Page 18 of Breeding Clinic

“Then I’ll walk you out.”

I’m disturbing his dinner. It seems like he’s home from a long shift. “I’ll be fine.”

He stands, ignoring me. “Liam will kill me if I don’t walk you out. Please, you’d be doing me a favor.” His smile is easy and natural. Long dark lashes frame big brown eyes. His slight accent makes his speech interesting.

“Fine.” It’s easier and quicker to let him walk me down a flight of stairs than argue. I grab my phone and follow him out, down the stairs and through the crowded bar. He walks me all the way outside to my car.

“Wait, Kat! Dammit, excuse me,” Liam says, peeling off from the cops parked out front. He runs over to us, and he shares a silent look with Gabriel.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Kat,” Gabriel says, pulling me in for a hug. He releases me quickly while I’m still stunned, then heads inside.

“We didn’t get to talk,” Liam says.

“You’re busy. It’s fine. We can talk another day.” My keys jingle while I fiddle with them.

“I wanted to ask you if we could start over.”

“Start over?”

He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “What if we pretend the clinic never happened? Say it was a date instead? You don’t have a pack, right? I do. Let us court you.”

Hope blossoms, only to be squashed by reality a moment later. If it weren’t for the baby, would they be interested in me? “I’m not joining your pack out of pity.”

“It’s not out of pity. I meant it when I said I like you. You’re cute and funny. You fuck like a wildcat. You smell like a plate of Christmas cookies I want to take a bite out of. And you’re carrying my baby. I’m begging you. All I’m asking is for you to give us a chance. And if it doesn’t work out, then we tried. We’ll settle for friends and co-parents. Please.”

I chew my lip and hesitate. The truth is, I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. Single parenthood was something I chose outof necessity. Being packless wasn’t my choice. Maybe he’s right. There’s nothing to lose by seeing if we click. If I’d bumped into him at the bookstore and we’d hit it off, I wouldn’t have had any qualms about being courted by his pack. They’re my age with stable employment and their own place.

The pregnancy complicates everything, but does it need to? My due date is seven months away. That’s plenty of time to decide whether this is going to work. Besides, it’s not like I have a better idea.

“Okay,” I sigh.

“Really?” His eyes widen.

“I’m not making any guarantees,” I warn him.

“You won’t regret this, I promise. We’re gonna be so good to you.” Liam cradles my face in his hands and bends down, kissing me.

I’m so surprised by it that my lips part. Liam takes advantage, deepening it. His lips move against mine, kissing me until I’m dizzy. He crowds me against my car and curls over me. My lips part wider and he pushes a little more. Darts his tongue inside and twists it around mine.

Someone wolf whistles from the sidewalk and I blush, but he doesn’t stop. His hand gropes around to my backside, and he cups a handful of ass. Pulls me up onto my toes and deeper into the kiss.

By the time we surface for air, my pussy is slick and he has a very visible bulge in his jeans. He wasn’t faking his attraction to me or my scent. He really likes me, and the feeling’s definitely mutual.

Liam pinches my chin between his thumb and fingers. “Text me back when I text you so I don’t worry,” he says with a bit of a command. Not quite a bark, though. Alpha commands make the omega in me want to rush to obey and placate. “Please,” he adds to soften the order.

“Okay.”

“Good.” He lets me go and steps back. “Drive safe. Let me know you made it home.”

In a daze, I unlock my car and get inside. I make the familiar drive home. When I get there, I ignore his order for a bit, but the command fizzles underneath my skin. It feels naughty. I’ve always been pretty submissive in bed outside of a heat. Heats make me a bit feral, but ignoring direct orders goes against my nature.

After Waffles gets a belated dinner with some treats to make up for waiting for so long, I can’t put the task off any longer. I strip out of my clothes and throw them into the hamper. Then I send him a text telling him that I’m home and going to bed.

Good, he answers.You need at least eight hours of sleep. Good night, Kitty Kat. Sleep well.

For the first time in a while, I do.

Chapter Six

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