Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 39756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 199(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Stephen hesitated. He didn’t often get to see his brother. Charlie was usually on the other side of the world getting in or out of trouble. Usually of his own making. When he did stop in Denver for a visit, he usually brought the entire team with him for a long weekend.
But sleep did sound wonderful. There was also a sexy man waiting in bed for him.
Pushing to his feet, Stephen walked over to his brother. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier, but I really do appreciate everything that you’re doing for Ehren. Thank you.”
Charlie put down his drink and pulled him into a crushing bear hug. “You drive me crazy, kid, but you know I’d do anything for you.”
Stephen put his chin on Charlie’s shoulder, hiding his slightly sad smile. “Then be careful and take care of yourself for me.”
“Always. Someone’s gotta stick around to keep an eye on you.”
Stephen was simply grateful that Charlie had three close friends to keep an eye on him.
Chapter Ten
Ehren must have managed to doze off, because he never heard Stephen come into the room. When he woke, there was a sliver of light from the bathroom and the sound of the shower running.
Stretching his legs, he rolled onto his stomach, trying to decide if he wanted to fall back asleep or stay awake until Stephen joined him.
Awake.
Definitely awake.
He needed to make sure Stephen was okay after his talk with Charlie. The older brother seemed incredibly nice and friendly, but he was also stern and overprotective when it came to his younger brother.
But then, maybe that was how older brothers were supposed to act. He’d grown up an only child with lots of cousins on his father’s side of the family. It wasn’t as if he’d been a lonely child, though. There had been plenty of sleepovers and family visits, but there had never been anyone there every day to watch over him. And no one that had needed his protection.
Of course, being something of an introvert, he didn’t feel like he needed constant contact from siblings, checking on his well-being and butting into his personal life.
It might have been nice, though, to have that camaraderie.
Lost in his daydream about his childhood and family, he barely noticed the water stopping. A few minutes later, the light shut off and the bathroom door squeaked open.
“You can turn on a light if you want,” Ehren called out. He didn’t want Stephen to risk running into anything in the dark room.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?”
A soft shuffling and a dark shadow slowly moved toward him. With it came the woodsy scent of Stephen’s soap, bringing a smile to Ehren’s lips. “No, you didn’t wake me. Besides, I was trying to stay awake for when you came back.”
“Oh, really?” Stephen’s voice dipped, low to near a purr, as he slipped between the sheets.
The mattress shifted and Ehren rolled onto his side to face the sexy man lost to the shadows. The sound of a breath close to his ear was his only warning before lips brushed across his jaw. Ehren turned his head into the kiss, getting lost in the stroke of Stephen’s tongue across his own.
“Missed you,” Stephen murmured against his mouth and Ehren softly chuckled.
“How? You were gone less than an hour.”
“You’re the air in my lungs. I’m light-headed when you’re not there.”
Ehren fell onto his pillow, giggling. “Are you drunk? Did you and your brother slam shots while you were gone?”
Stephen snickered as he draped an arm across Ehren’s chest and nestled his face into Ehren’s neck. “No. Just feeling…happy.” Some hidden tension crept into Stephen’s frame, and his arm tightened for a second, then loosened. “I thought I lost you. I was sure I’d fucked up so badly that I’d never see you again.”
“And now you’re happy despite there being danger right outside our door and your brother annoying you?”
Stephen hummed, sounding so unexpectedly pleased. “Charlie and his team are good at handling danger. That doesn’t really worry me much. And if he wasn’t being annoying, I’d be worried something was wrong.”
Surprisingly, Stephen rolled away from him, and Ehren instantly missed the warmth of his body. The bedside lamp on Stephen’s side clicked on, and Ehren closed his eyes against the glare, but he was rewarded with the return of Stephen’s body.
He slowly opened his eyes as they adjusted to the new light to find Stephen leaning up on his elbow, a worried look on his handsome face. “How are you doing with all that you learned tonight?”
Ehren shrugged and forced a carefree smile on his lips. “Oh, you know, just a normal day. Who hasn’t discovered that their uncle might have a secret art collection and the Turkish mob wants it?”
Stephen bent and pressed a kiss to the center of his forehead. “I can easily say that it has never happened to me.”