“What are you doing?”
“Sleeping,” he said. “It’s what beds are for.”
I almost said not always, but managed to avoid it by the skin of my teeth. “You’re not going to shift?”
“Nope.”
“O… kay.”
“Problem?”
“No,” I said hastily. “No problem.”
“You sound like a problem. Thump, thump, thump. Fast.”
I pressed my hands against my chest as if that could block the sound. “You don’t always have to listen to my heart.”
“Loud,” he grumbled. “Never goes away.”
I was a Bennett. A second to a powerful Alpha. I wasn’t as big as I used to be, but I was still strong. I could do this. I stood from the desk. I walked over to the light switch, flipped it off. The only light came from my phone charging on the desk and the remains of the moon through the window.
And Gavin’s eyes, glittering in the dark, watching every step I took toward the bed.
I didn’t allow myself to think as I lay down beside him. He yelped when my feet brushed against his legs. “Cold,” he said. “Stupid Carter.”
“Yeah, yeah. Move over.”
“I need room.”
“Not that much—are you laughing at me?”
“Yes. You’re so weird.”
“Fuck you.”
He yawned. “Maybe later.”
“What?”
“Shh. Sleeping.” But then he rolled over on his side, facing me. I tried not to look at him, but I was helpless not to. His face was inches from mine. His breath smelled like my toothpaste. Which meant he probably had used my toothbrush again, the fucking monster. “Hey.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hey.”
“Gordo told me about stuff.”
“At the park?”
He nodded. “Said it was okay if I hated him. Because of what his mom did to my mom.”
“Do you?”
He paused, considering. Then, “No. His mom hurt by Livingstone. In her head. I know what that feels like. In my head too.”
Shards of ice embedded into my skin. “Is it… loud, still?”
“Sometimes.”
“You can’t listen to it.”