Page 26 of Blood of the Damned: Thorn (Vaughn Winery #1)

Ledger

“I can still work!” Ledger wasn’t even sure why he was having this argument about stopping work. His ankles were swollen, his mood was not fit for visitors and most of the time he was doing a tasting, he had to leave to pee, leaving Calvert to step in.

Calvert eyed him as he circled the desk Ledger sat at to take the weight off his legs, perching his ass on the corner. “It’s time Ledger.”

“Who’ll take over? Who? It’s not like you can do it full time. You have your own work to do.” He gave Calvert a sharp-eyed look when he could see where this was headed. “And don’t pull the wool over my eyes about saying you can squeeze it in.”

“I’ll look to find someone to step into your role on a temporary basis,” he answered smoothly, like it was that easy.

Ledger quirked up one brow. “Didn’t you say it took months to pick me?”

“Thorn was being picky.”

“I was not,” the vampire in question called from his office.

Ledger had figured out his mate was behind this conversation and was hiding in his office, listening. “Get out here, and stop pretending like you didn’t put Calvert up to this.”

His mate actually dragged his feet and Ledger’s lips twitched at Calvert’s obvious look of relief at having gotten out of continuing the conversation.

“Sweetling—”

“Don’t start with me.” Ledger pinned Thorn with a look that said he meant business.

“Calvert can’t take on my role as well as do his own work, at least not long term.

I’ve switched things up and increased the number of wine tastings we do, along with those visits to the vineyard, which has increased the number of bookings for the hotel, has it not? ”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts. We should have talked about this sooner.” His hands rubbed slow circles over his dancing belly as he considered this was his fault when he’d not wanted to admit he couldn’t do it all. “Is there anyone here you’d trust—besides Calvert—to do my role?”

“If you are asking, then you know we don’t.” Calvert was the one to answer. “Let’s reduce the number of tastings and see what happens. Maybe the three of us could pick up the slack for now, until Ledger decides what he wants to do after the girl's birth.”

It was sensible, if they all discounted Dacian’s hatred—something Ledger had discovered when he’d asked him to step in once—of answering inane questions about his wines.

His words, only he’d added several profanities when he’d come to find Ledger and advise him that he wasn’t doing it again. “Dacian won’t want to pitch in.”

Calvert shrugged off Ledger’s concerns. “He’ll do it, so don’t concern yourself about him.”

Ledger was grateful to Calvert for saying it, but making it happen was another thing. He’d been around the brothers for nearly a year and had gotten clued in to how Dacian worked. His decisions were his own.

“If you say so.”

Thorn crouched in front of him. “We worked it out before, Sweetling. We can do it again.”

They had, he got it. But a part of him wanted to feel needed.

It might be stupid, but there it was. He didn’t want to quit his job.

He loved doing it. Except working full time with twins wasn’t something he wanted to do either.

The conflict was real when he had no clue how he would feel once he held the girls in his arms.

You don’t have to decide right now, Sweetling. You can have all the time you need.

It just doesn’t seem fair.

Maybe not, but honestly, what’s important right now is you taking care of yourself. You’re tired, and it’s hard standing for hours.

“I’ll leave you to finish this conversation.” Calvert rose and laid a hand on Ledger’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “It’ll all work out, you’ll see.” He gave Thorn a look that Ledger had no way of interpreting before he walked off.

“What was that look about?” he asked, staring after Calvert.

“What look?”

Thorn’s reply held no infliction and Ledger glanced at him, head tilting as he observed his mate, searching for what he was missing when he felt the wall between them. “The look that Calvert gave you to suggest he had a problem with something.” He was fishing.

His mate was good though, and shook his head not quite meeting Ledger’s gaze, it being somewhere around Ledger’s nose. “I’m pregnant, not blind or stupid. What gives?”

“Calvert is jealous.”

Ledger jerked in the seat, nearly bobbing heads with Thorn as he came forward, only his belly stopping him. “Jealous? Jealous of what?”

“Us.”

It was so unexpected, the truth threw Ledger. He didn’t know how to respond to that.

Calvert had bed partners; he was aware of that. Thorn and Dacian had made reference once or twice about sound proofing the house when Ledger raised the concern about them hearing the babies cry. It seemed Calvert liked to get loud with his bed partners.

It wasn’t something Ledger wanted to give any thought to. Only now he was thinking about it. About the last time there was any mention of anyone staying overnight in Calvert’s suite. He couldn’t remember the last time. Which, given his brain had become a sieve, wasn’t surprising.

Does he want a mate? He kept the conversation private, unsure how far Calvert had gone.

I didn’t think so, but it seems he does now I have you.

Has he looked… in fact, did any of you look?

It was like a foreign concept that we were aware of but never really considered could happen to us, I suppose.

Ledger felt Thorn consider his question seriously as he worked to follow his thoughts.

We were aware vampires had dhampirs, of course. But you must consider, they were all female, or that we knew about. As we’re all gay, I suppose none of us thought Fate would have considered us in the mix.

An ache developed in the center of Ledger’s chest and he wasn’t sure if the emotions he felt were all his with how Thorn looked right then. His expression was grim when he glanced at where his brother had gone.

“How sad.”

Thorn nodded slowly, his attention remaining on the entrance. “It is when time is infinitely endless,” he murmured, almost like he was speaking to himself.

Ledger attempted to swallow the rising sob at the enormity of the simple statement.

He’d been alone in his teens. Those few years he’d struggled to find his way had felt endless, the seconds, minutes and hours feeling like an eternity.

He couldn’t imagine decades, centuries or beyond of loneliness.

It explained why the brothers remained together.

Thorn wiping at his cheek made Ledger aware tears were rolling freely down it. “Don’t cry,” Thorn begged, his eyes pleading.

Ledger stifled the next sob and sucked in a breath, swiping at his face, gathering himself. “So wanna tell me why you got Calvert to do your dirty work?”

The look of relief at the change of topic was comical until Thorn registered what Ledger had said.

A sheepish grin appeared before he sucked his thumb between his lips, tasting Ledger’s tears.

It was an automatic thing Thorn had done before, only with how they weren’t having sex right now and with how highly sexed he’d been, his thoughts fled after what they wanted.

Would getting a blow job alert the girls to what we’re doing?

We could try?

We could.

Ledger laughed long and hard at how eager Thorn was when he was lifted effortlessly off his seat and carried at warp speed up to the house. He couldn’t say if they’d passed anyone, or if the sky held a cloud. It was all a blur.

They’d barely gotten into their suite and the door closed behind them before Ledger found his pants down by his ankles, and pushed against the closet wall.

The moment became a ten on the weird scale when he looked down and found he couldn’t actually see what was happening to his cock.

He knew it was hard and could feel Thorn’s fingers wrapped around it.

The head was slick with how the air touched it.

All of this was secondary when his huge belly hid it all.

He wanted to tell himself the obscured view was just much the same as shutting his eyes.

Which he did then, to trick himself into believing it, only his mind had latched onto the visual of his protruding belly and any desire he felt fizzled out like a fire doused with a bucket of icy water.

“What is it, Sweetling?” Thorn gave him a worried look before he masked his thoughts when Ledger’s eyes opened at the question.

“I can’t see your hand,” he stated flatly. He wasn’t going to cry.

He wasn’t.

At the first sniff he scowled at himself more than Thorn, side stepping as best he could.

Unfortunately, his belly brushed against Thorn’s face, forcing him to shift back or get suffocated.

Despite knowing that wasn’t possible, it didn’t stop the next sniff.

Or the following one when he awkwardly attempted to reach for his maternity, elasticated slacks, mooning Thorn in the process when he couldn’t quite reach from a standing position.

Heat coursed into his face and it didn’t matter that they'd done all manner of things that involved Thorn’s face near his asshole. This was different.

He slapped at the hand helping him tug up his pants. “I can do it.”

He couldn’t, they both knew it.

Another sniff, this one decidedly louder than the last.

“Help me then,” he demanded.

How had he gone from being a reasonable thinking person to this? He wanted to slap himself upside the head and really wasn’t sure how Thorn hadn’t threatened to do it already.

He had to give it to Thorn, he had the patience of a saint.

Slacks back in place, he stomped to the couch, or he would have if his legs weren’t feeling like he’d attached weights to his ankles.

He levered himself onto the pile of cushions and crossed his arms over the top of his belly, glowering at the vampire hovering, because he couldn’t glower at himself. “I think you’re right.”

“Right about what?” Thorn asked, wearing a wary expression as his teeth grazed his lip.

“I should give up working. I’m not fit for public consumption right now. I’m not fit for anything.”

Thorn slowly came and perched on the cushion next to Ledger, not touching, but close enough for Ledger to press his leg against Thorn’s. “I love you.”

“I don’t know how?” Ledger shifted so he could press closer to his mate. “I’m irrational half of the time and the other half, I’m just plain crazy. You’re right to suggest I quit work right now, I should have listened to you last month.”

Thorn pinched his chin and pressed their foreheads together, looking him directly in the eye.

“It doesn’t matter. You knew when the time was right for you.

” He traced his fingers over the moving mound in a soothing motion.

“This won’t be forever, Sweetling, then you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. ”

“Let’s hope so.” Ledger released a heartfelt sigh, hoping against hope his mate was right.

“It will, you’ll see.”

“How much longer will it be?” he asked, despite knowing that Thorn didn’t have the answer.

“Soon, Sweetling. Soon.” He released his chin and cupped his cheeks, bringing him closer, continuing to hold his gaze with a loving one as he pressed a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, then his forehead. A mere flutter of lips, soft and soothing. The gentleness was more than Ledger deserved.

You deserve this and so much more. Carrying our babies is a priceless gift, one you are giving me. Never doubt that I don’t know that. Treasure that and you.

Despite my craziness?

The chuckle hit his face as Thorn’s grin returned. Because of the craziness.