’m done struggling and making myself miserable. I’m done striving for something I can’t have. I’ve got a few weeks of freedom left, and I want to make the most of them.” I fold my arms as I look up at him. “As for you spying on me...it’s annoying but not surprising. I’m sure you’ve been giving him recordings so he can check up on me. I hate it, honestly. At the same time, I guess it’s just part of my life now. He’s always watching me. He’s probably already posted my videos online too, so who knows how many people have seen me doing...everything. I’m just...done fighting. I don’t care anymore.”

  I climb to my feet. This wasn’t exactly how I pictured everything, but it’s probably a more realistic result than the raunchy scene playing through my head.

  “Tell our boss I’ll see him in three weeks.” I walk toward the front door. “Until then, I guess I’m going to check into a hotel where I’ll at least have the illusion of privacy.”

  6

  Darren

  My chest tightens as Wren walks away from me. Every fiber in my body tells me I’ll regret it if I let him leave without telling him everything I’ve been struggling with these last few weeks.

  “Wait,” I call out as I follow after him. “Just...let me explain.”

  Wren stops and looks at me with anger in his eyes. “Please don’t try to delude me with your fantasy stories. He’s not getting arrested. Nothing is going to change. Unless you’ve changed your mind about taking me to bed, there’s nothing more to say.”

  My chest tightens at his words. He’s really given up hope of ever being free of the boss.

  “It’s not a fantasy,” I tell him as I quickly move between him and the front door. “I’ve been working for him for a very, very long time. The mountain of evidence I’ve got against him, against all of his lieutenants too, is pretty damning. Once the cops get it, he’s going away for good.”

  “If you’ve had all of this, then why didn’t you use it sooner?”

  “Because it wasn’t worth the risk. You’re not the only one with something to protect.”

  Wren’s expression falls, and he looks away. “So what’s changed?”

  “Nothing. I’m just...hoping really.” I lean against the wall by the door as I’m hit once again with the enormity of what I’ve done. “I’ve got a daughter. I never get to see her anymore. She doesn’t even know I exist. My ex and his new alpha have been raising her since she was a baby. When my ex and I broke up, I didn’t even know he was pregnant. I didn’t find out until the boss got his hooks into me. He did the research, tracked them down, found her for me. He even has a contact at the hospital that managed to confirm the DNA. I reached out to my ex just to make sure, and he confirmed it too.”

  “So you’re risking her life? For what?”

  “For you,” I say as I meet his eyes at last. “For us. I can’t risk ever going to see her as long as I’m connected to the boss. You can’t reconnect with your family either. And...I can’t tell you how I really feel about you. As long as he has us under his thumb, nothing will ever change.”

  “You know what he’s like.” Wren presses his palms to the sides of his head as he storms toward me. “If he gets wind of what you’ve done, there’ll be no stopping him. Your daughter...your ex...”

  “No. At least...I hope not.” I shake my head. “When he told me about our daughter, my ex offered to let me see her. I told him that as long as I’m working for this asshole, it’s too dangerous. But we made arrangements. As soon as he gets the letter I sent, he’ll take our daughter out of town and wait until I contact them.”

  “There’s still a risk.”

  “Like I don’t know that.”

  He purses his lips and steps back for a moment. Uncertainty and confusion are evident on his face. He doesn’t know what to think, what to say.

  “You shouldn’t have done all this without telling me first,” he says at last, shaking his head. “We could’ve figured something else out.”

  “I’m sure you’ve spent at least as much time thinking about how to escape him as I have.” I cross my arms over my chest and look right at him. “This is the only way. I sent a second letter to a contact of mine who is holding a package for me. It contains years of evidence that I’ve collected. The police will have everything they need to act against the boss...”

  “And you?” He cocks his head to the side as he steps toward me.

  “And me.” I avoid his gaze. “I’m hoping to work out some sort of deal. I’ve got a lot more that I can give them. Plus,
I’ve got recordings of him threatening my family and yours...and a few of his other assets. He’s not exactly subtle about threatening people when he’s in the safety of his little den.”

  Wren takes a deep breath and closes the gap between us.

  “There’s no telling how things are going to shake out tomorrow.”

  He’s so close now that his scent is overwhelming my senses. His expression nearly sends me to my knees.

  “All I know is that I can’t bear to condemn you to a lifetime of suffering under his hands. As long as you belong to him, you can never belong to me.”

  He shudders as he leans against me and stretches up to kiss my neck. “You’re an asshole,” he says as he curls his arms around me. “I gave up on hope, and now you’ve gone and stirred it all up again. And if anything goes wrong tomorrow...I’ll never forgive myself.”

  I slide my arms around his shoulders. The feeling of his slight frame against mine is more reassuring than I expected. For the first time in months, I feel like myself again. The real me, not the mask I’ve been forced to wear.

  “Whatever happens tomorrow, I meant what I said yesterday. I really do want to take you out to dinner sometime.”

  To my surprise, he laughs. “For now, I guess you’ll just have to settle for taking me to your bed.” He leans back and winks up at me. “You can take me out to dinner to celebrate once the bastard is in jail and we’re both finally free.”

  My cock stirs in response to his words, even though the rest of me is still struggling to catch up.

  “Are you sure about this?” I manage. “There’s a very good chance I’ll wind up in jail too.”

  “Of course I’m sure,” he says with a little smile. “It’s one of the only things I’m sure of. I can’t explain why but...the things I feel for you...are too intense not to be real.”

  “Like I was drawn to you.” I meet his gaze.

  “Exactly. So, before the shit hits the fan...I want you to claim me.” He reaches down, and his fingers curl around the bulge in my pants. “Make me your omega. And we’ll face tomorrow as mates.”

  7

  Wren

  Darren scoops me up in his arms and carries me to his bedroom. I barely have a chance to take in my surroundings before I’m deposited onto the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. He casts aside his clothing with baffling speed and is on top of me before I can fully appreciate his chiseled frame.

  “Are you sure?” he asks me again, his lips pressing against my neck and collarbone as his erection presses against my clothed groin. “Because I’ve never wanted anything as badly as I want you, Wren.”

  “Of course I’m sure.” I gently caress his face and direct him to look into my eyes. “I forced myself to ignore the attraction I felt from a distance. But when you kissed me yesterday, you made it impossible to pretend anymore. Now...there’s no doubt left in my mind. You’re the alpha that’s meant to be my mate. There’s nothing that’s going to change that fact, even if our circumstances are less than ideal.”

  He snorts and shakes his head. “That’s an understatement.”

  “Whatever stands ahead of us, we’ll face it together.” I kiss him softly. “Now, make me yours.”

  He abandons the last of the chains that were holding him back.

  His lips consume mine and his hands fly across my body as he helps me out of my clothing. The chilly air hits my flushed skin, sending goosebumps across my body. That chill is immediately chased away, replaced by the heat of his body as he wraps himself around me.

  My cock is painfully hard, but I almost don’t care. Just being close to him fills me with a euphoria that chases away all my other concerns. His hand slides between us, wrapping around both of our cocks.

  I moan against his lips as he begins to stroke us. “Oh fuck.” I gasp, curling my fingers into his back. I’m not used to such attention, and I think he knows it.

  “Do you like that, my sweet?” His breath is hot against my skin.

  I can only moan in response to his touches, which seems to make him happy. He sits back on his heels and looks down at me with satisfaction. The steady pace of his hand is glorious, but he’s clearly not content with that alone. His free hand slides along the inside of my thigh, and I hold my breath as his fingers press against my eager asshole.

  “You’re already so wet,” he purrs as his fingers dip inside.

  “I told you I want you.” I moan into the air. “I meant it.”

  “Wren...” His voice trails off, and I look into his eyes. “If we do this, I’m not going to share you with anyone else. I’m not that kind of alpha. I don’t have it in me to share.”

  I frown up at him. “I’m so tired of not belonging to anyone. I don’t want to just be some plaything anymore.”

  “Fuck.” He growls as he slowly withdraws his hand from my cock. Half a breath later, his dick is pressing against my opening.

  My breath catches in my throat as he slides into me. A deep coo of satisfaction escapes my throat as he fills me. “Perfect fit. Like you were made for me.”

  He thrusts into me, our bodies moving in tandem. “We’re one now,” he declares as he moves. The look on his face is rapturous.

  I clutch the blankets beneath me and surrender myself to him completely. I’ve never been this vulnerable to anyone before. Never relaxed myself this fully. He’s the only one who has ever seen me arch my back like this. The only one who’s made me gasp in ecstasy like this. And now, he’s the only one who ever will.

  No matter what happens tomorrow, I can’t go back to my old life. I’ve pledged myself to my alpha. And he has pledged himself to me.

  He slides into me with one final grunt as his knot swells and seals us firmly together. That last thrust sends me tumbling into ecstasy as I come, my toes curling with pleasure while my orgasm rocks through me.

  “You’re mine now.” He purrs with satisfaction as he leans over me and claims my lips with a breathless kiss. “My omega.”

  “My alpha.” I lean into his kisses and nuzzle against his neck before collapsing back against the bed in exhaustion.

  8

  Darren

  Twelve months. A full damn year.

  But I guess I should consider myself lucky. It could’ve been a helluva lot worse.

  It’s mid-December when I set foot outside of prison for the first time in a year. I’m in desperate need of a good shave, but I managed to keep myself mostly together during my time in jail. It wasn’t always easy, but I had a constant source of light and hope to get me through it all.

  A source of light that’s waiting for me with a small crowd of people I wasn’t really expecting.

  “Darren!” Wren squeals as he runs to me and jumps into my waiting arms.

  The feeling of his body against mine is exactly what I need right now. It brings me fully into this new reality. I really am out. I’m free to be with my omega at long last.

  “You didn’t tell me there’d be all these people here,” I whisper a little grudgingly.

  “Everyone was excited,” he says as he looks back at them with a grin.

  “I was just hoping I’d get a little time alone with you,” I say into his ear. “I’ve been thinking about you non-stop.”

  “I know. Me too.” He chuckles. “Don’t worry, we’ll be alone tonight.” He wiggles out of my arms and skips back to the rest of the group. My ex, his alpha, and our daughter are there. I recognize Wren’s parents from a picture he showed me. But the face I’m most excited to see, besides Wren’s, is the baby he’s now carrying toward me.

  Our three-month old son. As he passes the baby to me, tears spring to my eyes.

  A whole year has passed. I missed all of Wren’s pregnancy, and I wasn’t there for the birth. Again.

  Holding my boy now is like a dream.

  “We’re finally safe. Safe and free,” Wren says as he looks up at me. “We can go home and be a family now.”

  My eyes fill with tears.

  I was afraid to take the
risk before I met Wren. Sitting on piles of evidence and adding more all the time, just in case I ever needed it. I told myself I was holding back because I wanted to keep my daughter safe. The daughter I’d never even met until my ex brought her to visit me a few months ago.

  After that last night of peace, everything went pretty much as expected. The boss, his lieutenants and all the upper management for his organization were arrested, including me. In exchange for my testimony, and the rest of my evidence stash, I was given a one-year sentence at a minimum-security facility. There was some concern over my safety at first, but it quickly became clear that most of my fellow inmates were grateful I’d gotten that old bastard off the streets for good. If anyone had it out for me, they would’ve had to get through a wall of other alphas first.

  Wren managed to reunite with his parents, and then he went a step further and tracked down my ex. Imagine my surprise when he told me they’d become good friends. It’s honestly not the ending I was expecting from that meeting, but I finally got to meet my daughter which was...surreal.

  “Come on, let’s get this show on the road.” Wren’s dad leads the way back across the parking lot. “I’m sure these two want to get home to their love nest.”

  “Dad!” Wren’s cheeks flush bright red.

  His dad merely chuckles.

  “Your dad is a character,” I say as I watch the small herd of people begin to pull away from us.

  “Oh, you’re in for a treat.” Wren chuckles. “He’s far worse when he’s at home. It’s embarrassing.”

  My son gurgles in my arms, making little baby noises that I can’t even identify. “I’ve missed so much...” My vision blurs as I look down at him. “I’m sorry for leaving you both for so long.”

  “There’s still a lot left to see,” Wren says, laying a hand on my arm and peering up into my face. “We’ve got a lot of things left to experience together...and a whole family to experience it all with.”