Page 16 of Collision of Winters
A thousand times yes, and if I told him that, he’d think I was a weak loser.
“No, it’s okay,” I lied. It was best to throw in some humor too. “I just want easy access to shelter if a tree falls over this part of the cabin.”
It sort of worked. The worry crease in his forehead faded, and his lips twisted slightly.
It was settled. He went to get ready for bed, and I heard him brushing his teeth in the bathroom. Meanwhile, I left liver snaps on the floor, closer to where I’d sleep, in hopes of the dogs moving over to me for snuggles.
I changed into jammies too, flannel bottoms and a T-shirt, but, um, maybe I dug out that particular tee because it had “Best Stuffie Ever” printed on it. Except, I totally chickened out and buried myself in blankets before Wade reemerged to see the design.
Wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs, he poured himself a glass of water in the kitchen and took his PrEP. I didn’t know what kind he was on, but I’d opted for the twice-a-year shots because I always forgot to take pills. Both Dad and Wade werepreachy about safety, and I’d sworn up and down that I wasn’t part of the new generation that skipped out on rubbers.
Right there in the firelight, he looked like something out of this world. The bulk of his combat days had been replaced by sleeker muscles, but he was still as sturdy as this cabin. His ass, his thighs, his legs, his entire back, his shoulders…arms… He had a single tattoo on his body, and it was a large grayscale piece that ran vertically along the right side of his back. Two dog tags entangled with heavy shadows of distant explosions. The tags held the dates he and Chris had lost their biological parents, their baby sister, and Arthur and his wife.
“Don’t forget to brush your teeth, kiddo.”
“I won’t, Sir.” Oops.
CHAPTER 3
February 20th, 2021
Wade Winters
No messages since last night. Quin would’ve let me know if something was wrong with Chris. So in this instance, no news was good news.
I returned the phone and yawned?—
What the…?
I squinted in the darkness and flicked on the lantern on my bedside table, and my heart took a hit at what I saw.
“Kayden,” I whispered, my voice rough with disuse. Christ, he couldn’t sleep in the damn doorway. I dragged myself out of bed and shook him gently. “Kayden, you can’t sleep on the floor.”
He made a sleepy noise that didn’t sound entirely free of hurt. No fucking wonder with floorboards as a mattress.
“Get up, blue.” I hitched my hands under his armpits and hauled him up.
“But,ohhh,” he whined. “You weren’t supposed toknow.”
Uh-huh, because God forbid anyone saw him vulnerable.
I was sure he had it all figured out. He’d sneak back to the couch before I woke up or something.
I sat him down on the bed and cupped his cheek.
He rubbed at his eyes and admitted the storm had scared him “a little.”
I…got stuck on the words on his T-shirt.
Fuckinghell. Best stuffie ever?
“And then Tundra and Prince ate the treats and left again,” Kayden mumbled.
What? Was he talking in his sleep now?
It didn’t matter. I went to the other side of the bed and straightened the sheets, and I retrieved two more pillows from the armoire.
“You’ll bunk with me,” I told him, clearing my throat.
