“How so?”
“This isn’t my choice.”
“And you don’t like being told to do anything, even if that anything is nothing, if that makes sense?”Gunnar chuckled.
“We could sneak downstairs to check if there are any developments.Emmett would cave if we asked him.”
“And have Warden extend our leave by another week?No thanks.You know Emmett would tell him.”
“Since when are you the voice of reason?”
“Since I nearly lost you.Again.”Gunnar set his book aside.“Come here.”
Bryn approached warily.“Why?”
“Because I’m asking.”When Bryn was within reach, Gunnar pulled him down onto the couch, arranging them so Bryn’s back was against his chest.“Now stop fidgeting and tell me what’s really bothering you.”
Bryn was silent for a moment.“Russo’s still out there,” he said.“Planning who knows what.And we’re stuck here, useless.”
“Not useless.Recovering.There’s a difference.”
“Semantics.”
“No, necessity.”Gunnar’s arms tightened around Bryn.“I saw the medical report, Bryn.You had traces of a cocktail of drugs in your system.Sex on the beach, screwdriver, mojito, the works.”
“Frost saved my life.”
“Yeah, and could have killed you in the process.”Gunnar sighed, his breath warm against Bryn’s ear.“I need you to take care of yourself for a bit.For me, if not for you.”
Bryn twisted to look at him.“That’s fighting dirty.”
“I’ll use whatever works.”Gunnar brushed a strand of hair from Bryn’s face.“Two more days.Then we go back and raise hell until they let us help find Russo.”
“Fine,” Bryn conceded.“But I don’t have to be happy about it.”
“How about I kiss you andmakeyou happy?”
“That could work.”
They spent the rest of the day resting, snuggling and watching bad TV.There was a lot of kissing.Gunnar’s lupine physiology worked wonders and by evening, he was walking without a limp.The bruising on his face had faded from angry purple to yellowish green, giving him a less alarming appearance, and his headache had gone.Bryn didn’t have the same advantage of accelerated healing, but he felt better for the stress-free day.
Gunnar made tacos for dinner and even let Bryn loose on a side salad.They ate at the dining table by the window.Though there was no view of the street, the sounds of the city filtered up to them on the wind.
“Normal life,” Bryn murmured, more to himself than to Gunnar.
“What?”
“People out there going about their lives, no idea what’s happening right under their noses.”
“That’s why we do this.So they can have those lives.”
“It wasn’t so long ago that I thought I’d have that.School, a career…normal.”
“Normal?Boring as hell, probably.”
“Says the wolf to the augur.”
Gunnar laughed.“Fair point.Would you choose that now, though, if you could have a do-over?”
