Page 259 of The Omega Exchange: Omnibus

I laugh, settling myself down against the pillows. “Is that crossing the line? I haven’t been out on a date with you yet.”

“That will come,” he assures me, tossing one bag to the side and bringing the other between us.

“I didn’t know you wanted to be included in the gifting portion,” I say, rolling toward him. “And for what it’s worth, I don’t think they purposely excluded you.”

“Maybe not,” he mutters, giving me a tight smile. “But I’m making my intentions clear now in case you were too hazy to remember.”

He grabs the bag, setting it on my stomach.

I reach inside and pull out a journal. It’s spiral bound with a pink and silver cover. I immediately flip it open to study the pages. There are character information sheets, plot points, possible plot twists, world information pages, and the list goes on.

“This is amazing.” My fingers run over the pages. It’s even in a girly font that I love. “Wow, Carver. I love it.”

“Good, there’s one more thing in that bag, but it’s small.” He nods.

I reach in and find a black pen box. Inside is a heavy pen that’s pink and glittery.

“Thank you.” I shove it all back into the bag and put it aside before tackling him.

“You’re welcome.” He laughs, squeezing my ass. “Will you sleep in here with me tonight?”

My eyes widen, but a smile crosses my face.

“Yeah,” I agree. “I’d like that.”

“Don’t go gettin’ any ideas like trying to seduce me.” He bites his lip, looking like sex personified. “This is just a cuddly snuggle.”

“I think I can manage,” I say, but my face heats. I remember begging and demanding him to fuck me. It feels like we fast forwarded and now we’re rewinding the clock.

Carver and I fall asleep in the nest. I’m not sure what time it is that I wake up nauseous and miserable, but I wiggle out of his hold and bolt for the bathroom.

I slide across the tile floor, barely making it to the toilet in time to vomit up stomach acid and pure bile. It’s a terrible experience. My mouth burns with the rancid taste while my throat feels like it’s on fire.

I rinse at the sink, frowning at my reflection in the mirror. Rough doesn’t cover how I look. My face is pale and my hairline is sweaty.

“So this is probably crossing a line,” Carver says, coming up behind me. He runs his hand down the back of my head, looking at me in the mirror. “But I’m a little afraid you’re all thinking like alphas and omegas.”

“What?” I turn to face him.

A shopping bag from a popular pharmacy dangles from his outstretched finger.

“It’s not exactly a traditional courting gift, but I thought you might want to know...” Carver grimaces as I take the bag. He brings his hands back to my hips as I peer inside. My jaw falls and my heart pounds like it’s trying to take flight out of my chest.

“It’s too early for a pregnancy test,” I say, shaking my head and closing the bag.

“It might be, but?—”

“They don’t show positive for weeks,” I reply, gently pushing out of his hold to toss the bag on the counter.

My head is a mess. I haven’t really let myself consider it. I’m not dumb, despite what people have always thought. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been toldyou’re pretty enough you don’t have to worry about being smart.

That particular damage doesn’t matter right now.

My birth control shot would have only worn off a week or two before I got here, and I’ve only been with Nik, Oliver, and Miller since before Christmas.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he says, pulling me into his chest. “You’re coming out of another relationship. Is there no possibility?”

“No,” I say firmly. “My birth control shot was effective until right before I got here. I haven’t been with anyone in months.”