Page 106

They were still cleaning up from the Butler Brothers’ party two weeks later.

Uriel kept finding tiny, colorful pieces of paper everywhere—under the bed, in the bathroom, in random boxes of frozen food—all of them had dick drawings, accompanied by the words With Butt Blessings from our Dick God, Dicky Mems, amen.

He was interrupted in his cleaning when a roar burst through the mansion. “Not again!”

Uriel warily went to the source of that sound. “What did Hunner do this time?”

Bruiser fumed and gestured at the rows of overlapping sticky notes covering the nest. They looked like colorful paper scales with dicks drawn on them, and Uriel couldn’t help snickering.

Bruiser growled. “You—You might be pregnant, and I have to get this ready before... While you’re still... Before anything happens!”

“That’s really sweet of you,” Uriel said, biting down his smile.

They hadn’t seen any indications of a pregnancy yet. It worried Uriel a little, but not too much since Cassie had been a surprise, too.

Bruiser harrumphed. He scooped up all the sticky notes and set them aside. “I don’t need any distractions, I want to finish the nest.”

The nest was coming along beautifully. Bruiser had wanted to create it all by hand, but it would’ve taken too long without a few power tools. That was fine, though. It was the thought that counted.

Uriel watched as Bruiser worked on the finishing touches. Bruiser’s idea of a nest was a low platform bed stretching from wall to wall, with gauzy drapes and fairy lights hanging down the walls, soft sunlight streaming in through the windows to light up a few leafy ferns. A soft rug enticed him toward the bed; the mattress was thick with several duvets and pillows piled on, and along the walls were charmed coolers and warming boxes to keep Uriel’s snacks at the right temperature.

“It looks good,” Uriel said.

Bruiser raised an eyebrow. “Just ‘good’?”

“Do you want me to sing your praises? Is that what this is?” Uriel said, keeping his tone dry. “After you knock me up?”

“You sang my praises plenty when I was inside you,” Bruiser purred.

Uriel threw a pillow at him. Bruiser caught it and took a bow.

Uriel was about to make another cutting remark when his stomach gurgled, a slight pressure growing in there. It felt like a burp.

He looked down, confused. Then the burp came up—smoke burst from his mouth, just a tiny puff.

Bruiser stared. Uriel did too.

“Huh,” Uriel said, his mind racing.

Bruiser was across the room in a heartbeat, scooping Uriel into his arms. His eyes were round. “Sweetheart.”

“I guess I’m pregnant, huh?” Uriel said breathlessly.

Bruiser kissed him, long and sweet. Uriel’s heart skipped.

“You’re just after me for the baby,” Uriel said into his mouth.

“No, I’m not,” Bruiser growled.

“Prove it.”

Bruiser didn’t answer with words. Instead, he buried his fingers in Uriel’s hair and tipped his face up, sliding their mouths together in the most toe-curling kiss Uriel had ever known. “Mine,” Bruiser murmured, sliding his tongue possessively into Uriel’s mouth. “Mine.”

Uriel hadn’t admitted it aloud, but over the past two weeks, he’d grown comfortable with the rhythms of Bruiser’s life, slotting in neatly with his own like they were always meant to fit together, somehow.

Bruiser had given him his own room for magical experimentation; there were plans to convert it to an actual workshop when the nest was complete. It wasn’t just that, though. Bruiser had given Uriel a credit card for spell book purchases, so Uriel could build his own library, but the alpha had also made sure Uriel knew that he could use the card to buy whatever made him happy.

Uriel tilted his head to offer himself. Bruiser groaned, gathering Uriel tightly against himself, chest to chest, with no air between them.