“Is Tim staying the night?” Jared asked.
“Yeah.” Seb felt the blush creep over his cheeks. Thank God neither of them could see him. “Something about not wanting to leave while another pack’s scent was all over my front door.”
“I bet.” Nathan then muttered something that Seb didn’t quite catch.I’m probably better off not knowing.“He’ll have to leave at some point tomorrow. You going to be okay?”
Seb’s usual flare of annoyance didn’t surface at Nathan’s question—a clear sign he was knackered. “Yeah. I don’t have work. Might try and do a trip to the shop down the road, see how I get on. And before you say anything, the guys from P-Pack said they’d be keeping an eye on me.”
Hushed whispers were followed by the slamming of a door. Then Jared came back on. “I don’t think Nathan finds that reassuring.”
Seb sighed and settled back into the sofa cushions. “Yeah, I know no one seems to trust them, but the two who came round seemed all right to me. And it’s not like they’d do anything to me in broad daylight, right? There are laws against that sort of thing.”
He tried to remember what Tim had told him yesterday—Was it only yesterday?—but a huge yawn interrupted his thought process.
“You should get to bed. You sound knackered. Tim worn you out already?”
Jared laughed as he said it, and Seb knew he meant it as a joke, but it wasn’t anymore. Jared was his best friend; they’d been through a lot together. If anyone would understand the confused mess of feeling this whole situation stirred up, it would be him.
“Something like that. Listen, are you busy tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a project to finish by Thursday. Why?”
Oh.“No reason. Just bored with not being at work.”
“You’re always welcome to come and hang out here, Seb. I’ll be working most of the time, but I can take breaks, and Nate’ll be here for a few hours.”
Seb mulled the idea over for a second. Nathan would know what he and Tim had been up to as soon as Seb stepped within twenty feet of him.Do I care?“I’ll let you know. Thanks.”
“No problem.”
The bedroom door opened and Seb glanced up to see Tim paused in the doorway. “I’m going to go. Talk to you tomorrow. Bye.”
“Bye. And if you do go out tomorrow, be careful, yeah?”
“Course.” He ended the call and shuffled around to half face Tim, who hadn’t moved from his spot. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Tim smiled and walked over to stand next to the sofa. He narrowed his eyes. “You look tired.”
“Thanks.” Seb tried to sound offended, but he yawned again and gave up. “Yeah, I feel it. It’s been a long day.” He glanced up, caught Tim’s gaze as it dropped to the soft bulge in his lap, and everything they’d done earlier came flooding back in a rush of heat. He knew the second Tim noticed.
“We should—” Tim breathed deeply and curled his hands into fists at his sides. “—should go to bed. You need rest. And food, probably. We seem to have missed dinner.”
“Who’s fault was that?” Tim’s jeans still gaped open, the undone button now at Seb’s eye-level, and he found it increasingly difficult to tear his gaze away. Now he’d made the decision to embrace their new friends-with-benefits status, his body was totally on board with it. “Bed sounds like a great idea.”
He reached out a hand, and Tim grabbed it, gently guiding him to his feet; then Seb stepped forward until they were chest to chest. Seb was taller, but he knew what strength lay hidden in Tim body, and the thought of it sent a shiver through him.
“I meant we should sleep,” Tim whispered, already leaning forward. His lips met Seb’s, and Seb closed his eyes, losing himself in the kiss that followed. “But we need to eat first. Come on.”
Seb watched, propped up against the worktop, as Tim insisted on making them both a sandwich. Despite his protests that he wasn’t hungry, his stomach rumbled as soon as he took his first bite.
Tim laughed at him. “See. Doctor knows best.”
As soon as they finished, Tim tidied up their mess while Seb went to use the bathroom.
After Tim had cleaned his teeth, he walked into the bedroom and then paused just inside the door. He glanced at where Seb lay, already in bed, looking uncertain for the first time that evening.
Pushing himself up onto his elbows, Seb peered up at him. “What’s the matter? I thought you said we should go to bed?”
Tim ran a hand over his stomach; dried come flaked off under his fingers. What they really needed was a shower. The words were on the tip of Seb’s tongue when Tim cut him off with “I wasn’t sure….”
