“Makes sitting in my office at night just that much better.”
I waited but she didn’t say more. Taking the hint, I pushed away from the wall.
“If you need to talk about anything, I’ll be here.”
I left her to her thoughts.
Chapter 12
Her lack of reaction to my gift left me restless. Was she growing discontent here? Did she want something more for her brothers? With the work on the apartment finished, I had no outlet for my helpless frustration.
Jim saw me coming down the stairs and convinced me to go for a run. I’d grown so used to solo runs while away, I’d forgotten how good it felt to have a companion, even if the companion was my pain-in-the-ass brother who ambushed me and sent me flying into a swamp.
“What the hell was that for?” I said, shifting so I could stand. I immediately sank in the knee-deep, rank water.
“You need to pay attention to more than just Michelle,” Jim said from a safe distance away.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m trying to pay attention to everything. But having her so close, knowing she’s meant to be mine, and just waiting is killing me. It’s eating at my mind. It’s clawing at my—”
“Yeah, I get it. You’re desperate. But you can’t let her see that.”
I shook my head at him. Maybe if I did let her see that, she’d be nicer.
“I can’t wait until you find your Mate. I hope she has other ideas and gets in at least one nut shot,” I said, wading out of the water.
“Not a chance. No Mates for me. I know my path.”
I snorted. “You just need to convince Winifred and the rest of the Elders.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but I was within arm’s reach and sent him sailing into the same water from which I’d just climbed.
“You should have seen that coming,” I said with a grin.
I took off and for the next hour we chased through the back country like we were cubs back home.
Still reeking of brackish water, we trotted into the yard well after midnight. A soft, ambient glow came from Michelle’s balcony doors.
“She couldn’t have liked it too much if she left it in the kitchen,” Jim said, following the direction of my gaze.
“Where else is she supposed to put it?”
“She could have taken it to bed with her and dreamed of you.”
“Shut up.” I halfheartedly pushed him away and went inside for a shower.
He was already snoring from his room when I finished. Shaking my head, I went to the apartment door and stood there for a moment. Everything was quiet. Restless, yet knowing I needed sleep, I went to lay on the couch. I lightly dozed until dawn then got up to start making a big breakfast.
Jim didn’t sleep past the first whiff of bacon. As soon as he was up, he showered and joined me in the kitchen.
It wasn’t long before I heard Aden’s little voice carry down from upstairs.
Jim beat me out the door. After his stunt last night, I hurried to catch up. We reached the top just as Michelle asked the kids what they wanted for breakfast. I knocked briefly and opened the door before Jim could.
Whatever I’d thought to say disappeared as soon as I saw Michelle. Her skin was pale, there were dark shadows under her eyes, and she didn’t look like she’d slept at all. Had yesterday been too much?
“Come on, boys,” Jim said, waving Liam and Aden to the door. “Eggs, bacon, potato pancakes, and orange juice are waiting.” Still in their pajamas, the boys ran out the door with Jim close on their heels.
“You didn’t sleep,” I said when she didn’t move.
The tablet was on the counter, along with a piece of paper covered in her handwriting.
She blinked slowly and looked at the paper, too. I could see she wanted to get back to whatever she’d been doing. But she could barely stand. In two steps, I had her up in my arms, and started toward her bedroom.
She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and leaned against me. It was hard to be upset that she wasn’t taking care of herself when she did that.
I gently set her on the bed and covered her with a sheet. It was already too warm outside for more than that.
When she realized where she was, she moved to sit up. I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.