by Cree Storm
CHAPTER 7
Berk kneaded the dough until it was elastic and ready to sit for another hour. Placing it in a large greased bowl, Berk covered it and set it aside, then went to wash his hands. The music played in the background and Berk couldn’t help but move his hips to the beat and sing along. “The phone rings in the middle of the night, my father yells what ya gonna do with your life...”
Grabbing the noodle dough he had made earlier and the pasta machine, Berk pulled a portion of the dough off and rolled it as he swayed his hips, singing, “Boys they wanna have fun. Oh, boys just wanna have fun.”
Once the dough was at the thickness he needed and the length he wanted, Berk laid it down on the large surface and swiveled around, singing, “Some boys take a beautiful boy and hide him away from the rest of the world...”
“I wanna be the one to walk in the sun...”
Berk jerked around and watched as Micah and Trevor danced and sang to the song. They were smiling and laughing as they threw their arms in the air, singing, “Boys just wanna have fun...”
Going to his radio with his iPod attached, he turned it down, asking, “What are you guys doing in here?”
Micah laughed, “We heard the music and had to see what was happening.” Trevor said with a laugh.
“You have some moves, Berk. Garth is a lucky dragon. Of course, not as lucky as me, but not everyone can have a mate as smart, sweet, and sexy as mine.” Micah said with a smile.
“Nice save, mate of mine. However, I might be all those things, but I can’t move like our Berk here.” Chance said as he walked into the kitchen with Linus and Nolan not far behind.
“How long have you guys been standing there?” Berk asked, nervously rolling out the other part of the dough until it was the same thickness and length of the rest, and laid it out above the other.
Smiling, Bo said, “Standing here? Micah and Trevor were here since the first verse, the rest of us were watching you on camera. Nice voice, by the way.”
Berk looked around, “Camera? You were watching me on a camera? What camera?”
Bo pointed to two different corners of the kitchen, “We have them for security reasons. I was doing a system check when I caught an interesting sight.”
Trevor giggled, “Bo called me to his monitor when Micah and Nolan walked in and got interested in what we were watching and of course they came over.”
Nolan smiled, “I don’t know what song was playing when you were kneading that dough in the bowl over there, but I must say it did look interesting.”
Berk’s cheeks heated as he muttered, “Push It.”
“Well you were pushing it really good.” Micah laughed. “So good Trevor and I had to come get in on the action.”
Shaking his head and still feeling the sting of embarrassment, Berk muttered, “Well, at least one of you didn’t witness my humiliation.”
Snorting, Chance said, “If you’re meaning Garth, think again. Not that you have anything to be ashamed of. You really do have an excellent voice and your dancing... wow. Did you take dance lessons?”
“No! I just... my foster dad always listened to music singing and dancing as he cooked. He said happiness was the secret ingredient to all cooking. I’ve always loved music and so I guess his way just kind of made sense to me.” Berk explained, then blushed. “I can’t believe you all...”
“Hey!” Bo quickly interrupted. “We honestly don’t go around spying on the people in the house. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. How about from now on I use the intercom to say systems check? That way you’ll know when we might be watching.”
“And if it’s any consolation, I know for a fact that Garth enjoyed the show more than we did. If I were to guess why he isn’t down here already, it’s because he had some business to take care of... if you know what I mean.” Chance said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Berk felt his cheeks heat even more, but to add to his humiliation he felt his cock harden at the thought of Garth in a bathroom or something, jerking off. Damn the image...
Turning rapidly around, Berk went to the industrial-sized refrigerator. He pulled out the cheese mixture and took it to his pasta sheets. Filling his piping bag, Berk began to place dots of cheesy goodness about an inch apart.
“So... uh... is everything going alright with you and Garth?” Trevor asked, dipping a spoon in the sauce simmering on the stove and tasting it. “Oh, this shit is fucking good!”
Berk froze a moment, ignoring Trevor’s comment on his pasta sauce. Had Garth told them about their conversation the day before? Would it make a difference if he had? Berk had been racking his brain about what to do with the information he was given. The thought of getting pregnant freaked Berk the fuck out. He needed to talk to someone, and this wasn’t something he could just pick up the phone and talk to his foster parents about.
Linus stood in the doorway. Out of all the men that lived here, Linus was the one that had yet to talk with him. He would always stand back and stay silent. Berk didn’t think that it was so much that Linus didn’t like him, but more like he didn’t trust that Berk wouldn’t try to hurt him. Berk wanted to be the man’s friend and he had been trying to figure out a way to help Linus feel more comfortable with him, but right now, he had other things he had to deal with first.
“Don’t you like him?” Trevor asked.
Trevor’s question shook Berk out of his thoughts, and he realized he hadn’t answered Trevor’s first question. “Things... uh...” Sighing heavily, Berk said, “I don’t know how it’s going. I do like Garth. I like him a lot... and I do mean a lot. It’s just that when we talked, he said something and I’m having a hard time wrapping my mind around it.”
“If we knew what he said we might be able to help figure things out.” Chance stated, dipping a spoon in the cheese mixture and moaning in pleasure. “Oh shit, Linus, you are going to love this.”
Linus shrugged and went to him. “Come on, let’s sit at the table and see if we can help Berk.”
Linus hesitated a moment and then took a seat next to Nolan. Berk did his best to look nonthreatening as he laid the other pasta sheet over the one with the dollops of cheese mixture and took out his cutter to make the ravioli.
“It’s the pregnancy thing isn’t it?” Chance asked knowingly.
Berk could only nod as he pressed the cutter down on one dough section after another, and then used his pastry roller to make sure the edges were sealed properly. Cleaning his work area, Berk went to another large bowl and took the pasta dough he needed, to repeat what he had just been doing.
“You know, I always envied Garth for his ability to procreate. I never thought of it as something that could cause a rift between him and his fated mate.” Chance softly said, sitting at the counter watching as Berk worked.
“It isn’t a rift, it’s just... it’s really hard for me to wrap my head around. I may be gay, but I’m still a man. Men don’t have babies.” Berk insisted.
Nodding, Chance filled Berk’s pastry bag with more of the cheese mixture, “In your world men don’t have babies. In ours, it isn’t all that unusual. There are many paranormals that can sire a child, actually.”
“Seriously?” Berk asked in astonishment.
“Oh yeah.” Micah said, walking up behind his mate and wrapping his arms around him.
Berk watched as Chance tilted his head to the side, showing his mating mark, and then Micah leaned in and kissed it, Chance smiling and saying, “There are mermen, Fae, dragons, some shifters... normally reptilian. The list is longer, but you get the picture.”
“How do humans not know this? I mean, I think that with all the technical shit out there today, someone would have noticed a pregnant man.” Berk said with a shake of his head.
Bo replied, “Well, mermen mostly live deep in the ocean, so it isn’t like they can be seen walking around, and the Fae usually stick to their own realm, or live deep in the forests where humans don’t go, and well, the others...”
“Stay home when
they start to show. It sucks, but pregnancy doesn’t last long for them once that happens, so it doesn’t cause them to be missed by their human friends... if they have any.” Trevor quickly added.
“What do you mean it doesn’t last long? How long is a paranormal pregnancy?” Berk asked.
Chance answered, “That depends on the species, but in a dragon pregnancy it is a six-month process. The first month you get a tiny baby bump and it grows slowly.”
“That means it can be hidden by a larger shirt than usual.” Nolan chimed in.
“Then around the fifth month it’s like a balloon being blown up in seconds. You go to sleep with a small swelling tummy and wake with a huge medicine ball. No other species do that. Dragons have the most unique pregnancy of all paranormals.” Chance said.
Berk blinked up at Chance, then asked, “Why does it happen that way for a dragon and not the others?”
Chance thought a moment, “I don’t really know for sure, but my thought is, there aren’t that many dragon shifters in existence. I think it happens that way simply to keep the baby safe until birth. Like we said, it’s easier to hide for almost the entire pregnancy. It’s just that last few weeks that you can’t deny what’s happening.”
“Is the thought of having a child with Garth that abhorrent to you?” Linus quietly asked, sounding upset, then added, “I would give anything to be able to give Nolan a child.”
Nolan placed a gentle hand on Linus’s thigh, “Hey, it’s alright. As long as I have you, I am more than happy.”
Linus pursed his lips, saying, “I know that and I’m more than happy with you. It’s just that Berk could be blessed with a life that shows him every day what he and Garth have when joined, and he acts as if it’s a curse. To know that he doesn’t want that, and I would give anything for it... hurts.”
Berk wiped his hands off and walked to Linus. He stopped when he saw the man stiffen and damn near bury himself into his mate’s body. “Linus, I don’t know what I’ve done that has you so afraid of me, but I want to tell you I would never, ever hurt you. As for the pregnancy, it isn’t so much that I wouldn’t want a child with Garth... Hell, I’ve dreamed of a family most of my life. It’s just I never thought I could have one and knowing I can... it’s scary.”
Linus looked confused. “I understand that delivering a child can be painful, but...”
“It isn’t the delivery... okay, that’s not a hundred percent true. It still freaks me out that I would be the one that would carry the baby and not have to use a surrogate or adopt.” Berk stated, then licked his lips.
“Then what? I don’t understand.” Linus whispered.
“I was eight years old when my parents were killed in a car accident and my life was turned upside down. I was shuffled around to seven different foster homes in a three-year period. I would lie at night in bed and pray for a family... my family. I wanted brothers and sisters, a mom and dad... but that was never going to happen... until it did. Well, kind of. Marla and Nort brought me into their home and I found my true calling in life. However, they had never had any kids of their own and that meant no siblings, but with them I was okay with that. I had two people I knew really cared about me and what happened to me. I know they look on me being as much their son as I look on them as the mom and dad I wished for, for all those years.” Berk rushed to explain.
“I still don’t understand. You said yourself you wanted a family. Now you have a chance to have one. So, what’s the problem?” Linus asked in confusion.
Berk tossed his hands in the air, loudly saying, “Because I wouldn’t know what to do with a child!”
Linus shrank back and Berk felt like an ass. “I’m so sorry, Linus. I didn’t mean to yell, and I seriously didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just that the thought of having a baby... a tiny bundle that would be one hundred percent reliant on me for everything... it... it... terrifies me. What if I suck at being a dad? What if I do something and harm the baby? I don’t know how to change a diaper. I don’t know what to do if the baby cries... I’ve never even fucking held a baby, let alone raised one, and I’ve never been around someone that has.”
“But, you’re not going to be alone in this, Berk. You’ll have all of us to help.” Linus quietly said.
“And you’ll have me.”
Berk turned to see that Garth was standing at the kitchen, and from the looks of things, he had been standing there for quite some time.
Well, shit.
CHAPTER 8
Garth had been working on the zoo case when he got pinged by Bo. It was the security report. Pulling it up he had been shocked to see a live link to one specific room... the kitchen.
To see his mate dancing and singing as he prepared their evening meal was erotic to say the least. Garth wanted nothing more than to go down there, pull his mate into his arms and dance with him, but Berk had needed space and time to think. He hadn’t come out and asked for it, but Garth had gotten the hint when they had returned home the other day and Berk had rushed into the kitchen and started cooking. He hadn’t spoken to Garth or even looked in his direction at meals. It was disconcerting, but Garth understood. It wasn’t every day you found out that the man you were with could get you pregnant.
Garth had made his way to the bathroom to relieve some of the pressure that had built in his loins, then washed up and made his way down the stairs to join the others. He hadn’t made it directly to the kitchen before he heard Linus asking his question and then Berk answered.
Shocked wouldn’t come close to how Garth had felt when he discovered his mate wasn’t so much freaking out at having a child with him, but it was having a child period... being a parent. His mate was scared of being a dad. Well, shit. That he could work with.
When Berk said, “I’ve never even fucking held a baby, let alone raised one, and I’ve never been around someone that has.”
“But you’re not going to be alone in this, Berk. You’ll have all of us to help.” Linus quietly said.
“And you’ll have me.” Garth said, stepping into the kitchen.
Berk looked up so quickly at Garth, that Garth thought his mate’s head might snap. “How long have you been standing there?”
The others got up and left the room. Well, Chance had to pull Micah out of the room, but still Garth found himself standing in the kitchen alone with his mate. “Long enough I guess.”
Berk sighed and went back to making whatever he was cooking for their dinner tonight.
Garth followed and stopped Berk in the middle of creating his pasta sheet. He turned Berk to face him and placed his index finger under the man’s chin, then tilted Berk’s head up until they were looking at each other eye to eye. “I know the idea of being pregnant one day with our child is scary and a bit overwhelming, but in my mind I see you rounded with our baby and it is one of the most erotic images I have ever had. I thought that was what the fear was all about, and after hearing what you said to the guys, I now realize that somehow you can get past that reality, but fear being a father, even more terrifying then the pregnancy itself... it confuses me.”
Berk opened his mouth to speak, but Garth had something to say first. “I’m confused because of how wonderful of a man you are. I’ve watched you since you arrived here. The way you go outside and feed the birds, squirrels and other wildlife. I know that you can see the struggles Linus has with you, and instead of pushing for more, you’ve given him the space he needs to get to know you and become comfortable with your presence.”
Smiling, Garth said, “And if you’re making what I think you are, Linus will be your best friend in this house in no time.”
Berk giggled and the sound had Garth’s cock hard, even though he had just jerked off not ten minutes earlier. “I asked Nolan what Linus’s favorite food was and he said anything Italian. I figured I could try and impress him with my ravioli. It was one of my foster father’s bestselling dishes at his restaurant.”
Garth leaned down until their lips were just inches apar
t, “You are a good man, Berk Carlos and you are going to be a great father.”
Slowly their lips met, and Garth pulled Berk into his arms even tighter, deepening the kiss. Berk opened up to him within seconds and Garth dove in deeper. Their tongues dueled and Garth was almost dropped to his knees by the delicious flavors his mate had to offer. If a kiss tasted so good, Garth just knew that his essence would taste even better.
Somehow Garth had pinned Berk to the island, and it was as if he was bespelled, because he found himself licking, nibbling and kissing Berk’s neck and shoulder as he undid his mate’s pants. Within seconds, Garth was on his knees pulling Berk’s pants down to his calves and engulfing his mate’s cock until the tip of Berk’s shaft was sliding down his throat.
“Oh, fuck me.” Berk gasped, gripping Garth’s hair and tugging.
Garth would have loved to fuck his mate right then and there, but he also knew that Berk wasn’t ready for something like that. However, that didn’t mean Garth couldn’t give him a taste of what they would be like together. Popping his mouth off of Berk’s cock, Garth ground out, “Soon, my love. Soon.”
Wetting his index finger really well, Garth swallowed down his mate’s hard cock once again and brought that index finger to his mate’s star. Slowly sliding up his mate’s shaft, he gently pushed his finger into Berk’s tight hole as he slid his mouth down.
“Oh! Oh! What? What...?”
Garth didn’t stop what he was doing. Instead, he continued to slide up and down on his mate’s shaft as he moved his finger deeper, mimicking his oral action, wincing just a bit when Berk tugged harder on his hair.
Taking his other hand, Garth fondled Berk’s balls, swirling his tongue under the head of Berk’s cock, then deep throating the man as he crooked his finger and found the gland he had been seeking.
“Fuck! Fuck!” Berk shouted as he came within seconds.
Garth drank down all his mate had to offer, until he heard the slight hiss of discomfort coming from his mate.
