The Alpha's Ginger-Kissed Omega: An M/M Non-Shifter Mpreg Romance (Alpha Kissed Book 5)

by Lorelei M. Hart

  “Yes on chocolate. Did you have anything in mind?”

  “They have the best fudge here…”

  With the sun setting, I quickly ordered a pound of the darkest chocolate fudge they had and hustled Bennett back to the car and then drove him to his house with the promise of meeting him at his house in an hour. I wanted to shower and change and be at my best to meet my son.

  “My son.” I said it aloud, tasting the words as I did. Somehow, although I loved working with the kids at the center, over the years I’d thought I’d never have my own. I seemed to pass the point where my friends were starting to have families and was okay with being the nice uncle, the helpful guy at the center, the genial fellow who never had a family, but who everyone invited to their events.

  In the last few hours, everything had changed. I was, I said aloud, “I am a dad.” Surreal. “This is my son, our son, Parker.” Wow. That sounded even better. Would he like me? Would he resent me? Wonder where I’d been all his life while maybe he needed me? I had no doubt that Bennett had taken good care of him. The afternoon spent helping to set up their life in town showed me that. He loved him, but was not shy about letting the school know he could be a handful. I could respect that.

  I hoped Bennett and I would have the happy ever after I’d dreamed of but whether we did or not, Parker had a new dad in his life to offer him and Bennett every support I could. He shouldn’t have had to do this alone. I shouldn’t have left that morning. I should have stayed until he was awake or maybe put my number in his phone. But wouldn’t he have thought that presumptuous? Overwhelmed with what I’d learned, I left the fudge in the car and ran into my apartment to get ready for the biggest meet and greet of my life.

  We hadn’t decided whether to tell Parker about me right away. Bennett suggested we see how the evening went and take it from there, but I didn’t know how I would handle that. I wanted to race in and hug him and kiss him and tell him I’d always be there for him. Somehow sensing my emotional state, he’d kissed me again, long and slow, before we parted. “Just chill, okay? Give it time. Give him time. Give us time.”

  Easy for him to say. He hadn’t just found out he had a nine-year-old son. I needed to see baby pictures ASAP. I’d missed so much.

  As I stripped and stepped under the steaming spray, I promised myself I’d be the epitome of cool. I would follow my omega’s lead where the son he knew so well was concerned at least until we’d all spent some time together. I’d be friendly, kind, courteous, clean… This was getting weird. Lathering up, I decided to be as chill as possible and grateful that the fates had somehow brought us back together.

  Parker was nine. He’d probably be much more interested in video games than a guest of his dad’s anyway, so it would give me a chance to observe him and maybe figure out how to be a part of his life without freaking him out as much as his existence had done to me.

  “I’m a dad.” Holy shit.

  Chapter Seven

  Bennett

  Fate surely had a sense of humor. Not only did I move across the country to find a new life, but within twenty-four hours, I’d found the one man I knew was mine, again.

  “Parker, can you change and then come down and help me with dinner? We have a guest coming over.”

  The kid scrunched up his face like I’d suggested he stuff Brussels sprouts up his nose.

  “Really, Bennett?”

  I tipped my head sideways and gave him my best glare. Calling me by my first name was unacceptable. “Dad. To you, my name is Dad. And pick up that mess in front of the TV. It’s like someone raised you in a barn.”

  He grumbled but did as I told him, picking up and then stomping up the stairs to change, I hoped. He came down minutes later in a fresh outfit, and I smelled lemon soap on his hands. He had a smart mouth but washed his hands at least.

  “Can you get the salad stuff from the bag?” I’d had to run to the store after George dropped me off since I had zero groceries except sandwich fixin’s.

  “We’ve been here two seconds. How did you find a friend already?”

  As if I was Shrek with a gangly eye or something who couldn’t make friends.

  I turned, hand on my hip, and addressed the smart-ass. “I’m a friendly guy. I have friends.”

  He rolled his eyes and pulled out the arugula. “You had like one friend. Troy or Tim or someone.”

  Troy was my boss. Not a friend.

  “Well, it’s a new friendly town. Get over it and wash those greens. I think you’re gonna like this guy. He works at the after-school program.”

  I heard the ripping of the lettuce.

  I put the makings for spaghetti into my electric pressure cooker and started it up. Whoever invented that machine had single parents in mind. Thirty minutes and we’d be in business.

  Just as the timer went off and Parker had somewhat made a salad, the doorbell rang.

  I turned to my son, on the precipice of saying that he should behave or mind his manners, but instead I kicked myself in the reality. “Just try not to be an ass to George, okay?”

  Parker shrugged, and I figured that was the best I was going to get.

  “Hey there,” I said, answering the door and praying I didn’t blush like a schoolboy. Blushing would tip Parker off, and he’d probably say something horrid.

  “Hey to you. I brought these for you.”

  Well, now he’d gone and done it. A bouquet of red roses was in one hand and the fudge in the other. I considered myself fully smitten.

  “Thank you. Come on in.”

  George was dressed in a V-neck sweater and some dark jeans. His hair was fixed, not like before, and he smelled like lemons and mandarins. Come to think of it, he’d always smelled like that.

  “George, meet my son, Parker. Parker, this is George.”

  George jutted out his hand to shake Parker’s and, in a move that shocked me into gasping, Parker shook his hand.

  “Dude, do I hear Call of Duty?”

  There was some kind of doomsday music in the background, but I knew nothing of what it was.

  “Yep. The new one. Wanna play?”

  George looked at me and winked. “I think your dad has made dinner for us. It would be rude to go play when he put forth all that effort. Don’t you think?”

  So this was what I had been missing without a partner in crime. Backup. Who knew?

  “Okay. But after dinner. I never get to play with anyone. Dad won’t let me have people over.”

  I used to before he started hanging out with rebels without a clue.

  “Did you earn it?” George asked, taking a stack of plates from me and setting the table. I hadn’t even asked. He simply worked with me without effort.

  “Earn it?” Parker mimicked George, taking the silverware out of the drawer and following him around like a shadow. I stood there, knowing my mouth was agape and not really moving. These two had me flummoxed the way they acted as if they’d known each other for a decade.

  Then again, my son wasn’t even a decade old.

  “Yeah, my dad used to say that after I asked for stuff. So what have you done to earn having people over? I’m sure you help cook and take the trash out, right?”

  That was a big-ass no.

  I dished the spaghetti into a serving plate and somehow became the audience instead of the maestro. Weird how things turn out.

  We sat at the table, and George squeezed my thigh under the tablecloth. I looked at him, and he winked at me.

  “Bennett, you didn’t tell me what you do for work?” George asked, changing the subject to me.

  “Oh, well, whatever puts dinner on the table. But mostly, I’m a graphic designer—websites and branding when I have to.”

  The rest of the dinner went smoothly and, honestly, the chill of the whole thing made me nervous. Parker finished dinner and said he was going upstairs. I thought George would stop him, but instead he pulled his chair closer to me.

  When I looked into his eyes, they were full of unspilled
tears. “He’s a great kid, Bennett. A little rough around the edges, but that’s just puberty setting in, I think. He...I think he has my nose.”

  He totally had George’s nose.

  “Sometimes he looks at me and it’s you, well, the little I knew of you.”

  “When can we tell him, omega? I’ve missed so much already.”

  I looked at the stairs and was conflicted. On one hand, Parker needed George in his life, especially at this crucial stage. On the other, it felt too soon.

  “Soon. I promise. We’re taking it slow, right?”

  George’s hand trailed higher up my thigh. “But not too slow, right?”

  Chapter Eight

  George

  I didn’t get to play Call of Duty, but made plans to do so another night. Since we were taking things slow, I also didn’t get to play anything else. Bennett and I spent a couple of hours sipping coffee and talking once his son—our son—came down and showed his less-than-awesome side, demanding to stay up an extra hour and ended up going to bed an hour early.

  This parenting thing was not for the weak. We might have necked a little, with one ear cocked for footsteps on the staircase, before I headed out. It was going to be tough to decide when to tell Parker the truth. Not too fast—we both wanted him to have a little time to get used to me first. But not too slow—for fear he’d feel tricked. In the meantime, I wanted to take some opportunities to hang out with him because, well, because I was his father. And as his father, I had duties and privileges which I needed to take up just as soon as possible.

  But, tomorrow night, I had a date with my omega. Or the one I hoped would be officially mine before long. Sure, it was soon, but technically I’d known him for ten years, and I’d missed him every day of it.

  I drove home and tumbled into bed, but I was too keyed up and too horny to fall right asleep. Instead, I closed my hand around my dick and with the memory of the night we’d made Parker in mind, stroked myself to completion in record time. Then I fell asleep and dreamed I’d not left or maybe the note hadn’t gotten soaked. All I knew for sure was that I was present for the birth of our son. I woke with tears dried on my cheeks, determined not to ever miss another significant part of either of their lives.

  Saturday was a busy day at My Brother, My Sister. In addition to our weekday programs, we had a number of Saturday-only classes like judo, dance, and some sports clinics. I had a slew of kids coming in to go over the responses they were getting on their college applications so the day went faster than I expected. Edison, still a little sore from his dental procedure, did ask me why I was so distracted, but I wasn’t ready to tell him about Parker yet. It seemed like my son should know before anyone else.

  By the time I pulled up in front of Bennett’s house, Chuck, the babysitter I’d arranged—in my first real dad move—had arrived so we were soon on our way to The Bistro, next to Sugar. The food there was fine-dining, but the atmosphere was more casual, and the noise level usually low enough we could talk.

  “I think you’ll enjoy this place,” I said, when conversation lagged. “They have a regular menu but also some great specials every night. I usually order those, and I’ve never been disappointed.”

  “I’m sure they’re fine,” he said, and I flicked a glance at him.

  “Everything okay?” Because it so obviously wasn’t.

  “Yes, well, no.” He released a sigh. “Parker was at his snarky finest today. I don’t know what I’m going to do about him. If this is pre-puberty, how am I going to survive his teenage years?”

  “Well, I don’t know, but it’s just not just you now. We have to figure it out. What did he do?”

  As I pulled into the parking lot behind the restaurant, he began to tell me. “Parker got up in a mood and it only got worse. He stomped around the house and…”

  I hated to say it, but, “Do you think we shouldn’t have gone out tonight? If he’s being a handful, maybe we should head back.”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t been out on a date, or anywhere that isn’t all about Parker in a very long time. I’m due.”

  “I’m sure you are.” And I wanted this night together so much I could taste it. “How was he with Chuck?”

  “Are you kidding? He went from I-don’t-need-a-babysitter mode to acting like his best friend had arrived, in two point three seconds. They’ll be fine.”

  “Good. Then let’s eat.” I unfastened my seat belt, but he didn’t. “What’s wrong?”

  “Would you hate me if I suggested we skip dinner?”

  “No. Of course not.” Although I was disappointed. “But I’m confused. I thought you were due a night out.”

  He slung an arm around my neck, leaned in, and pressed his lips to mine in a firm, sweet invitation. “How about a night in? At your place?”

  “Okay. We’ll order in.” Because I wasn’t going to starve my omega...but neither was I going to miss an opportunity to have him at my apartment. I suppressed a pang at my lack of decorating skill, but since I hoped most of the evening would be in the dark, we’d get by.

  I broke the speed limit more than once, but got lucky enough not to encounter our local constabulary along the way. But when we were in my parking spot, I reached over and linked his hand with mine. “Are you sure? I thought we were going slow.”

  “I thought we said not too slow.” He unbuckled his seat belt and reached for the door handle. “It’s not like it’s our first time, after all.”

  “No, it’s not.” I released his hand and we both exited the vehicle. After rounding the front of the car, I reached for him again and tugged him close to my body. “It’s the second time.” My voice broke on the words. “I’m so grateful you moved here. It’s just up this way.” I guided him up the steps and to my door. The building wasn’t fancy, but it was well kept and my apartment—thanks to the cleaning service who came twice a month—was neat and clean if plain. “But in the theme of going slow, let’s order a pizza or some Thai?”

  “Thai,” he said. “I was worried that the town wouldn’t have anything like that.”

  “We do and it’s very good.” I kissed him, opened the door, kissed him again, and ushered him into my lair. “Go have a seat on the couch and I’ll get the menu.”

  I had to be crazy, to put off what I could have had right that moment, but for some reason I felt a little hesitant, didn’t want to rush what I hoped would be our second time together, but the first date of the rest of our lives.

  Chapter Nine

  Bennett

  I was glad for the slow-taking that night, though I knew it wouldn’t be slow for long. The tension in my body had built up with Parker’s nonsense over the night, and I feared any sexy sessions would simply be me working off steam instead of really paying attention to my alpha and how he’d changed.

  And how much I loved him.

  There, I said it.

  Not out loud, but still true.

  I scrolled through his Netflix list as we waited for the food to arrive while George took off my shoes and massaged my feet. Just being in his presence, alone, like a man and not just someone’s father made me feel whole again.

  “Oh, that feels so good. I remember you being excellent with your hands,” I said, twitching my toes.

  “Do you? It’s about time we made new memories.”

  I nodded and got up to straddle his hips. “Maybe we could make memories together, with Parker.”

  George cupped my face with his hands and a moment of sadness crossed his face, or so I thought the scrunched brow and pooched lips indicated. “I’m looking forward to that. The you and me and the family.”

  Damn, this man owned me. He did ten years ago and he owned me right in that moment.

  “Do...do you want more kids?” It wasn’t the time or the place to ask, but the words came regardless.

  “I do. I missed all the baby stuff with Parker. I’d like to...I’m just gonna come out and say it, omega.” I nodded while he paused. “I want to see you swollen wi
th my child and experience those events with you. I want it all. Is that too much to ask so soon?”

  Tears welled in my eyes. “No. I wanted you there so badly.”

  He leaned forward and rested his forehead against my chest. “We have time. This time I won’t make the mistake of leaving you again. I won’t. I swear it.”

  The sincerity in his voice overwhelmed me.

  I kissed his hair and each temple while his hands held onto my waist as though he were afraid I’d vanish.

  The doorbell was the only thing that tore us apart.

  “I’ll get it,” I said, and got up.

  “No way. I’ve got it.” George playfully pushed in front of me, wallet already in hand.

  He paid the delivery guy and closed the door with his hip. My alpha was so sexy doing those day-to-day things, or what I’d seen so far.

  “Let’s eat. You’re going to need your strength,” he said, taking white boxes from the bag and setting them on his kitchen island. His apartment wasn’t much, but it was tidy and clean.

  “Is that so?” I asked, playing coy.

  “Yep. I’ve waited to be inside you for ten years.” I almost choked on my chicken when he said that. “What? Too blunt?”

  I shook my head. “No. I remember your dirty mouth.”

  And I did. That’s how he got me to go back to the hotel with him, whispering naughty things in my ear all throughout the concert. After the music was over, I’d almost come in my pants just at his words.

  “That’s good, but I’ll remind you anyway.” He reached over with his fork and nabbed one of my pieces of chicken before popping it into his mouth.

  To my chagrin, there was no more naughty talk the rest of the meal. He, instead, had a million questions about Parker.

  “So, was he a quiet baby? Tell me everything.”

  Everything was a lot.

  “He was a fusser from the moment he came out of me. I had some bleeding afterward, so they rushed me to recovery while the nurses cleaned him up. I’d barely gotten back into the room, when one of the nursery workers came in and asked me if I could take him since he was screaming, wanting to be fed. After a minute, the nurses left and there I was, a babe attached to my breast and so I sat there, sobbing. My parents were able to come the next day, but I knew from that moment forward, he would be my undoing.”