The voice of experience. Reese wondered how often someone had been there to chase David’s dreams away. To tell him it was going to be okay. He hopedsomeonehad, but given David’s resistance to exposing them to his troubles sleeping, Reese suspected he’d mostly gone it alone.
Reese burrowed closer until the bridge of his nose was pressed to David’s neck and Mati’s head was tucked under his chin. He wrapped his arm around David’s waist and clutched Mati to his chest.
David took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
They stayed like that, unmoving except for the brush of hands over arms and shoulders and backs, for a long time.
Mati let out a soft sigh.
“Feeling better?” he asked.
“Yeah. But tired,” she admitted. “Can we lie down?”
“Sure.”
They stretched out on the mattress with the covers over their legs. David moved away as soon as they were settled, sliding toward the edge of the bed.
Mati grabbed his arm. “Stay?”
David looked at Reese, perhaps hoping Reese would let him off the hook.
He didn’t. He ran his hand down David’s arm and tried to make it clear he’d understand either way.
“Okay,” David said at last, lying down slowly.
Mati was tucked close to Reese’s side, her head on his shoulder, while David left a few careful inches between himself and Mati. Reese tugged the covers up over all three of them. Mati closed her eyes and lay a hand on his chest.
He pressed his palm over her hand and fell asleep within seconds.
David was the first to wake up, his head on the same pillow as Mati’s, cocooned in the warmth of three bodies curled together. He felt strange, relaxed and fuzzyheaded in a way he hadn’t in a long time. It took him a while to figure out that what he felt wasrested.
He’d dreamed—of course he’d dreamed—but it had passed quickly, and when he’d awoken, he’d been able to go back to sleep. That was probably because any time he’d woken up, Mati had pressed in closer to his chest, or a strong hand had gripped his arm, often accompanied by a quiet murmur against his cheek.
David wasn’t going to admit it to anyone, particularly Reese—and one night wasn’t enough to make a case that it would always work—but being in bed with Reese and Mati did seem to help him sleep.Theyhelped him sleep.
Not that it made much difference in the long run. It was interesting, of course. And feeling as though he’d gotten a decent amount of sleep was fucking rare and amazing. But they wouldn’t be here forever, and there was no reason to think they were going to allow David to ruin their sleep night after night until they left.
David sighed and let his eyes close again. One night wasn’t enough to erase a sleep debt like the one he carried, but it felt like he’d made a dent, and being able to snooze like this and not be dragged under by exhaustion was novel, at this point.
When he woke again sometime later, Mati was still tucked against his chest and Reese’s arm was around them both, his hand resting on David’s waist. David ran a gentle hand down Reese’s side, confirming that Mati’s ass was firmly planted in Reese’s lap. Reese’s fingers twitched against David’s bare skin.
He knew the moment Mati woke up, her eyes fluttering open and her lips curling into an utterly satisfied smile.
“Good morning,” she whispered, stretching her neck and back as she ground her ass against Reese.
Reese grunted, his eyes still closed, his fingers digging into David’s waist.
One second later, he jerked away and rolled from the bed.
“I’m going to go shower!” he called, already halfway to the bathroom. Perhaps he thought the two of them didn’t have eyes and wouldn’t know why he was holding his handjust so.
The bathroom door shut with a snap.
David smirked and propped himself up on one elbow. “That wasn’t very nice.”
“Why’d he leave?”
“Maybe he’s worried he’s going to run out of wearable pants if you’re left to your own devices.”
