Page 68 of He Who Sleeps

“Ooh, I’m in...and where are we going? Seven of you for the weekend!” She grinned. “A girl could die from that kinda attention.” She winked and giggled.

"You've survived four so far. I think you'll be fine," he chuckled. "As for where we're going, that's a secret and you can pout all you want. I'm not telling you."

“It’s okay, I trust you. And I have a secret of my own,” she teased.

"Oh God...you're not pregnant, are you?" His stomach lurched even as he said it with panic that they'd have to rush to buy a house and get a nursery set up and figure out lawyers to protect the kid and...and...and... "It's too soon," he blurted out. "We don't have a house ready yet."

She laughed. “Oh no, no I get the shot,” she said. “Not that you guys have seemed to care either way. All of you but Easton coming inside me at any chance. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the fuck outta it, but no babies. At least right now.” She blushed.

"We should talk about that, though," he said, his racing heart starting to settle now that he knew they didn't have to leap into overdrive to get her settled somewhere to incubate. "Kids are probably going to be on the menu for some, if not all, of us, at some point. Do you want kids?"

“Before meeting you guys? No. I mean, I didn’t have a family aside from the girls, and my upbringing wasn’t...ideal.” She looked to him. “But now? Yes, especially with you all, if you wanted them.”

"We do," he said, a soft smile lighting him up inside now that the panic had settled. The idea of keeping her barefoot and pregnant and constantly horny wasn't a kink he'd known he had. He needed to make an appointment with a doctor to get himself checked to make sure he was firing some good little swimmers. Get ahead of the curve. He wanted to be first.

And what a child she'd have...beautiful, strong, intelligent. He was completely caught up in the daydream until he noticed she was smirking and brought himself back down to Earth.

"Did you have enough to eat?" She'd cleared her plate but hadn't gone back for seconds and he wasn't sure if that was because she didn't like it or if it was because he'd loaded her up the first time round. "I did bring Greek pastries for dessert, but you don't have to eat any more if you don't want to."

He'd also brought some of the fabulous ultra-creamy Greek yogurt, with honey-coated walnuts from the deli, too, but she might like that for breakfast instead so he didn't mention it.

“It was super yummy, but I could go for some tea,” she said as she stood. “And a cuddle on the couch?” She grinned. “Maybe something sweet?”

"I make a pretty good hot chocolate," he offered, trying not to think, as he always did, of Easton. God, he remembered when his brother had joined them...a damaged, half-feral and quiet little ball of explosive rage that had never known kindness or leniency. Leo had always been the most carefree of them and for some reason that none of them had ever been able to nail down, that angry little boy had gravitated toward him. So Leo had tried. He'd tried to interest him in sports or in books or in any one of half a dozen hobbies, but the first time Easton had ever opened up to him, it had been over a thick, creamy hot chocolate that Leo had learned to make from some chef on the TV, with real dark chocolate.

He'd put a cup in front of Easton, who'd sniffed it suspiciously as he did with most food, and then he'd sat there glowering like an incoming storm until Leo had taken a sip from his own mug. The look on his face when he'd tasted it for the first time had been nothing short of magical. It was such a simple and easy thing and yet, for a kid that had never known love or sweetness or the smallest of treats, it was everything. The memory still gave Leo a little frisson down his spine even now, all these years later.

"You look like you remembered something nice," she said to him, drawing him back to the present.

"Nice but sad," he admitted. "I was thinking of Easton when he was a kid. He loved hot chocolate. I haven't made it for him in years."

"You should make it on this weekend away then. Maybe he will love it."

"I will." He swallowed the unexpected lump in his throat. "So what do you say? You want one now? Do you have chocolate in the house?"

“I’m sold. Not sure I have everything in the house for it, but I’m totally game.”

"I can make it work," he told her. "Come on. You'll have to show me where things are."

Twenty minutes later they had found all the ingredients, or made do with what she had in the fridge, and were sitting on the couch together, Petra snuggled into Leo’s side. It felt domestic and perfect, and she smiled up at him.

“It’s amazing, and you are amazing, Leo. Thank you for tonight.”

"Any time," he said with a soft smile. "I like hanging out with you, too." And he meant it. She was funny and a great conversationalist. There hadn't been a single awkward silence, even though he knew she was exhausted from her day of epic dicking. "You just let me know when you're ready to sleep, and I'll tuck you in," he offered. "You must be wiped. Finn can be a demanding kind of guy."

“Finn was super fun. You all are,” she agreed. “It never feels like a chore with any of you. I’m always ready, and while you all wear me out, it’s nothing a good sleep won’t fix.” She smiled. “Will you stay tonight? Wake up with me to go running?”

"Of course! But no funny business," he said, internally acknowledging the sadness. "The last thing we want is for you to get a UTI from too much sex." Maybe in the morning, he thought. Perhaps he could persuade her to skip the running in favor of other more horizontal workouts.

“Obviously.” She giggled. “I was just thinking sleeping and waking up with you would be a fantasy. Been a really, really long time since I slept through the night with anyone...though usually it was with the girls when we were scared of the thunder.”

He would bear that in mind. The next time there was a storm in this area, he'd be in her bed come hell or high water. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised her. "Why don't you go do whatever it is girls do to get ready for bed? I'll text one of the others to drop off my running kit for the morning."

She leaned up and kissed him, sweet and chaste and perfect. “Okay, back in a flash.”

He texted Carter to ask for his running kit and to let the others know where he was and that he was staying, and then used the rest of the time to clean up the kitchen. He'd brought dinner, and he didn't want to leave a mess behind for her to clean up. When she reappeared, he grinned and hung up the dish towel he was using. "You mind if I have a shower?" he asked.

“Of course,” she said as she stood there in short frilly shorts, and a tank top that said sleep like you own it. “I’m going to finish my hot cocoa and then slip into bed...and wait for you to join me.” She grinned. “Towels are in the cupboard.”

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