Tess as she snuffled in her sleep. “I truly could.”
***
Dae woke up to the sound of a coffee grinder, a raucous sound that shattered his sleep and assaulted his ears. He groaned and pulled the pillow over his head, trying to drown out the racket.
“Honestly, this early in the morning?” He peered blearily at the clock and blinked. Oh, not that early. It was already ten am. He frowned. If the noise was Ben, and he hoped to God it was and not some serial killer grinding coffee beans, then why wasn’t Ben at work? He looked beside him and sighed. It seemed Ben hadn’t graced him again with his presence last night. He’d probably slept on the couch. Dae sighed. It was the most uncomfortable place he knew to sleep on. Ben must be both knackered and aching. Serves him right.
Dae clambered out of bed, pulled on a soft pair of joggers and a matching sweatshirt, and marched into the kitchen. He’d brush his teeth and have a shower later. He found Ben making coffee from the grounds he’d noisily prepared, no doubt a move to irritate Dae.
“Good morning,” Dae said deferentially. He’d be the bigger man this morning and make the first overture, even though he dreaded the answer. “How is Honey?”
“Better, no thanks to you,” Ben grunted. He was bare-chested, wearing only a loose pair of jogging bottoms that highlighted his spectacular arse.
Dae raised an eyebrow. So this was how it was going to be then? Fine. He could be as dramatic as the next person. Indeed, he had many degrees in drama and was the most dramatic-ist person who ever lived. Ben Sinclair was so going to lose at this game.
“That’s wonderful news. Was it what you suspected?” Dae watched as Ben took his coffee cup over to the kitchen island and sat down on a stool. I suppose I’ll have to make my own coffee. Tut-tutting under his breath, but loud enough for Ben to hear, Dae made a great show out of getting a cup and making his drink. Ben wasn’t the only one who could employ churlish antics.
“No. It was a false alarm, thank God. The tests came back negative. It was something else, a bacterial infection. Alison has her on antibiotics and says she should recover.” Ben pulled the morning newspaper towards him and spread it open, reading as he sipped his coffee.
“Excellent. I’m glad she’s going to be well.” Dae poked at the newspaper and Ben looked up, scowling. “Anything interesting in there?” No answers. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Alison and I have the day off. We got home about seven am.” He ran his head through his hair. “I’m reading the sports page. Know anything about rugby?” Ben cocked a challenging brow at Dae, who nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh yes. Big men in tight shorts with hefty arms. What’s not to like?” He shivered. “And that thing they do when they all get together and huddle while touching each other’s backsides…I find it rather a turn-on.”
Ben’s lips twitched, and with a sense of satisfaction, Dae knew he was trying to hold back a smile.
“There’s more to rugby than beefy blokes.” Ben continued to read his paper and Dae moved it once again. “What do you want now?” Ben growled. “Can’t a man read his paper in peace?”
Dae pursed his lips. “I heard there was a funfair in town.” It wasn’t a lie, there was a fair in town. Dae had seen the flyers plastered all over the shop windows. There was also one on the bottom of the page Ben was currently reading. “I thought perhaps we could go there on the weekend. I love funfairs.” He pursed his lips. “You’re not going to talk to me at all, or for a while?”
The fleeting wince on Ben’s forehead mollified Dae somewhat. It seemed Ben was at least a little sorry about his harsh comments last night.
“Don’t be such a cock,” muttered Ben. “Of course I’m going to talk to you.”
Dae ignored him, pretending to read the news over Ben’s shoulder. A shoulder that appeared to be aching given the amount of rolling and rubbing Ben was doing to it.
“I saw you didn’t come back to bed last night when you got home,” Dae said. “Were you too late? I wouldn’t have minded. You could have woken me.”
“I didn’t want to disturb you. I crashed on the couch for a couple of hours then had to get up for a bloody