Colten gave a playful growl as he nipped Steven on his chin. Just then the door opened and Renee wheeled in a small clear-plastic cart. Colten started to sit up but he'd strained himself and his stomach was killing him.
Renee gave him a reproachful glare. "T-Rex told me how stubborn you're being. Don't bother getting up. I'll bring the sweet little babe to you."
Colten's gut clenched as his mouth went dry. He watched as Renee lifted a small bundle into her arms. His eyes were glued on her as she walked around the bed and smiled down at both Colten and Steven. "You get to meet both your papas," she said to the swaddle of blankets in her arms.
Leaning over the bed, Renee placed the baby between Colten and Steven.
"I'll let the three of you get acquainted." She smiled and winked at them. "Just call if you need help."
Colten fell in love the moment he laid eyes on his son. He was so small and so perfect that Colten felt as if his heart was bursting from his chest.
"Handsome devil," Steven said. But Colten could hear how choked Steven's words were. He cupped his mate's face and gave him a gentle kiss.
"Both of you are," Colten said, and he meant it.
"Did they tell you who the traitor was?" Steven asked as he ran a knuckle down their son's cheek.
Colten shook his head.
"When the men got here, they asked where you were. Shott told them what had taken place. Sam immediately went to the operating room and found the doctor and the nurse arguing. From what Sam could understand, the nurse didn't approve of what the doctor was doing. But once Sam got a hold of the guy, the doctor confessed."
Colten reached up and brushed the tears from Steven's eyes with the pad of his thumb. "I'm so sorry about your parents."
Steven nodded and swallowed hard. "It wasn't like they loved me in the first place. I think what hurts the most is the loss of a relationship that should've been, but wasn't."
Colten knew exactly how Steven felt. It was the same for him. His parents had been terrible, yet Colten had loved them with all his heart. He knew what that betrayal felt like and hated that Steven had gone through something so similar.
"Anyway." Steven cleared his throat. "The doctor confessed to being paid off by my parents. He said that Nate and Leonardo approached him about me. But after that incident in the Laundromat, the two left town. The doctor hadn't told my parents that I was pregnant. He just told them where I was. But after Shott killed them, the doctor panicked. He figured that if he killed you on the operating table, the men of Executive Bodyguards would be so devastated that they wouldn't look any further into how my parents had found me. He's currently sitting in jail for trying to kill you."
Stunned. Furious. Betrayed. Nothing came close to describing how Colten felt at that very moment. The shifter doctor had delivered numerous cubs and had been a part of the shifter community for decades. It never ceased to amaze him what someone would do for the right price.
"As far as birthing cubs," Steven said, seeming to have guessed at Colten's line of thought, "Renee is ready to take on the job. She said she's been delivering babies for quite a while and is confident in her abilities." Steven smiled. "She used to be a midwife. Did you know that?"
The only thing Colten could do was shake his head. The doctor had tried to kill him on the operating table. Colten shivered at the idea of how things could have turned out. He would forever be in debt to Sam.
"Is she the one who delivered our son?"
"She is," Steven said. "And as you can see, she did a beautiful job."
Colten couldn't agree more. He couldn't stop looking at the babe's face. Their son was a miracle and Colten would always remember that. He inhaled deeply and pulled in the scent of cinnamon and apple cider.
"We never discussed names," Steven said.
"Moirai," Colten replied. "It refers to the fates. Because it was the course of events that brought us together and kept you safe. It was fate that stopped our son from being born early." Colten pressed his lips to Steven's forehead. "But most of all, it was destiny that we should share our lives and raise such a beautiful son together."
Steven nodded. "I like that."
Both Colten and Steven gasped when they felt a tiny sliver of happiness swell between them. They glanced down at their son and saw him gazing up at them.
"Did he just..."
"I think he did," Colten said. "It seems our son has inherited your talent."
Colten would make certain that their child would learn how to buffer the voices from an early age. He knew that Rowdy was working with Steven, and Colten was grateful. But it was his job to protect his family and he would ensure that both lived a happy, chaos-free life.
"Were you really married?" Colten asked. He'd never brought the subject up before. He hadn't wanted to. He wasn't even sure why he was asking now.
Steven shrugged. "It was a lie my parents told the family. They also said that I lived abroad. They didn't want anyone asking questions or delving too deep into the whys of never seeing me."
And Colten thought his life had been crappy. Just because some people were able to have children, didn't mean they were fit to be parents. Both his and Steven's parents were living proof of that. But Colten was going to make damn sure that his son knew every day that he was loved.
The door opened once more and everyone filed in. The room became loud and boisterous as the men congratulated Colten and Steven on the birth of their child.
Colten finally had the perfect life, the perfect mate, and the perfect son. His life was now complete.
It had been two months since Steven had come home and Colten was doing everything in his power to make Steven happy. He turned over in bed, snuggling close to his mate.
"Keep wiggling that sexy body against me and I won't be responsible for what happens."
Colten moved closer until Steven felt the warm brush of the man's chest pressed against his back. Then the warmth of Colten's mouth started kissing the naked skin of his hairline. And that was when the electrical storm moving about in his body started sending all interest south.
"I love you, Steven," Colten spoke between kisses, "so goddamn much."
"I love you, too." Steven lost anything else he'd planned to say when strong hands slid down his back, one resting on his hip, the other snaked around to rest on his abs. The kissing and sucking at his neck continued, causing his libido to move from first to fifth, while the hand on his stomach pulled him back, flush against Colten's body.
He found himself molding against Colten further, head moving to rest against his shoulder as Colten sucked at his skin.
The evidence of what this did to Colten was very obvious in the long, hard ridge now pressing against his ass.
The whole neck fetish thing did it for him.
And that hand...firm against his stomach while fingers rubbed against the exposed skin of his stomach. If he moved his hands just a little further south, Colten would know exactly what it was doing. A huge fucking part of him was aching for Colten to do exactly that.
Steven turned his head to the side, meeting Colten's gaze, and was relieved to see him smile ever so slightly and gently. Colten kissed him, just at the corner of his mouth.
Colten took Steven's face in his hands and kissed him again, fully, taking his time. He moved back in until he had Steven pressed against the mattress.
Colten covered Steven's lips with his and Steven couldn't get enough of the man. He let Colten do whatever it was he was doing while he lay there and basked in his mate.
He was pretty sure Colten was inhaling his scent while kissing him. Cinnamon and apple cider. Wasn't that how Colten had described the way Steven smelled?
"Steven." Colten said his name in a decadent purr. "My sweet little Steven."
There was no way Steven could deny the man, not when he wanted Colten just as much.
"You're so damn sexy," Colten said in a deep and sultry tone as his eyes dropped to Steven's groin. Steven's skin heated. Would he ever get used to the way his mate looked at him with hungry eyes? Colten's curved smile hit Steven hard. "You're blushing."
He was.
Steven became wide eyed when Colten moved in fast, taking his mouth in a frenzied kiss. After everything they'd gone through, Steven never felt closer to anyone in his life. It was still nothing but pure silence with Colten and Steven loved that fact, though the two could communicate mentally. Steven threw his arms around Colten's neck, deepening the kiss with his lips and tongue.
His head began to spin and Steven felt dizzy. Happiness flooded through him as he was pulled harder against Colten. This man was his, forever.
Colten's smile was an erotic invitation. "This is one hell of a way to wake up."
A sizzling, predatory glimmer sparked in Colten's eyes. Steven wrapped his legs around Colten's lean waist. The desire in Colten's eyes was beautiful and tangible, and Steven wanted him so badly it was physically painful.
Colten was his fantasy come to life.
Steven ran his hand over Colten's upper back and shivered uncontrollably when Colten responded with gentle touches and soft caresses over his hips, his lips feathering over Steven's naked shoulder.
Steven's head hit the pillow as he moaned and let his head tilt to the side to give Colten more room to play. The man's cock was wedged between his cheeks, hot and throbbing as his fingers gripped Steven's waist.
"I want to be inside you so badly." Colten almost growled the words against Steven's shoulder. The man reached under the pillow and grabbed the lube.
His mate squeezed a liberal amount on his fingers and the next thing Steven knew, slick fingers were probing at his hole.
His desires renewed as his fingers gripped Colten's shoulders, his body gyrating as Colten slipped a long, thick finger inside of him before he recaptured Steven's lips.
"Perfect." There was a dangerous purr to his voice that sent a shiver through Steven. He could feel the stretched muscles and Colten's hard body. The man smelled richly masculine, wild, and delicious. Steven was falling deeper in love with his mate, deeper with every kiss, every thrust of the man's finger.
"I can't wait much longer." Steven gasped as Colten inserted a second finger, stretching the two apart and moving them around in the most provocative way.
"You won't have to," Colten said as he bit down gently on Steven's shoulder.
God, Steven could bathe in that feeling. Steven melted into his strong chest, his body going lax as Colten pulled him impossibly closer and traced the vein in Steven's neck with his tongue. It was throbbing wildly at what Colten was doing to him.
Colten caught Steven's earlobe between his teeth as he inserted a third finger, making Steven groan louder, filling the room with the sounds of his needs. Colten's chest rumbled deeply as he pulled his hand free and then adjusted Steven a little higher before his full length pushed inside Steven.
The breath rushed from his lungs as his hands tightened around Colten's neck, his head lolling to the side as they both groaned in pleasure. Colten sealed his lips over Steven's, giving him a lush, wet kiss as his hips began to move, to thrust upward, driving his cock deeper and making Steven lose his goddamn mind. He gave Steven's lips a slow, savoring lick as Steven ran his hand through Colten's silky hair.
"So perfect," his mate murmured. His hands cupped Steven's ass, squeezing his cheeks as his cock pulled back and then slid forward. The slow fucking was driving Steven mad.
He arched his body into Colten's, never wanting this to end. Ever.
Colten's mouth descended and Steven whimpered when the man's teeth began to tease his nipple. He tugged and lapped as he thrust deeply into Steven. His tongue was masterful, the wash of heat bringing a mist of perspiration to Steven's skin.
Colten kissed his way back up Steven's chest until his lips were brushing gently back and forth. "I think I'm the luckiest man on earth."
Steven knew it was the other way around. Colten's cock continued to deliciously stretch Steven as he held on, trying his best not to fall over the edge so soon.
Colten mouthed Steven's Adam's apple, his lips working wonderful magic on his skin. Steven swallowed hard, rocking in time to Colten's rhythm as he murmured, "I hope every morning is like this for us."
One hard thrust sent Steven closer to the edge as Colten's fingers gripped him tighter, pulling him closer. "It will be, always."
Throwing his head back and letting out a long, salacious moan, Steven found it hard to speak. His emotions were all over the place, creating havoc inside of him. Colten bit down gently on his chin.
Colten planted his hands against the mattress, making Steven hold on tighter as the man's hips began to move quickly, Steven bouncing as Colten fucked him harder. His lips were searching out Steven's until Steven turned his head, giving the man what he had been looking for. There was so much fire and passion in that one kiss that Steven felt like he was being branded, claimed, and owned all over again.
The friction of their bodies rocking together was finally too much as Steven threw his back, crying out as his cock exploded between them. Colten bit into his shoulder with a primal growl. The sensation shot his orgasm higher, making him feel as if he were careening out of control. Their bodies writhed against one another, slick with sweat and Steven's release.
Colten gave his hips a few more heavy thrusts before Steven felt his ass filling with Colten's seed. The man's growl grew deeper, more savage as his body rocked upward, his cock only slightly softening as Steven gasped for breath.
As his mate licked the wound he had created, Steven shook with the knowledge that this wasn't a dream, that Colten would always be his, always be there for him. He smiled as he brushed his hands over his mate's hair.
This was heaven and Steven never wanted to float back down to earth.
THE END.
WWW.LYNNHAGEN.COM.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
Lynn Hagen loves writing about the somewhat flawed, but lovable. She also loves a hero who can see past all the rough edges to find the shining diamond of a beautiful heart.
You can find her on any given day curled up with her laptop and a cup of hot java, letting the next set of characters tell their story.
For all titles by Lynn Hagen, please visit.
www.bookstrand.com/lynn-hagen.
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