“You don’t need to?—”
“Well, I'm going to, and you are going to let me help, or I am calling Jeremy and Devon.”
“Objection,” he mumbled, his eyes drooping. My hand flew to my mouth as I tried to muffle my snort of laughter.
“Okay, Your Honour, let’s get you to bed, shall we?” I said, gently pulling him up. He swayed ever so slightly. I reached my hands out to grab his forearms and balance him.
He was grinning lazily, his eyes drooping, like he’d had a few too many drinks. Was that the medication taking effect?
“Fineee, you can take me to bed,” he moaned, throwing his arm around me.
“Good boy. Come on.” I gently guided him out of the office. Thankfully, he was pretty mobile. I just needed to keep an eye on him as he wobbled every so often.
“You smell annoyingly nice,” Nate grumbled as we reached his door.
“Thank you?” I honestly wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult.
“I'm tired,” he admitted.
“Then, I guess it's a good thing your bed is only a few feet away!” I told him. “Now, how about you sit in the desk chair while I make your bed? Your sheets are all coming off, and that's not going to be comfortable to sleep in.”
“Thank you. You’re pretty,” he mumbled, plopping down on the desk chair with an impressive thud.
Laughing to myself, I turned to his bed. I had no idea where they kept the clean linens, so I simply had to make do. Throwing off the comforter, I focused on realigning the sheets and tucking them in tightly, so he could sleep on a smooth surface.
It took me longer than I wanted; thanks to my beach-ball-sized stomach, I wasn’t the speediest.
When I turned back to Nate, he was looking at me with hazy eyes, his elbow on his desk, his chin cupped in his hand. He was acting like a drunken toddler, and it was frankly adorable. I was struggling to remain firm with him when he was looking and acting like that.
“Okay, let's get you to bed,” I told him, taking his hand and gently tugging him over to the bed. He sat on the edge, and we were eye to eye. “Can you take off your shoes for me?” I asked. He was wearing some sort of leather dress shoe—the type that would be a nightmare to sleep in.
He nodded sleepily, leaning down. My hands flew to his shoulders to stop him from toppling over completely as he undid his shoes and threw them across the room with a triumphant smile.
“Did it,” he declared proudly. His hair was sticking up at every angle, and he looked so disheveled and loopy.
“Good. Now, let's get you into bed.” He probably should take his slacks off, but I was not going to be present for that. Getting him to remove his shoes was about the extent of what I was willing to do with this alpha I hardly knew.
“Don’t tell the others about this,” he whined with his eyes only half open as he watched me throw the comforter over him. “They worry so much. I don't want them to worry.”
“I won’t tell them,” I assured him. I immediately regretted saying that. If he was sick, shouldn’t his packmates know?
“You’re so nice,” he grumbled as he crawled into the bed, nestling down into the pillows. “I can see why Jeremy really likes you. And Devon. You're pretty, you smell good, and you’re nice.”
Smiling like a loon, I watched him as his eyes closed and he promptly started snoring. Turns out, he was rather sweet when medicated. What the hell happened to that grumpy alpha I had met just a few short days ago?
Once I was sure he was asleep and wasn't going to hurt himself, I grabbed a bottle of water and left it on his bedside table, along with the bottle of pills, in case he needed more.
Chapter 24
Daisy
Inhaling deeply as I wandered into the kitchen, I moaned. The sweet, spicy smell that was filling the room was delightfully familiar.
Jeremy stood at the burner, stirring a pot while Gilbert lay at his feet. Devon was sitting at the breakfast bar, a bottle of beer in hand.
“Is that what I think it is?” I asked excitedly.
“Spicy rice cakes?” Jeremy grinned. “Why, yes, it is!” He grabbed a bowl of shredded cheese and added a liberal amount to the pot.