Page 69 of Barrett

“Hi to you too.” He chuckled.

“I’m serious. What are we doing?” It didn’t come out mean or as if I was tired of him. I had far too much time on my hands, so my mind went wild.

Reghan crouched in front of me, putting his hands on my knees. “I think we’re more than that.”

“We don’t live together. Is there a step in between I missed?”

“We could.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start. I’d have to quit my job, and you know I need that security. Plus, we hardly know each other. We haven’t spent enough time together. You don’t even know if I snore, or if I’m cranky in the morning. I could be miserable to live with.” Why was I talking him out of this? I wanted the man with every fiber of my being, and yet I sat here telling him why he shouldn’t want to live with me. It was a big step though.

“We’re apart for almost a week and you fall back on old behavior?” He stood and offered me his hand. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

“Can’t. I’m the neighborhood watch. Nobody else gives a fuck around here unless they see Jordan, then they freak out.”

“Bear.” That damn nickname. It shot right through me, zinging around my body, frying my nerve endings in the best way. It also made me vulnerable, cut me open, exposing the real reason I was out here.

It was true I was lonely, and I wanted to catch that piece of shit. If I could find him on my own and handle him, then I wouldn’t have failed my brother a second time.

“What if he drives by when we’re inside?” I whispered.

Just then, a motorcycle stopped in front of us. Sheldon had no helmet on. He only stopped long enough to wink before wedging his Ducati between two cars to park it.

“Fine,” I relented. Reghan thought of everything. Sheldon wouldn’t let anyone by.

Putting my hand in Reghan’s, I stood, holding my gun with the other. We took the stairs to my apartment where I unlocked the door and let us both inside. The place was clean. I’d hardly been in it. Sleeping, showering, that was about it. I even took my meals outside when I wasn’t working. I heard how pathetic that sounded in my head.

Placing my gun on the counter, I shrugged my jacket off as I walked and dropped it to the floor. My body tipped and fell face-first onto the couch.

Reghan gripped my feet and dragged me down so my legs hung off the end and he could sit near my head. “C’mere, Bear.”

My voice was muffled by the cushion. “Why?”

“Because I haven’t seen you for days and want to hold you.”

“How’s Mars?”

“You two text each other all the time. You know damn well how he is, now move your ass.”

“I’m not sure I like this bossy side of you right now,” I mumbled while doing just what he said.

I lifted myself from the couch and straddled him, burying my face against his neck and tucking my arms between us. God, he smelled good and was so warm.

Reghan wrapped us in a blanket he grabbed from the back of the couch. “I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen. When I’m done, it will be your turn. I really want you to hear me, okay?”

I nodded against him. My breathing was slowing, my body relaxing as Reghan’s heat seeped into me. It was more than comfort, more than desire. He was everything I’d ever wanted and denied for too long.

“It’s not your fault Marshall was taken. Nor is it for any of those who were kidnapped. Marshall’s fine. He even has an appointment with Arden, the therapist Jordan has come in once a week.”

I opened my mouth to ask about the therapist, but Reghan pinched my side and told me to hush.

“I repeat, your brother is fine. I’m making sure of it. He enjoys talking with the guards. He loves playing with the dogs. If you could see him, you’d realize it was the right decision to have him stay with me. You didn’t fail him. He loves you. The stories he’s told me about the two of you, the way he lights up when he talks about his big brother, it’s beautiful.”

Tears welled in my eyes. I wanted to see Marshall like that, happy and talkative. That he told stories about us warmed my heart but also made me ache because I was missing out on it.

“This isn’t a reason for you to move in with me, nor would I want it to be. I’m telling you this so you can let go of the guilt. The man I saw outside when I pulled up isn’t the one I love, so knock that shit off right now. You’re better than that. No more sitting outside with your gun. You don’t want to give up your job, yet you could be in a shit ton of trouble if they catch you like that.”

Did he just…

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