29
BJORN
Bjorn stumbled out of the shower, ready to collapse.
“You’re okay,” Sebastian said, rushing over and steadying him. “I’ve got you, come with me and lie down.”
Bjorn allowed himself to lean just slightly on Sebastian’s much shorter frame, walking over to the bed. He dropped down on the edge of the mattress, still dripping wet, Viggo under the covers and sleeping the sleep of the dead. The morning light coming in through the window, bright and cheerful and carrying with it the sound of birdsong, was offensively bright.
“No, don’t go to sleep yet,” Sebastian demanded, rushing at him with a towel. Bjorn hadn’t even realized he’d started to tilt back, and he sat up straight with a grunt of effort.
He’d never in his life been this tired.
The ride home had started out fine, everyone relieved to be going home and giddy with the sudden expansion of their pack, but as the hours dragged on, all they’d wanted to do was sleep.
Of course, not a single one of them – except for Josh – was willing to sleep until they were back home and safe. They’d forced themselves to stay awake, adrenaline and sheer stubbornness keeping them going.
Sebastian dried him off, moving the fluffy towel over his body with brusque movements, the goal to get him dry as quickly as possible. He sank into a crouch, taking Bjorn’s feet and drying them with firm strokes of the towel, moving up his legs and over his cock.
Bjorn would never have believed that he could have Sebastian kneeling between his legs, touching his cock, and not even feel a twitch of interest, but here he was.
“Thank you,” he muttered, reaching down and stroking Sebastian’s hair. Sebastian looked up at him with a fond smile.
“I think that’s good enough. Are you ready for bed?”
Bjorn nodded, dropping down and lifting his legs onto the mattress. He flopped onto his back and closed his eyes.
“Coming?” he asked, arm twitching toward Sebastian.
“I need to shower and text my mom, but after that, yes.”
Bjorn grunted. He wasn’t going to go to sleep until Sebastian was in bed with him, safe in his arms. He couldn’t.
“Hurry,” he grunted, eyes still closed.
Bjorn might have fallen asleep despite his determination not to, because between one breath and the next Sebastian was climbing over him and getting settled on the bed, freshly showered and smelling like Viggo’s shampoo.
“Good night,” Bjorn mumbled, turning on his side and pulling Sebastian into his chest.
Sebastian let out a huffed giggle, wriggling himself around until they were spooning back to front.
“Good night,” Sebastian responded.
Breathing in the scent of his freshly washed hair, Bjorn finally let sleep claim him.
* * *
Bjorn woke up, the sun only slightly higher in the sky than when he’d gone to bed, with a monster of a headache and his mouth feeling like he’d swallowed sand.
Sitting up, he stumbled out of bed and went to the bathroom, drinking down gulps of water before going to the toilet and releasing his surprisingly pent-up bladder.
Splashing water on his face, he walked back out to the bedroom and got dressed. Viggo was still sleeping, and for a while, Bjorn just looked at him.
He couldn’t believe that Viggo had accepted Max, Conrad and Josh into their pack. After years of rejecting every applicant without even looking at them, he’d just said yes.
Max and Conrad were good candidates, Bjorn had to admit. Young and ferocious, they would be excellent additions in terms of defense and making their pack strong. Bjorn could only hope they fit in well as individuals, too.
The fact that Josh liked them so much and trusted them was a good sign. You could tell a lot about someone by how they treated their humans.
