through it. We’re here now, and no one is coming between us again.”
Harper tugged a hand free from William and rested it against his stomach. “There is something between us, right here and now.”
“Our baby isn’t going to come between us. He’ll be a part of us.”
“She,” Harper said suddenly. “It’s going to be a girl. I feel it in my bones.”
William laughed softly and leaned in to capture Harper’s lips in a kiss, slipping his arms around him. “Your bones have terrible intuition. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Only everyone.”
Holding him close like this, William could feel the tension in the omega’s small frame.
“I have an idea for how we might spend our afternoon.”
Harper glanced out the window, where the snow had started up again. “Does it involve going outside? Because I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“Nope. We’ll be staying safe and warm indoors, enjoying some well-earned freedom.”
The apparent contradiction was enough to clue Harper in as he made a sound of muted surprise. “I haven’t shifted in ages. Could we?”
“Of course. Let me get things ready. You should grab a glass of juice and a snack, get your blood sugar up before we get started.”
Getting things ready mostly meant closing doors, turning up the heat, and leaving some food and water easily accessible for them both. Harper wasn’t the only one who’d missed the chance to shift. With everything going on, William had neglected his wolf for weeks, constantly putting shifting on the back burner as more important things took precedence. It was always a mistake when he did that, but he was a perpetually slow learner about some matters.
He joined Harper in the living room as the omega polished off some crackers and fruit, washing them down with orange juice.
“Are you sure pumping me full of sugar before a shift was the best plan?” the omega teased as he bounded to his feet and started an enthusiastic striptease.
William just folded his arms and leaned against the wall to watch him. “I have no complaints.”
“I’ll just bet you don’t. Wait till I’m gnawing on your furniture in an hour’s time, and you’ll soon be having second thoughts.”
Letting his eyes run along the omega’s body, from his narrow shoulders to the slight swell of his abdomen, all William could do was smile. “Are you sure shifting is what you have in mind?”
Harper stalked over to him, put his hand on William’s chest, and slowly dragged his palm down, lower and lower. He stopped just below William’s navel, and then abruptly pulled away, his eyes dark with passion. “Shifting first, sex later. Those are the rules.”
“Didn’t know there were rules,” William muttered, pushing away from the wall to shirk off his T-shirt.
“There are always rules, but they’re rarely the same twice.”
“Alice in Wonderland, eat your heart out.”
“Now you’re getting it.”
Once William had gotten rid of his clothes, he watched Harper shift. Then he spent a few more minutes in human form, making sure the omega was okay. Unsurprisingly, Harper wasn’t all that patient with his plan.
“I know, I’ll change in a minute,” he murmured, petting Harper’s flank. “I needed to be sure you were okay first, that’s all.”
Harper kept nudging him insistently, nipping lightly at his skin now and then.
“You’re beautiful, you know. Human or wolf. Perfection on four legs or two.”
His praise seemed to do the trick, and Harper nudged at his hand with a warm nose before winding his way around William’s legs. Then he gave William some distance and waited expectantly. William didn’t disappoint, shifting quickly. As soon as he had, Harper was off, racing away around the apartment. William gave chase, cornering him a handful of times. Each time, Harper’s reaction was different. Sometimes, he’d lie down submissively or tuck himself in tight, only to jump up playfully as soon as William was within reach. Other times, he’d leap up walls or bound around the place, driving William’s wolf instincts crazy. But when he finally seemed to tire himself out, the omega crashed on the rug in front of the fire. William was glad he’d had the foresight to turn it on as he settled down behind the omega to blanket him in warmth from both sides.
They dozed and woke up human again, chest to chest, Harper’s head tucked in under William’s chin. William ran a hand down the omega’s back, feeling the shudder that ran through him.
“I want you,” the omega whispered, placing tiny butterfly kisses all along William’s collarbone.
“And you can have me,”