Page 20 of Such a Tempting Omega

“Omega, are you in there?”

At least a minute passed before his wobbly voice whispered, “Yes.”

“Are you alone?”

“Uh-huh.”

Hmm. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, no…I’m not sure.”

“Can I come in?” Because I wasn’t learning anything out here except that he was okay or not okay but couldn’t confirm which. “Please?”

A click preceded the twist of the knob, and the door glided inward. To darkness. This was about as strange as anything I could imagine. But I didn’t want to make whatever happened any worse than it already was. So I entered the darknesscarefully, not wanting to step on or bump into him. Was he hurt? Upset? “Hirsch, where are you?”

“Here.” The voice came from the direction of the tub. “Hi, Liam.”

“Hi. Is there something you want to tell me? Like, why the house is lit up and you’re sitting here in pitch blackness?” The en suite was in the middle of the house and only had a skylight—which didn’t do anything to brighten the space on a moonless night like tonight. A glance up did show a few stars, but their light was too far away to help.

“It’s hard to explain.”

As I followed his voice, I could see the faint outline of his slumped form sitting on the edge of the tub. “Can I sit with you, and we’ll figure out how to fix whatever has you so spooked?”

“I guess.” He spoke so low, without shifter hearing, I’d never have been able to make it out.

When I was seated next to him, thighs touching, I reached for his hand and tucked it inside mine. “Now, tell your alpha what is going on. Who do I need to kill? Kyle? Has he been here?”

Despite his obvious unease, his fingers relaxed in my grasp. “No, although there was a time when I’d have been not too opposed to his demise. It’s not that.”

“Then what? I can’t fix anything if I don’t know what it is. I can’t do my job.” I kissed the top of his head and put my free arm around him. “What has my practical omega so upset that he’d spend five dollars in electricity for no good reason?”

He jerked, trying to get free. “I turned on all the lights. I don’t even know why except I was totally freaked out. I’ll pay you back. I need to go turn them off.”

I held him close, refusing to let him up until I learned what was going on. Now that I knew nobody was here threatening him, that worry was going, but it didn’t resolve the real issue.“No, what you need to do is let me in on the secret that has you huddled in the shadows of the bathroom before my imagination goes wild and I start looking for threats in the shower.”

“There’s nothing in the shower.” He chuckled then went silent. “But there is something I have to tell you.” He pressed a stick of some kind into my hand. “You can turn on the light.”

What on earth? But I wasn’t willing to wait another second to find out why Hirsch was so upset. So I let go of his hand, reached up, and hit the light switch over the sink and then everything came clear in a flash.

The stick had come from a box on the counter. And while I’d never had reason to use one before, I knew enough to recognize that two pluses could mean only a single thing. “You’re pregnant.”

“I’m sorry.”

I dropped to my knees in front of him and looked up at his face, eyes red and swollen, cheeks streaked with tearstains. “Omega, why are you sorry to be having our child? Don’t you want young?” We’d never talked about it, but I’d always assumed that we’d have children if the goddess was kind. Maybe he would prefer not to. “I’m sorry I never asked. I should have used protection if you would rather not have young. I should have taken your wishes into account, or at least found out what they were.”

“Aren’t you mad?” He sniffled and wiped the back of his hand over his nose. “It was my responsibility to make sure nothing happened.”

“I’m not sure why you feel that way.”

“Kyle said—”

“I should have known. Omega, Kyle is an asshole.” I didn’t even know him in person, but I knew that. “And I want to know your wishes, your dreams, and whether you want to have a baby with me.”

“It’s my choice?”

“It’s your body and our life together.”

“I-I want this baby. But what do you think?”

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