Page 3 of Calling from the Heart (Secret Springs)

Three

J eb woke up with a crick in his neck that wouldn’t quit.

The snow had been falling by the time they’d left the hotel carrying enough leftovers to feed an army, and he’d asked Owen to come home with him.

“I shouldn’t,” Owen said, chewing his lip.

“I’ll sleep on the couch if you want me to. But your lights always go out when it dumps snow, and I want you warm and safe. Please?”

So Owen had agreed, and Jeb had kissed him gently at the door to the bedroom before sacking out on the couch.

And now he needed coffee and a neck massage.

He heard the microwave ding, opening his eyes to see Owen pulling out a mug from the nuker.

He crawled to a sitting position, his back spasming. “Ugh.”

“Do you want a cup of cocoa? I’m making some…”

“Um, sure.” He had no idea if Owen was supposed to be drinking coffee or not.

“I can make coffee for you, but I’m on decaf, and I’d rather have cocoa. I mean, if you don’t mind.”

“No. I’m fine with that, baby.” He chuckled. “I had no idea I had cocoa.”

“I bought it when we were…last winter.”

“Oh.” Jeb laughed. “I thought maybe Jen had gotten it. She likes it in her coffee.” But now he remembered the little jar of cocoa with the dried marshmallows in it that Owen had bought at that ridiculous shop at the ski lodge they’d spent a weekend making love in instead of skiing. “The ski lodge.”

“Yes. We never even put on snow pants.” Owen’s cheeks were burning. “It was a great weekend.”

“It was. Hot buttered rum. Hot tub. Hot sex.” They had stopped at the shop on the way out just to buy something to prove they’d been there.

“Yeah.” Owen blushed, studiously making their cocoa. “Thank you for letting me have the bed. The snow is still falling like crazy.”

“No problem.” Snowed in the day after Thanksgiving with his pregnant back in his life again lover? Hell yes.

“I—I should probably go home soon, but…”

Oh, he liked the sound of that ‘but’.

“But we have leftovers. And it’s snowing.” See him be all coaxing. “And I have electricity, and we can cuddle on the sofa.”

“Can we watch Christmas movies?”

“Do I get to slip Die Hard in at some point?”

“Yes. Can we make goofy turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce?”

“We can. I like stuffing on them too.”

“Oh, me too. On rolls.”

Jeb chuckled. “I have brown and serve. I was supposed to take them yesterday, but I forgot.”

“Okay…I’d love that. I’ve missed spending time with you.”

“Oh, me too, baby. I’ve missed everything about you.” He wasn’t angry, though. Not since he’d seen how scared Owen had been.

Owen brought him his cocoa, motioning toward the sofa. “Can I… Or we can snuggle in bed. No strings. Just snuggling.”

“I like that even better. It’s warmer in there.” He had a down style comforter and a little gas log in the bedroom.

Not to mention a huge TV and the most amazing bed on earth. He loved his bedroom. He thought Owen did too.

“Come on, baby. Let’s do it.”

Owen led the way, and soon they were in the bed, Owen right there, snuggled up next to him. They would have sammies later, but he had grabbed their drinks and a box of Pop-Tarts. That way they could have some food.

“You don’t even like brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tarts, love.”

“You do.” Owen needed to eat. He was eating for two.

“I do.” Owen smiled, and it made him feel ten thousand feet tall.

“Well, there you go. What should we watch first?”

“Let’s ease into it. Maybe Klaus ?”

“Sure.” Jeb turned on the TV.

Owen was warm against him, heavy and sweet, sipping his drink and chuckling at the movie. God, he was adorable, and Jeb felt like his world had shifted back into focus, into rightness. He’d missed Owen too damn much.

He needed to think about this — about the reasons why Owen had walked away from him, about how to communicate so it didn’t happen again.

So first, he needed to make amends for the whole “never settling down” thing. It was bullshit, was what it was. And he wanted Owen. Permanently.

That wasn’t about the baby, although that had sped up his timeline, hadn’t it? It was about Owen.

And thank God for Andrea and her nosiness.

He rubbed Owen’s belly, and Owen made a happy sound, leaning his whole self into Jeb.

The baby kicked his palm, the sensation utterly wild.

Owen grinned up at him. “Nuts, huh?”

“Yes.” He was awed.

“The first time I felt it, I was in school, teaching.”

“Did you freak out?” He petted, kissing the top of Owen’s head.

“God, yes. I mean, I knew I was pregnant, but…that made it so much more real.”

“I bet.” He was awed by the movement. That was their baby. “A little girl.”

“Yes. She is. Ours.”

“She is.” And they were going to do this together. But he could go slow. He was going to be the alpha Owen needed.

“Thank you,” Owen said softly.

“For what?”

“For not being super mad. I was just freaked out.”

“I have no doubt you’ll freak out fifty more times at least,” he teased. He knew they still had a lot to wade through. He was just so happy to have Owen with him.

“Today. Possibly more.” Owen lifted his face, begging a kiss.

“Mmmhmm.” He gave and took the kiss he wanted, lips and tongue teasing Owen’s. Oh, he remembered that taste, the way Owen’s tongue felt against his.

He moaned, sliding Owen around to face him more fully, pressing them together. Owen straddled him, pushing right into his arms.

“Love.” He stroked that fine, lean back.

“I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” He kissed Owen to keep from talking too much. He didn’t want to compete or devolve into accusations. They could talk any time.

They needed this now.

He slid one hand up behind Owen’s head, holding him there for more of the slow, drugging kisses, the heat flaring between them..

“Want you…” Owen’s eyes were open, the man staring into him.

“I want you too, baby. But we can just cuddle. I don’t want to rush you.” His hard, insistent cock wanted to rush. So did his need to make Owen his again. But his remaining sliver of rational thought said he needed Owen to trust him.

“I’m not going to get any more pregnant, Jeb. I promise.”

Jeb hooted. “I know that, baby. But I want you to trust me. I want you to be all in when we make love again.”

Owen’s smile was sweet and belied the tears that made his eyes shimmer. “You’re good to me. I wish…I wish you’d wanted forever. I would have given it to you in a heartbeat.”

“Then give it to me now.” He wiped away the one tear that fell.

“Is it because of the baby, though?” Owen leaned into his touch.

“No. And I know you’re going to have to learn to trust me again, like I said. I tried to call. To come see you. And I never could get to you. But I missed you so damn much.”

“I was terrified you’d turn me away. So stupid, but true. I was afraid you’d hate me.”

“No. I couldn’t hate you, baby.” He might have had to freak out and wrap his mind around things and all, but somehow, now, it just didn’t matter. He wanted Owen back, and he wanted their family. “I was protecting myself, and I needed to be open to you.”

Owen reached up to stroke his cheek. “Well, I’m here now. Let’s do the rest of the recriminations later if we have to?”

“That sounds like the best plan.” He needed to love Owen, to explore every change to his compact form.

He stroked the line down Owen’s spine, the heated skin making his toes curl. Lord, he loved that. His fingers knew this, knew the feel of Owen, the spots that made his lover moan.

Owen leaned down, bringing their lips together in a long, slow kiss. It stole his breath, made him dizzy.

He held Owen to him, grabbing that tight ass as Owen climbed into his lap, surprising a laugh out of him. “Well, hello.”

“Hey, stranger. Is this okay? I’m not too heavy?”

“You’re perfect.” Owen’s weight had changed just slightly, but he only knew that because he’d memorized everything about his sweet omega.

“I’m yours. I mean, if you want me.”

“I do. I want you so damn bad.” He took off Owen’s sweater, needing skin.

“Yesterday’s clothes. You still had my toothbrush, though.”

“Mmmhmm. You can borrow anything from my closet. Hell, I still have some of your stuff, though it’s all summer.” Jeb gave Owen a wicked grin. “Not that you need it right now.”

“No. No, I’ll borrow one of your sweatshirts. That’s good enough, right?”

“In a minute. Or five. or twenty.” He nibbled at Owen’s neck, then his collarbone.

“That’s not long enough…” Owen’s head fell back.

“I think it might be a good start.” Jeb nibbled at Owen’s collarbone, which was too sharp. He needed to eat more. He was going to start taking better care of his omega. It was only fair.

But now, that meant loving him into a puddle. He wanted Owen crazy for him. Wild.

He wanted to know that Owen trusted him again, with all the need, the passion, the hunger in that sweet body.

“Jeb.” Owen arched when he licked at one flat little nipple, panting.

“Yes, love. I want to hear your noises, please.”

“Anything you want.”

“Promise?” He was digging, and he knew it. But he was an alpha. He couldn’t help it.

“Yes. I want to be yours. More than anything.”

“Good.” He took another kiss, then lifted Owen up enough to get off those soft pants. “I want that too. The rest is just stuff we iron out.”

Like moving Owen in with him, even if Owen did live on the right side of the bridge to get to work. That didn’t matter, really. Owen’s tiny rented condo wasn’t gonna do.

Owen needed room -- room to do his grading, not that kindergarten teachers did a lot of grading. They didn’t have to do a lot of tests and shit. It really wasn’t a thing, but Jed knew what he meant. Owen needed room to plan and cook and laugh and snuggle and grow.

One with fewer stairs.

He wanted Owen to have a nursery. He wanted there to be a place for him to plan and paint, to decorate and relax.

More than that he wanted to be the kind of alpha who put together baby beds and changing tables, chairs where they could sit and rock the baby -- their daughter -- and feed her.

Jeb wanted all of it honestly, every single bit.