Page 28 of His Surrogate Omega

“It is. Who’s the artist?” Asking as if he couldn’t guess.

“Our potential surrogate, Gray.”

Rohan tried to hide the wince at having his suspicions confirmed. He lowered the first and looked at the others—all lovely in their own right. “And how much did you pay him for his work?”

“He didn’t want me to pay, but I insisted,” Jamie said before turning and heading back toward the kitchen.

“Of course he didn’t,” Rohan drawled as he followed his omega. “But he took your money, didn’t he?”

Jamie was silent as he pulled a container of sparkling water from the refrigerator and poured himself a glass. And then poured another before handing it to Rohan. “I had to convince him. He was willing to hand them over for free. I wouldn’t hear of it, not someone this talented. Gray needs to know how skilled he is.”

Rohan took the glass. Before he took a drink, he added, “You shouldn’t have done that, Jamie.”

“And why not?”

“Why does a surrogate choose to carry another’s child?” Rohan asked, setting the glass on the counter. “Because they need money. You barely know this omega. Be careful.”

“If you’d met him already, you would understand. He’s…” Jamie smiled. “Well, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with him.”

Rohan paused, his hackles rising. “Fallen in love?”

Jamie smiled. “Not in the way I love you.” He grinned. “No one will ever replace you in my heart. You know that.”

“So this love of yours is brotherly?”

“I suppose you could call it that. And shouldn’t I feel affection for someone who might carry our child? He’ll be the true papa to our babe. The fact we already have a connection is wonderful.”

“Ifhe agrees… don’t get ahead of yourself.” Rohan leaned a hip against the counter. “And once any babe is born, he won’t have any rights to it. He’ll be ours. Gray will no longer be in the picture.”

Jamie gave him an odd look. “I know, I know. I just sense something special about him. I feel it, Rohan. This is the one. This is the omega for us.”

Rohan watched as Jamie twirled in the kitchen and added some spices to the pot simmering on the stove. “You seem in good spirits today.”

“I am. I even feelfamished. How about that? I can’t recall the last time I didn’t have to force myself to eat something.”

“You had no problems eating a couple of slices of pizza this weekend.”

“I didn’t want to alarm Wilder,” Jamie said. “But I really didn’t feel like eating much that night. I made myself eat them since he’d gone through so much trouble.”

Rohan sidled over to his omega and gripped Jamie’s hips from behind. He left a peck on his mate’s neck and then looked over his shoulder. “Beef stew? Youmustbe feeling good.” It did him well to see Jamie in such high spirits.

“I don’t know how much I’ll actually eat, but I’m going to try.”

Rohan kissed the side of Jamie’s cheek and inhaled his mate’s scent. Closing his eyes, he felt his body respond. He inadvertently rubbed his thickening shaft against his omega’s ass.

Jamie stiffened and pulled away.

“I didn’t mean to…” Rohan sighed, backing up a step. Of course seeing Jamie so full of excitement and energy had gotten to him. It had been months since they’d been intimate. Not once had Rohan pressed sex during Jamie’s illness—and he hadn’t been pressing just then either. It had simply been a reaction to being close to the man he loved. A man who was slowly coming back to him, it seemed. “I wasn’t trying to suggest anything. I was just caught up in the moment and excited to see you so well.”

“I can’t,” Jamie mumbled over one shoulder.

“You don’t have to.”

They were silent a few moments before Jamie turned to Rohan. “What if my desire for you never comes back?”

Rohan couldn’t breathe for a moment. The thought of never being intimate with the man he loved was enough to bring him to his knees. His instinct to breed didn’t end just because his omega wasn’t able—it wouldn’t fade for some time. He’d squashed that innate need time and time again, refusing to let it come to the surface. “I’ve never once made demands on you. And I don’t plan to now.”

“Now. But what about six months from now? Or a year? Two?”

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