Page 83 of Just Between Us

My eyes went wide as Royal’s brown gaze was hazy from the effects of alcohol. “Wow.” He looked at me dreamily. “You are so pretty.”

Whip jostled Royal and shoved him forward. “Okay, dreamboat.”

“What happened?” I asked Whip over Royal’s bulky shoulder as I did my best to support his heavy frame.

“He was determined to tie one on tonight, apparently.” Whip shrugged. “It got away from him.” He pointed toward his brother. “You got him?”

“Yeah.” I jostled Royal’s arm across my shoulder and nodded. My cheeks blushed at how easily Whip assumed Royal and I were together and that I would take care of him. “Thanks.”

Whip offered a farewell salute over his shoulder and bounded down the steps. I helped Royal as he hobbled into the house.

He buried his nose into my hair. “And you smell so good too!” A silly, feral growl tore through his throat as he faced me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and tried to playfully nip at my neck.

I laughed and pulled his face closer, squishing his cheeks between my palms. “You are intoxicated.”

“Why are you so mean to me?” He pouted and spoke between squished lips. My head fell back with a laugh.

“You like it,” I teased back, making our way through his house. “Now what do you say we get you to bed?”

Barely inside his bedroom, Royal stumbled toward the king-size bed and lay across it diagonally like a starfish. I crouched to remove his boot, and as I began unlacing it, soft snores floated out of him.

I slipped off his shoe and smiled. He was definitely going to feel like shit in the morning, but even drunk, he was the handsomest man I’d ever seen in real life—maybe even ever.

After he’d left, I had gotten next to nothing done and instead obsessed over the comment I had made about getting back to my normal life. As soon as the words were out, I realized how shitty it sounded, but I had done my best to gloss over it.

I toyed with my lip.Was that why he chose to get drunk? Had I really hurt his feelings?

My heart fluttered. In his house Royal was the one in control. He was the one telling me what to do, and I reveled in the freedom of it. Still, it was nice to feel as though I could take care of him for once—balance the scales a little.

I jostled him as I stripped the T-shirt off his body, but he didn’t wake. I slipped into the kitchen to fill a glass with water and rifled through his bathroom before I found the bottle of Tylenol. I set them both on the table next to his bed.

For a quiet moment I stared down at him. His features were sharp, and his long lashes swooped over his cheeks. Unable to resist, I brushed my hand through his hair and palmed his face. I could have spent the entire evening getting lost in studying his features or the way his chest rose and fell with each breath.

I leaned down and brushed a kiss above one eyebrow. I stretched my neck and briefly considered walking home in the dark. I looked down at him and smiled, instead opting for stealing his discarded T-shirt and tucking myself into his side.

Bright midmorning sunslanted through the small crack in the bedroom curtain, and I rolled away from it with a groan. Royal’s huge frame was wrapped around me, and he used one foot to tuck my legs between his own.

I stroked a finger across a tattoo on his neck, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Good morning, sunshine,” I quietly singsonged.

He grunted and pulled me closer before groaning. “You’re late for work.”

I smiled and inhaled his masculine scent. “I wanted to make sure you weren’t dead before I slipped out.”

He shifted, leaning away to look me in the eye. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

I smiled and blinked up at him. “I think your brother did most of the caretaking. I was just here to tuck you in.”

Royal shifted, noting he was bare chested but still dressed in last night’s socks and jeans. He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

I shrugged. “It’s okay. I don’t mind taking care of you.”

Royal’s intensity grew as he looked at me. “But it’s my job to take care of you, remember?”

His words caused a flutter in my chest, and the bridge of my nose burned with emotion. I shrugged it away as I answered quietly. “Maybe we can take care of each other sometimes.”

Royal shifted, but I had to speak before I lost the nerve. “But first ... I need to say something.”

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