Page 26 of Shades of Mercy
“She’s pregnant, right?”
Jag nodded. “You might have heard Mateo mention some of their names. Arrow. Atlas. Bones. Bear. Kye. Crow. We’ve all been battle buddies at some point.”
“Maybe, but when he came home, he didn’t want to talk about his life over there and the missions he was a part of.” She twirled a strand of her hair around her knuckle. “Where will I stay?”
“You’ll be staying in the cottage…with me.” He knew he’d better make the living situation clear right from the get-go.
She gave the impression that she wanted to argue, but thought better of it. “You can’t be hooked to my hip. People will be suspicious.”
“The crew won’t think too hard about the situation. If you don’t give them reason to overthink things.”
A frown crossed her expression. “Won’t they ask questions?”
“Bryar might have a couple, but the men will take it for face value.” He glanced over at her. “I’m sorry to hear about Mateo and his wife. Is there any chance they might reconcile?” Jag thought they needed a change of subject.
“I hope so. They were very much in love. Their jobs, though, made it difficult for them to navigate the personal and professional aspects.”
“I can understand,” he scraped his fingers down his jaw. “We should probably try to get some sleep. We’ll have to be up early.” He jumped up from the bed, grabbed a pillow, and headed for the chair, giving it a check for stability. It wobbled and creaked, yet he’d slept on worse.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Getting settled in for the night,” he dropped into the chair, giving it another check to ensure he wouldn’t topple to the ground.
The area between her brows scrunched. “You’re planning on sleeping on that…that thing that disguises itself as a chair?”
“Better than the floor. You take the bed and get some sleep.” He dragged his hat lower over his face. He was tired but knew he’d only get a couple of hours. “Grab that light, will you?”
“This can’t happen,” she muttered.
He pushed his hat up on his forehead, slanting one eyelid open. “You can’t get the light?”
“You can’t sleep there.”
“I would have opted for the bathtub, but someone took a long shower. I’m not keen on sleeping in puddles. That’s where I draw the line.”
“Look, this bed is big enough for two.”
“Not happening,” he grunted.
“Why not?” The corners of her mouth dipped.
“You're Mateo’s sister.”
“You’re his best friend. So what? Not like we haven’t slept together before.”
“And it can’t happen again.”
She sighed. “I’m not inviting you to have sex. I’m offering to share the bed, platonically.” She stood up, grabbed her bag, and shoved it into the middle of the bed. “Now it’s fairly divided.”
Logic chimed inside his head, urging him to reject the offer. Take the chair and deal with it, but on the other hand, he knew he’d regret it in the morning. His body wasn’t twenty years old any longer. He also had a sinking feeling that the wobbly chair might crash when he shifted. He eyed the bed, then Mercy. A tightness grew in his throat. “It’s best I stay here.”
“We’re adults.”
“Yeah, that’s the excuse we used when we allowed things to get out of hand at Mateo’s wedding.”
Her brow lifted. “Are you saying you can’t keep your hands to yourself?”
“I was thinking more that this wasn’t part of the deal. Sleeping in the same bed.”
