Amusing You - Claire Cullen Page 0,61

anything, not really. Worthless, just like…

“I’ll come back for it. Let’s get you to the car.”

Harper wasn’t expecting to be lifted off his feet and into William’s arms, but he was too cold and tired to protest.

“My landlord locked me out,” he mumbled, suddenly realizing how cold he was, his lips numb, his fingers stiff.

“I know. I was on my way here when Zac phoned me. I’ve been trying to call you.”

The alpha seemed undeterred by the snow, striding back the way he’d come. Harper was set down on his feet next to William’s car, his wet coat tugged off before he was urged inside. The welcoming warmth of the car hit him, the heat almost painful on his cold skin. He turned to William, but the alpha had already closed the door and disappeared from view. Harper awkwardly peeled off his sodden gloves, flexing his cold fingers to try to get some heat back into them. He heard the car trunk open and then shut again before William climbed into the driver’s seat.

“You’ll get water everywhere,” he said plaintively. “My stuff isn’t worth that.”

William stared at him, his expression unfathomable. “It’s just a car. It’ll dry.” He tugged off his own coat and tossed it into the back seat, looking Harper up and down. “Your sweatshirt’s soaked. You should take it off. It’s not doing you any good right now.”

Harper reluctantly tried to lift it up, but his hands wouldn’t cooperate. William leaned over and helped, tugging it off over his head. Then he shrugged out of his sweater and helped Harper into it.

“But you’ll be cold.”

“If it gets you warm and dry, I’ll put up with the chill.” William turned the heat up higher and put the car into drive, pulling out onto the road. “We’ll have you home in no time.”

Harper just huddled under the too-large sweater and rubbed his hands together.

“Why did you come?”

“I’ll always come when you need me.”

“But I called Zac,” he pointed out stupidly, his mind slowed by the cold.

William looked sad at that, and then chagrined. “I know.”

“I’ve been thinking,” he added, the words escaping before he could shut himself up. “About the baby. I don’t think I should keep it.”

William’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he muttered a curse under his breath. He hit the indicator and pulled over, putting the parking brake on.

“Harper—”

“It’s for the best.” His voice broke, his gaze on his cold, reddened hands.

“I—” William hesitated, seeming unsure what to say.

“I can’t believe I was this stupid. I never thought I’d fuck up this badly, and I’m so angry with myself for ending up in this situation. For putting both of us in this situation.”

“You do realize this isn’t all on you, right? I’m at least fifty percent responsible.”

“Yeah, well. You can’t get pregnant. I can. Omegas always bear the lion’s share of the responsibility. It’s for the best to make it like this never happened.”

Harper could barely bring himself to look at William but decided that he had to. He didn’t expect the alpha to be happy about his decision, but he expected to see at least some sense of relief on his face. Instead, all he could see was shock and sadness.

“Are you sure?”

Harper swallowed a sound that might have been a sob, but despite his treacherous voice, his red-rimmed eyes were dry.

“I’d be a terrible father. Every single day since I found out I was pregnant has shown me that. I can’t even keep a roof over my head—how am I supposed to take care of a helpless baby?”

“But you’re not alone in this, Harper.”

He desperately wanted to seize on that excuse, but he knew he couldn’t.

“This is no fairy tale, William. We’re not two people madly in love. It was supposed to be a business transaction, but I made it personal, dragged you into this.”

William reached across the car, but Harper withdrew, crossing his arms over his stomach.

“I went into this with my eyes open,” the alpha insisted.

“No. You wanted a muse, but I didn’t respect that. I kept pushing at your boundaries. And then I selfishly asked you to share my heat, knowing that no alpha faced with a willing omega would refuse.”

The guilt and self-loathing pouring out of him made it hard to breathe.

“Now I’ve gotten an innocent bundle of cells tangled up in this, and—”

William reached over again, cupping a hand to his cheek. He tensed, resisting the urge to lean into the touch, to bask in the warmth