A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(91)

After sweating my balls off and listening to her breathing even out, I threw off half the blankets covering me and hung a leg out one side as I gasped for cooler air. Then I set a hand on her back and listened to her breathe, hoping she didn’t take a turn for the worse. I fell asleep with one leg hanging off the side of the mattress and one hand on her back.

The next time I woke, I was soaking wet. Caroline’s fever must’ve broken because she was sweating all over me. I sat up and removed most of the covers. Then I found a towel and dabbed her dry as best I could without waking her.

I was just sponging up her damp forehead when I heard something across the room. My gaze shot up to find a frozen, wide-eyed Aspen halted in the open doorway.

“Sorry,” she whispered, holding up her hands as if surrendering. “I was just checking in on her and Brandt. How’s she doing?”

There was no reason to try to think up any excuses for why I was there. I was already caught, red-f*cking-handed. But Gamble’s women wasn’t screaming her head off, so I kept it casual and just answered her concerned question. “I think her fever just broke. She’s sweating like a whore in church.”

She smiled and nodded. “Good. That probably means it’s out of her system. It looks like you have everything handled, so I’ll leave you to it. Good night.” She eased out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I sat there a second, waiting for her to wake her husband, so he could storm in and kick my ass, but thirty seconds passed and nothing happen. Then a minute went by.

Gam’s wife wasn’t going to rat me out.

Relief swamped me, but then so did sadness. Even his own wife knew better than to tell him about us. Everyone must know he would not take the news well.

I sighed and lay back down beside Caroline. I probably should’ve gone home then, but I was tired as f*ck after being up and down so much throughout the night. Another couple hours with her wouldn’t kill me. Besides, I didn’t want to leave.

More hours passed. A gray dawn filtered into the room as I came to. The feeling of being watched nagged at my conscience, so I opened my eyes and nearly shit my pants to find myself eyeball to eyeball with Colton.

“Motherf*cker,” I hissed, springing upright. “Shit, don’t do that to people. It’s creepy as hell.”

He merely cocked his head to the side. “What’re you doing in Caroline’s room?”

“Well, I was sleeping,” I muttered irritably. “What’re you doing in here?”

“I had a bad dream. I always sleep with Caroline when I have a bad dream.”

“She’s sick, man. Can’t you pick on someone else, go creep them out this time, instead of her?”

The stubborn little f*cker shook his head. “No. I need Caroline.”

I grumbled a few seconds before lifting my side of the sheet and sighing. “Then crawl in over here. Just don’t bother her; she needs her rest.”

He didn’t move when I motioned him over. He shook his head and pointed to a different spot on the mattress. “I want to sleep in the middle.”

“Jesus Christ, kid. This isn’t a slumber party. You’re lucky I’m letting you in at all.”

“And you’re lucky I’m not telling Noel you’re in here right now.”

I narrowed my eyes at him in the most intimidating glare I could muster. He narrowed his eyes right back.

I cracked. “Damn it. Get in the middle, you little shit. But crawl in on this side, and don’t wake your sister.”

Grinning, he skipped around to my side of the bed and kneed me in the gut when he climbed over me to claim his spot.

“Fuck. Watch your pointy knees, will you? Those things are deadly.” When he wiggled some more to get comfortable, he accidently jabbed me again, in the spine this time, and forced me further to the edge of the bed until I was half hanging off the damn thing. “You better not be elbowing Caroline over there,” I warned after the third time he caught me in the center of the back.

In answer, he rolled in toward his sister and dragged half the blankets with him, leaving me with a tiny square of coverage over my hip.

“Comfortable?” I asked, my voice loaded with sarcasm.

Colton sighed peacefully. “Mmm hmm.” I rolled my eyes just as he said, “Ten?”

“What?” I muttered.

“Will you come over later on and play catch with me, because I want to play catch?”

I snorted. “Yeah, I don’t think so. You just stole my spot next to Caroline.”

“Well...do you want me to tell Noel about you and her?”

What the hell? “Hey. You already blackmailed me to get into this bed and sleep in the middle. You can’t ask for more.”

“Why not?” the spoiled little brat asked.

Shit, I didn’t have an answer for that. “Why you greedy little—”

Colton pulled in a breath as if he was going to shout for Gamble right then. I growled and slapped my hand over his mouth. “Fine. I’ll come over later and play ball with you. Whatever.”

His grin was instant. “Thank you,” he said, all sweet like, as soon as I removed my palm from his mouth.

“Good,” Caroline said, her back still to us and her voice filled with sleep. “Now can we all get back to sleep? Please?”