“Nessa,” Murphy murmured, fingers tightening in her hair. She lifted her gaze from his lips, staring up at him in equal parts bewilderment and confusion. “Were you listening?”
He’d said something? “No.”
His lips twitched. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Oh. Um, down the hall. Second door on the right.”
“Alright. Let’s get you back to bed to sleep this off.” Murphy moved quickly, keeping his hold on her firm as he walked through her house. Soon enough, he reached her bedroom, stepping inside like he belonged there. Moving over to her bed, he bent down, gently depositing her onto the mattress.
She was reluctant to let go of him, and did so begrudgingly, immediately missing the warmth of his body. He grabbed the sheets next, sliding them over her before tucking her in.
It was only as he stood to his full height that she even thought to ask, “What are you doing here, Murphy? Are you alright?”
Murphy let out a small, gruff laugh. “Me? You can barely walk, Nessa. I should be asking you that. Do you normally drink yourself into a stupor?”
She glared at him. “I’m not in a stupor.”
He arched a cocky brow. “No?”
“No. I’m trying to forget that I made a fool of myself earlier tonight,” she reminded him for some damned reason.
His brows furrowed, a frown appearing on his face. “What do you mean? When did you make a fool of yourself?”
Pfft, like he didn’t know? He’d been right there at ground zero!
“When I said I wanted to take care of you, and then you stared at me like I was the Loch Ness monster, creeping out of the water to attack you.”
Murphy snorted, a small smile playing on his lips before his expression sobered. “You caught me off-guard. No one’s ever offered to take care of me before.”
Awkwardly, Nessa pulled the sheets further up her body until they covered the lower half of her face. It was a bit ridiculous, but she felt more confident hidden behind the thin fabric.
“Really?” she whispered. “You weren’t offended or grossed out?”
Crouching down beside her bed, Murphy ran a hand over the top of her hair. It felt nice, the small gesture so comforting as the world slid lazily in and out of focus. “No, Nessa. Why would that gross me out?”
She shrugged, looking away from him for a second before she got the courage to meet his gaze again. “Because I’m just a human. You’re a shifter, and an Alpha at that. You don’t need someone like me taking care of you. I didn’t know if it was insulting to even suggest it.”
Murphy’s eyes softened just a fraction, and Nessa’s heart skipped a beat, a small voice in her mind wondering what it would be like to have him look at her like that all the time. Like she mattered to him more than anything else.
His fingers tangled in her hair, his expression thoughtful. “You’re not ‘just’ anything, little mate.”
Nessa’s fingers curled into the sheets as a warmth filled her chest, her insides turning into absolute mush at the endearment.
Unaware of the effect his words had on her, Murphy continued, his tone full of reassurance. “I might be an Alpha,Nessa, but that doesn’t mean I’m better than anyone else, especially you. You bring immense value to this world.”
She yawned, turning onto her side to face him, though she still kept the lower half of her face concealed. “Some people might disagree with you,” she mumbled.
Murphy’s expression turned thunderous for a split second, his eyes flashing a brilliant gold. “I dare them to try.” He shook his head, and the gold faded back to that deep brown hue she found so enticing. “Did you mean it earlier?” he asked slowly. “About taking care of me?”
She stared at him for a long moment, taking in his chiseled jaw, the stubble on his face, and his long lashes. “Yeah,” she whispered, dropping the sheet back down to her chin. “I meant it.”
“Good.” He leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead. Her breath caught and she froze, terrified of doing something to mess the moment up. “Go to sleep, Nessa. We’ll talk in a few hours.”
She pulled the sheet back down to her chest. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
Murphy shook his head. “I hadn’t planned on it.”
“Good.” She was struggling to keep her eyes open. “Wait, you didn’t tell me why you came here so early. Is everything okay?”
