Gently lifting his arm, I shifted it to his hip, then grabbed his leg and scooted it off mine. Once I was extricated, I pulled on my robe and headed to the bathroom to freshen up. Only, when I was done, I couldn’t bring myself to go back in the room. Not when I still had so many questions.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Sawyer asked as I walked into the kitchen.
“You’d be rich in an hour.”
Milo jumped up from his bed and raced over, shoving his head under my hand for pets. I took a moment to love on him, then lifted my tired butt onto a stool.
“That bad, huh?” he grinned, sliding a mug across the counter to me.
For the first time, as I stared down at my tea, I knew this just wouldn’t cut it. I needed something stronger. Steeling myself, I looked into my brother’s eyes.
“I need coffee.”
His jaw nearly hit the floor as he stared at me. “What?”
“Coffee.”
At that, his jaw hardened. “What did that fucker do to you?”
He was around the counter and headed for my room before I could get up, but I grabbed his arm and tugged him back just as he was about to bang on my door.
Milo whined incessantly behind me, making it even more likely that JR would wake up.
“Shh!”
“I swear to God, if he hurt you?—”
“He didn’t hurt me,” I snapped. “Now, would you calm down?”
“But…you never have coffee.”
“I’m aware.”
“Like…ever.”
Tugging him back to the kitchen, I slumped back on the stool. “He didn’t do anything, okay? He just…stayed the night.”
Milo whined and spun in a circle, staring up at me with worry that I found quite endearing. Somehow, Milo had become more my dog than JR’s, almost as if he had taken my side when JR started being an ass.
“I’m okay, Milo.”
He cocked his head at me, then whined once more.
“Honestly. Sit.”
Grudgingly, my new best friend took a seat, then after a second, laid down in a huff. Smiling, I turned back to my brother.
Sawyer poured the mug of coffee and slid it across to me. “Okay…so, he stayed the night.”
“And he doesn’t stay the night. He doesn’t letmestay the night. There are too many expectations that go along with that. And the things he did last night?—”
“Let me stop you right there,” Sawyer cut in. “We may have a great relationship, but even I can’t handle hearing about what he did to you last night.”
“Not like that,” I muttered. “I mean, he was more…sensitive. The way he held me and kissed me, it was unlike anything we’ve had before.”
Sawyer sighed, slumping down on his own stool. “Well, shit.”
“I know.”
