“Not even Dad or Popi,” he managed without stuttering, though barely more than a whisper.
“Fuck.” Rue wasn’t sure what he read in Kendrick’s expression before his mouth became captured in the sweetest of kisses. Was he somehow being rewarded for telling the truth? That couldn’t be right. Had Kendrick misunderstood what he was confessing?
The mattress dipped behind him and Monty shuffled until he was plastered to Rue’s back, clinging on like he was getting a piggyback ride.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong, too?” Monty sounded small, something he’d never been before.
“Rue, have you eaten today?”
He shook his head, too exhausted to do more. The thought of food was too unappealing.
“I’ll make us subs, and we’ll eat them in bed.”
Rue didn’t have enough energy to argue. He allowed himself to be lifted up the bed until he was nestled in the vast mountain of pillows Kendrick’s bear had a soft spot for.
“Monty, you climb up and snuggle while I grab everything.”
Monty didn’t need to be asked twice, and he quickly tugged off his clothes, throwing them haphazardly in all directions before clambering over the covers. He didn’t stop until he was laid across Rue like a blanket.
Monty rested his cheek against Rue’s chest, right over his heart. Fingers ran soothingly up his chest and down to his waist repeatedly, lulling Rue into drifting on the edges of sleep. The darkness was a welcome shield from what would come next.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Monty
When he’d run upstairs at the sound of anguished, bellowed cries, he’d nearly pissed his pants in fright. He’d never heard such pain-filled cries. One look at Kendrick’s devastated expression and Monty couldn’t get his mouth to work to ask what the hell had happened.
Rue had been off since that morning, looking preoccupied. He knew it wasn’t work as they’d been through the long list of things he’d been tasked with and they were all under control. When they’d left the house that morning, everything was the same as usual.
So Monty’s mind raced with a thousand and one possibilities to what would have Rue looking broken. Unhinged. His eyes were those of a victim. Fuck, they were so much like the omegas they’d brought to the ranch, it was terrifying. What had set him off? What had he said to Kendrick?
He snuggled into Rue, giving comfort but also seeking it when he was scared about what it all meant. He used his fingertips, sliding down Rue’s side, feeling his breathing even out.
He kept quiet, despite how many questions were darting around his brain. He’d understood the warning look from Kendrick, even when he didn’t get the reason for it. Monty could hear the slow steady beat of Rue’s heart while also listening to Kendrick move around in the kitchen below. Both sounds helped to keep him from unravelling.
He must have drifted off to sleep with Rue when a light touch to his shoulder brought his groggy gaze to Kendrick’s.
“How long did I sleep for?” he murmured softly, aware the man beneath him was sleeping.
“About an hour. You both looked so peaceful, I thought I’d leave you for a bit.”
Rue stirred, and a warm hand slid over Monty’s bare backside. “Sorry,” he mumbled sleepily.
“It’s cool,” Monty answered, slipping sideways, noting the velvet throw Kendrick must have covered them with as he nestled into Rue’s side, tucking the throw over his ass.
Rue’s body relaxed against him, yet still there was something about the stillness that was… watchful. Almost as if he were waiting for an attack.
Kendrick grabbed a laden tray off the dresser drawers and came back to the bed to sit at Rue’s side. He had slipped on a pair of shorts at some point. He stretched out his legs and placed the lap tray down onto his thighs. “Meatball subs. Hope that’s okay?”
At their nods, Kendrick handed over the laden plates. Monty could see the tension around Kendrick’s eyes, but his expression didn’t reveal any of what was going on in his head, leaving Monty in the dark.
They ate in silence, the food delicious despite it no longer being warm. They shared a can of soda, and that was enough to suggest to Monty, whatever conversation they would have, Kendrick wanted them all clear-headed.
Plates cleared and the tray placed on the floor, Monty felt the tension in Rue’s muscles increase.
One for always facing the hard stuff head on, Monty inhaled the familiar scent of the men who meant more to him than he’d ever have thought possible. “Can someone tell me what happened in the shower?”
Monty heard the air whistle through Rue’s teeth and witnessed his whole body stiffen. He gave Kendrick a pleading look, unsure what he was asking for when he was flying blind.
