How he made that sound wicked I’d never know.
“Thank you.” Ignoring it seemed like the best way to handle it since I had no idea what he meant by it. “After you.”
And the smirk was back.
“If you wanted to see my ass, you just had to say so.” Looking very pleased with himself, he headed toward his bedroom going slower than I thought was necessary and exaggerating his walk. “I enjoyed the view going up the stairs, so you don’t have to worry about enjoying this one.”
He was lucky he had a wide enough body to fit his big head.
Good grief.
He liked my ass?
No. That wasn’t the point.
“Thank you for keeping those thoughts to yourself around Emeric.” When Braun glanced back over his shoulder looking curious, I tried to sort some of my thoughts into a reasonable explanation. “He seems incredibly impressionable when it comes to you and you’ve been a very good influence on him.”
So far.
We’d see how thatsiding with Alphathing worked out in the long run.
“I like the pup.” Braun shrugged as we walked into his room and he immediately went over to empty his pockets on the nightstand closest to the door. “I just wish I understood what happened.”
“I’d also like to know how he got here.” I had practical questions that could probably wait, but I couldn’t help thinking about that part of things. From everything I’d read about children and trauma we were supposed to let him open up to us. “The bigger picture is more important, though.”
“Yeah. He’s safe now and nothing seems to have happened on the trip here.” Braun went over to a large dresser as I stood in the doorway, taking in the room that was done in dark wood and cream walls. The deep blue comforter and curtains looked like he’d bought them in a set but they matched his personality and just looked right for some reason. That didn’t mean he couldn’t use some throw pillows or something like that to tie itall together, though. “He’s ignoring most of it for now and just seems to be living in the moment.”
“He’s safe now. That’s what we need to focus on.” Everything else would come in time. “Hopefully, he’ll feel more like talking in the morning after a good night’s sleep.”
He wasn’t as good as Braun at hiding how tired he was, and I could see the exhaustion sneaking up on the pup. Getting food and playing with the other kids had given him a second wind, but it wouldn’t last much longer.
Neither would Braun.
The overly busy Alpha had too much practice hiding it, but he’d tighten his jaw when he was suppressing a yawn and I wasn’t sure how long it’d been since he’d gotten a full night’s sleep.
If either of them lasted through a full chapter of the adventure story I’d found, I’d be shocked.
“I hope so.” Letting out a long breath I thought was hiding another yawn, Braun dug through a drawer for pajamas for me. “We’ll figure it out.”
Yes, once both of them had clear heads.
“Here you go.” Picking out a pair of dark blue and green cotton-looking pajamas, he blinked a few times and glanced around the room as he turned back to me. “I think…”
He was too tired to think.
“You’re going to go get a shower and that will give me privacy to change and snoop.” Might as well be honest about that so he couldn’t complain and act shocked later. “And you’re going to close the bathroom door completely.”
No shenanigans at the sleepover.
That smirk.
“I never thought bossy men were sexy, but you’re changing my mind.” Feeling full of himself, Braun headed toward the bathroom.
Empty-handed.
Good grief.
“You’d better come out of that bathroom with pajamas on…werewolf or not.” Their casual nudity would send mixed signals if he wasn’t careful.
