The apartment was silent other than the mumbled voices of Preston and X, who were in the shower, and the sound of running water. I’d muted the TV as soon as they left the living room to prepare for bed, and I’d popped two Excedrin pills in an effort to get rid of my migraine. It was rare that I got them, but when I did, they hit me full force with auras, blurred vision, and nausea. It’d been a miracle I’d managed to stomach dinner, which Preston had worked lovingly on, so I hadn’t wanted to upset or worry him by not eating. And I’d hidden my discomfort through watching a movie with them and cuddling on the couch.
I knew if Preston saw I was in pain, he’d be only focused on taking care of me, and I knew he’d had a long day at work, too. He was on his feet all day, dealing with all ages of people. And I knew not all patients were easy to deal with. I’d been to enough doctor offices to know that for some fucking reason, some people still thought they knew more than healthcare providers, who’d spent years in school to be able to do what they did. It had to be frustrating to make people understand they did not know best sometimes.
I tossed my arm over my eyes, grunting when the throbbing just got worse at my temples and the front of my skull. But despite my pain, I still noticed when the shower turned off. I lowered my arm and crossed my arms over my chest, trying to pretend I was sleeping in case they came out to check on me, which Preston tended to do. Ever since the night I disappeared on them to go check out the spot Ansel had been hiding out at, Preston liked to make sure I didn’t just up and leave randomly without letting anyone know.
I’d brought that on myself, though.
“Shane?”
I grunted and peeled open my eyes to look at Preston, who was standing over me. X was leaning against the wall at the corner of the hallway and the living room, his eyes on me. And I knew with one look at him, he knew I wasn’t feeling good. But thankfully, he didn’t say anything to bring it to Preston’s attention. He could understand not wanting to worry Preston, which I greatly appreciated about the man.
He might have been a sociopath, but if there was one person in this world he cared for, it was Preston.
“Hm?” I closed my eyes again, the light from the hallway bothering me.
“Will you come sleep with us?” I opened my eyes again, a little surprised by his question. I knew the three of us were together and that we were practically a done deal, but I’d never assumed either of them would want me in their bed. I didn’t know why I hadn’t thought they would. Wasn’t like we hadn’t all shared a bed already. It just… never occurred to me.
Not my brightest moment.
I sat up as answer, then grabbed the blanket and folded it, placing it over the back of the couch. X snorted in amusement at my actions, then turned, heading for their room. He was messy and disorganized, but I needed things neat and orderly, even if it was just a folded blanket.
I grabbed Preston’s hand in mine and followed X, reaching out to flick off the hallway light once I could reach the switch, finally bathing us in darkness. Once we were in their room, X flicked off the lamp, bathing their room in darkness, too. I hoped he knew I was thankful. My fucking skull was pounding.
“X, what the fuck,” Preston grumbled. “I can’t fucking see.”
“Shane can,” X retorted, already getting beneath the blankets. “Get your fine ass up here so we can cuddle you, baby.”
Preston sighed, trying to feign annoyance, but he couldn’t really do it, even if he tried. Preston liked being coddled way too much to be annoyed by X demanding he get on the bed so he could be loved on.
“Get on the bed,” I murmured, gripping his hips to guide him to the edge of the bed. When his knees met the mattress, he crawled to the center of the bed, then got beneath the blankets with X. I slid in on the outside, then slid up behind Preston, curling my body around his as he pressed his body against the length of X’s.
“Can you sleep with us every night from now on?” Preston asked just as I closed my eyes again.
I loved Preston to fucking pieces, but I really just needed him to stop talking. Every word pulsed through my skull like he was taking an axe to my head.
“He will, baby,” X told him. “Go to sleep.”
“I love you both,” Preston whispered.
“Love you, too,” I mumbled, then promptly gagged. I rushed out of bed and made it to the toilet just in time to empty my stomach. I heard Preston hurrying after me, and X muttered a curse that was just barely audible to my ears. I knew he’d been trying to help me hide it from Preston, but there wasn’t any hiding it any longer.
Preston’s hand landed on my forehead, already falling into caretaker and doctor mode. I flushed the toilet, then rinsed my mouth out using their mouthwash. Then, I just sat on the edge of the tub and pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. No doubt, I’d puked up the Excedrin I’d managed to take. Fuck my life.
“How do you feel?” Preston asked.
“It’s just a migraine,” I told him just as he turned on the light, and I winced. “Turn it off.”
Immediately, the light turned off again. “Come to bed,” X said, keeping his voice low. He helped me up from the tub, and I stumbled when mere movement made my brain pound against my skull. “Easy.” His arm was steady around my waist as he led me back to bed. Once I was on the edge of the mattress, he pushed me to lay back down.
“Here, I have pain medicine for you,” Preston whispered.
X’s hand curled around the back of my neck, and he pulled me up just enough for Preston to place the pills on my tongue and a bottle of water against my lips. Once I swallowed them down, X let me lay back against the pillows again, then covered me up. A moment later, a fan was blowing cold air on my face.
Not another word was spoken. Preston just curled against me, running his fingers through my hair. X was on the bed, too, but both of them were silent and mostly still, just leaving me be. And eventually, I fell asleep, the cooler air and Preston’s gentle ministrations along my scalp helping to ease my migraine enough for me to finally rest.
Chapter 31
Preston