Page 326 of Labor of Love

A shiver ran through me. “Yeah?”

He nodded, brushing his lips against the thin skin where a bonding bite would go. “Yes,” he groaned out. “If you give me half a chance, I will treat you so well, my sweet Omega.”

My shiver turned into a shudder, and I gripped at his back to steady myself. His hand pressed against Little Bean’s foot, a low, sexy sound rumbling in his chest as he felt my baby move inside me for the first time.

“I believe you,” I whispered. “Now, tell me if that’s where you think the changing table should go, and then fucking kiss me already.”

“I think that’s perfect,” he said, mouth already gliding up over my jaw. “At least until I get you two into my place.”

I sucked in a breath, shocked and more than a little turned on at his growly proclamation, and he used my parted lips to his advantage. His mouth landed on him, and his tongue swept inside.

Everything else in the world slipped away, leaving just the two of us. His taste exploded on my tongue as his invaded my mouth, claiming every millimeter. He kissed as hard as he looked, but his hands on me were so gentle, those long fingers slipping down to cradle underneath my belly.

Little Bean and I would be more than okay.

4

VIKTOR

Ifrowned as I opened Basil’s front door and closed it carefully behind me, keeping the pizza box balanced in my free hand. Every day for the last week, I had told him he needed to keep his door locked, and every day, he smiled and said he only unlocked it after I texted to say I was on my way.

But I still didn’t like it.

If I had felt more sure about our relationship and where we were at, I would’ve pushed the issue. But I knew he was still in a fragile state—at least emotionally. He was okay a lot of the time, but every once in a while, I’d catch him crying softly as he folded onesies or washed dishes. After some gentle prying, he had shared a little about growing up in the foster system and what had happened between him and the Alpha who’d impregnated him.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I ever saw that man. He’d hurt my sweet Omega, but without him fucking off to wherever, I wouldn’t have him and the soon-to-be baby in my life.

Basil always just wiped his cheeks and smiled, saying he was grateful he hadn’t wasted more time on him, and the Alphawasn’t interested at all in being a parent to the life growing inside him.

Still, just to be sure, I was waiting on a call back from a lawyer to make sure that piece of shit wouldn’t have any rights if he came calling. As soon as I thought Basil could handle the conversation, I’d let him know we would be making things official. First with our mating, and then with my adoption of Little Bean. I wasn’t taking any chances of that asshole worming his way back into Basil’s life once he realized what he’d missed out on.

Basil and the baby were mine.

But I knew it was too soon to bring those things up. It didn’t matter that I knew, down into my bones, that Basil was the one for me. I wanted him to have time to come around to the idea on his own, without any pressure.

He’d spent the whole week nesting, every waking moment that he wasn’t working was seemingly devoted to organizing and reorganizing everything in the nursery, washing all the clothes—twice—and meal prepping for after the birth. I’d told him several times he didn’t need to worry about food, that I’d take care of him while he healed and rested, but he’d just smile at me and keep doing what he was doing.

I tried not to get in the way and offered whatever support I could, my heart aching at the idea that this was the first time he’d had a chance to truly settle in and get excited about preparing for the upcoming birth. Before moving into the apartment, he’d been staying in the place he and his ex had briefly lived in together, but he’d admitted to me that he’d never felt comfortable there. The landlord had made it clear he didn’t want a crying baby in the building, so he probably shouldn’t have been surprised when the rent had gone up.

My poor Omega had had a rough time, but I was going to make sure that never happened again.

I set the pizza box on the coffee table between the couch my mom and siblings had brought—it’d come from one of the twins’ places, I was pretty sure—and the tiny television Basil had brought with him. Even though my mom had also gotten a bistro-style table and chairs to eat at in the tiny kitchen, my Omega preferred eating on the couch with some mindless TV show playing in the background while I rubbed his swollen feet and ankles.

It was one of my favorite parts of the day.

“Viktor, is that you?” Basil called from the nursery.

“The fact you don’t know for sure is reason enough to keep it locked until I actually get here,” I replied, making my way toward the back of the apartment.

Basil just laughed, the sound sweet and lighthearted, like I was being completely ridiculous with my worrying.

“I’m serious. Who knows what kind of creeps live in this building?”

I stopped in the doorway to the nursery, my chest warming at the sight before me. Basil was sitting on the floor next to the crib, a stack of folded sheets, burp clothes, and bibs on one side and a small pile on the other. He had a burp cloth with ducklings on it in his hands and a huge smile on his face as he glanced up at me.

“You mean like Alphas watching through their peepholes as pregnant Omegas walk past?” he teased.

My face heated at his gentle jab, and I crossed my arms over my chest. “That was different.”

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