“I’m not going to ask you to make me breakfast. Not when I arrived at your doorstep unannounced with my brotherintow.”
Sterling chuckled. “You think itbothersme?”
“I don’t care if it bothers you.” If it hadn’t been for Sterling’s hand running over his bare stomach, Adrian would have pulled away, but the contact was too good to give up. “All I care about is that it bothers me. I’ll be pulling my weight around here like a roommatewould.”
“You’repregnant.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly bedridden.” To Adrian’s mild horror, his cock was responding to Sterling’s touch. It wasn’t just his morning wood doing him in—his body was trying to sabotage him. Before he could get too carried away, he swatted at Sterling’s hand and pulled away from his embrace. “So I’ll be making breakfast for Gabriel and for myself, and all you need to worry about is if we’re cleaning up behindourselves.”
“I can hire a maid.” Sterling’s hand reached out, and his fingers wandered over Adrian’s hip. A twist of pleasure spiraled directly between Adrian’s balls. In defiance, he rolled out of bed and went to look for his pajama pants. They were kicked to the bottom of Sterling’s bed, crumpled beneath one of his blankets. “It might be beneficial to get a cleaning crew in here, anyway. Three bodies will mean triple the mess, and I’d like to keep this place as clean as possible in anticipation of thedelivery.”
Adrian shot Sterling a look. He did his best to scowl, but resentment was hard to come by after last night. The guilt was still there if he looked for it, but it no longer plagued Adrian’s mind like it used to. “There are still six months before the babyisborn.”
“It’s never too early toprepare.”
“We won’t be living here in six months, Sterling.” Adrian tugged his pajama pants up over his waist and tucked his erection into his waistband. It was far from perfect, but it would have to do. “As soon as I’m on my feet, I’m going to figure out a way to get anapartment.”
Sterling, who’d propped himself up on his shoulders to watch Adrian dress, hitched an eyebrow. “Do you haveajob?”
“No.” This time, Adrian didn’t need to fake bitterness. He pushed his lips together. “But that doesn’t matter, because Iwillfind one. I almost have my bachelor’s degree in business, and I’m aLowe. When the right people see that name, I won’t struggle for long to findajob.”
Impish opposition flashed in Sterling’s eyes, but all he did was lift an eyebrow and shake his head slowly. “Alright.”
“You don’t believe me?” Adrian stoodtaller.
“No, I believe you.” A crooked grin spread Sterling’s lips. “I just can’t imagine you willingly working for anyone else. You’re not exactly the kind of man who takesdirectionwell.”
Adrian’s cheeks heated. He snagged his shirt from where it had pooled on the floor and pulled it over his head—he’d tossed it off last night while he was dominating Sterling. “I can takedirection.”
“Mm. Well, I guess you’re right. You certainly proved that lastnight.”
Heat consumed Adrian’s cheeks. He tugged at the hem of his shirt and smoothed it down his stomach. If he was lucky, he could make it to the bathroom before Gabriel was up, and behind the privacy of its locked door, he could work out his morning frustrations. Sterling wasn’t helping anything with his bed-mussed hair and the way the sheets pooled at his hip, so Adrian did his best nottolook.
“Come back to bed,” Sterling said, changing the topic. “You don’t have anywhere to be, and I don’t, either. Not until tonight, when The Shepherd opens. That means we have, what?” Sterling scooped up his cellphone from the bedside table. “…Fourteen hours, and nothing to dowiththem.”
“Youhave nothing to do with them.” Adrian turned and headed for the door. Now that his body had reacquainted itself with Sterling’s touch, it was a struggle. “Ihave to tend to mybrother.”
And another, far more personal problem still gaining force behind the waistband of his pajamapants.
The bedroom door closed smoothly behind him. Adrian left Sterling behind and located the bathroom a few doors down the hall. With every intention of showering to wash away memories of the night before, Adrian headed for the shower stall, but as he pulled the door open, hepaused.
Water beaded the frosted glass. The shower had already been used thatmorning.
Frowning, Adrian closed the shower door and exited the bathroom. On bare feet, he padded down the hall and poked his head into the living room. It was empty, but the kitchenwasn’t.
Meat sizzled. If Adrian’s nose was to be trusted, it was sausage. He glanced through the glass dividing the living room from the kitchen to find Gabriel standing in front of the stove. He prodded at sausages in a frying pan with a spatula. His hair was wet. It was the first time Adrian had seen him take initiative since he’d come home, and he wasn’t sure what to makeofit.
Gabriel glanced in Adrian’s direction shyly, gaze lowered. When he spotted Adrian, he lifted his chin just a little and smiled. Adrian smiled back, then slipped through the doorway and came to stand by Gabriel’s side. “Sausage?”
“It was in the fridge, and it was going to go bad soon, so I thought I’dcookit.”
“I’m impressed.” Adrian leaned against the fridge. “Do you likecooking?”
“Yeah.” Gabriel looked back at the pan, a rosy flush coloring the high points of his cheeks. “I used to… to cook sometimes. Before. My friends would… theylikedit.”
“Oh?” Adrian tried to play off his interest as casual, but he couldn’t help but perk up. Gabriel hadn’t mentioned anything about his time away from the family, and even the smallest detail would give Adrian a little more insight into what he’d been through, and how he could best help Gabriel through his trauma. “Likeroommates?”
“Kind of.” Gabriel raked his teeth across his bottom lip, then sucked it. “It’s hard toexplain.”
