“Not so much, no.” Jared met Tim’s gaze and narrowed his eyes slightly. “Seeing you might cheer him up. He was singing your praises last night.”
Tim tried not to smile too widely at that, but he failed miserably. “Oh?”
Nathan laughed behind him and muttered “Told you people change their minds” just for Tim’s ears.
“Yeah,” Jared carried on, oblivious. “You and your brother made quite an impression.”
Bloody David.
I will not be jealous of my brother.“I’m glad we could help.”
All three of them now stood in the hall. Seb’s scent was a subtle undertone to Jared’s and Nathan’s, teasing him. “Is he in his room or…?” He gestured to the living room.
“Oh, he’s in the spare room. Dressed,” Jared added, when Tim hesitated. “Apparently lying in bed is comfier than being on the sofa. Go on through.” He moved aside to let Tim pass.
Tim was well acquainted with the master bedroom after treating an injured Nathan in there a few months back. The door to the bathroom stood wide open, so by default the one left had to be the guest room. It sounded quiet inside, just Seb’s breathing interrupted by the soft tapping of keys on a phone or tablet. After knocking gently, Tim waited for Seb to answer.
“Come in.”
The door creaked and Tim lingered in the doorway. “Hey.”
“Oh, hey.” Seb smiled widely and set his phone down on the bed next to him. “Are you here to check up on me, or…?”
“Something like that.” Tim smiled back and moved farther into the room. He’d dressed casually in a grey long-sleeved T-shirt and black jeans. In hindsight, if he’d wanted to make this a professional visit, he should have dressed more appropriately.Too late now.“You’re looking much better.”
“Thanks. I feel it.” Seb glanced down at his wrist, then his ankle. “Well, I don’t have a headache, anyway. These still hurt, though.”
Tim moved to sit on the edge of the bed, then hesitated. “May I?”
“Sure.”
He sat down, careful not to jostle Seb. “Mind if I take a quick look at you?”
Seb gave him a curious look. “No. That’s the reason you came, right?”
“Um, yeah.”So unprofessional.He took hold of Seb’s wrist and carefully inspected it. “How’s the pain? Better, worse… about the same?”
Seb winced and Tim set his hand back down on the bed.
“About the same.”
“Good. What about your ankle?” He shuffled around to get a better look at it, but didn’t touch it. They’d check it soon enough in the fracture clinic. “How’s that feeling?”
“Hurts like a bitch.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Tim chuckled and Seb glared at him. “Sorry. It’ll feel better with a proper cast on it. Give it more support.”
They lapsed into silence.
Tim struggled to think of something to say that sounded even remotely related to Seb’s injuries. “Any other aches and pains?”
“Nope. Just a bit knackered still.” Seb fiddled with the edge of the quilt cover, then shot a quick glance at the door. “Can you close that for a sec?”
Tim immediately wondered what Seb wanted the privacy for, but he refused to let his thoughts get carried away.
Seb waited for him to sit back down on the bed. “Look, thanks for not telling anyone about what I said to you at the hospital.”
“Which bit?” As required, Tim had given Alec a brief rundown when he’d spoken to him, but he’d been reluctant to share all of what Seb said. It felt wrong to do so without asking him first, even though Seb was probably aware there were very few secrets in a shifter pack. So Tim had withheld some of it.
