Resigned to her fate, she plodded back into the house.
“Thank you for being here,” Vincent said. He looked over his shoulder to check if Nikki was gone, then closed the door and stood on the stoop a moment longer. “I know that you’re likely still sore from the procedure yesterday.”
“I’m okay. A little sore, but okay.” An itch crept from Mal’s fingers to his wrists, daring him to reach out and touch Vincent while they stood together on the stoop. Out here, who was going to see? Aurora was a big city. No one from Vincent’s team would see. But even while the impulse gnawed on his self-control, Mal knew better than to tempt fate. Standing outside for as long as they had while together was already pushing the envelope. “We should head in. Closed doors, and all that.”
“I don’t think Dr. Biernacki is so obsessed that he’s stalking me, if that’s what you’re getting at.” Vincent opened the door regardless. “To be fair, as the operating ethics official on the team, Dr. Biernacki has arightto be suspicious of every little thing. We’re the ones in the wrong here.”
“I suppose.” Mal followed Vincent inside and closed the door behind him. The richly satisfying smell of baking tomato sauce, oregano, and melting cheese filled the house—the lasagna smelled divine. “But there’s this look in his eyes… I don’t know. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.”
“I think we both might be.” Vincent tucked his hands into his back pockets and waited for Mal before he headed down the hall. They walked side by side at a casual pace. “It’ll be over soon enough. There are only a few more days left before the embryos will be ready for transfer, and after that, interest will more or less shift to the next group of subjects.”
At the end of the hall to the right was the entryway to the dining room. Nikki was already inside, standing in front of a folding table that hadn’t been in the room the last time Mal had visited. On the table were several presents wrapped in colorfully designed papers. Mal’s gift sat front and center amongst them.
Nikki faced the presents. Her hands were folded behind her back, her palms facing away from her body. She rocked back and forth rhythmically, like by doing so, she could mimic, and maybe accelerate, the ticking of the clock. When Vincent and Mal entered the room, she looked over her shoulder, then pushed her lips to the side like she was contemplating something.
“You look like you’re up to trouble,” Vincent observed.
“I’m not.” Nikki spun around. “I’m being good. None of my presents are even open, see? I’m beinggood.”
“Can you be good and wash up for dinner?” Vincent asked. “The sooner you get your hands washed—properlywashed—the sooner we can eat, and that means—”
“Presents!” Nikki cried, already on the run. Her bare feet pounded on the floor, and Mal heard her even after she’d left the room. As she ran, she called out, “Mal, you wash up, too!”
“Okay!”
“Not okay,” Vincent murmured against the back of Mal’s ear. Vincent caught him by the waist and tugged him against his chest. “I have something to tell you first.”
“Oh?” A shiver of delight passed down Mal’s spine. When it reached the small of his back, he pushed his ass gently against Vincent’s groin. A little bit of fun couldn’t hurt. Not when he felt so good.
“Eleven eggs were fertilized.” Vincent’s mouth met the crook of Mal’s neck, his wolfish grin a kiss Mal would never forget. “Of those, six appear to be exemplary specimen. We’ll have enough to transferandfreeze. If this round doesn’t work, you’ll have another chance.”
Like a zipper coming suddenly undone, a widening V of pleasure plunged through Mal’s body, following the length of his spine. It pooled in his gut and expanded his mind, leaving him momentarily speechless. Vincent nuzzled against his neck, planting chaste kisses wherever he could reach. The short, soft hairs along his jaw grazed Mal’s shoulder.
“Enough to freeze?” Mal asked in amazement. “When I was going through IVF before…”
“I know.” Vincent nipped, not hard enough to make a mark, but enough that Mal felt the firmness of his teeth. “This isn’t like anything we’ve seen before. These are the kind of results we’d expect from someone in their early thirties… and it means that your chances of conceiving…”
“Are good,” Mal whispered. For the last half-year, he’d pored over statistics and familiarized himself with the procedure as well as he could. If Vincent was set to implant three exceptional embryos in him, the chances that one would take were high.
“I’m going to get you pregnant.” Vincent’s hands ran from Mal’s hips over his stomach, stroking skin that would one day stretch taut and distend. “I’m going to make you a daddy.”
Mal closed his eyes, but tears spilled from between their cracks regardless. The IVF procedure had left him disappointed before, and he knew better than to get his hopes up, especially considering his age, but this time would be different. Six exemplary specimen, six chances to get this right, and one man who he trusted more than anything to see him through the process.
“You’d better go wash up now.” The mischief and magic of the moment faded. Vincent’s hands trailed from Mal’s stomach to his hips, then, in parting, he tapped his ass. “If Nikki finds out that you’re not taking her birthday dinner seriously, she might ask you to leave.”
Mal brushed the tears from his eyes. He grinned. Mood brighter than ever, ready for whatever struggles and successes he was to encounter next, he turned to face Vincent. “Once she sees what’s in the box, she’s going to change her mind.”
“You found it?” Vincent crossed his arms over his chest. “How?”
“A little bit of luck, a little bit of bargaining, and a little bit of internet prowess.” Mal grinned. The item in question was an action doll of none other than Haraleah fromHeaven, Lockedthat had been sold out in stores for months. Finding a seller and having it shipped express had cost him, but the look on Nikki’s face would be worth it. “She’s going to flip.”
“Who’s going to flip?” Nikki asked as she made her way back into the room. Not only were her hands washed, but she’d brushed her hair as well. “Is itme?Because it’s mybirthday?”
“Maybe,” Vincent said, giving Mal a wink as he stepped in Nikki’s direction to guide her toward the kitchen. “You’ll have to wait to see a little later.”
Nikki groaned.
“While you’re waiting to find out, let’s go get you seated at the table. The lasagna’s just about to come out of the oven, and while it’s cooling, we’ll cook the garlic bread.”
