Page 21 of Pack Baines

“Are you staying in here with her?” I wonder, deciding that if he is, then so am I. I haven’t really decided what I’m doing if he says no. Probably stay anyway.

With a tender touch, he rubs his hand over Juniper’s hip, and says, “Nah. She needs her sleep, and she kicks like a donkey if you get too close.”

I snort, accidentally waking sleeping beauty. Hell, I’m almost glad. At least she’s still not deep in her nightmare.

“Where am I and why are you both creeping on me?” she sleepily murmurs, cuddling the blanket tighter. Her legs make a weird cricket like motion, and she pauses. “And who took my pants off?”

“Lowie,” I blurt, fully throwing him under the bus.

Only, instead of getting mad, Juno sighs and mumbles, “Thanks. I hate sleeping in pants.”

And with that, she starts to snore gently, falling asleep so fast it’s like no time has passed between us. Like she trusts us just as much now and she did back then to fall asleep, leaving herself vulnerable but knowing we’ll look out for her.

“Guess that resolves that worry,” Lowie sighs, rubbing his hand over her leg before he stands and makes to leave. Before he goes, he says, “Wake her if she has a nightmare. She might not now that she’s already woken out of one, but you never know.”

I guess he knows I’m staying put for the night.

Throwing him a grateful smile, I nod and tell him, “I’ll look after her.”

He jerks his head before he disappears, taking one last glance at Juno before he disappears from sight.

Still crouched beside the bed, eyes back on Juno, I reach for her hair, removing a strand from her face. Her snore stops and she sighs, right before she mutters, “If you’re going to stick around, you might as well get in the bed, too.”

“You sure you’re willing to share? Apparently, you kick like a donkey,” I tease, my heart fucking soaring at her offer. It’s just sleeping, sure, but hell, I haven’t slept beside Juniper in fucking years. Haven’t cuddled her, held her, felt her sleeping easily against me in too long. I’m not stupid enough to pass up an opportunity like that.

“Guess you’ll have to risk it,” she snorts, this funny, exhausted little sound that makes me grin.

Deciding the risk is worth taking, I shuck my shirt and drop my pants, leaving them to fall to the floor where I stand. When I’m down to my boxer shorts, I climb into the bed beside her and cuddle down, lying facing her.

“Stop staring at me, Geo,” she growls adorably under her breath, trying her hardest to fall asleep.

“Stop being so beautiful, then,” I volley, grinning when her lips tug up into the sweetest smile. It has my chest tightening, my heart pounding hard enough that it’s a miracle it doesn’t crash out of my chest.

Shuffling closer when she doesn’t answer, her breath slowing enough that I know she’ll be right back to sleep soon, I go to reach an arm around her before thinking better of it. Instead, I whisper, “Think I can sneak a cuddle in while we have you here?”

“Mhm,” she hums back, already reaching for me, her warm fingers brushing my waist before sprawling her whole hand on my skin. It’s like a hot brand on my flesh, searing but very much welcome, and I waste no time in wrapping her up in my arms. She fits like the perfect puzzle piece, her head tucked beneath my chin, arm slung over my waist, and her free hand pressed against the thundering beat of my heart now that she’s unclutched the blanket.

It takes absolutely no time for the excitement of the day to turn into exhaustion, and I find the most peaceful sleep I’ve had since before I lost the woman of my dreams.

Chapter 9

Juniper

I’m jolted awake by a nightmare that felt too real, sweat slicked and heart racing. But the moment my eyes open to the darkness of the room I’m in, the nightmare vanishes, fading away with everything but the shaking fear it left me with and the lingering touch of pain.

It takes a moment for my breathing to return to normal, my heart rate slowing enough that I feel like I’m no longer at risk from a heart attack. As soon as that moment passes, a new realization comes to me in the form of a heavy arm wrapped around my arm, large hands splayed beneath my shirt, warming my back more than I already feel. A thick thigh has mine trapped to the bed I’m lying in, a comfy one at that, the other leg tangled with my unrestrained leg.

And based on the sheer size of the body currently clinging to me like I’m a buoy in an unsettled sea, I’d bet my life on the body belonging to Geo.

Sure enough, when I untuck my head from beneath his chin, I find Geo’s handsome face smoothed out in slumber, looking so peaceful that I daren’t wake him. His strong jaw has softened slightly with his slack mouth, puffs of air escaping with every breath, bringing with it subtle wafts of fresh air and sea salt, like a day at the beach after it’s rained heavily.

Smiling at the man, despite only having a vague explanation in my head for why he’s sharing the bed with me, I rub at his chest with a feather-light touch. I’m pretty sure I mumbled some hum of consent when he asked to stay with me, and that makes me smile a little wider, knowing he wanted to sleep beside me despite my absence. It makes me feel like he missed me as much as I missed him. As much as I missed all of them. Based on the way he’s wrapped around me like a long-limbed octopus, I’d say that little observation was accurate, and I’ll be damned if it doesn’t make my pulse skitter rapidly.

So, with painfully careful movements, I manage to extract myself from Geo’s hold, only a grumble of protest following behind me. The moment I’m standing in only my shirt and my lacy boy shorts, remembering quickly that Lowie removed my jeans so I could sleep better, I peer down at Geo and watch with amusement as he bundles all the blankets and comforter up and cuddles them, breathing in deep as though he’s trying to savor my scent from the material.

Leaving him to sleep, I look for my cell, finding it on the bedside table. One of the guys must have dropped it there after we fell asleep, and I find myself grateful as I reach for it, swiping the unlock button and checking my messages. When I find a voice note from Mack, I decide that I should definitely leave the room before pressing play. Whatever that man has to say will surely wake Geo, and he looks too at ease to disturb.

So, with soft footsteps, I make my way out of the room, only to pause when I realize I have no idea where the fuck I should be going. I’m clearly still at the guys’ house, but I have no idea where in the house I am. All is silent throughout the whole house, only a faint ticking of a nearby clock breaking up the quiet.

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