“You hated me for a long time,” he finally said.
Dom looked away. “I didn’t hate you.”
“You sure said a lot of shit to me.”
Dom didn’t answer for a stretch. Finally, he met Jesse’s eyes. “I didn’t want this to happen.” He splayed his hand across Jesse’s chest, right over his heart. “Remember I said I lost my omega? He—Mal and I were married for years. He left me. Suicide. Whiskey sours were his favorite.”
And suddenly Jesse understood why Dom always picked that drink at bar nights. He’d tried to hurt Dom with that smart-ass remark, but... he’d ended up hurting Dom a different way, hadn’t he? Guilty, Jesse said, “I’m sorry I said that shit. About it being an omega’s drink.”
Dom gave a crooked smile. “You didn’t know how right you were.”
For the first time that Jesse could remember, Dom looked somber, vulnerable. “Mal wasn’t right in the head,” Dom continued. “I was fine with it, but... he broke a promise. He said he wouldn’t leave, and he did.”
After a long pause, Dom added quietly, “I was afraid of you doing the same. Still am.”
Jesse’s heart ached. All this time, he’d thought Dom was being an asshole, when in truth, Dom was terrified of being hurt again.
“You were an asshole since that very first day,” Jesse said.
Dom cracked a smile. “Because I wanted you ever since that day.”
Jesse stopped breathing. That was... a long time. Years. He took Dom’s hand, sitting up. That made his body hurt all over; he hissed.
“Lie back down.” Dom glared. “You’re hurt.”
“I’ve had worse.” Jesse sat so they faced each other, their thighs brushing, Dom’s fingers tangled in his own. “I’m not leaving.”
Surprise flickered in Dom’s gaze, followed by doubt.
“I told you,” Jesse said. “I don’t die so easy.”
Dom narrowed his eyes. “Nate had to give you emergency antidotes. That was even before we got you on the chopper and flew over here. You almost fucking died, Sinclair.”
“But I’m still here.” And Larson was dead. And maybe now Jesse’s nightmares would finally stop.
Dom glowered harder. “This isn’t a joke,” he hissed, leaning closer like he wanted to threaten Jesse into submission.
But Jesse understood him now. He understood that Dom was angry because he was afraid. He understood that when Dom had let Jesse fuck him, it was because he’d wanted to give Jesse strength. When Dom had taken the shot for him, he’d wanted Jesse to be alive.
Even though Jesse was probably the most broken alpha there was.
Jesse grabbed Dom’s face and crushed their mouths together, tasting Dom, pushing his tongue inside. So he could claim Dom, and tell him how much he meant to Jesse. Jesse wanted to tell Dom he wouldn’t leave, he wanted to make all the promises so Dom wouldn’t have to worry again.
Dom growled and slid their tongues together, sending a jolt of electricity down Jesse’s spine. He tasted like black coffee—possibly Jesse’s favorite flavor in the world. Jesse bit down hard on Dom’s lip, enough that he bled. So they had matching marks on their bodies again.
“I’m gonna stick around,” Jesse growled. “And I’m gonna salt your coffee forever. You’re gonna get so sick of me, Dom.”
“Brat,” Dom answered, but there was a smile in his voice. Relief, too. He shoved Jesse down against the pillows, sliding into Jesse’s mouth, claiming Jesse so thoroughly that Jesse only knew his alpha, Dom’s weight on him, Dom’s scent filling his lungs.
It was the best feeling in the world.
“I love you,” Jesse blurted.
Because Dom accepted him completely—his scars, his past, the parts that made him strange. Dom had been patient with him. Dom believed in him. And he’d given Jesse all the intimacy he wanted, he’d trusted Jesse with every part of his body.
Dom smiled, dragging his wrists down Jesse’s sides. He wasn’t even surprised at all. “I should’ve told you what I felt earlier. When you first asked me.”
Jesse frowned, scrutinizing him. “Wait. You knew?”
Dom looked like he was trying not to laugh. “You were so obvious about it, I thought you were trying to tell me something.”
Jesse scrubbed his face, trying not to blush. All this time he’d thought he was keeping secrets... He felt like such a fool.
But Dom only kissed him again. And maybe Jesse could deal with it, if it meant he got more kisses from Dom.
“You’re so damn adorable when you’re flustered,” Dom murmured in his ear.
“Alphas don’t get flustered,” Jesse said. “And I’m not adorable.”
Dom kissed the corner of his lips; Jesse glowered. And Dom’s smile grew. “Anyway, I should get back to the station,” Dom said, looking regretful. “See you later.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Dom narrowed his eyes. “You just got fifty stitches, Sinclair. You’re staying put.”
“Fifty stitches is nothing.”
But Dom pressed his palm over Jesse’s abdomen, where the baby bump was. “At least stay a day. Give this some time to heal.”
Then, with a meaningful look at Jesse, Dom tugged up his hospital-issue shirt, exposing his abdomen. He leaned in, pressing a kiss next to where the stitches were. “Hey, it’s your other dad,” Dom murmured. His voice vibrated into Jesse’s body. “I just wanted to tell you that your dad and I are here, but I have to leave for work. We’re both firefighters. Your dad’s on bed rest for now, though. Maybe give him a kick for me. He’s being a brat.”
Jesse froze. Dom’s gaze was soft, his lips tugging up in a smile.
“You can do this, you know,” Dom said. “It’s a way of bonding with the baby. You treat them as a little adult.”
Jesse stared at his abdomen—it was bandaged and stitched up, and he still felt the solid presence of the uterus inside him. It scared him, a little. Knowing that he was committing to this other life in his body. “Can it hear you?”
“Probably not yet. But soon.” Dom straightened and cupped Jesse’s nape, kissing the top of his head. “Text if you need me. I’ll answer when I can. The team might visit after-hours.”
Jesse cringed. “I’m not an invalid!”
“Give them an excuse to come see you.” Dom smiled. “They’ve been filling up the chat asking how you are.”
Jesse had been so distracted by Dom that he’d kind of forgotten about their team. And he was supposed to be on duty right now. “This feels wrong. I should be at the station.”
“You’re supposed to be recovering.” Dom brushed his knuckles against Jesse’s throat. Then he pressed Jesse’s phone into his hand, and kissed Jesse a last time.
Dom swept out of the room, leaving Jesse with the baby in his abdomen.
Jesse looked down at himself, coming to terms with this. A baby. His and Dom’s. How was he supposed to give birth to it? Would it rip his body apart? He hadn’t been modified for childbirth. At least, he didn’t think he had.
Maybe he would have to undergo a C-section, and they’d cut him open for it. He ignored the anxiety rising through his chest, pushing those thoughts out of his mind. It was still months away. He didn’t have to think about it.
Slowly, he set his phone down. He shuffled back against the headboard to lean against it. Then, ever so gingerly, Jesse pressed his hand over his abdomen. There was a life in there. The uterus moved slightly inside him, harboring the baby.
Feeling a bit silly, Jesse said, “Hi.”
No response from the baby, but that was normal. Jesse would freak if the baby said hi back.
He wondered if he needed to say hi into a paper funnel pressed against his abdomen, or if the baby could just hear him like this. Then he wondered if he was eating enough, and how much food a baby needed every day to survive. How big was it, anyway? His abdomen hadn’t grown so much over the past few weeks.
The more he thought about it, the more Jesse realized he didn’t know t
he slightest bit about being pregnant.
Probably why Dom had given Jesse his phone and a charging cord. Jesse would really hate for Dom to be the know-it-all about this.
He settled more comfortably into bed, and began his research.
31
More Donuts
Jesse was dreaming about a fish salad with gooey fried eggs, when someone nudged lightly at him. “Hey, sleepyhead.”
He ignored the person, still entranced by his salad. Would it go better with a squirt of lemon juice, or some mayo? Except the mattress indented next to Jesse, and someone kissed him on the lips.
“Wow,” someone else said.
“Ooh, look at Dom being sappy. That’s even worse than at the barbecue.”
“You’re in really deep,” a fourth person said.
“So when are you gonna get married?”
“Shut up,” Dom muttered. “Or you’ll be scrubbing the toilets for a week, Alec.”
That voice was enough to draw Jesse out of slumber. He’d missed Dom a lot. Not that he could remember why. But he cracked his eyes open, welcoming the sight of Dom sitting next to him, that familiar gaze warming Jesse to his core.
Vaguely, Jesse glimpsed the rest of the room—white walls, sterile scent. He was in a hospital. But Dom’s presence was enough to calm him down.
“Hey,” Dom rumbled, brushing his thumb over Jesse’s mouth. “Slept well?”
Jesse nodded, wanting another kiss. Except someone moved behind Dom—many someones. Jesse tensed, before realizing that it was the rest of their team: Gareth, Harris, Alec, York, Brad, and Nate.
“Good to see you recovering,” Nate said.
Jesse hadn’t had the chance to speak to him, ever since the chaos began. “Thanks, Nate. For saving my sorry ass again.”
Nate shrugged and smiled. “Happy to help, kid.”
Dom stood so the rest of the team could crowd around Jesse. Alec wanted to see the gunshot wound on Jesse’s back. York scrutinized the long line that Larson had left on Jesse’s front. Gareth seemed to study Jesse’s abdomen—then he exchanged a look with Dom, and Jesse had an inkling that maybe Gareth knew.
But when Gareth stopped by Jesse’s side, all he did was smile and clap Jesse on the shoulder. “Scared us for a bit there, son. Dom said you’d been captured by some bastards.”
Jesse thought they might think less of him for it, but none of them did. And maybe... he could trust them to accept his other news a few months down the road.
Dom chased the team off after a while, frowning enough that Gareth rolled his eyes.
“He needs rest,” Dom muttered.
“Yeah, and rest comes with a stack of donuts,” Gareth said dryly.
“Fuck off.”
Jesse perked up, though. “You brought donuts?”
Dom nodded at the side table, where there was a box from Ben’s Buns. “You can have them when you get home. We’re working on getting you discharged today.”
The last of the toxins had been neutralized. Jesse had passed the doctor’s observation, and he couldn’t wait to follow Dom home. “You’re feeding me the donuts, right?”
Dom’s gaze darkened. “Yeah? You want to be fed?”
“I’m gone,” Gareth announced, closing the door behind him.
Jesse raked his eyes down Dom’s body, admiring the muscles behind his T-shirt, the thick thighs hidden by his pants. He needed to claim his alpha again. Just to be doubly sure. “You could wear the donuts,” Jesse said.
Dom’s smile grew. “What should I wear them on?”
“I don’t know, something you could put inside their holes.”
“Want something in your hole?” Dom growled.
Jesse’s blood swooped south. “Get me out of here,” he muttered, shoving down the sudden tent in his clothes. “I’m gonna poke a hole in the sheets.”
Dom smiled and slanted their mouths together, giving Jesse such a scorching kiss that his insides turned molten, his cock growing so achingly hard, it had to be illegal in the hospital.
Except Dom reached between his legs, closing his fist in a tight grip around Jesse. Electricity hissed through his body, pounding where Dom touched him through the sheets. Jesse wheezed.
For a decadent moment, Dom held him close, pumping him sweet and slow. His touch was muffled, but it was there, Dom touching him where he was sensitive. Jesse bit down his groan. It had only been two days, but it felt like an eternity had passed since Dom last touched him. “Dom, please.”
“Fuck.” Dom pushed his hand into Jesse’s hospital pants, his calluses trailing down Jesse’s abdomen, to his straining length. Then he closed his fist around it, and bliss jolted through Jesse’s body.
He spread his legs wider, panting, offering himself to his alpha.
Dom barely suppressed his snarl, his gaze turning coal-dark. He yanked his hand out of Jesse’s clothes, leaving him bereft.
“Dom—” Jesse squirmed. It didn’t matter how much he had to beg Dom, it didn’t matter if begging meant he would submit. He wanted the feeling of Dom owning him, Dom inside him. “Please.”
“Don’t say that,” Dom rasped. “Or you’ll get bent over right here, Sinclair.”
Jesse leaked. He rolled over onto his front, showing Dom his ass. Dom yanked Jesse back upright, shoving his fingers between Jesse’s cheeks, forcing the thin material of Jesse’s clothes right against his hole.
“Wait until we’re home,” Dom growled, pushing forcefully, so Jesse almost opened around him. “Then I’ll fuck you raw.”
He stalked away to find a nurse, a thick bulge in his pants. Jesse palmed himself and squirmed, wishing time would pass faster.
It was awkward when the doctor came to check on him. Then they had him sign some forms, and Jesse changed into the clothes Dom had brought for him. When that was over with, Jesse followed Dom down the corridors and out the exit.
Scarcely had Dom closed the truck door when Jesse lunged, pushing his hand down Dom’s pants, grabbing his half-hard cock. Dom snarled, growing thick, his musk filling Jesse’s lungs.
“Fifteen minutes to home, Sinclair,” Dom snapped, but he was rutting into Jesse’s palm, a silky, heavy slide that made Jesse leak.
“If you’re completely covered with donuts, does that make you not indecent anymore?” Jesse stroked Dom’s thick length, base to tip, trying not to groan. Maybe they could just fuck here. That was okay, right?
Dom took two of Jesse’s fingers into his mouth. Then he hollowed his cheeks, the pressure on his fingers spiking. Jesse imagined that same feeling further down, Dom’s talented mouth sucking out all his come. He panted and groaned, pulling his cock out of his clothes.
Dom threw a blanket over him. Before Jesse could protest, Dom started the truck and began the drive home.
Jesse made himself wait. He focused on his stitches and the raw skin all over his body, he focused on the gunshot wound and the bruises. But none of that helped—they didn’t even hurt that much.
So he opened the donut box and began stacking them.
“What’re you doing?” Dom glanced over.
“Trying to figure how many you need.”
“Four?”
“Maybe six.” Jesse swallowed, trying to keep the donut tower upright. Then he licked the chocolate off his fingers, groaning. The chocolate always tasted so good.
“Damn it, Sinclair.”
“What’d I do?”
Dom gave him a hot look. “You sound like that when you take my cock.”
Jesse’s hole squeezed. “Fucking get us home.”
It took another eternity before they pulled into the driveway. Jesse leaped out of the truck, bringing the donut box with him. Dom got the front door open. Jesse didn’t even wait. He dropped the box inside the house, yanked Dom’s belt open, and ripped his pants down.
“Wait one second,” Dom hissed, but his cock sprung up, thick and flushed, looking like it needed to cram itself into Jesse. “We aren’t even inside.”
“If y
ou put this in me, you’ll be inside,” Jesse retorted. He stepped into the house, bending over for his donut box.
Dom grabbed his hips and shoved himself between Jesse’s cheeks, a vicious thrust that threatened to rip apart Jesse’s clothes.
Jesse dropped the box, all his thoughts shot to pieces. He could only feel Dom’s length against him, the hot promise against the barrier of his pants, waiting to plunge inside. He rocked back against Dom, trying not to moan. Except Dom pushed his hand into Jesse’s pants and grabbed his ass, spreading his cheeks apart. Exposing Jesse’s hole. Jesse’s mouth went dry.
“Let—Lemme put this on you,” he groaned, fumbling to open the donut box.
Dom growled and locked the door behind them. Jesse grabbed a large, fluffy donut, dropping to his knees.
“Gods.” Dom swore, pumping himself. “You don’t know how good you look right now.”
His cock strained, his balls pulled tight. Carefully, Jesse fitted the donut against his tip—its hole was too small. So he pressed down on the donut, chocolate side facing him, watching as the donut hole stretched around Dom’s cock and tore, ripping further as it slid down his entire length.
“Fuck.” Jesse ached. He’d known how big Dom was, but the way Dom ravaged one single donut... He grabbed another and pressed it lightly against Dom’s tip. Dom snapped his hips, forcing his head through the donut’s center, ripping it open.
Jesse grew so hot, even his hole was damp. He pushed that donut down to join the first, and grabbed a third. They weren’t even close to done.
Dom smiled. “How many are you fitting on there? I’m not taking any off when I fuck you.”
Jesse shoved at his own cock, just so it wouldn’t hurt so much. “I’ll eat every last one.”
He cradled the third donut in his hands, cramming it down onto Dom’s cock, his hole squeezing when that got ripped open, too. Dom would do that to his hole, stretching him wide, merciless and demanding. Jesse needed him there.
He lasted long enough to push a fourth donut onto Dom, watching as Dom stretched its vulnerable opening apart. Chocolate smeared down Dom’s length. Jesse groaned and leaned in, lapping up chocolate and salty precome.
Alpha in Heat Page 25
