I groaned as I stretched my back. I was fucking tired and sore.
“Sorry, P,” a definitelynot Jackvoice, said, “I don’t think you are quite my type.”
I could hear the laughter in Quinn’s voice and I felt the heat overtake my whole face. Of course it would be Quinn. It was a testament to how tired I was that I hadn’t felt that tug I normally did to Jack when he was around and I hadn’t even thought about it. I just assumed it was him.
Did we hang out with his brothers on the regular? Yep.
Did they undoubtedly know Jack and I were, well, whatever it was that Jack and I were? Yep to that as well.
Did I want to talk about what Jack and I did - alone - with his brothers? Double nope to that one.
“Quinn’s got a type? That’s news,” Matt said, folding himself into one of the chairs beside the couch.
“I like the wine, not the label,” Quinn joked.
“Pretty sure that line is reserved for people who want to get to know the wine before consuming it, ass,” Jack’s voice replied, and I finally managed to force my eyes open.
Jack gestured for me to move up, and then placed my head in his lap. Yeah, maybe I should have known it wasn’t Jack at first because I never have to ask Jack to get closer.
“Sorry, Jack,” I said softly.
His hand slid around my jaw, with a light stroke of thumbs across my short scruff.“Hush.”
While moving to a permanent residence was definitely on my bingo card for this year, starting something that could be long term with someone was definitely not. I was still navigating some fairly unchartered waters from my past.
And I had very quickly learned that insome ways it wasn’t just Jack I’m seeing, it was the entire Mann family.
“It’s fine,” he laughed. “How tired are you, though?” he asked, his hands running through my hair.
“It’s catching uptome,” I admitted, because,shitit really was. I loved skiing, I had gone as much as possible for the past few years, literally chasing winter at some points, and given that the only other thing I had to do was work, I should have been in shape.Hell, I thought I was ingreatshape. But, tell that to the me that tried to keep up with these guys for the past three weeks.
Not only that, but Bear Valley General has a “early-middle-late” rotation - meaning each member of the anesthesia team is either early, as in the first to go home, or late, as in the last, or somewhere in between, and it rotates each day. Over the course of a month it shakes out to an equitable distribution with about one working Saturday a month for each of us and a day off each week.
Somehow, I got double booked on the late day, leaving last for the past two nights, and then I was done by noon today, leading right into skiing all afternoon. I showered at Jack’s place,eventhough Ihadmoved into my own condo, because his placewas closer to the slopes and also because I hoped he would join me, but he ended up having to help downstairs.
So, that’s how I came to be on the couch, too warm and clean from the shower to be laying on the comfortable piece of furniture as tired as I was, but doing it anyway and in the process almost outing details for our sex life to his brothers as I waited for Jack so we couldgrab some food.
Itwaspretty much my new normal at thispoint.
“Thank god,” Matt said, and I cracked open an eye again.
“What?” I asked as everyone laughed.
“We’ve been trying to see if we could wear you out for three weeks, P,” Quinn said, unapologetic as fuck, of course. “But, you proved your stamina - well, in some things I guess,” he finished with a laugh. “But, I’ll leave the other for Jack to sort out.”
“Bastards,” I mumbled, still too warm and comfortable to get that upset. Jack was fucking warm, just like always, and I wanted to fall asleep right here with him stroking my hair. Maybe I was also a little proud I wasn’t actually that out of shape. I could feel Jack trying to hold in a laugh as my eyes drift back closed. “Did I at least beat the line on whatever bet you all had?”
Figured that the Mann brothers would be secretly running some sort of bet on my ability to keep up.Undoubtedly, that had just as much to do with me seeing Jack as it didwith me being a new member to their group.
“We will never tell,” Quinn said, and I laughed because I’m pretty sure that meanthe lost whatever bet that was.
Matt stood up, and looked at his phone. “CJ and Baylor are finally here, I’m going to go finish everything up, be ready in about ten,” he said as he and Quinn took off for the kitchen of the Inn. The dining room is hopping, which means we willeat either in the bar, or hopefully, at a table that is in the very back of the kitchen right next to a very warm industrial oven.
“I can feel you staring at me, Jack.” I said with my eyes still closed, enjoying being warm.
He didn’t speak, so I sat up.
“Better get some sleep tonight,” he said, dropping a sweet kiss to my nose.
