Pierce let out a low, surprised chuckle. “That might be worse.”
Glen gave the faintest hint of a smile. “It is.”
They stood there another second, and then Glen looked at him once more. This time, less like an interrogator and more like a man handing something over.
“Thank you,” Glen said, and the words were quiet but heavy. “For being there for her.”
Pierce’s throat tightened. He nodded once. “Always.”
???
By the time the house finally quieted, Charley found herself standing in Pierce’s bedroom.
Ray and Jessica had turned in a few minutes ago, their voices fading down the hallway toward one of Pierce’s spare bedrooms. And Seth had disappeared into his room.
Pierce stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist.
“You can take the bed,” he told her. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Charley turned slowly, looking up at him. “No.”
Pierce’s brows lifted, like he expected resistance but not that immediate. “Charley—”
“No,” she repeated, stepping closer, and she could hear the stubborn edge in her own voice. “I’m not letting you sleep on the couch in your own house.”
His mouth twitched, caught between a smile and a protest. “It’s not a big deal.”
“It is to me,” she said softly, and then she surprised herself by reaching up and touching his chest lightly through his shirt. “I don’t… I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
Pierce’s gaze softened immediately. “You won’t be,” he promised.
Charley smiled, lifting her one eyebrow. “So, then you’ll sleep here with me?”
For a beat, Pierce didn’t move. He just looked at her, like he was weighing a hundred different thoughts at once—respect, restraint, worry, desire. Then he exhaled a slow breath, the kind that sounded like surrender.
“Okay,” he said, voice rougher now. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is,” Charley admitted, and her cheeks heated even though she wasn’t embarrassed. Not really.
Pierce nodded once and moved past her, crossing the room to his dresser. He placed his wallet on top, then paused, glancing back over his shoulder. “You need anything?” he asked quietly. “Water. Pain meds. Ice for your arm?”
“I’m okay,” she said, and the words were honest this time. She watched him for a second, her heart squeezing at the fact that he couldn’t stop taking care of her. “I just want you.”
Pierce’s eyes locked on hers, and something passed between them—something warm and steady that made her stomach flip. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Me too.”
He tugged his shirt up over his head like it was the most casual thing in the world.
The overhead light caught the planes of his chest and stomach, and she felt her brain do that stupid little buffering thing where it tried to form a thought and immediately failed. He wasn’t just fit—he wasbuilt, the kind of toned that came from years of work and discipline and pushing past limits. Her gaze dropped, then snapped back up like she’d been caught committing a crime.
Pierce turned toward her, and the corner of his mouth lifted when he saw her expression. “You okay?” he asked, voice all innocence, like he didn’t know exactly what he was doing to her.
Charley cleared her throat. “Yep,” she squeaked.
Pierce’s grin widened, slow and lazy. “Sounded convincing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, trying for sass even though her pulse was acting ridiculous. “I’m fine,” she insisted. “Just… temporarily distracted by your… unnecessary perfection.”
Pierce let out a low chuckle as he climbed into bed. “Unnecessary?”
