I frowned. “I was hungry.”

“You were cuddling the empty can.” A wayward curl fell across his forehead.

My brows lifted. “Was not.”

“Was too. You were holding it to your chest like it was a treasured possession. I had to pry it from your fingers.”

“Well, I do like Pringles a lot.”

“I can tell.” He leaned over, placing the can on the coffee table. The other dimple appeared as he eyed my chest, and I got all warm and fuzzy. “You have sugar and crumbs all over you.”

Oh.

The warm and fuzzy vanished. “I was hungry and tired.”

Ren chuckled as he lowered his head, kissing the corner of my lip. Another wretched thought started to break free. Would he kiss me if he—I cut the thought off, and focused on a better one. I couldn’t wait until he could really kiss me again. A split lip sucked ass.

He lifted his head. “Did that ass save you any of the beignets?”

One of these days he might actually refer to Tink as something other than a body part. “One.”

He cursed under his breath. “And it looks like your chest ate most of it.”

“Thanks,” I muttered, shifting onto my side so he had more room. He scooted in, resting his arm on the back of the couch as he angled his body toward mine. “What time is it?”

“A little after two in the morning.” His lashes lowered as he dragged his finger along the neckline of my tank top. I shivered. “The streets were dead. No sign of the prince or any of the warrior knights that came through the gates. Saw a fae, but he disappeared on me near Royal.”

I started to sit up, but his finger did another pass, this time skating down the center, between my breasts. It was hard to concentrate on important things when he was touching me, but I managed. “Something is going on. I don’t understand why they’d be lying low like this, especially after busting the prince free.”

“They’re probably trying to stay alive.” More fingers got involved as he coasted them carefully over my bruised side and still achy ribs. “After all, they’re probably focused on finding the halfling.”

My breath caught.

He moved his hand away as his eyes flew to mine. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” I swallowed hard as I pushed up into a sitting position and leaned against the arm of the couch. I curled the palm I’d sliced open into a fist, hiding the wound. Though I was a mess all over, I doubted he’d notice it. “Did you see David tonight?”

His eyes searched my face. “Only for a bit at headquarters. He was busy getting the new members sorted.”

“How many did we get?” We’d lost sixteen the night the fae opened the gate to the Otherworld at the LaLaurie house—the night my best friend, my closest friend, had betrayed us.

“Five for now, I think.” He leaned over, resting his weight on his arm and his cheek against his fist. “He said that he’s trying to pull more in from Georgia or something. While he was in the middle of yelling at someone on the phone and yelling at the new members, he asked about you.”

Surprise hit me. “Really?”

He nodded. “Wants to know if you’re still planning to come in tomorrow. I told him I thought you could use a few more days.”

Twelve hours ago I would’ve pitched an absolute bitch fest at the suggestion, but after what I’d recently discovered, I wasn’t sure about returning tomorrow. “I don’t know if I’ll be . . . ready.”

“I think you need to take a couple more days.” He reached over with his free hand and picked up a dry curl. “David agrees. You’ve come a long way in a week, but sweetness, you . . .” He stopped as he stretched out the curl and then let it go. It snapped back into place. “You were hurt bad. I don’t want you on the street until you’re at a hundred percent.”

My gaze drifted to my closed hand. I wasn’t sure I’d be a hundred percent anytime soon. Physically? Yes. Everything else? Ha.

“Hey.” Two fingers curled under my chin and lifted my head. His eyes were bright and beautiful. “You sure you’re okay?”

I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m just tired.” That wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Then let’s hit the bed.”

I didn’t protest as Ren rose and picked up my hand, gently hauling my butt off the couch. He led me toward the bedroom door and I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see Tink peeking around the corner, but he was nowhere to be seen. I was surprised that he was missing a prime opportunity to annoy Ren.

I climbed into the bed and got settled on my side—because now I had my own side, the left side, and Ren had the right side since he’d been staying with me each night for the past week. I watched him strip down. It was a show I didn’t want to ever miss, no matter what was going on in my head or with my body.

Ren always started with his shirt, and he took it off in a way that I found fascinating. He reached behind him, grabbing the fabric at the nape of his neck and tugging it off over his head. I don’t know what it was about that, but it made all the lady bits stand up and take notice.

So did his abs and pecs.

Because our job required us to go toe to toe with a creature that could punt kick you like a football, we had to stay in shape, but I had a feeling that his flawless six-pack and defined chest had been some kind of gift from God. As were those amazing indents on either side of his lean hips. They were so perfect they were almost indecent.

Ren unhooked the band that circled his stomach, just below the chest, and got down to removing the daggers at his side. He placed them next to mine on the dresser. His and hers weapons were the way of romance in the Order. Then he kicked off his boots and two more stakes joined his stash. Then his socks came off.