He climbs off the bed. “Okay. I’m gonna make something with Murph.”
She frowns. “Is he awake?”
“I’m awake,” Murph calls out from down the hallway. “Come on, rugrat. We’ll work on that surprise for your mom.”
“Surprise?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “He refuses to tell me what it is, and I thought I’d have gotten it out of him by now.” She turns back to Ben. “Go work on your surprise with Murph for now. I’ll be out in a bit to brush your teeth and get you dressed.”
“I can do that.” Murph appears in the doorway.
I hold my breath as he walks toward the bed, bends, and touches his mouth to Rose’s. “Morning, sweetheart.”
“Morning,” she says quietly, cheeks flushing. “And thanks.”
Murph straightens. “Take a little longer in bed. You need the rest. I know you were waiting up for Joel last night.” His eyes flick to the bite on Rose’s neck.
My brother’s warning and his promise to avenge me if Murph kills me for taking things too far with Rose flash through my mind.
So long, brother. It was nice knowing you.
But Murph turns away without a word. He takes Ben’s hand, and they leave to build whatever it is they’ve been keeping secret from Rose. This is the first I’m hearing of the surprise, but there’s no use asking him to spill the beans. If anyone knows how to keep his mouth shut, it’s Murph.
“And Joel?” Murph stops at the doorway and turns to face me.
I’d started breathing again, but at those two words, every muscle in my body tenses. “Yeah?” I ask hesitantly.
“Quit holding your breath. Idiot.”
And they leave. Murph pulls the door closed, and I hear him asking Ben about his dream, and Ben telling him all about it.
I look at Rose. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that.”
“He said he wasn’t going to kill you for sleeping with me, Joel.”
I draw her close, and we both lie down again. “Knowing and being certain are not the same thing.”
“I was worried about how Ben would react. I told him you all wanted us to be a pack, and he was fine with it, but finding us in bed together might have been more than he could handle. I’m surprised how well he took it.”
“Ben’s smart. He knows how we feel about you, and I’m pretty sure he knows how you feel about us too.” I brush the hair from her face as I peer down at her. Further down the hallway, Ben is giggling, and Murph is hushing him. Win asks what they’re whispering about, and gets loudly hushed by both.
We grin at each other.
“What do you think you’re building in that spare room?” she asks, voice low.
“No idea.” I bend my head and lick my bite on her neck.
Her breath catches. “Joel…”
“I estimate we have…” I kiss the bite, and a soft sound escapes her throat. “Maybe ten minutes before I have to get up for work, or Ben might barge in again.”
Her hands slide up over my back. “And how do you propose we spend those ten minutes?”
I lift my head to peer down at her. “Do you trust yourself not to scream or make too much noise? I’m not leaving this bed until you’ve come twice.”
She swallows. “Um. No.”
“No to coming twice or keeping quiet?”
