Winter frowned at him. “We’ve already seen what happens when you wake me up. I wouldn’t advise it unless it’s an actual emergency.”
“Well, I could just climb into your bed and snuggle you. I’m sure that would be enough to chase your bad dreams away. It would certainly work for me.”
“No.”
Pushing up to his feet, Fox walked over to Winter, stepping directly into his personal space until barely an inch separated them. The hitch was back in Winter’s breathing, but he otherwise held himself perfectly still. Fox reached up and placed his hand against Winter’s stomach, loving the feel of hard muscles under his long-sleeved shirt. He slowly ran his hand up his chest, his smile growing wider at the rapid beat of Winter’s heart under his fingers.
“You don’t have to fight so hard with me.”
“You’re my prisoner,” Winter bit out the words as if he were grinding them between his teeth.
Fox rolled his eyes. “I’ve been a prisoner already. This doesn’t feel like it.”
Winter growled. He honest-to-God growled at Fox. And that sound sent the most wonderful tingles along his spine. “You need to take this seriously. Nothing is going to happen. You’re my prisoner. I’m protecting my family.”
A loud sigh left Fox and he paced away from the vampire. “Yes, you’re protecting your family from the worthless witch who can’t do magic. I get it. But I also think you’re figuring out that I’m not a threat to anybody. Why can’t we be partners in this? I don’t get the impression that you really want to kill me, and I don’t want to die. So, I say we work together to protect your family and take down this Damon asshole.” Fox crossed the room again and lifted his hand to rub his index finger along the dark shadow of whiskers covering Winter’s chin. “And maybe we have a little fun while we’re working together. Nothing serious, of course. We all know I’m not your type.”
Winter frowned at him for several seconds, and Fox was dying to know what was happening in the vampire’s brain. “This sounds like a horrible idea,” Winter grumbled.
“Well, obviously that’s not your hard dick talking. He’s currently brushing against my hip, and he thinks it’s a wonderful idea.”
“I don’t let my dick make decisions for me.”
Well, at least he didn’t deny that he was fucking hard in his pants.
Fox narrowed his eyes on Winter. “Maybe you should. You’d probably smile more.”
With a groan, Winter stepped away from Fox, heading for the door. “It’s late. Sort through the clothes, get settled, and grab some sleep. I have some work to do before I turn in.”
“Winter—” he started, hating that he’d pushed too hard and now the man was running from him.
“Fox,” he said with surprising weariness in his voice. “It’s been a long few nights for me. Let’s…let’s just put this on hold until nightfall.”
Fox cringed. He’d pushed too much. “Yeah, okay,” he whispered.
“Do me a favor.…Don’t try to leave the loft. Don’t try to make any phone calls or contact anyone via the internet. And don’t answer the door.” Winter looked over his shoulder, pinning Fox to the spot. “Please don’t break my trust.”
Winter hurried out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing down the stairs. Fox dropped onto the bed and sighed heavily. No, he wasn’t going to do anything to break Winter’s trust. He was stunned to have it in the first place.
Fox shoved back to his feet, dumped the contents from the three bags onto the comforter, and started sorting through it all, putting everything in its proper place. He was tired and wired at the same time. Sleep was probably the best bet, but his brain wasn’t ready to slow. He needed to figure out how to best handle Winter. He was serious about his offer that they partner up. Winter could use his help in getting rid of this vamp asshole, though Fox honestly didn’t know how he could help just yet.
As he finished putting the new clothes away, he paused to watch metal shades slide over the three windows in his bedroom, deepening the shadows in the room. There was only a soft clank when they slid into place. A glance at the clock showed sunrise was still an hour away, but Winter’s home was now secure. His vampire was safe from the sun, at least.
The thought stopped Fox cold as he turned toward the door.
His vampire.
He was already starting to think of Winter as his, which probably was a horrible, disastrous sign. Winter wasn’t his anything, but Fox couldn’t deny it. He was feeling very protective of the vampire.
Winter had saved him from Damon. No, the gesture wasn’t totally altruistic, but as he’d already pointed out, it would have been much easier for Winter to simply kill him where he’d been rather than steal him away.