Ever shrugged, snuggling into his arms. “I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to wake you up. It’s late. You have to work soon.”
Arsen’s heart twisted, frustration feeling like a knot under his ribs. He wanted Ever to wake him if he was afraid. But he didn’t say that. Ever would just feel worse, and Arsen couldn’t handle making him feel bad. “What are you doing out here?”
Ever shrugged again, gaze floating away from him. “Nothing. Just…looking around.”
Arsen grazed his lips over Ever’s hair, squeezing him against him tightly. “I’m not going to let anybody hurt you. There’s an alarm on the doors downstairs and on the back entrance. Nobody’s getting in here without us knowing it.”
Jericho wasn’t a fool. He knew that protecting the neighborhood meant protecting himself. He’d always had an alarm system, but when he got married, Atticus had insisted on upgrading it. He said he didn’t trust the low-budget tech Jericho had bought online.
Atticus thought that, if it was cheap, it was poorly made. Jericho had let Atticus upgrade the system because it made him happy. And all Jericho cared about was making Atticus happy.
“I know,” Ever said. “I just wanted to…see for myself,” he finished quietly.
Arsen sighed, tucking Ever’s head under his chin, keeping his hand pressed against his cheek, mostly so Ever couldn’t see the worried look on his face. He wasn’t worried for Ever’s safety, just his sanity. This lack of sleep wasn’t healthy. He had dark circles under his eyes. He was losing weight again. He tried hard to fake it for the others, laughing and joking, but the joy never reached his eyes anymore.
They were all worried. They wanted to run head first at the problem, kill first and ask questions later. Arsen did, too. As far as he was concerned, he had no problem going in, guns blazing, and letting everyone know that anyone who messed with Ever would be handled with extreme prejudice. But that wasn’t how Jericho worked.
Jericho was a wait and see kind of guy. He wanted all the facts. For most of his life, he hadn’t had the Mulvaneys’ wealth or connections. If any of Jericho’s boys were caught committing a crime, they would have done time for it. Even if the victim was a total shitbag.
While Jericho wasn’t waiting, exactly, he was treading lightly. They knew at least one cop had been involved, but there were likely more. If they made too many inquiries too fast, they were likely to tip them off, and that could cause them to retaliate against Ever. Calliope was doing her best to follow the money to see where it led, but it was slow-going. These people, whoever they were, were good at covering their tracks.
“I’m sorry,” Ever whispered suddenly, startling Arsen from his thoughts.
“What?” Arsen mumbled, even though he’d heard him.
“I don’t want to be like this. I know you didn’t sign on to take care of me forever,” Ever said, voice soaked with tears.
Arsen felt like he was choking. Ever was breaking his heart. He didn’t know how to make him see what was so obvious to everyone else. “Of course, I did,” Arsen said, shaking his head. “I’ve been all in since the moment I saw you.”
“Maybe I should stop going to therapy,” Ever said suddenly. “Things just keep getting worse the more I go. I thought it was supposed to make me better. This doesn’t feel better. This feels awful. I hate it. Ihateit. It was so much easier when I felt nothing at all.”
Arsen didn’t know what to say. Ever wasn’t wrong. The more he went to see the doctor, the worse he got. But everything Arsen read said this was common. That, in therapy, things often got worse before they got better and that Ever needed to keep feeling his feelings so he could heal. But Arsen hated watching him suffer.
“What does Dr. Jones say about your nightmares and you sitting up all night keeping watch?” Arsen asked, continuing to stroke his hair. As Ever’s silence stretched, Arsen’s hand stilled. “Have you not told him?”
“Was I supposed to?” Ever asked, voice meek and full of mock innocence.
Arsen snorted. “Don’t play dumb with me. That cute face only gets you so far.”
Ever squirmed free of Arsen’s hold so he could sit up, straddling his thighs, leveling the full force of his big puppy eyes and that full pouting mouth at him. “How far does it get me, exactly?” he asked, trapping his lower lip between his bunny teeth, rolling his hips against Arsen’s.
Arsen’s hands came around to grab his ass and squeeze, even as he said, “You can’t distract me with sex either.”
Ever’s brows went up, and he raked his gaze over Arsen in a way that left a trail of fire in its wake. “No?” he asked, dipping his head, brushing his lips along Arsen’s collarbone, his thumbs tracing over Arsen’s nipples. “You sure?”
Arsen’s eyes rolled, lids falling shut as he arched up under him without thought. Ever’s touch was lethal.
Arsen settled deeper into the sofa, hands gripping Ever’s hips, aligning their bodies in a way that made them both suck in a breath.
Shit.
“Besenok,” Arsen said, his name a warning.
Ever trailed his mouth upwards to suck at the spot just behind Arsen’s ear, the one that made goosebumps erupt along his skin and that made his dick hard. Well, harder. Ever had learned all of Arsen’s weak spots far too quickly.
“Senya,” Ever breathed into his ear.
Arsen couldn’t stop the near growl that fell from his lips. “You’re in so much trouble,” he teased, fingers threading in Ever’s hair to drag his mouth to his, nostrils flaring as Ever’s lips parted so easily. He was always so good for him. So responsive. So ready.
