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I walked through the living area, noting the scattered pillows from the couch, and then continued to my bedroom, stopping in my tracks. Garrett was in my bed, sprawled out, dead to the world. I took a cautious step forward, trying to figure out what was going on here, when I noticed the empty fifth of whiskey on my nightstand.
“Garrett,” I said, impatience rising to the surface, even as the sight of him in my bed made my body come alive. I strode toward the bed, reaching down to shake his shoulder. “Wake up.”
He groaned, moving slightly, but then a loud snore filled the air. I rolled my eyes. The idiot had gone and gotten drunk then passed out in my bed. But why?
I shook him again, speaking louder this time. “What are you doing in here, Garrett? Wake up.”
He rolled over, opened one eye, and then gave me a groggy smile. “Hey, gorgeous. There you are.”
I pursed my lips, a hand on my hip. “Why are you in my room?”
He blinked, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. Then he groaned again, bringing a hand to his head. A headache served him right drinking that much. “What time is it?”
I glanced at my watch. “A little after midnight.”
His gaze was unfocused as he looked me up and down, frowning. “You were out pretty late. What were you doing?”
“I was out with Ryker.”
His jaw ticked, his eyes focusing slightly, but he was definitely drunk. “Why were you out with him? Was it a date? You’re dating another man?”
Was that… jealousy? Part of me loved that he was jealous of Ryker, but the other part was really fucking irritated. “Yeah. It was a date. You should be pretty familiar with the concept by now.”
Okay, maybe that was a little snippy, but if he could be jealous, so could I.
He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like it.”
I sighed. “It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, Garrett. Now get out of my bed, we both have an early day tomorrow, and I need to get some sleep.”
He flopped back on the pillows, flinging an arm over his face. “I’ll just stay here then.” He patted the mattress. “Climb on in.”
“You’re taking up the whole damn bed,” I muttered then stalked into my bathroom and grabbed a bottle of makeup remover and a cloth. I began scrubbing my face, still not sure what to make of Garrett being here. He’d waited for me to get home, and had drunk himself stupid, that much was clear. But why was he so upset? It wasn’t like we had any claims on each other—I certainly didn’t over him.
I heard the mattress shift then Garrett’s voice, scratchy from sleep, drifted into the bathroom. “What were you doing with him so late at night?”
Was he serious right now? “More importantly…” I countered “… how was your date with Stephanie and Reagan?”
“Fine. At least they were nice to me. Unlike you.”
I rinsed my face then walked back into the bedroom. “I don’t care how nice they are to you. Do you think either would be good on the council?”
“They’d both be great,” he replied, more awake now, but still lying in the center of my bed. “Why are you avoiding my question? What’s up with you and that soldier?”
I grabbed a brush and ran it through my hair. “You’ve seen Ryker around. He’s been here for a few weeks, in talks with Holden about a position leading some of the soldiers. I think Holden might offer him a council position, at least according to what Ryker said tonight.”
Garrett barked out a bitter laugh. “That’s my job to make those decisions. I can’t believe Holden is doing all this without me.”
“Yes, well, you have more important decisions to be making right now—like who you’re going to choose for your mate.”
Garrett growled, his eyes boring into me as I moved closer to the bed. I stood there with my arms crossed. “Are you going to get out of my bed, or what?”
“I told you,” he said. “I’ll just stay here tonight.” Then he reached out and wrapped his fingers around my wrist, tugging me forward until I tumbled onto the bed. He pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me from behind. “There, that’s better.”
For a moment, I tensed up, knowing this wasn’t a good idea. But it felt so good to be here in his arms. And with our time together winding down, I simply couldn’t bring myself to send him away. I relaxed into his embrace, releasing a deep breath.
“That means the dude is staying, then,” he grumbled.
“Thatdudehas a name, as I’ve already said. It’s Ryker.”
