“Normally, yes. But you caught me at a good time, and these dogs weren’t earmarked to anyone else yet. I think they’ll do great in a ranch environment, too.”
We chatted for a while longer and promised to stay in touch.
I couldn’t wait to tell Payton that there would be four Rottweilers and a Cane Corso guarding the ranch soon. The boy would get a huge kick out of it.
It was good to see the youngest twins again that night at dinner. I hadn’t spent a lot of time with them in the past, but they’d come to a few shows over the years, and like all the Harringtons, they got backstage access.
Judson and Keegan were clearly different sides of the same coin, much more than Emery and Demi were. Maybe it was the whole being identical thing, or just that they were the samegender, but rarely had I seen two people as in sync with each other.
The dinner, raucous as it could be at times, just showed more of how easygoing the family was. There was so damn much love around that table that it almost made me want to call my mom.
Emery looked exhausted in a way that told me he’d had a rough day. Everyone else seemed to realize that, too, because they let him be on the sidelines of conversations and didn’t ask him about his day. Smart move, given that he was a doctor and anyone who saw a healthcare worker look this way after a shift knew better than to ask.
I gave him a smile before I left the house, and knew that he’d join me if he wanted to and felt up for it. Just to be sure, about half an hour later, I texted him.
There’s space for just sleeping, if that’s what you need tonight.
As soon as I sent it, I felt awkward. Did I want to fuck him again? Obviously. Were we friends? Kind of.
Standing in the shower, I tried to figure out what exactly bothered me about sending the message in the first place. I would’ve extended that kindness to any friend, so why did this feel different?
I was still puzzling over my own words and reactions by the time his reply came as I stepped out of the shower.
I need to be cuddled hard. OMW
Chapter 6
Emery
Since Ville was expecting me, I didn’t even bother knocking. I just walked right into the cabin. Ville’s head whipped around, a soft smile crossed his face, and he stood quickly. I pointed at him as I blindly shut and locked the door behind me.
“Stay right there,” I demanded, kicking off my shoes. I fished my phone out of my pocket and dropped it onto the sideboard as well. “I need to be squished.”
Ville’s brows creased as he watched me walk toward him. “Okay?”
I flopped backward onto the couch, slid down so I filled the length of it, then lifted my arms up and out. “Commence with the squishing.”
He didn’t move. After a second, he said, “If I lay on top of you, you won’t be able to breathe.”
“Yes, exactly.” I nodded for good measure.
This did not convince him. “Emery—”
“I need you to lay on top of me, be a human weighted blanket, and shove me back into my body,” I said earnestly. This did not seem to help his confusion. In fact, it had the exact opposite effect. I sighed. “The deep pressure will help regulate my nervous system.”
Ville still looked like he didn’t quite get it. Perhaps he’d never been in need of squishing before. But this time, at least, he did as I asked. Mostly. He did lay on top of me, molding his body to mine, but he still positioned his arms to keep some of his weight off my chest. I appreciated the gesture, and his consideration, but it wasn’t what I needed.
“Please, sugar. I need it.”
That was all it took. He finally gave me all of his weight, sliding his arms underneath me to hug me tightly. I released a long, slow breath and yeah, it wasn’t exactly easy to draw in a new one, but it didn’t matter. That fast, and I already felt my body creeping out of fight or flight mode into something calmer.
“You okay?” Ville murmured into the skin of my neck. A zing went down my spine, but he was holding me so tightly, I couldn’t even shiver.
“Yeah,” I whispered. That was all I had the breath for. “Just…had a day.”
Ville let that sit between us for a long moment before he asked, “Want to talk about it?”
“I can’t.” I had to fight for a breath. Ville’s whole body moved with the motion. He immediately tried to adjust his position but I trapped him with both my arms and legs. He let out a quick chuckle and settled back down. “I can…talk around it…though.”
