CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Dani

THE SOUND OF A POT CLANGING against the floor jolted me out of my sleep. With a start, I jerked upward and nearly collided with Demetri's face.

"Whoa." I pulled back. "Why are you hovering, mother hen? I could have head-butted you."

His eyes glistened.

Without warning, he pulled me into a tight bear hug as his body shuddered around mine. "You're really talking."

"Wow, imagine what would have happened if I would have woken up and serenaded you."

"Birds…" Demetri released me on a sigh. "They would have been attracted to the high-pitched screeching, flown into the glass door, somehow managing to break it into a million pieces, and upon seeing my perfect face, attacked, pecking me to death, leaving only one tiny shred of clothing that they'd encase in glass and put in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame."

I gaped. "Thought this through a bit?"

"Yeah well…" He winked. "… when it comes to birds, I have all the outcomes completely figured out."

"Scary."

"Paranoid," Alec's voice said from behind as he made his way around the couch and knelt in front of me. "Okay, Zane claims you fell asleep on him, but if he touched you, I'll rip his fingers off."

"You really need to stop watching Mob Wives." Demetri whispered under his breath.

I smiled at their concern. "Guys, seriously. He's harmless." I grinned at the memory of Zane's secret. "Believe me." I let out another yawn. "What time is it?"

"Midnight," they answered in unison.

"What?" I jumped up from the couch. "That's crazy! I was out all day?"

"Technically." Zane waltzed lazily into the room, still shirtless, still gorgeous, his black sweats hanging so low on his hips it was nearing indecent. "You watched reality TV with me for at least four hours before you fell asleep. Damn it." He opened the pantry then shut it. "You ate all the marshmallows!"

"And that's a crime punishable by murder?" I laughed.

Zane didn't.

"What type of weird junk-food obsession is that?" Demetri asked aloud. "Marshmallows? They're so soft—"

Zane shivered. "Talk dirty to me. Keep going."

"—and gooey—" Demetri clearly couldn't help himself as he lowered his voice. "—and… sweet."

"On that note…" Alec stood. "… I'm going to go back to the house and make sure Nat's getting some rest. The baby's been cutting her first teeth, so I think Nat's ready to lose her mind."

"See ya." I squeezed his arm and stared at Demetri. Hard. Silently telling him "It's cool. I can sleep without you watching over me like a crazy dad."

"Fine." He huffed. "I'll go too, but this isn't over, and… Dani?"

I looked up. "Yeah?"

"It's good to hear your voice again."

Grinning, I pulled him in for a tight hug. "Thanks, Dem."

"Oh…" Demetri snapped his fingers. "… also, Jay had to go to bed because he has another early day, but he said he's going to wake you up in the morning so he and your sister can hear for themselves."

I wanted to roll my eyes, but knew it would be rude and very… immature, and since my whole debacle with Lincoln, I was suddenly hyper-aware of every little thing I did that made me appear young, so young that he wouldn't touch me with a ten-foot pole.

"Right." I exhaled slowly. "I guess I should go to bed too."

"Don't," Zane called from the kitchen. "We need marshmallows."

"Dude…" Demetri turned on his heel. "… what is it with you and marshmallows?"

"I don't know." Zane shoved his hands into his baggy sweats. "What is it with you and birds?"

"I don't eat birds."

"You don't eat chicken."

"I meant birds like…" Demetri sniffed. "… pigeons."

Zane let out a low, sexy chuckle. "Are those edible?"

Demetri glowered. "Your abs are giving me a headache. Put on a shirt. There are children present."

I raised my hand and waved in jest, but Demetri flashed me a stop encouraging him glare, so I quickly lowered my hand and pasted on a demure smile.

"Stay out of trouble," he called, making his way to the door. "And get your own damn marshmallows, Zane!"

The minute the door closed, Zane turned to me and said, "If I put on a shirt, can we go to the store together? And by we, I mean, can I give you cash to run into the store while I hide out in the car with my sunglasses and hat on?"

I rolled my eyes and stood, taking time to stretch out my sore muscles. "What's the point in you going if you're just going to sit there?"

"Easy." He shrugged. "I can keep you company."

"While I run your errands?"

"Hey, I'm going to wear a shirt. I thought that's how friendship worked. I do you a favor… you do me a favor." His smile grew.

"Stop that." I wagged my finger at him. "I refuse to let your charm work on me. Also, how is you putting on a shirt doing me a favor?"

"You asked me to put one on a while ago. Ergo, favor."

"Musicians. Are. So. Weird." I yawned again, my eyes watering this time. "Fine, we'll go get your marshmallows, but then I'm going to bed. I have to be up early, and my guess is you don't even have to be up until noon."