Page 32 of His Prodigal Alpha

Hearing him sound so defeated about not being able to shift also shocked me. I didn’t think he’d really wanted to. In fact,some part of me thought he’d be relieved that he was still mostly human.

“You’ll get there,” I started, but he shook his head, locks of his sandy-colored hair falling into his eyes. He brushed them back with his free hand.

“Doesn’t matter if I do or don’t. I am who and what I am, and I can’t actually control that. All I can do is keep trying. But what I can control—” the look he pinned me with was serious, and I couldn’t tear my gaze from his even if I’d wanted to “—is what kind of a father I’ll be. What kind of a partner I’ll be…if you’ll have me, of course.”

A small, teasing smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “I said I’d go out with you, didn’t I?”

“You did,” his blue eyes twinkled. “And I’m hoping that I’ll be able to prove myself to you so you’ll want more than just dating eventually.”

“What, like…marriage?” The word felt foreign on my tongue, and it made my heart do a weird flippy-floppy thing in my chest.

Rex didn’t even bat an eye. He nodded. “That…and bonding. Like Beck and Ollie.”

That was an even scarier concept than marriage! Bonding was irreversible, as far as Ollie had said. And it was for life. I was afraid enough of dating! I mean, what if we bonded and he realized that it was a mistake? I could imagine feeling his disappointment inside me, and I shuddered. That would break me.

Nevertheless, it was a heady feeling to hear him saying that he wanted it. Nobody had ever wanted to be with me long-term before. And a man like Rex? I didn’t deserve a man like him. He was too good for me.

I swallowed hard. “You’d want that? With me? You’ve only really known me for a few days. How could you—” My breathing hitched, and I stopped speaking as Rex leaned forward slowly, giving me plenty of time to pull away if I wanted to.

Then our lips met, and it was just like that first ever kiss all over again.

Before Rex, I’d never known a kiss to make fireworks explode inside me. I’d never known a kiss to bring my nerve-endings to life, making me hyper-aware of my body and its reactions to my kissing partner. I’d never felt my inner-shifter wake up and take notice of the person I was connecting with.

But, with Rex, all those things happened at once.

The big cat inside me purred at the affection we were sharing. Instinct demanded I roll over and bare my belly, however large it might be, to my mate. It was all I could do to not follow through on those urges.

Instead, I deepened the kiss, pulling Rex closer by the collar of his shirt. Through the sweet press of his lips on mine, my tongue sought his out. He moaned —or maybe it was me; I sure as hell didn’t care at that point— and I forgot whatever we’d been talking about. His mouth tasted fresh, as though he’d only recently brushed his teeth or sucked on a mint, and his big arms felt like safety and home as he curled them around my back.

It must have been an awkward, uncomfortable position for him, but he didn’t seem bothered at all. Instead, his lips moved with mine as we continued to make out. I have no idea how much time passed before we separated for air, our lips kiss-swollen and our skin flushed from our efforts.

Slick had well and truly pooled in my underwear, makingthe seat of my pants damp, and my cock was straining for attention, too. A glance down at Rex’s crotch said he was in a similar predicament, but instead of diving back in for another kiss, he sat back on his heels and smiled sheepishly at me.

“Sorry, kitten. I didn’t mean to get carried away,” he apologized, his voice a little more gravelly than usual. “I just can’t help myself around you.”

Suddenly, I remembered the catalyst for the kiss, but as I started to speak, Rex shook his head.

“I know it’s fast, but my heart wants what it wants…and that’s to be with you. Beck and Ollie seem to think it’s part of the fated mates deal, and, hell, maybe it is. Doesn’t make it feel any less real. But,” he gentled his smile and looked me in the eye, “just because my feelings have gotten serious fast, doesn’t mean we have to rush things. I promised to do this at your pace, darlin’, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Our son chose that moment to stretch and roll, as if saying ‘You’re already knocked up, dumbass; it’s not as if things between you aren’t already serious.’ I ignored him and the reminder that my situation was far from normal.

I mean, hadn’t I daydreamed about Rex turning out to be a fairy tale prince, saying all the right things and sweeping me off my feet? Now that he was doing that, I had two choices: I could fight it, or I could accept that life for omega and alpha couples was always going to be a little different courtesy of our biological drive to be together. And Rex was still saying that we didn’t have to rush things. It made it easier to process, somehow.

Nodding back at Rex, I said, “I can accept that.” Then, to lighten the mood, I sniffed the air and rubbed at my belly. “Now, did you say something about bacon?”

* **

We ate our burgers sitting side by side on my tiny couch while Netflix played the TV show we’d agreed to start watching together. It was a foodie travel show hosted by a comedian, and it was fun to discover that Rex was just as into the whole thing as I was. If the food he’d made for us hadn’t clued me in, seeing him pull out his phone to make notes about Googling recipes confirmed that the man who wanted to be my mate enjoyed cooking. He was good at it, too.

“I’ve had to fend for myself for a long time,” he justified when he caught me looking. “I couldn’t afford to live on takeout, and eating the same three homemade meals on rotation got boring really quickly. So, I taught myself to cook, and now I find it relaxing.”

“Well, you can try out new recipes on us,” I patted my distended belly for emphasis, grinning when the kid inside kicked back at me, “anytime you like.”

Rex preened at the suggestion. “I have to admit, there’s a part of me getting really satisfied and smug at the idea of providing for you.”

My omega instincts purred over the same concept. Too content to fight my inherent behaviors over something so insignificant, I could only smile. “That’s shifter biology for you.”

“I’m starting to realize that a lot of my instincts have always been there,” he admitted quietly. “They’ve just gotten stronger since…well, since that night.”

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