Page 33 of Boss and Brat

He left Ethan and headed down the hall, but sleep didn’t come any easier than before. He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling fan again, listening to every creak of the cabin. Every shift of the wind. Every sound that didn’t belong.

He kept replaying the sight of those two men at the barn door. The way Ethan stood barefoot in the cold, trying to look calmwhen he was shaking. Carter turned over, punched his pillow once, and closed his eyes. Still nothing.

A soft knock broke the silence. Not loud. Not urgent. Just… hesitant.

Carter sat up. “Yeah?”

The door cracked open. Ethan stood there in the dim hallway light, hair messy, T-shirt wrinkled, eyes too wide for someone pretending to be fine. The bulge in the kid’s underwear, struggling to break free, didn’t go unnoticed.

“Sorry,” Ethan said, voice low. “I can’t sleep.”

Carter didn’t need an explanation. Dressed only in his underwear, he swung his legs out of the warm bed and onto the floor. “Come on.”

They walked to the kitchen. The cabin felt warmer with Ethan in it, like the place had been waiting for him. Carter grabbed a pot, poured milk into it, and warmed it on the stove. Ethan leaned against the counter, arms folded tightly across his chest. Most likely Mr. Evans would not approve of this intimate scene with his son in the kitchen. Too bad.

“Have you ever had warm chocolate milk?” Carter asked.

Ethan shook his head. “Not since I was a kid.”

“Good time to bring it back.”

The milk warmed, steam curling up. Carter stirred in cocoa, keeping his movements slow and steady. Ethan watched him as if the simple act was something grounding. When Carter handed him the mug, Ethan wrapped both hands around it, soaking up the heat.

“They’re going to come back,” Ethan said. “Those guys. They didn’t look done.”

Carter leaned against the counter beside him. “They’re not getting near you.”

Ethan stared into the mug. “You don’t know them.”

“I don’t need to,” Carter said. “I know me.”

“I don’t want to drag you into my mess.”

“You didn’t drag me anywhere,” Carter said. “I stepped in.”

Ethan looked up then, eyes tired and scared and trying hard not to show it. “I don’t feel safe.”

Carter didn’t sugarcoat it. “You’re staying here. In this cabin. End of discussion.”

Ethan blinked, surprised. “For tonight?”

“For as long as you need,” Carter said. “No one’s touching you while you’re under my roof.” The words came out calm, but the promise behind them was solid as steel.

“My father won’t let me stay here.”

“I told you I’d handle your father.”

Ethan let out a shaky breath, shoulders dropping a little. “Okay.”

Carter nodded toward the hallway. “Finish your milk. Then get back to bed.”

Ethan hesitated. “You’ll be here?”

“Right down the hall.”

Ethan nodded again, slower this time. “Alright.”

“Sleep well, Ethan.”