Chapter 14

Fourteen

"That's it, guys. Thanks so much for all your help." Kaleb tipped the last of the movers, then shut the front door of the house and locked it.

He leaned against the big, heavy wood piece for a moment, grinning.

Their friends had offered to help them move, but he and Charlie had told them no. And when his alpha club buddies had protested, Kaleb had taken them aside and explained.

He had a brand-new bed and a new walk-in shower, a pregnant mate who might soon be getting too big to have energetic sex in said shower, and a moving-in day that had been delayed another two weeks by a broken piece of pipe in the basement.

It was time for him and Charlie to be alone in their house, and not having pizza with twenty of their closest friends. Movers knew when to leave.

So after a promise to have everyone up for supper this weekend, he and Charlie were just that.

Alone in their house except for the canines.

Speaking of which. He looked at Trin and Neo. "You guys ready to eat?"

At their bouncing and woofing, he grinned and headed for the kitchen.

"Baby? I'm feeding the dogs."

When he got no answer, he chuckled and pulled out his phone to text Charlie. Feeding the dogs. Where r u?>

Putting sheets on the bed. Down in a few>

That was a major hazard of their house. No one could hear anyone else.

"Come on, hooligans. Supper time."

The puppers followed him to the kitchen, and he opened cans and mixed the food with kibbles, adding a bit of leftover beef from a steak dinner at Fuel the night before. They loved those little tidbits, and they worked them off easily.

"Hey, love." Charlie hustled in, out of breath. "I was making the bed."

"Look at you, being all industrious." He beamed at Charlie, then washed his hands before grabbing Charlie for a kiss. "Mostly alone at last."

"Woo-hoo." Charlie wrapped both arms around his neck. "Mmm. So what are we having for supper?"

"I think we have a nice entree salad in the fridge that Ryan sent for us. So we can just pop a bottle of fake wine and have that, yeah?" He and Charlie had discovered sparkling grape juice wasn't a bad substitute for wine while Charlie was pregnant.

"Oh, that sounds great. He's such a sweetie."

Ryan did catering out of the hotel, working with Charlie's friend Bridget. He was also married to King, who was the chef at Fuel.

Everything in Secret Springs was connected somehow.

"He is. And the salad smells amazing." It was some sort of Mediterranean thing with chicken. Charlie was back to being able to eat chicken like a champ.

"This is amazing. I can't believe we're home." Charlie leaned against him. "I can't believe that Vicki paid to have my storage building packed and shipped. She said it was her wedding present."

Charlie had a few pieces of furniture, a sewing machine, and a bunch of books. It was adorable.

"I told you we just needed to reach out." Charlie's siblings had both responded well when Charlie had messaged them, and Kaleb couldn't be more glad. "I'm tickled they're coming to the wedding."

Kaleb had sorted through his own storage unit and gotten rid of some of the more modern, impersonal pieces from his condo in Denver, preferring to shop with Charlie all over the Western Slope for more vintage pieces in keeping with the house.

It was something they both loved, and they could spend hours wandering. Especially since they'd found Warrick at the Fuzzy Butt Doggie Daycare. The dogs loved that place, and War even did overnights at his own house, which was behind the vet office and daycare.

"Mmm. Thanks to you, I did get a hold of them." Charlie kissed him again, then moved to pull out the salad and a pair of plastic forks, since nothing was unpacked in the kitchen but coffee pods and the Keurig for tomorrow morning. "She's flying in with Victor. They'll be here two days before the wedding."

"Yay. We'll have the guest wing ready by then, huh?" Or at least enough rooms in it.

"Absolutely. Those rooms were in the best shape. The guy is coming to install the claw foot tubs next week."

"Oh good." Their en suite was pristine, but the other bathrooms were still a work in progress, save the two powder rooms down on this level.

The days Charlie spent at the hotel were coming fewer and farther between, too. Two weeks training had become one, and five days a week designing had turned into two.

The house was a huge undertaking, but Charlie was also tiring more easily, his body telling him to take it slower. Jack was very understanding. Hell, the man had all sorts of advice for Kaleb.

The main part of which was "watch your omega" and "keep him busy with safe things."

Thankfully, Kaleb was super good at watching Charlie do just about anything.

They sat across from each other at the dinette they'd put into the eat-in area of the kitchen, grinning at each other as they dug into their salad.

"So are you happy with the basics, baby?" Kaleb asked.

"I'm just excited to sleep in our own bed tonight, you know? Everything is good, though, solid." Charlie smiled at him. "It's starting to feel like a home, isn't it?"

"It really is." He needed to send Kynan and his crew a bonus. They'd really dug in and gotten shit done.

"I still think my favorite room is the sunroom, although the balcony from our bedroom is going to be amazing."

"It is." And he wasn't having his Charlie out there until he was absolutely sure it was safe. Not structurally; that he knew was just fine. But ghost-wise? He had to make sure no one was going to shove Charlie off.

And he'd never in his life thought he'd have to say something like that.

"I'm going to put two chaises out there, and a table. Or maybe one of those larger two-man lounges with two side tables, then we could snuggle…"

"Oh, now see, that's the best idea. Keep a stack of blankets and a warmer right by the door…"

"Yeah? We could just make ourselves a little oasis, a private balcony to watch the town."

"We could." That sounded so good to him. They'd put a bassinette in the bedroom, and that way the baby would be right there, but not out in the cold with them. He already had the baby monitors on order.

The crib was in the room next to theirs, along with two soft recliners and a changing table. All in all, he felt like this was going to be a good home.

Charlie forked up a piece of chicken and studied it. Then he ate it, which was a good sign. That meant he thought he could keep it down.

"It's really good, isn't it?" Charlie asked.

"It is. Ryan doesn't steer us wrong." He grinned at Charlie, feeling the good kind of tired. Not that he couldn't expend a little more energy.

Charlie reached out and stroked his thigh, hand heavy and hot.

"Mmm." This was so nice. Just to sit in their kitchen and love each other while they ate supper. "Hello, there."

"Hey…" That hand moved up higher, toward his cock.

"Did you want to put the salad back for a bit? We could go upstairs and test the view."

"I'd love that—testing the view. Together." Charlie cupped his cock.

"Then let's do that." He closed up the salad, dropping a kiss on Charlie's mouth as he rose to put it in the fridge. "Let me let the dogs out. I don't want to just let them roam the first few days. Until they're used to being up here full time."

"Of course not. They are our family." Charlie kissed him, then whistled up the dogs, who ran outside, galumphing along.

He grinned, rinsing off the forks to leave on the counter for afterward, then washing the dogs' bowls. They would just close the bedroom door when they got up there. Charlie had never opposed sleeping with the dogs, but Kaleb drew the line at spectator sex.

Some things didn't need an audience.

When the dogs were safely in, they headed upstairs hand in hand, their steps echoing in the huge main hall. Yeah, he could see getting a very good sound system…

"We're going to make love in our bed." Charlie was bouncing.

"We are." And his cock was already hardening. He wanted Charlie badly, wanted to prove to his lover, his fiancé, how desired he was. They closed the bedroom door behind them, and he locked it, because Neo and Trin knew how to open doors. They had to work at it, but they were tall enough to manage it.

Charlie knew just what he was doing, and the soft laughter amused the hell out of him.

"Laughing at me," he murmured, turning to pull Charlie into his arms.

"No. At the dogs. They'll be right outside whining when we're done."

"I refuse to feel guilty," Kaleb said before bending to take a kiss.

"No guilt." Charlie went up on tiptoe, belly pressing against him.

"None." He kissed that sweet mouth again, loving the feel of Charlie leaning on his chest, holding his shoulders for balance.

He wanted to feel his lover—all the way to the bone.

They walked to the big bed, which wasn't quite the fairy-tale bower he wanted to make for Charlie yet, but the big monster wore clean sheets, and the brand-new mattress was like a firm cloud when they sat on it.

And his omega seemed utterly over the moon, genuinely. "Oh, we're home."

Charlie reached for him, lips pressing against his, inviting him in to taste. He did just that, tongue sliding in to taste, and he moaned at how perfectly they fit together.

They always did, but this time was even more special, and Kaleb felt that in the air.

Charlie worked his belt open, then his fly. "I need you, love. I need your cock."

"Anything you want tonight. I'll give it, and I won't give up." He reached up to tug on Charlie's shirt.

"You never do, my love. You never let me down." Charlie held his gaze, so serious. "You're my hero."

"Am I?" Charlie was his hero. Charlie had been through so much and he still had so much love to give. He never complained, either. Even when he'd been working himself to the bone, he'd just gotten up every day. "Mutual admiration."

"Perfect." Charlie pushed at his jeans. "Admire more."

Kaleb cracked up, hands moving to unfasten Charlie's pants as well. "I can do that. I can so do that."

"I like how you do."

He grinned, easing Charlie's pants down, fascinated at how his love's body was changing with the baby. He had to explore that, sliding his hands over every new contour.

The sweet rounded belly fascinated him, the skin just beginning to stretch, and he loved the way his omega felt under his fingers.

Charlie wiggled. "Now you."

"Hmm?"

"Clothes." Tugging again, Charlie started to help him strip.

"Right. Right, I almost forgot. You make me dizzy." And Kaleb needed Charlie more than was reasonable.

"I want to. Not dizzy so you fall down, but dizzy so you feel good."

"Oh, baby, you make me feel better than I ever have." He got them both completely stripped, then stretched out with Charlie on the bed.

Charlie grinned at him, the look naughty enough to go straight to his balls. So he kissed that smiling mouth again, his hand on Charlie's ass to pull them together at the hip, their cocks rubbing.

His lover was already hard, the hot column of flesh sliding over his belly.

Kaleb moaned, his body bucking, his balls tight already. So damn hot. Charlie made his knot swell before they were even joined together.

Charlie slid down, hot tongue dragging over his chest, teasing at his belly. His omega stared up at him, hungry, starving for his attention.

He sank a hand into Charlie's hair, nodding, waiting for the feel of that hot mouth even lower.

Charlie gave it to him, loving on him, laving the head of his cock, tongue rough and heated. Every muscle in Kaleb's body tensed, his breath coming in sharply.

He spread wide, letting Charlie settle in between his legs, offering himself up eagerly. And Charlie took what he was offering, sinking down to lick and suck, hands on his thighs.

God, that felt so good. Charlie was so giving. So perfect. He wanted everything his omega could give and more.

Charlie worked him, the pressure and pleasure mixed together to make his eyes cross. He watched Charlie's mouth on him, watched the way Charlie shook for him, and he moaned, his knot starting to swell.

"My knot… Charlie, I want you to ride me."

Charlie licked all around his knot, the little tickling touches enough to drive a man mad. "Do you?"

Sweet tease.

"I do. And if you don't hurry up and get astride, I won't even be able to get inside you."

"Mmm." Charlie gave one last lick before sliding up along his body, rubbing all the way. That was enough to make him grunt, his eyes trying to close.

Charlie straddled him, that sweet hole wet and ready for him, needing to be filled. He pressed two fingers against it, knowing Charlie could take the stretch, and prepared Charlie as fast as he could. He needed inside.

Now.

"No teasing. I need you. It's been days. At least days." Charlie shifted down, hole nudging his cock.

"We've been—uhn—we've been busy." But this was necessary, and he was so damn glad they had time and they were together. It was perfect. He pulled Charlie down on his cock, so ready to really move.

His eyes crossed, the heat surrounding him and making him gasp. Charlie cried out, his hips rolling, driving them down together.

He grabbed those lean hips, helping Charlie move up, then down. Kaleb needed friction. He needed to watch Charlie come apart while he knotted that sweet ass. He could do this all day every day if his body would let him and the world would just butt out.

"Focus. Focus, lover. I need your knot filling me up."

"I am focused, baby. I promise. I want you so bad. Just keep moving. Don't stop." He kept Charlie moving, gaze on Charlie's face. He didn't want to miss a moment of this. Not one.

"Not stopping." Charlie sounded near desperate, the expression on his omega's face one of pure bliss. The dark blue eyes were fastened onto him, while Charlie's pretty pink lips were parted, and he could just see the tip of Charlie's tongue, lapping at them restlessly.

Suddenly it was if Kaleb couldn't breathe. His balls were so tight that his toes curled up in response, and he reached out and grabbed Charlie's hips, pulling him down harder and harder. His knot swelled until he could barely force himself into the tight wet hole.

But that was where he needed to be, and that was where Charlie needed him, so that was what was going to happen.

"Love." He bit the single word out, barely putting breath behind it, but somehow it was so loud that it echoed in their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

Their bed.

Their space.

Charlie arched for him, that sweet belly pushing out as his head fell back. "Don't stop. Please, love, don't stop." This time, it was Charlie begging, but that wasn't going to happen. Not now. Not when they both needed this so much.

He bent his knees to give Charlie some pressure, something to balance against as he formed a chair out of his body. Suddenly, he was in that sweet, tight body, and Charlie was rippling around his knot, making him roar with the sensation of it.

He reached out his hand, finding Charlie's sweet dripping cock. He began to tug, needing his omega to come with him, to jump over the edge with him.

"Come on, babe," he muttered. "Let's do this thing."

"I'm right here with you."

At least he thought that's what Charlie said. Really all that he heard was the rushing of air in his ears, but Charlie gave him a gasp and a nod, and then that sweet body flushed, the rosy heat climbing up his belly and into his chest.

Charlie came a heartbeat before he did, and he was incredibly grateful for that because he shorted out. The world went sparkly and gray with the force of his orgasm. He knew Charlie wanted him, but this had been special. This had been like heat sex, but bigger, hungrier.

It felt like something more real, and all he could think was that it was because they were finally home together.

Home in their bedroom.

In their home, ghosts or no.

When he floated back into his head, he reached up and eased Charlie down on his chest, their bodies still joined by his knot. He pulled the blankets around them, cradling them together.

"Nap?" he suggested, because neither of them were going anywhere.

"Can there be ice cream afterward? Chocolate with whipped cream and a cherry?"

"You know it, babe. Anything for my Charlie."