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“That’s ok,” I tell Lake, smiling at him reassuringly. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t been paying too much attention to the science behind this—” Because I was too busy stalking you. “—so it’s interesting to me.”
Lake beams at me like I just told him he won the Nobel prize, and the affection I feel toward this man increases. “Anyway, we have a meeting with the scientists in charge of the Omega Project this week, and we’ll see the plausibility of them being able to implant the embryo inside my uterus and of me carrying a pregnancy to term.”
My dad looks at River, his expression serious. “I saw a bit on the news about your own delivery. There were some complications, right?”
River shudders. “Yes, though a lot of that came from them having no idea what to expect. I’m hoping that if Lake is able to carry the child, they’ll have more knowledge on the whole thing.”
It makes sense, but I have the inexplicable urge to tell Lake he can’t be a surrogate, which is insane. But I hate, like, absolutely fucking loathe, the idea of him possibilly putting himself in danger, even if the risk is low. I literally have to bite my lip to the point that it’s bleeding to keep from shouting my thoughts out loud. What the fuck is wrong with me?
“Have any of you been tested?” River asks. “I know they are opening the tests up to the public now.” Yeah, in fact, a few politicians are pushing to make them mandatory and for anyone that tests as an Omega to have to have it listed on their license. Why? I really have no fucking clue. I’m sure it’s a power and control thing.
“I have,” Logan replies lazily, scooping some more pasta salad onto his plate. Dad and I don’t bat an eye, we know how Logan eats, but I see both River and Lake eyeing the man discreetly. I get it though. It takes some getting used to. “Everyone in the department was required to. I am not an Omega, but they did notice some differences in my blood, kind of like with your sister, I guess. Though they think, if anything, it’s the start of an Alpha gene.” Logan shrugs. “They want me to get further testing but I haven’t gotten around to it.”
“I have as well. My employer was offering it for free, so I figured why not. I have no Alpha or Omega traits. Just plain old human here,” I explain.
“Nothing wrong with that,” Lake says, his voice a little husky.
“Yeah, that’s how Avery and Zoe tested too, the friends Lake may surrogate for. My best friend, Cam, has the Omega gene, which is no surprise to anyone, honestly. If anyone looks like the Omegas from back in the day, it’s definitely Cam,” River tells us conversationally. The man can talk, and I wonder if he’s always like this or if he’s just glad to be out of the house and talking to people over the age of one.
“What about your . . . mate.” Dad stumbles over the word, which I get. I’m still not sold on the fated mates bullshit.
River smiles. “I know it’s weird. I just don’t have a better term for it. Coop and I thought the fated mates thing was crazy too, but the more I got to know him, the more it just fit. And since we’re not married or engaged yet, I feel like that term is the only one that makes sense. We’re more than just boyfriends.” River has a hazy look in his eyes as he thinks about his lover, the kind of look that normally would make me want to vomit, but today it makes me feel warm. What the fuck?
“And to answer your question, originally his tests showed no differences. That was when I was still pregnant. But after the baby, we both started to notice some changes. It’s like having a child to care for and protect brought out some latent instincts inside both of us. When he retested, his genes had some more of the original Alpha qualities. Though, like you, Logan, it’s not exactly the same as it used to be.”
The conversation shifts again, and most of the rest of the night is spent with us talking and getting to know each other. It’s crazy, but it feels like we’re meant to all be one big family, though my feelings for Lake and Logan aren’t exactly brotherly. But I feel a connection toward River too. Again, nothing sexual or romantic about it, but I somehow know that we were meant to meet him as well. That we should all be one big family, like a pack. It’s an odd thought, but it fits.
Eventually, River and Lake have to leave. Dad invites them back and tells them to bring their father, Luke, as well as Cooper, River’s daughter, and if Essie is around, she’s also invited. Dad hugs the twins like they are his long lost children and then takes his leave. River looks at Logan and me, his gaze assessing before nodding slightly to himself.
“Why don’t you say your goodbyes. I’ll meet you in the car,” River says quietly to Lake but loud enough that I hear him. Lake looks confused but agrees. After River says goodbye and thanks us again, he walks down the front steps and toward his car, leaving the three of us.
Being alone with the two men immediately changes the atmosphere of the room. It seems to be charged with the sexual tension that was a low undercurrent all night, but without our chaperones present, it’s heightened.
Lake’s eyes widen as he takes the two of us in. Even Logan is staring at him hungrily, and I wonder when the change happened, taking him from hard-assed detective to horny lover, but it’s here now.
I’ve never seen a grown man look more innocent than Lake right now as his gaze bounces from me to Logan. Has he ever been with a guy? Or with anyone? He admitted to being single tonight, but we didn’t learn much else about his sexuality. The way he’s staring at us now, with a mix of innocence, confusion, and just a bit of lust, makes me wonder if he has any experience at all. The thought that he might be a virgin, that no one has touched him before, turns me on in a way that surprises me. What the fuck? I’ve never felt like this before, but I find myself wanting to be possessive of this man.
“Um, guys, I’m sorry. I don’t understand what’s going on here.”
Logan’s grin is feral, and holy fuck, that’s hot as hell. My dick starts straining in my pants, and I wish I wore my looser jeans. “Don’t worry, Little Bird, we’ll show you.”
FIFTEEN
LOGAN
Ihave no idea what came over me, but from the second I laid eyes on Lake, he felt like mine. It is a fucking bizzare thought, but there’s no other way to describe it. The way he froze in Mr. C’s doorway when he first saw me, his eyes wide, his mouth parted slightly? Fuck. It sparked all of these instincts in me I didn’t know I had. And I knew. I just knew he belonged to me.
The feeling is different than what I feel toward Ev. Maybe it’s because I’ve known Ev forever and I’ve spent most of that time thinking of him as my brother. Seeing Ev all spread out on his bed like that, like a fucking dessert I needed to devour, my feelings definitely shifted. Over the week, my love for Ev has begun to slowly morph from brotherly affection to something more potent, more consuming, but there’s no desire to possess him, to own him. It’s scary, and probably fucking wrong, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw Lake.
Of course, that didn’t mean I couldn’t give the guy shit. Whatever initial attraction I had toward Lake, however powerful, was just that, attraction. But Ev already has feelings for the guy, even if he barely knows him. I could see it from the moment his eyes caught Lake and his whole face lit up. That happens for very few people.
At least for now, my loyalty to Ev comes first. So yeah, I interrogated the guy. And fuck, he was cute as he kept avoiding my questions and trying to change topics. He’s definitely hiding something, but as the night wore on, I decided I didn’t care. My instincts are rarely wrong, and they tell me Lake is a good person. I seriously doubt he’s some secret crime lord or something, so whatever it is he’s hiding, I’ll let him keep that secret, for now.
Lake is staring at Ev, and right now, his expression is a mixture of fear, curiosity, and confusion. My poor little bird, he has no idea what’s going on, does he? A thought occurs to me that he might be a virgin, but is that even possible? He’s nearly thirty years old. Well, I guess that means nothing. I’m fucking thirty-two, and I’ve never even considered that I like men as well as women. Yet here I am, in the small foyer of Mr. C’s house, closing in on two men and very fucking turned on.
I’ve spent the last couple of days trying to see what’s going on with me. I watched gay porn. I paid attention to all the men around me, but none of it did anything for me. Some of the porn was hot, I’m not gonna lie, but I didn’t get as horny from that as I am right now with two men who are fully dressed and doing nothing remotely sexual.
After a minor identity crisis, I’ve decided it doesn’t matter. I couldn’t care less if I’m bi, or pansexual, or straight. Why do I need a label? What I do know is I want more than friendship with Ev and that Lake turns me on in a way that’s never happened with a female before. I’m too old to be worried about what that means. I never gave a fuck about society standards or what anyone thought about me. And sure, the guys I work with might give me a hard time, but they can go fuck themselves. I know what I want, and I’m going to take it.
