“Come here.”
Gunner was so eager to be back in the safety of those big arms he tripped and fell right into the embrace. A part of him didn’t want to sleep and let this day end, but his eyelids felt as if rocks were attached to his lashes.
Caspian dropped the comforter and stretched on the bed, pulling Gunner close, until his head rested on Caspian’s thick bicep and his leg straddled one of Caspian’s.
He fell asleep so fast he didn’t even know when it happened.
Chapter 16 - Gunner
The harsh beep of the alarm clock startled Gunner so much he almost sat up in bed.
Almost.
Because a heavy arm kept him down as if he were a kitten stuck under a Mastiff’s paw. He blinked several times, trying to work out what was going on when reality struck him like lightning. This was Caspian’s room.
He moved his head over the pillow and stilled, looking at the handsome profile that used to belong to him. The facial tattoo side bared its teeth at him, but he wasn’t sure whether the hyena skull was snarling in warning or grinning.
Caspian rubbed his cheek, frowned, and stretched his arm while rolling to his side so he could reach the offending alarm clock. The screech stopped like a bird that had been shot off a tree, but Caspian yawned and rolled back, pressing his face to Gunner’s hair, still half-asleep.
Gunner was about to wake him, but the presence of someone else in his bed must have been alarming enough, because Caspian’s brown eyes flew open, and he blinked, sucking in air as if he expected a stab in the chest.
“You’re here!”
Gunner slipped out from under Caspian’s arm, all too aware of the crustiness on his face. Leaving it on had seemed like a good idea last night. Now? Not so much.
“Yeah I’m here! What the fuck?” He jumped out of bed and spread his arms.
“You said we’d be back to normal by morning. And I didn’t question it, like the idiot I am,” Caspian mused, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head hung and tense shoulders.
“I don’t know. Aren’t you the one with the college degree and shit?” Gunner’s lungs were working overtime, and he couldn’t focus, too overwhelmed by the unknown.
They were stuck, and while he loved being in Caspian’s skin, this fantasy needed to end. He had a brother to take care of and didn’t know a thing about the fancy life he’d be supposed to lead if he stayed like this. He hadn’t even finished high school, so there was only so long he could pretend he knew what was doing at Caspian’s shiny new job.
“I don’t have a degree in fucking magic,” Caspian said and stood, rubbing his palm over the top of his head.
Gunner stalled, unable to take his eyes off the V-shaped muscles he’d worked so hard to maintain. How was he to think with all that hotness on show?
“I’ll think about it in the shower.” He shook his head and dashed to the en suite bathroom. The banging of heels made Gunner speed up to escape the giant chasing him, but Caspian blocked the bathroom door with his leg and wouldn’t let him close it.
“Don’t run from me!”
This was starting to become a pattern. Gunner took a deep breath and turned to face Caspian. “I’m not!” He so was. “I just… I’m not gonna greet your dad with cum on my face, am I?”
Caspian’s brows rose and he pushed the door open, stepping right into the bathroom. No privacy then.
“We can talk about this while we shower.” He walked straight into the large stall in the corner, offering Gunner an excellent view of the tattooed shoulders, but also the broad, muscular back and strong legs.
The bathroom was as gray and stark as Caspian’s bedroom, but there was a serene quality to it, which complimented Caspian’s tall, masculine form. In this space of glass and tile, he didn’t hit the ceiling with the top of his head, and the stall was perfectly suitable to fit them both.
Gunner followed Caspian like the horny sheep he was. “Okay. But… you know this can’t go on, right?”
Caspian stilled and glanced over his shoulder as the first droplets of water from the rain shower hit the floor. “It’s not that bad.”
Gunner stepped in, watching Caspian in confusion. “What? You must want your life back.” He’d be getting cramps in his neck from looking up. Was Caspian this tall or he this short?
Caspian adjusted the temperature of the water and stepped under the stream, releasing a soft exhale. “I mean… I now live with an extended family of cockroaches, and there’s this debt I need to take care of, but I could work things out. Just look at me. Look at this body.” He spread his long arms and made a slow turn, presenting his godlike form while warm droplets cascaded down the bulging muscles.