Page 60 of Alpha’s Conquest

“How do you feel about the baby?” he asked.

Now that the initial shock had passed, it left room for other thoughts. “What if the tests were wrong? It could be cancer, or something else. I could be dying.”

“Sssh,” he whispered as he pulled me against his broad chest. Adam’s earthy scent brought me back from the edge before the panic set in. “We’ll go see a doctor today and make sure. I promise I will take care of you, baby or no baby. You’re mine now. If you want to be.”

“Are you…” I almost couldn’t say it out loud.

“I am. Casey, I want you to be my boyfriend. And later my husband, if you’re open to it. If not, I will be devoted to you in all ways that matter, and we’ll raise our baby together. I’m in this with you, Casey.”

Every part of me wanted to say yes, but I still had unfinished business. “I can’t answer you yet.” A knot formed in my stomach. “I wouldn’t have said yes. To Marshall’s proposal, I mean. I was going to tell him the truth last night, before I found out I was pregnant. I was writing it on my phone so I knew what I wanted to say. But then I realized I missed my heat, and the tests were positive. Everything happened so fast after that, and he was proposing before I could say anything. If you hadn’t stepped in, I would’ve told him. I should’ve done it weeks ago.”

“I know. You’re not the only one to blame, Casey. I was wrong to make you hide like that.”

“No. I’m sorry I made you wait for me. I was too afraid. I was terrified of giving myself to you. Of letting you in. Fully. Without anything between us.”

“And now?”

“I’m not scared anymore.” I burrowed my head against him, seeking refuge in his warm, freckled skin. “I never let myself love anyone before you. I kept my heart locked away so I wouldn’t get hurt. But you made me realize I deserve more.”

Tucking his finger under my chin, he tilted my head to meet him, his green eyes peering into mine. “I should’ve asked you to be with me that night in the sunroom.”

My heart fluttered, skipping a beat when he leaned down for a soft kiss, an echo of the consuming desire we had always felt since that first day.

“I wish you had,” I whispered against his lips. His kiss became ravenous, consuming me with each press of his lips. His tongue traced the seam of my lips before delving inside, tunneling against mine with quick thrusts.

Could we really just stay under the covers right now and ‌have sex before breakfast? There was a very uncomfortable conversation waiting for us when we left this bed, and neither of us was looking forward to it.

Just when I thought this was going to end with me breathless beneath him, Adam gave me a lingering kiss on the forehead. “I won’t go further. Not yet. The next time I have you, I want you to truly belong to me.” He gently petted my head to calm me down after our steamy kiss. I couldn’t even complain because I wanted the same thing. I wanted to end this spiral of shame and finally allow myself to have the one thing I swore I would never have again.

“Time to get up,” I declared. His green eyes echoed the ache in my chest. His hand found mine, and with a gentle tug, he guided me away from our warm bed.

Adam refused to invite anyone over until I’d eaten breakfast. Once my belly was full, Marshall agreed to come over. At my request, everyone else left the house to give us some privacy. Adam was reluctant to leave me, but he obeyed as dutifully as I did when he was the one giving orders.

With a full belly, I sat on one couch with Marshall on the other, his gaze fixed on the coffee table between us. “I, uhh,” I said, my voice almost deafening in the uncomfortable silence. “I should start first. I know I lied to you and went behind your back. I cheated on you with your own father. I…” A lump formed in my throat as I swallowed, and I blinked hard to hold back tears. “I tried so hard to resist. I know that doesn’t help. It’s the truth. I would’ve never…” I focused on the potted plants, trying to regain my composure.

“You couldn’t resist?” he asked. I dared to meet his gaze and saw a flicker of curiosity despite the betrayal etched on his face.

“He didn’t force me. That’s not what I meant.”

“No, I know. As if my dad would ever force someone. He’s been alone for twenty years. He was perfectly capable of resisting temptation, until he met you, it seems.” My face burned red. “Your pheromones reacted to him? As if you literally couldn’t stay away?” How did he know? I could only manage a nod as my voice failed me. “Huh,” Marshall responded, leaning back against the couch. “There’s this new theory in the medical community, a pheromone connection of sorts. Secondary gender specialists have been studying it. Apparently, it’s been around for as long as we have, it’s just so uncommon that we never had a word for it. I’ve been reading all the white papers, studying what causes the connection and how it works.”

It sounded so clinical when he said it, as if this was a disease or an infection.

“A… connection?”

“Scent matches. Pheromones that are so compatible, you literally can’t resist the pull you feel to each other. Most people thought it was just love, or attraction, but it’s deeper than that. It would also explain…” He gestured to my stomach, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Fertility is higher with a scent match.” The anger eased out of him, and he ran his hand through his hair with an intrigued grin. “I thought it would be years before I saw one in person. Could’ve been better circumstances, though.”

“Marshall, I’m so sorry.”

He waved his hand, shutting down the idea with a firm, “No, don’t. If this is a scent match, then you had no choice.”

“I should’ve told you the day it happened. You have every right to hate me.”

“Casey,” he whispered, his eyes darting to the ceiling. “You already broke up with me. It was before I even brought you here.” What was he talking about? “You got drunk with Devon and Lyle to celebrate finishing a project. I’d just gotten off a shift when you stumbled home. You’re pretty open when you drink. As I was putting you to bed and laying a blanket over you, that’s when you said it. I want to break up. I thought I misheard, but you repeated it when I said I didn’t hear you. I barely slept that night. When I brought it up the next morning, you didn’t remember any of it.

“I almost thought it was just a joke, but then I wondered if maybe… maybe you wanted more, and it scared you. Maybe you’d changed your mind about being more serious, but you couldn’t deal with that. So I figured it was up to me to take the next step. I asked you to visit Oakridge because I was going to propose. When the time came, I chickened out. I just kept hearing you breaking up with me. And after that, I figured it would just take time for you to get over your fear. But… I see now that I was wrong. I may not have known you were fucking my dad, but I knew you wanted to end things. I knew before you even met him.”

That made me feel worse. I broke up with Marshall, and I had no memory of it. I didn’t even remember wanting that before I met Adam. “I don’t know what to say.”