Page 64 of Dead Serious with Benefits
“Of course I do, normally. But if you’re staying here, I can assure you, there’s not nearly enough room for all four of us to share that bed. There’s barely enough room for me with them, let alone you. We’ll end up on the floor.”
“Ah,” I said, thinking that perhaps if we found something long-term, I would have to invest in a large enough bed to house all four of us. “Wait...Rags and Muffin? Your cats are Ragamuffin?”
He chuckled and set a plate piled with peppers, a bowl with the chicken salad, and two beers on the bedside table. “Milo named them. They came from a lady down the street after she died. No one knew, but she was a hoarder of objects and cats. Poor things weren’t in the best health, and for a couple of weeks, I was afraid they weren’t going to make it.”
“I noticed his ear and paw.”
“I never did figure out what that was from. Rags has a scar on his face, and part of his tail is missing.”
“Jesus.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “Now...how do you feel about America’s Next Top Model?”
I stared at him, pausing in my attempt to grab a pepper. “Seriously...you?”
“Me,” he said with a sheepishness that made me want to kiss him.
“Only if it’s the older seasons. The later ones were absolute garbage,” I said with a little sniff.
“Good,” he said, grabbing a towel off the back of the door and draping it on the bed, then dropping down next to me and pulling out a tablet with a case and stand. “We can sit this and the food between us and munch. I’ll get the blanket out of the closet when we sleep.”
“Sure,” I said, letting him get comfortable on the side against the wall before sliding into bed with him, finally grabbing a pepper. “Sounds good.”
His plan and the rest of the night sounded like the best thing I’d heard of in a long time.
ARLO
Grunting, I came to consciousness, picking up my head and looking around in confusion. Sunlight was coming through the curtains of the window above the bed, but that didn’t tell me what time it was. On autopilot, I fumbled for the side of the bed to look for my phone to figure out how badly I had slept in before my hand smacked into something warm and incredibly solid.
“Rude,” Ward grunted, rolling onto his side as I stared in confusion. His eyes never opened, and he took a deep breath before settling into the pillow, snoring so softly that if I wasn’t right next to him, I might not have heard it.
Right...of course, he had stayed the night.
Well, I was awake, so any idea of catching a few more minutes of sleep was thrown out the window. I usually worried when sharing a bed that I would wake them, but that clearly wasn’t a concern here. I had just strong-armed him, and he’d grunted and fallen back asleep...if he had even woken up in the first place.
“Oh, Muffin,” I sighed when I saw the fluffy tawny cat perched on his pillow next to Ward’s head. “One of these days, I’m going to change the handles for knobs, then how are you going to get into my room?”
He would either figure it out because he was far smarter than Rags, though only half as sweet, or sit outside my door and scream until he was let in. He might not be as sweet as his brother, but woe betide anyone who denied Muffin the attention he thought he was due. He was unconcerned by my admonishment, staring at me and purring softly. Clearly, he had taken a liking to Ward, which...made sense.
I looked down at Ward and smiled. Trying not to move him too much, I reached across and grabbed my phone, quickly taking a picture of him as he slept. Ward naturally came across as dignified and even a little regal despite his playfulness and sarcasm, but right now? There was nothing regal about the way the pillow smooshed his face, and nothing dignified about the small line of drool coming from his mouth.
He had claimed he would sleep well after the night we had, and he was certainly sleeping like...well, like the dead, actually. My chest fluttered at the idea that I had done a good job and tired him out, and that he felt comfortable enough to sleep deeply around me.
Unable to help myself, I reached under the blanket I had dug out of the closet after his head drooped during the third episode of the night, and ran my hand down his back. It was warm and smooth, and despite how relaxed he was, I could feel his strength. Maybe it was creepy, but I couldn’t help but run my hand over his ass, but resisted the urge to squeeze it. Not just because that would have felt like a step too far, but because he was right, he would probably be tender for a few days.
Warmth pooled in my gut, more heated and sharp than the affectionate warmth I’d felt a moment ago. The memory of Ward stretched out on my bed while I had pounded him flashed through my head, and my morning erection was no longerjustan automatic bodily function. The entire night had beenwonderful, save for the awkward car crash, and the end of the night had been perfect.
It wasn’t just the sex, although I knew that if I was allowed, I was going to keep coming back for more. No, it had been having him here, in a slice of my life rather than me being in a part of his. I might have thought that he would stick out like a sore thumb among all my things, worn and used as they were. But not once had he seemed like a stranger in the midst of my things; he had felt like he belonged there with everything else.
And maybe, just maybe, he might come to belong...in my life.
My bladder was not to be denied any longer, and it didn’t care about my anxious, happy, nervous, content thoughts. I had to extract myself from the bed, checking the floor before I dropped to it and snorting when I found Rags curled up on one of our shirts. “Oh, baby boy, did you let your brother kick you off the bed again? Honestly, you’re bigger than him.”
Rags opened his eyes and let me scratch him as I went into the bathroom before I made a mess. Despite his sleepy appearance, I wasn’t surprised he was waiting for me outside the bathroom when I emerged. Cooing softly, I scooped him up and walked into the kitchen, setting him on the table in the corner. Perhaps it was unsanitary to some, but only I ate at that table for the most part, and he sat and watched me quite happily.
I tapped the coffeemaker, having already set it up with grounds and water before I’d left the house yesterday. No matter how much sleep I had, I wasn’t at my best when I woke up. Mostly because of the dreams that interrupted otherwise peaceful sleep, so it was easier if I made sure the coffee was set up to brew with just a push?—
Mmm, there hadn’t been any dreams last night, had there? Huh, apparently Ward hadn’t been the only one to have a good, exhausting night.
