Stealing His Alpha Heart: A M/M Omegaverse MPreg Read online

  "I suppose you don't have too many clients who are still nursing because of the difficulty with feeding and work."

  "Uh, yeah, most pump," I glanced back at the breast pump on the side table, "and they store the milk in the fridge or the freezer, so we bottle-feed. But, you're right, our clients typically aren't home when we're tending to the children, so a client feeding their infant in front of us, is out of the ordinary."

  "Does this bother you?"

  Shit, he caught me staring. Does he think I'm some kind of perv?

  "Not at all, forgive me. It's a wonderful and natural way to bond with your child. In a way, I find myself a bit jealous of your ability. Part of me has always envied Omegas. I don't mean any disrespect."

  "None taken. Would you hand me a bib, please? He never takes a lot with his first feeding. In about an hour, he'll be a ravenous vampire, though."

  Chapter 5

  Nolan

  Alta Cresta is the type of community where neighbors looked out for each other, and not in the creepy spy-over-the-fence way. We honored each other's privacy but shared dog groomers, landscapers, and tree trimmers. We concerned ourselves with the trivial trappings of our HOA existence oblivious to the wolves gathered beyond the gates, I suppose. Nothing crossed the line until last month. Last month, reality broke in.

  My neighbor called about the commotion on our street while I brought Julian to his well-baby check-up. Another neighbor, Hector, returned from vacation to discover his home burglarized. The fragile notion of security shattered around us.

  Returning home, I fell into the scene. Neighbors gathered while the police cars lined the street. Cop cars blocked my driveway. One motioned for me to roll down my window and explain my purpose there. I asked him if blocking my access to my driveway meant he’d pay next month’s mortgage. I was joking, and I smiled, but the officer must have been ‘green’ because he scrambled to move the car, dribbling apologies. Once parked, Julian and I mingled among our neighborhood clique. Whispered rumors floated as they waited for an explanation. I left them to the gossip and waited for the real story later.

  The home's security system failed, allowing the intruder easy entry. With the family away, the burglar took his time choosing the most valuable items.

  Poor Hector. He worked seven days a week with money his grandmother gave him to invest in his 'future'. Abuela meant college, but instead of a degree, Hector invested in his true passion. Food. He bought a second-hand food truck and hustled every day to fill students' stomachs at the college he refused to attend. Now, he owns several gastropubs, simply named Hector's, around the city. Abuela doesn't mention college any longer.

  Police however, mentioned the lack of damage inside the home and considered it unusual. Less than an hour after calling the police, Hector found himself a suspect. The items stolen were too specific, the police thought, for a random burglar. A few days later, the police released Hector from suspicion, when they learned of a few other burglaries in the neighboring areas had similar circumstances. However, his insurance company refused to process his claim until the police investigation officially ruled out his involvement.

  While I considered the break-in unsettling and reached out to help Hector, it changed nothing about my home. In recent months my house became my kingdom and my sanctuary. At home, a person far more entertaining and enjoyable than anyone at the Alta Cresta cook-outs, occupied my heart. As much as I enjoyed my neighbors, I didn't mingle with them too often. I waved and chatted as they walked their dogs or waited for their kids to get on the school bus. Sporadic moments each week provided me all the connections with the neighbors I needed.

  When I craved adult attention, I checked in with my office. My assistant, my accountant, or a dozen other people in my professional life served as a reminder for why I wanted to be home alone with an infant. Even at home, calls rang my phone for unending hours each day. My ears bristled with voices clamoring for my advice and resolutions, pitches and prospects. Each new call brought a new question. The empire I fought to build still needed me in the wheelhouse but building the bond with my son took priority.

  Time away from the company gave Julian and me the right start to our life. I denied the need to return to my normal life and business routine until an unsettling dream one night. In the dream, a large impervious dome surrounded my house. Julian and I never ventured away. We remained isolated and sheltered. Encapsulated in a moment. Time passed all around us. Julian never grew up, but I aged and died leaving him alone and vulnerable.

  My dream carried a warning and I understood it as soon as I woke.

  To be the father my baby deserved, we couldn't hide in the house. A well-rounded life only comes from experience. Without others, the experiences would never happen, and he would never grow. Physically, perhaps, but never emotionally. The drive he'd need to fight for his dreams would never develop until I lifted the dome.

  I needed to make the break and return to the working world. A call to the IT department set me up to telework. However, during conference calls and video meetings, I needed someone to care for Julian. With a manny in the house during work hours, I maintain my business and my time with Julian. After checking-out several agencies, I chose Happy at Home.

  The placement manager, Robert, called it 'planning ahead.' Not starting immediately allowed the agency time to find the best match with the most open schedule. Waiting for the right fit would also help me accept surrendering control of my son’s care to a stranger.

  Two Mondays later, while all my hesitations and trepidation simmered just beneath the surface, the doorbell rang. The agency's photo didn't do justice to Chad's handsome features, but I soon discovered his looks were the only part of him I admired.

  After a few days, Chad learned our routines. However, once he became comfortable, he became lax. Within a few weeks, he developed a knack for being just late enough. Late enough to be noticed but not late enough to interfere with my plans or meetings. Reminders corrected him temporarily, but the effect slowly dissolved. Within a few weeks, he lost the initial excitement with the job. His previous desire for extra hours fizzled. He watched the proverbial timeclock. The final straw broke my back when his demeanor changed. Something shifted in him and he acted preoccupied. Julian’s room lacked fresh supplies when Chad’s day ended. I couldn't keep him around my child. I hated making the decision, because I considered the possibility of personal issues like an illness or a death. Thankfully, the agency handled my request and sent me a new manny.

  Tanner.

  Tanner stood at my front door, as tall as me with neatly trimmed Bourbon-colored hair, looking as though he just heard the click of a landmine under his foot. His clenched jaw reminded me of a snapped bear trap. For an instant, I wondered if he would be able to open his mouth to speak. Because of Chad, I didn't wear the most welcoming expression. At the sight of Tanner, however, I hesitated to keep from stammering like a schoolboy. This young man stole my thoughts, my voice, and my breath for several awkward seconds before I allowed him to enter my house.

  Once he entered, air escaped his lungs, and his shoulders dropped some tension. A professional demeanor kept Tanner stark and rigid. Well-groomed and better dressed than required, Tanner made his first impression nearly perfect if I ignored the anxiety and tension I likely caused him to feel. The stuffed backpack he carried confused me, this house offered more than he would need, including meals, why did he keep such a large bag?

  After the Chad incident, I decided to test Tanner. Was I the jerk for doing so? Perhaps, but I wanted to make sure the agency didn't send me another lazy brat trying to collect a paycheck. He didn’t carry himself the same as Chad and hopefully he would be better. Until I knew with certainty, I wouldn’t let my guard down.

  The ideal timing to test him came from Julian, who cried out with a challenge of his own. Without being shown where I stored Julian's bedding, changing supplies, toys, or clothing, Tanner encountered soggy sheets, blankets, pajamas, diaper, and a crying infant
simultaneously. He didn't panic or flinch at the challenge. Ignoring the wet sleeper, he held Julian. He bounced him in one arm to soothe him while he opened the drawers of the changing table and found everything except clothes. Once Julian was washed, dried, powdered, and re-diapered, Tanner turned to find his clothing into a game and slipped him into a new jumper.

  The next hurdle to complete Julian’s morning required me, however. As I nursed Julian, Tanner tossed the diaper, then stripped and washed the crib. All the wet clothes and bedding landed in the canvas hamper. New sheets and blankets freshened Julian's bed before I finished feeding him. He excused himself with the laundry and returned a moment later wearing a fresh shirt. Immediately I understood the reason for his backpack.

  Maybe I should thank Chad for being terrible, if I didn’t ask for his replacement, I would have Tanner now. By the end of the first day, I stopped comparing Chad to Tanner. During one of Julian's several naps, Tanner requested we have a meeting about my expectations. Normally, the nap-time routine consisted of me pumping several bottles of milk, but our meeting came first.

  We outlined the daily routine I expected him to follow and what Tanner needed from me to accomplish everything on my list. I never encountered a worker with such a strategic approach to expectations and goal-attainment. Those were concepts I expected from someone with management skills.

  "Your agency sent me your credentials, but how you approached this suggests you're more familiar with business," I said as we sat in the kitchen. He hesitated for a moment before responding. My comment caught him off guard, it seemed.

  "Well, every person is three-dimensional, with more than one set of interests. Not everything about me is in my CV." His russet eyes drew me in; the depth of their color pulled me to the edge of an abyss. What he talked about didn’t matter, as long as he talked to me.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply..." I corrected.

  "No, no reason to be sorry. You hardly know me, and your previous experience soured your perception of the company. Providing you and your son with the best care possible is my only wish and, if doing so changes your mind about our company, even better." The corners of his eyes wrinkled up when he smiled in a manner suggesting he spent a lot of his life smiling. Happy wrinkles relaxed me. They also hinted at his age. Tanner’s face hid his years well.

  "If you don't mind my asking, and tell me if you do, why did you choose Happy at Home? We're not the largest, not by a long shot. There are other nanny services, and the boy the agency sent you before sounded like a royal screw up, so why not change services?" Tanner's smiling eyes narrowed inquisitively, and the earlier hesitation in his voice disappeared.

  "Second chances. I believe in second chances. The company also didn't know how many second chances Chad received before I demanded a change. I'm surprised your bosses gave you so much information about him, or is Chad your friend?"

  "Uh, no. Never met him. I heard you weren't happy. Nothing more. If you're willing to tell me what areas he failed you in, it may help me give you better service."

  Again, he sounded like a businessman instead of a babysitter. "Forget about him."

  My interest in Tanner made me forget my schedule. The smartphone with my reminder notifications sat on my desk. Normally, it wouldn't leave my side. Literally. I kept it holstered to my belt or in my pants pocket every day. Tanner distracted me, but Julian's cry from the monitor broke the silence, and my focus on Tanner. I flipped my wrist and checked my watch.

  "Shit." I hissed. "My conference."

  "I'm sorry, I distracted you from your agenda, didn’t I?" Tanner apologized as he hurried off into Julian's room.

  Being the boss has the perks of setting your own hours, but it also means you can't dismiss your appointments because everyone else is running on your clock. In jeopardy of being late to a meeting I created, I darted into my office and clicked away on my laptop, making necessary connections for my video conference.

  Then suddenly, I sensed something was wrong. As the attendees to my meeting started populating at the bottom of my screen, my chest ached, and a coolness crossed me. I'm leaking. Ignoring Julian’s feeding schedule came back to haunt me at the worst possible time. I pressed my palm to my chest. My dark shirt showed the wetness. I couldn't be seen with two dripping faucets when no one beyond my immediate circle is aware I am an Omega.

  During the time I spent talking with Tanner, I should have been pumping bottles. Now, panic set in. Outside my office door, Tanner paced, bouncing Julian and trying to soothe him. Concentrating on the meeting would be virtually impossible because of my instinct to feed Julian and worrying if someone in the meeting noticed a damn shirt.

  Tanner took Julian back into the nursery, then entered my office. What was he thinking bringing the baby in here? Given how he’s solved problems so far today, I granted him some leeway.

  The clock ticked closer to the meeting time. The callers sat muted, waiting for me to turn on my mic and video initiating the meeting.

  "The bottles are empty. There are no pouches in either the freezer or the refrigerator." Tanner whispered. The expression on his face carried serious concern and mischief at once, yet I trusted him. He had a solution, as I expected, but would I like it?

  He placed a finger to his lips and pointed to my computer screen. I nodded; the awaiting callers sat blind and deaf to Tanner’s unfolding plan. He shifted my office chair and my laptop screen in opposite directions. He shuttered the blinds behind me and moved the desk light to put everything other than my face in deep shadow.

  "What are you doing? You need to care for Julian." I protested as time ticked down the start of the meeting.

  "And I am. Without bottles, your body is the only thing capable of soothing his hunger now. If I need to be creative to ensure he's fed, I will get creative. Now, be still and let me work. Don't begin your conversation until I say." Tanner left, returning with Julian wailing, demanding his lunch.

  Sitting parallel to my desk, I allowed Tanner to continue. Refusal wasn't an option, Tanner took control. For the first time in a while, someone beside me took responsibility for the solution.

  "Gather your notes and prepare for your meeting, ignore me." Tanner laid Julian, bundled in his blankets, on the floor. Unbuttoning my shirt up to desk level, Tanner exposed my budding left nipple. The thought unsettled me. I only met Tanner this morning, now being undressed by him left me feeling vulnerable.

  Within seconds of Tanner opening my shirt, he guided Julian to my nipple and laid him in my arm. Folding the open shirt down, he covered us both. From the perspective of the webcam, I sat casually. Parallel to the desk, with my left ankle, crossed over my right knee, Tanner executed a flawless disguise.

  "You're running the meeting, and you're the boss, so tell them to email questions to you later; you're on a tight schedule today and can't answer questions." He placed the mouse in my right hand to run the PowerPoint slides, "You don't need your left arm for anything other than holding your babe and filling his little belly. I'll be right here, just in case." Tanner stepped back.

  The meeting started a few minutes late. I conjured an excuse for being tardy, but never needed it. Once more, Tanner showed me his keen understanding of both childcare and business. Now, he just combined them. All-day long, he gave me a dozen tiny reasons to appreciate him. I admit some of those reasons were his handsome features, commanding, and controlling presence, sexy voice, and strong body.

  With Tanner observing, I piloted the meeting to ensure a quick end to prevent anyone learning I'm an Omega. The select few who know swear silence or face the consequences. Non-Disclosure Agreements are powerful tools.

  There's still a stigma to my kind, a hurdle for me to overcome, especially in the business world. Many believe an Omega can’t command an entire corporation. They believe we cannot focus on work once we're mated and pregnant. Others still don’t believe we should exist.

  Alphas don't endure such prejudices, which might be due to their ability to breed with
a female, or 'mate' with a non-Omega man. Omegas don't have such a luxury. Biological imperatives are impossible to ignore. Prejudices about Omega biology are why I kept my social life and my Omega life hidden, didn't take a mate, and battled against my urge to breed for as long as possible. Yet, I still couldn't deny it.

  People will find out, eventually. I'm not ashamed of my son. I simply don't want the world to learn shipping magnate Nolan Tryffan is a single, IVF-impregnated, never-mated Omega because I breastfed Julian during a video conference. When the world learns, it will be on my terms.

  Chapter 6

  Tanner

  Whew! What a day. My body dissolved into the leather of my Jeep's driver seat with a single exhale. I managed to wrangle an ornery infant and put a distracted Omega back on schedule with both of his jobs. Dodging the heat-seeking missiles during the video conference was a bit of expert navigating, if I may pat my own back. I never imagined my 'Manny' day would include hiding a breastfeeding baby from corporate executives and clients in several countries. I suppose Nolan didn't expect it from my first day either. After my precarious introduction to the amazing Julian, I suspected I earned dad's faith. The video conference affair sealed the deal on trust.

  Yet, I worry about how to approach the topic of introducing a new manny in the coming weeks. After all, I run the company, I don't have the option of wearing two full-time hats. Julian's manny most certainly counts as a full-time position, especially because of his father’s commitments. It’s a shame I’ll have to give up this gig to one of our employees in the coming weeks, I am already smitten with both baby and daddy.

  The engine idled momentarily and then cut-out. Ugh, I will never get accustomed to these 'sentient' vehicles conserving fuel by shutting off. I pressed the ignition button again and pulled away. With any luck, Nolan didn't see me hanging out in front of his house for a few extra minutes, like some creepy stalker. I needed a moment to myself before I put the Jeep into Drive.