“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” Nix suggested, placing me in the blankets I had pulled back earlier when I’d rushed out to check on Orsen’s wing.
“What if I’m not sleepy?” I said, but the meaning of my words was somewhat tarnished by the fact that I yawned in the middle of them.
“Clearly, you’re wide awake and full of energy.” He laughed, grabbing a few extra blankets and throwing them over me. “We need to get you a space heater in here.” He said the last part more to himself than to me, but I still hummed in agreement. Sometimes, the nights were bitterly cold, and a space heater wouldn’t go amiss. Usually, I just piled on blankets and hoped for the best.
The fact that Nix was thinking about my comfort made my insides a little mushy. The sweet golden retriever of an Alpha was carving a space for himself in my heart, and I was starting to worry that I wouldn’t be able to walk away.
Not that I wanted to.
“My mind is awake, but my body isn’t,” I muttered, fighting the lethargy weighing my limbs down.
The bed dipped as Nix lay beside me, propping his head on his elbow and watching over me. His blond curls were even messier than normal, which made sense, considering what we had just done.
“Well, that is awfully rude of your body, isn’t it?”
“Blame your stupid clanmate,” I mumbled sleepily.
Nix was quiet for a moment. If I had the energy, I would have opened my eyes.
“Do you regret it?” he finally asked in a soft voice.
Keeping my eyes closed, I turned and wiggledtoward him, so my face was pressed against his chest. As if automatically, his arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer to the firm planes of his muscled chest.
“Ask me in the morning. I’m too tired to care right now.”
The truth was, I wasn’t sure. The emotions swirling around my sleep-addled mind were confusing. On the one hand, I was happy; on the other, I was terrified.
“I guess that means we did a good job. Clans have one thing right: teamwork is where it’s at.”
“Maybe I’m just not used to having a player two, in general, let alone a player three,” I said.
“That shouldn’t make me happy, but it does. You belong with us. I’m going to spend the rest of my days convincing you of that. Did you happen to know that orgasms are very persuasive? Also, I don’t know if I was clear, but my clan and I are going to be youronlyplayer twos. Even if you choose to leave, I’ll be sticking to your ass like a barnacle.”
I hummed in agreement. “I can see that. I’m in quite an amenable mood.”
“Do you still want to stab Bastian?”
“I said amenable, not psychotic. Of course, I still want to stab him,” I grumbled, shifting so I was pressed against him even more.
My head jiggled as he laughed. For a moment, we just lay there, enjoying each other’s company. My entire body felt heavy with exhaustion, and I wanted nothing more than to rest.
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked after a moment.
Did I? It was a fine line between keeping my distance and letting them in, and I felt like I was starting to toe it.
My hands clenched, keeping him close. “You can stay for a bit,” I offered. “I’ve got to be up early. There are some patients coming to the clinic.”
“You really are amazing, you know that?” he whispered.
“I try my best.” I chuckled sleepily, my mind goingfuzzy as sleep finally started to claim me.
His whispered words were the last thing I heard. “Sleep, Ro.”
“A little birdie told me you had a good time at the flight last night,” Griffin said as he sat down next to me at breakfast, a large grin plastered on his face.
I had woken up alone. A small part of me had been disappointed that Nix wasn’t there. But when I had reached out and touched his side of the bed, it had been warm, so he’d probably only left a few minutes prior.
In a move highly unlike me, I had slept like the dead—no nightmares or tossing and turning. Usually, I would need a little herbal help to sleepthatdeeply.
