in order to heal wounds is often painful in a way we can’t shove to the back of our minds.”
“That’s interesting.” That one eye closed.
“That’s usually what people say when they mean the exact opposite.”
“Mm-hmm.” She wasn’t really there. Autopilot. Nearly asleep. He had one mind—the cougar one—to nudge her and make her whisper some more to him in that sweet voice. The man part of him suggested he let her sleep so he could think in peace.
He scooted a little closer. She didn’t wake, didn’t stir, not even when he tucked his leg beneath hers.
Compromise.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Miles had never had a pet of any sort, so she wasn’t certain waking up to purring was typical for cat owners. Not that she could actually
own
Hank, but the principle seemed much the same. Own. Mate. Two different kinds of possession.
She must have nodded off while they were talking. Rude, but she’d needed the rest. She hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in a month. And maybe all that purring was what kept her asleep. Judging by the brightness in the room, it had to be after nine.
“Welcome to the land of the wakeful.”
Miles bolted upright at the sound of Mason’s voice, throwing the slumbering Cougar’s arm off her torso in the process.
Mason chuckled and put his feet up on the bed. He relaxed in a chair at the bedside, rubbing the stubble on his jaw.
Hank sat up. “Shit, man. Give me my spare house key back.”
“And then who’d come shake you awake when you’re sleeping like the dead? I swear, you and Nick are cut from the same cloth. You could probably sleep through a fireworks show.”
“What time is it?”
“Eleven fifteen. I was going to let you sleep, but Sean is trying to negotiate some sort of peace accord with Hannah, and we’ve got an order to get out this morning. Another boring shop day for Nick since Ellery’s at work. I guess the good news is he’s starting to get used to wearing the ear protection and doesn’t yank it off the moment I put it on him.”
“Might as well look on the bright side.” Hank stretched his arms over his head and popped a few cartilages in his shoulders and spine. The sound always made Miles shudder, but she’d certainly heard worse. There was nothing quite like the sound of a woman’s amniotic sac bursting. She was a neonatal nurse, but she had been gradually transitioning to the maternity wing in the past few months. As much as she loved babies, there was a certain satisfaction in supporting their mothers. Women in general, really. She liked imagining the world as a global village where they all cared for each other and watched each other’s back. She knew it wasn’t realistic, but the thought of it made her smile anyway.
Her motion seemed to pull her back into Mason’s consideration, as if he’d forgotten she was there. She suppressed a sigh. She would have preferred he didn’t remember. Didn’t want to know what he was thinking when he looked at her like that. He’d let himself into the house in that cat
I-own-everyplace
way, and mix that with his big-brother dominance and prerogative as alpha, she kind of felt like he could do whatever the hell he wanted. She just wished he’d have given her a little warning. She had to look like a reanimated corpse.
“Morning, Miles.”
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried to smile.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be dropping in like this often. That’s really more of Sean’s bag. Ellery would strangle me if she knew I was here, but Hank didn’t answer his phone.”
Hank shrugged. “Battery is probably dead. Should have tried the house phone. Darnell called me in the middle of the night. I’ll tell you about it in the shop.” He tipped himself off the bed and padded toward the bathroom. Mason followed.
Miles kept her place in the bed, not certain what she should be doing, besides perhaps trying to get into Sean’s basement to talk to Hannah. That was pressing, but at the same time, she
“That’s interesting.” That one eye closed.
“That’s usually what people say when they mean the exact opposite.”
“Mm-hmm.” She wasn’t really there. Autopilot. Nearly asleep. He had one mind—the cougar one—to nudge her and make her whisper some more to him in that sweet voice. The man part of him suggested he let her sleep so he could think in peace.
He scooted a little closer. She didn’t wake, didn’t stir, not even when he tucked his leg beneath hers.
Compromise.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Miles had never had a pet of any sort, so she wasn’t certain waking up to purring was typical for cat owners. Not that she could actually
own
Hank, but the principle seemed much the same. Own. Mate. Two different kinds of possession.
She must have nodded off while they were talking. Rude, but she’d needed the rest. She hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in a month. And maybe all that purring was what kept her asleep. Judging by the brightness in the room, it had to be after nine.
“Welcome to the land of the wakeful.”
Miles bolted upright at the sound of Mason’s voice, throwing the slumbering Cougar’s arm off her torso in the process.
Mason chuckled and put his feet up on the bed. He relaxed in a chair at the bedside, rubbing the stubble on his jaw.
Hank sat up. “Shit, man. Give me my spare house key back.”
“And then who’d come shake you awake when you’re sleeping like the dead? I swear, you and Nick are cut from the same cloth. You could probably sleep through a fireworks show.”
“What time is it?”
“Eleven fifteen. I was going to let you sleep, but Sean is trying to negotiate some sort of peace accord with Hannah, and we’ve got an order to get out this morning. Another boring shop day for Nick since Ellery’s at work. I guess the good news is he’s starting to get used to wearing the ear protection and doesn’t yank it off the moment I put it on him.”
“Might as well look on the bright side.” Hank stretched his arms over his head and popped a few cartilages in his shoulders and spine. The sound always made Miles shudder, but she’d certainly heard worse. There was nothing quite like the sound of a woman’s amniotic sac bursting. She was a neonatal nurse, but she had been gradually transitioning to the maternity wing in the past few months. As much as she loved babies, there was a certain satisfaction in supporting their mothers. Women in general, really. She liked imagining the world as a global village where they all cared for each other and watched each other’s back. She knew it wasn’t realistic, but the thought of it made her smile anyway.
Her motion seemed to pull her back into Mason’s consideration, as if he’d forgotten she was there. She suppressed a sigh. She would have preferred he didn’t remember. Didn’t want to know what he was thinking when he looked at her like that. He’d let himself into the house in that cat
I-own-everyplace
way, and mix that with his big-brother dominance and prerogative as alpha, she kind of felt like he could do whatever the hell he wanted. She just wished he’d have given her a little warning. She had to look like a reanimated corpse.
“Morning, Miles.”
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and tried to smile.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be dropping in like this often. That’s really more of Sean’s bag. Ellery would strangle me if she knew I was here, but Hank didn’t answer his phone.”
Hank shrugged. “Battery is probably dead. Should have tried the house phone. Darnell called me in the middle of the night. I’ll tell you about it in the shop.” He tipped himself off the bed and padded toward the bathroom. Mason followed.
Miles kept her place in the bed, not certain what she should be doing, besides perhaps trying to get into Sean’s basement to talk to Hannah. That was pressing, but at the same time, she
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