NYC Vamps: Roman: Vampire Romance

by Sky Winters

  “If you need anything in the night you just holler. I have excellent hearing so I’ll come and get you in a hurry. Got it?”

  Greg nodded and Luke grinned before turning away and closing the bedroom door behind him.

  Greg was left enveloped by the darkness of the room. He could hear Luke moving through the house like a phantom, stirring the wood in the wood stove and sinking heavily onto the couch. The rustling of paper as he opened his notebook and flipped through the pages. It was surprising how comfortable it felt to be in this man’s home, especially considering how strange it was to consider that they had never met before. Here they were, already acting like a married couple. Granted, the kind of married couple that gave each other all the space they needed, but still, it was funny.

  Greg closed his eyes and sighed. What would it be like if he and Luke really were a couple? What was it like to date a shifter? Maybe a call to Alex really would be a good idea. He seemed like the person who would be the least judgmental of his condition. Marty would laugh him into next week if he found out, but Alex might have insight. But if Luke’s hearing really was as good as he said it was, then it would be difficult for him to get away with a private conversation. He would just have to wait it out and see what happened.

  It wouldn’t be so terrible to have a relationship with someone like Luke, Greg decided. Luke was handsome, strong, and considerate. Those were some of the sexiest qualities that Greg could think of in a man. Not only that, but would it be so bad to try and make the best of his situation? He was going to have the man’s children for fucks sake. They might as well try to get along. And besides, the sex had been the best thing that Greg had ever experienced. It was so good that he could feel himself trying not to cry again just thinking about it.

  Those hormones were really screwing him up. He had never been so emotional in front of any of the men he was intimate with. However, it seemed that life was Luke was already different than life with every other kind of man he had ever known. Every experience they had had together so far have been extremely emotional. From having his life saved to getting pregnant in the same night by the same man. In the sense that he was feeling a little bit off-balance. It was irritating and he couldn’t wait to get back to normal. He had so many questions about what it meant to the pregnant with wolf shifter puppies. How long would it take him to bring the pup to term? How fast would it grow, and how emotionally attached would he be to it? He already felt viciously protective of the unborn child. How human would it be, and what types of things should he expect from being its parent?

  These were all questions he would have to run by Luke later on. It had already been a very difficult and exhausting day. Although he wished that Luke was lying in bed with him, providing him with the same comfort that he had given him all throughout the day, it was nice to have a little bit of space so that he could think about these things on his own. No matter how long and hard he thought about it, the fact remains the same. He had gotten himself pregnant by a sexy older man, and now nothing in his life would ever be the same.

  Chapter 7

  Greg awoke the next morning to the sun streaming hotly on his body from the window above the bed. For a moment he was confused and wondered where the hell he was, but when he looked down at himself, he saw that the bulge in his abdomen had swollen even bigger than the night before. He had a sudden realization of what was going on.

  “Luke?” He asked, sitting up with his eyes darting around the room.

  “Morning sunshine,” Luke said, grinning at him.

  The man’s goatee had been freshly groomed, and Greg wondered how long he had been awake. He couldn’t remember his dream from the night before, and somehow he had woken up feeling as if everything was perfectly normal.

  “Good morning,” Greg said.

  Usually, when he had a bad one night stand or an experience that was embarrassing with someone, such as crying three different times in one night, Greg felt self-conscious of his company and wanted to make a quick escape. This time however, for some reason he only wished that he could get closer to Luke. Luke seemed to sense this and sat down on the edge of the bed. He had already dressed himself into a new pair of tight jeans, and splashed himself with a spicy scented cologne that drove Greg wild. Greg crawled closer to him until they were sitting next to each other on the bed.

  “How did you sleep last night?” Luke asked. “Was it weird? I know I hate sleeping in strange places. I tried to make my den as comfortable as possible while I was building it. There isn’t a day that I don’t try to get home to sleep. It’s nice to sleep under the stars and all, but it’s dangerous out there these days. I feel safe here.”

  “I feel safe here too,” Greg admitted.

  “It’s good to hear that,” Luke said. “So how are you feeling?”

  “Not too bad,” Greg said. “I just have a lot of questions.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Luke said with a laugh, his handsome face lighting up.

  Greg was half tempted to kiss him, but he had to stop himself. Luke was not Jorge. Although it felt like they were close and everything was very comfortable between them, Luke might not feel the same way. It was better to keep himself at a distance instead of making a fool of himself. Although Luke was gorgeous and had given Greg the best sexual experience of his life, that didn’t mean that they were dating. He didn’t just kiss them out of nowhere. Besides, sex might hurt his pup. That wouldn’t be something a good parent would do.

  “You ask me them over breakfast?” Luke said. “I’ve been busy this morning. It isn’t often that I have visitors here, but I do try to treat them properly when I do.”

  “Thank you,” Greg said, sincerely surprised by the idea that Luke rarely entertains other people. He figured a man who looked that good and wasn’t tied down might want to explore his options. Why else would he have been at the club that night when Greg needed him the most?

  Luke slapped Greg’s back and let him into the kitchen, where fragrant smells of food wafted through the air. Greg stomach growled loudly and Luke laughed.

  “Sounds like you have a whole litter in there,” Luke said.

  “This is just my favorite meal of the day,” Greg replied. Luke’s dazzling white teeth smiled out at him and again, Greg found his heart palpitating with desire. He couldn’t believe how attractive he was. Greg had never considered himself to be the type who is attracted to older men, but in Luke, he saw every single reason why other men would say they were. There was so much about this man that Greg adored, and he had only known him for a few hours.

  “So how come you never settle down?” Greg blurted. He couldn’t believe that someone like Luke could possibly stay single for so long. He was the ultimate catch. He was talented, smart, and unbelievably strong. His body was amazing and had total intuition of how to please other people. These were qualities that he didn’t expect and someone who was a bachelor. Maybe something terrible had happened to his family. Greg hoped not.

  However, Luke only smiled and shrugged.

  “I guess I never really found the person who clicked with me,” he said. “I don’t feel comfortable talking to most people. They piss me off. Being born a wolf shifter, it’s kind of a common rite of passage to find yourself at a motorcycle club like the one where I met you. We going to talk about issues in the community that are threatening our kind. The younger ones mostly just use it as a place to hook up though. Especially that dirt pile in the city where you found yourself. You go there often or something? I’ve never seen you before, but it seems like a stupid move to go there at all if you ask me. At least if you’re not part of the pack already or you don’t already trust the guy you’re with.”

  “Yeah, that was a pretty stupid move. This was the first time I’d ever been to a shifter club at all. Let alone a motorcycle club. I guess I was just acting out after breaking up with my acts. Yours looks down on shifters and I have it. I’ve never really interacted with them on a personal level, so I thought it was time. He al
ways said how dangerous it was, but I’m not afraid. Or at least I wasn’t. I might be a little more terrified now.”

  Luke laughed, his eyes crinkling kindly.

  “Sounds like you found some perspective on the subject,” he said approvingly.

  “A little bit,” Greg said with a laugh. “So anyway, what kinds of things am I supposed to expect from this pregnancy? I know it’s different than what women deal with, but how different is it?”

  “Well the wolf pups tend to grow a lot faster than human babies do. But you have a lot of the same symptoms as the mothers of human babies. You have some nausea eventually, some bloating. Maybe some incontinence and mood swings. I wouldn’t worry too much about it though. I can walk you through every step.”

  “You aren’t mad?”

  Luke’s face contorted in confusion. “Why on earth would I be mad? You haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, I’m ecstatic. Out of all the jackasses in the world I could be spawning with, I found someone who seems to be sincerely the kind of person I would want to be raising my children. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I just get a good feeling from you, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean,” Greg said. “I have a good feeling about you too.”

  “Well good. Now I have a crazy thought. What if we tried doing this together? It doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out and we can do with it like adults. We’ll figure out a way to deal with the kid, and it will be all right. But if it does work out, maybe it will be the best choice either of us has ever made. What do you think?”

  “I think I like the sound of it,” Greg said. “I know this is crazy, but I never expected anything like this happen to me. And I really do like you. I wasn’t even thinking about my acts when we were together. Which is weird. Because the whole reason I was looking for a shifter tonight was because of revenge. I wanted him to feel like shit knowing what he had done for me and I thought this was the only way to make you feel anything at all. He was the last thing from my mind today and yesterday and I have you to thank for that.”

  Luke laughed. “Well you certainly changed my plans for the week. But that’s not something that I’m upset about.”

  “What kind of plans did you have for this week?” Greg asked.

  “Shifter stuff, nothing special,” Luke said.

  “Like what?”

  “I was going to go out into the forest and do some communing with nature. Maybe a little bit of hunting? I really enjoy being outdoors you know? Maybe you would like it too.”

  “I don’t know; I was raised in the city so I haven’t had a whole lot of opportunity to be out in the world like that.”

  “Seriously? You’ve never slept under the stars? This would be a great way to get out of the house and get to know each other a little bit better. We can see if this thing we’re thinking about is feasible or not. What do you say? How about a camping trip?!”

  Luke’s face lit up and Greg laughed. He looks like an excited puppy, and he could see the wolf shifter in him more clearly than he had yet. It was actually really endearing, and Greg knew it would be impossible to say no to that excited face. For an older man, he sure could look quite youthful at times. It must have been the spirit of the wolf within him.

  “That sounds perfect,” Greg said, and Luke let out a whoop.

  “It’s settled then; I’m going to start packing right now.”

  Luke stood quickly from the table and rushed out of the kitchen.

  “What about your breakfast?” Greg called after him, smiling and shaking his head from all the excitement.

  “I’m fine, I’ll eat when I’m done. You just help yourself and don’t worry about leaving me anything, I ate while I was cooking,” Luke’s voice said, sounding far away as he bustled throughout the house gathering supplies.

  Greg grinned as he finished his breakfast. This man was really something else, and he was really starting to like that.

  Chapter 8

  By the mid-afternoon, Luke had finished packing up all of the supplies that they needed for their camping trip. It was all put together in a rather large backpack that Luke strapped around his broad torso before offering his hand to Greg.

  “Get ready for the time of your life boy,” Luke said, his face alight with the prospect of adventure. Greg took his hand and Luke led him out of the house, locking it behind him.

  “Are we taking the motorcycle?” Greg asked.

  “No way, were taking our feet. The hike down to one of the best spots I know. It will take a few hours, but a little exercise is really good for you and the pup. Studies have shown that pups with parents who exercise while they were in utero grow up smarter and healthier.”

  Instead of asking what kinds of studies have been done and when, Greg simply nodded. It sounded legitimate. Similar things had probably been discovered about human babies as well. He couldn’t be sure. It wasn’t as if he read “Pregnancy Weekly” magazine or something. He had never been pregnant before and had never thought it was possible. Not even when he found out that the wolf shifters had the magic touch.

  Soon, Luke led Greg to a trail deep in the woods behind his house. They began walking and Luke inhaled deeply, turning to Greg with a broad smile that made Greg’s heart flutter. “Smell that fresh air?”

  Greg nodded and mimicked the deep breath that Luke had taken. “Smells a lot different than the city air.”

  “Hell yeah it does!” Luke exclaimed. “There is how to take care of its own. So many people forget that.”

  After a few hours of walking, Greg was exhausted. His stomach rumbled loudly and Luke paused.

  “Sounds about time for lunch,” he said.

  “That sounds good,” Greg agreed. He hadn’t felt so famished in years. “I can’t believe how hungry I am.”

  “Oh, that must be the pup,” Luke said proudly. “We have voracious appetites. I’ll build a fire and cook the steaks I brought.”

  “You brought steak?!” Greg asked.

  “Of course,” Luke said, raising his eyebrow at Greg as if he were stupid. “It’s what pregnant men always want. Isn’t it?”

  Greg frowned as he realized it was right. Nothing else sounded better to him than a steak lunch.

  “That’s because the pups always need a lot of protein. They grow up big carnivores, though not generally the kind that eat humans, despite popular belief.”

  “I guess I hadn’t thought much about that.”

  Luke took his bag off and stretched. Greg’s eyes secretly roamed the man’s perfect body as he set to work getting the fire going. “We’re going to get you fed and then move on to the place where we’ll be sleeping tonight. How’s that sound?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Greg replied, grinning.

  “Good.”

  They fell into easy conversation as Luke worked to cook the steaks, which he had packed in a small cooler filled with ice. He even brought more of the herbal drink for Greg in a huge thermos, and pulled him out a glass and filled it for him to sip on as Luke finished up the steak.

  Finally, the food was done being prepared and Greg’s hunger was satiated. They sat for a few moments beside the fire as Greg digested his meal. The silence was comfortable, unlike the excruciating silences that Greg had shared with Jorge and many of his other ex-boyfriends. Luke seemed comfortable at all times, at ease both with himself and with others. And it was no wonder. He was masterful and skilled in everything Greg saw him attempt. There was nothing about him that was incompetent or unlikeable.

  “How you feeling?” Luke asked after a few moments of silence. He took Greg’s plate and set to work cleaning it for him.

  “Great,” Greg said, surprised by how deeply he meant what he said. It had been a long time since he had been able to feel so deeply relaxed. There seemed to be nothing in the world to worry about. Even the fact that he was pregnant was far from his mind and didn’t feel like a worry. He was enjoying the moment for the first time in years. Nothing seemed like it could
be wrong. Everything was in its place.

  “Good,” Luke said, casting a handsome smile to Greg. “I thought some fresh air might do you some good. The pups love it too. Believe it or not, they can tell the difference even before they’re born. We’re really in tune with nature. You might notice yourself feeling a little more sensitive than usual to strange things. Sights, smells, your own natural rhythms. That kind of thing. But most people don’t find it a bad thing. It just is what it is. I’m sure you’re going to love it. Most men, after they’ve been pregnant, miss the feelings of it. A few rare others get to keep the heightened senses. At least, if they take good care of themselves. The ones who go back to the same old terrible routines often just revert back to their old selves. But if you want to be part of the pack, really part of the pack, nature makes a way for you. You might not be a shifter but you’d still be one of us.”

  Greg listened, enrapt by the idea of truly being able to become part of nature. Now that Luke mentioned it, he had been having really strong responses to food and smells. But that was something normal of most pregnant people he had heard. He had never heard that pregnant males could acquire shifter like abilities and senses. Would he like them? Would he be able to keep them over the long term? If he gave birth to his healthy shifter pup, would he be able to raise it or would he have to surrender its care over to Luke?

  “I see that worried look on your face,” Luke said from across the crackling fire. “I want you to stop and relax. Nothing bad is going to happen to you or your pups. One way or another, we’re going to work together to make sure they have the best for them. If you want to raise them alone, that’s fine. But all I ask is you let me guide them when it comes to their shifter natures. No shifter to date has been able to fully blend into society. We’re looked down on you know. It’s not fair but it’s the way it is.”