Page 30 of Valentine's with the Cartel

I still fumed at her audacity in trying to use those private moments against him like some weapon to undermine hisstability. I was relieved it didn't work because of me. I was there to make sure he got through her attacks.

But then, as if to balance out that ugliness, we had shared such a profound emotional and physical connection in the aftermath. I could still remember everything.

The way he clung to me as if I was his lifeline even as I poured every ounce of love and devotion into claiming his body once again—it was enough to make even a hardened man like me feel tender inside, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

And then there had been that moment when everything changed—the instant when the scent of his arousal mingled with something new, something primal and instinctual that called to the deepest part of my alpha nature. I knew it would happen to me one day, but when it did, I was still not prepared.

I hadn't recognized it at first, too caught up in the raw need pulsing between us. But deep down, even before he confirmed my suspicions aloud, I had known. After all, we had sex every day. It was bound to happen eventually.

My beautiful omega was pregnant with our child—a precious life we had created together through the very depths of our passion for one another. It was the ultimate expression of our bond, and I couldn't believe that it had happened on Valentine's Day itself—almost as if the universe was smiling down upon us in its benevolence.

I pressed a tender kiss to the back of Anan's neck as he slept, savoring the feeling of his soft skin against my lips.

We would have much to discuss in the coming days and weeks once he fully awakened again—much to plan and prepare for as we welcomed our firstborn into the world.

First, there was the matter of the name. We still needed to choose one. And right now, I already had some ideas.

But for now, I simply wanted to bask in this perfect moment—the two of us entwined together in peace and satiation aftera night filled with both intense passion and raw, unguarded emotion.

It was a precious gift, one that I knew would sustain me through all the joys and challenges of fatherhood ahead.

My love for Anan was greater than I ever thought possible, and it only grew stronger with each passing day we spent together.

It was the most important thing in my life, even more so than the cartel.

To think that I once believed he would be a mere plaything in my life, destined to warm my bed and nothing more... The very idea now filled me with shame and disgust at my own arrogance and stupidity.

He soon became so much more to me than that.

"Anan?" I murmured into his hair, my breath hot against his scalp. He had been asleep for hours now following our explosive sex, completely unconscious from sheer exhaustion after everything that transpired between us. And I couldn't blame him.

I felt a thrill rush through me at the feel of him all limp and pliant in my arms as he continued to snore softly—still half-asleep despite what my hand was doing.

Sifting my hand downwards across the curve of his ass, I couldn't resist palming the rounded globe possessively even as I rubbed soothing circles against the abused skin. He let out an endearing little grunt of discomfort at the contact, causing me to grin in the darkness—he had been quite vocal about my handprints on this particular part of his anatomy earlier.

But he didn't pull away from me—quite the opposite actually as his body pressed back into mine in a deliberate display of affection that made my chest feel impossibly full with emotion all over again. How I loved this male so deeply was still analmost incomprehensible feeling to me at times, especially after all the ugliness of our early association.

He meant everything to me now—was the very air I breathed and the purpose behind each beat of my heart. And the thought of bringing new life into this world together with him was already sparking a fierce sense of longing and anticipation deep in my gut.

It was what I most wanted.

"I want us to start thinking about names for our baby," I said softly once he seemed half-awake at least, my hand now gently stroking along his flank like a contented feline rubbing against his beloved human. "We should probably pick something special that can represent what they will mean to the both of us from the very beginning."

Anan made a sleepy sound of assent as he slowly blinked up at me with bleary eyes, reaching back to twine his fingers with mine in a gesture of solidarity and connection even as he arched languidly into my touch.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he mumbled, yawning as if trying to clear the lingering haze of slumber from his mind. "We definitely want something perfect for them." He paused. "Though, I thought we would do that another time."

I nodded at that, already mentally running through various possibilities even as I nuzzled into his hairline and breathed in the unique scent that was so distinctly him—a mix of honey and warm spices that never failed to make my mouth water. My baby would smell just like him.

"But what if there's more than one little peanut in there?" Anan piped up a moment later, sounding slightly dazed as he stretched beneath the sheets in a manner that left very little to the imagination. I couldn't wait to start exploring every single dip and curve of his body all over again soon. And maybe I wasn't going to have to wait much.

"That may be why your scent has changed so abruptly," I mused aloud, my voice dropping an octave even as I continued stroking and kneading his stomach with almost reverent fascination. The idea of more than one baby—maybe twins or even triplets—was overwhelming but not wholly unappealing to contemplate.

Anan shrugged in response, his lids fluttering shut again as a lazy smile spread across his face like sunshine breaking through storm clouds. "I guess we won't know for sure until the doctors can see inside," he yawned, patting his soft little tummy as he snuggled even closer.

"That's true," I conceded with a low rumble of approval for this adorable display of domestic bliss. "But whatever happens, I will love and cherish each new life you bring into this world just as fervently and unconditionally as I do the father who helped create them."

I meant every word of that oath, I thought, feeling my heart swell with emotion behind my rib cage like it might burst out of its prison.

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