He’s quiet for a beat before mumbling, “I knew you couldn’t resist me.”
I start to pull away, seconds from elbowing him, but Dean drops his cheek on top of my head and wraps his arms around me, cocooning me from the cold.
“Don’t go.”
The crack in his voice gives him away. He needs this too.
Good. I don’t want to be the only one acting like an idiot.
We stay like that until our hearts stop racing and Tiberius is nothing but a distant memory.
When I’m sure my legs won’t give out, I pull away from his warmth and stand.
Now that I actually look at the setup, I remember why I was shocked earlier.
“Uh, Dean… were you sleeping outside my room?”
“No?” It comes out like a question, and he ducks his head, fussing with the blanket in his lap.
“There’s a blanket in your lap, two pillows behind you, and your hair is doing that wild thing it does in the mornings.”
“You think I look wild in the mornings?” Of course, he deflects with a cheeky grin.
“Don’t change the subject. Why are you sleeping outside my room?”
He mumbles something I don’t catch—definitely on purpose.
My hands land on my hips. “In words I can understand, Reaper.”
“Fine, yes! Fates, you’re relentless. Why can’t you ignore a man looking out for his mate?”
“I don’t need a protector.”
His head snaps up, something fierce lighting his eyes that burns through the walls around my heart. “Good thing I want to be yourpartner.”
I clear my throat, thrown off by how easily he disarms me.“You can’t sleep here every night.”
“Joke’s on you because I’ve been doing it for a month.”
“Dean! That’s seriously fucked up.”
“No, it’s not.” He looks genuinely offended, like this is perfectly normal behavior.
A wave of dizziness hits me, reminding me how we got here. I don’t have the energy to deal with this weirdo right now.
I twist the knob, but before I can step inside my room, I make the mistake of looking back at him.
Dean looks up at me, wide brown eyes, soft and wounded that I’m leaving him behind.
What is this man doing to me?
“I’m going to regret this,” I mutter, opening the door wider and jerking my head inside. “You can come in.”
Dean springs up like an overexcited puppy and runs past me, launching himself on my bed like he owns it.
The audacity of men never fails to amaze me.
The smug bastard folds his arms behind his head, settling in like he belongs there.
