Ronin had a minor panic attack in the menswear department at the clothing store nearest the new apartment. He had no idea what size pants Kell wore. It hadn’t occurred to him to ask such an important detail. Some attorney. Of course, he could call the apartment and ask, but what would Kell think of him?

“You look like you could use some help,” a salesclerk said. Light-haired beta, young. He also sized Ronin up in a way that made him mentally eye-roll.

“I do, actually. I need some clothes for my…” He couldn’t say client, so Ronin went with the easiest lie within reach. “My boyfriend.”

“Oh.” The beta’s eyes dimmed a bit. “Well, what size does he wear?”

“No idea. He’s, um, about your height, but extremely slim. Almost too skinny.” Ronin tried to indicate his best guess as to Kell’s waist size with his hands.

“That is skinny, but as long as he’s healthy.”

He’s back on track to it.

Kell had eaten more than Ronin expected at lunch.

“I’m going to say a twenty-two waist,” the beta said, beckoning Ronin toward a rack. “But I always say go up one size and buy a belt. Then there’s room to grow.”

“That sounds fine.” The weather was heading into the cold freeze season, so Ronin let the clerk select three pairs of slacks in different colors, plus a belt. Then they moved to racks of shirts.

Ronin didn’t like the patterns. They didn’t seem to suit Kell, who was a more subdued person, so Ronin approved five shirts in solid colors. The clerk didn’t question him when Ronin said he needed underwear, socks and shoes, too. Ronin didn’t imagine Kell wanted anything from Krause’s house, even if Ronin got permission from Senior Iverson to enter the building. Even though they’d been mated, omegas didn’t inherit directly. Everything their mate owned was put into a trust for their next alpha, but Ronin had no doubt Krause had insisted Kell sign paperwork that turned all property back over to the Iverson Financial Group. Kell had probably lost everything when Krause died.

The bill wasn’t unreasonable. Ronin’s next stop was the pharmacy for basic items like a toothbrush, soap, and a shaving razor. He agonized over the scents of deodorant, unsure what Kell would prefer. Again, he deferred to simple versus the stronger fragrances. Everything had to be perfect for his omega.

He’s not yours, stop it.

Ronin was keenly aware that Kell had felt the mating bond between them, and being in such close proximity for the next few weeks had a strong chance of triggering Kell’s next heat. He had no idea what would happen then. Heats could become intensely painful for an omega who wasn’t properly satisfied by an alpha’s knot. He couldn’t imagine Kell would want him to help, and no way was Ronin allowing another alpha near his omega.

Fuck it, man, you’re screwed.

He grabbed a small candy treat at the checkout. Tarek had mentioned Kell’s fondness for chocolate-covered peanuts, but those weren’t sold in most places, because peanuts were incredibly expensive. Maybe down the road, Ronin could buy some for Kell.

Grocery shopping was the easiest task, because he’d reordered the list by department. Loading the car took more time, and it would take at least three trips in the elevator to bring the groceries alone up to the apartment. Never mind the other things he’d purchased today.

He’d just returned his shopping cart when his mobile rang.

“How did you not call me to tell me Kell is free?” Tarek snapped in lieu of a greeting.

“Good afternoon to you, too,” Ronin drawled.

“Don’t change the subject. Braun is freaking out wondering where Kell is right now, and I do not like my omega freaked out.”

“He’s in a safe place, I promise. He’s been released into my care, and I intend to keep him safe until he’s free.” And beyond, if Kell allowed it.

A bit of a scuffle happened on Tarek’s end, and then Braun said, “Can I talk to him? Please?”

“I’m sorry, but no.”

“What!?”

Ronin could use the excuse that they weren’t in the same place at the moment, but how would that look when Ronin had just promised to keep Kell safe? He needed to be honest with Braun. “I’m so sorry, Braun, but part of the court order said he was not allowed to have any unsupervised visits with anyone else called as a witness in the trial. Your name is on the list.”

“But he’s my brother.”

“I know.” His heart ached for Braun’s misery, so clear in his words. “I wish it could be different, but I had to agree to certain things in order to get Kell out of that jail. He was suffering in there.”

“I know he was. Thank you for getting him out.”

“It was my pleasure. I’ve given Kell my word, but I’ll give it to you, as well. I promise I will never lay a hand on him in anger or retribution. He’s a wonderful young man, and he deserves every chance to try and find some happiness in his life.”

Braun was silent for a beat. “Yes, he does.” His voice was thick with emotion. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

“Do you have a trial date, yet?”

“No. The constabulary is still in evidence discovery mode. They aren’t ready to proceed yet.” Ronin debated telling them about Jenks’s sympathy toward Kell’s plight, but decided to keep that close to the chest for now. Jenks could prove an unexpected ally down the road. “I promise I’ll pass that information along as soon as I have it.”

“Thank you. How does Kell seem now?”

His memory flashed with the image of Kell trembling on the sofa after nearly passing out from hunger, so fragile and somehow still incredibly strong. “He’s still in survival mode. It will probably be a few days before he feels genuinely relaxed again, but a quiet apartment is a thousand times better than a noisy, cramped jail cell.”

“I hear you. Every time we visited, he tried to act brave, but I could tell he was terrified of that place.”

Ronin resisted the urge to remark on the reasons why Kell had been terrified. If Kell wanted to tell Braun about Senior Iverson’s threats at some point in the future, he could. For now, that was ammunition Ronin intended to use against the Iversons during trial. The entire family line was unhinged and violent.

He hoped that wherever Baby Branson was, he was with loving, supportive parents who would raise him to respect the agency of other people.

“He’s out now,” Ronin said. “He’s out, and only a select few in the court system know where he’s staying.” Iverson would have to throw a hell of a lot of money at a lot of people to find Kell now.

“Okay, well, take care of him. And if he’ll let you, try to give him a hug from me?”

Ronin smiled. “I’ll do my best. May I speak to Tarek again?”

“Sure. Bye.”

“Goodbye, Braun.”

The phone passed hands. “What’s up?” Tarek asked.

“I need your help procuring something for personal protection. Just in case.”

* * *

Kell startled awake at the sound of the key in the door. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep on the couch, but the peaceful silence had lured him into a deep, restful nap. Probably the most restful sleep he’d had in…a long damned time.

Ronin seemed to be struggling with his key, so Kell approached the door and checked the peek hole. Definitely him, so he turned the deadbolt and opened the door. Ronin was loaded down with bags, red in the face, and breathing hard.

“Did you buy the entire store?” Kell asked as he took three bags from one of Ronin’s arms to give the man some relief.

“Something like that.” He hauled his burdens to the kitchen table and started putting things down. “This is only the first load.”

“Let me help you carry things.”

“I can’t.” Ronin turned, his expression serious. “Can’t risk someone recognizing you in the hall. You start putting the groceries away, all right? I don’t mind the exercise.”

Kell took in Ronin’s toned physique, and when he looked up, Ronin’s own eyes had narrowed a bit. He’d caught Kell checking him out. Kell turned away and poked into one of the grocery bags, embarrassed to have been so blatant about his appraisal of the man. Ronin didn’t want him, not really.

“I’ll be back in a few, okay?” Ronin said.

“Okay.”

Kell busied himself arranging the cupboards in a way that felt more natural to him, shifting the location of the mismatched plates and bowls, so they were closer to the table. It gave him a cupboard near the fridge for food storage, and he put staples in there. The refrigerator was empty, but not the cleanest thing he’d ever seen, so Kell rummaged under the sink for left-behind supplies.

The cleaner was old, but still usable, and he found paper towels among the grocery bags. Food forgotten for now, Kell knelt in front of the refrigerator and began scrubbing out the bins and shelves. Wiping away years of dirt and randomly accumulated grime that whoever cleaned in between tenants couldn’t be bothered to scrub.

“You don’t have to do that.”

Kell yelped and banged his elbow on the side of the refrigerator. He’d been so caught up in his task that he hadn’t heard the door open. “Fuck, you scared me.”

“Sorry.” Ronin used the counter for his latest load. “I should have made more noise. You were in some kind of zone.”

“I don’t mind cleaning. It actually calms me down, gives me something to focus on that isn’t terribly challenging. Plus, the fridge needed a fresh scrub. You never know what people keep in their fridges, especially nomads.”

“Nomads?”

“People who live out of hotels, like traveling lawyers.” Kell grinned to ease the joke in case Ronin didn’t find the humor in it.

Ronin chuckled. “Good point. Clean away, I have one more trip to the car.”

“You did buy the whole store.”

As he turned to leave again, Ronin winked over his shoulder. The flirty, boyish gesture flushed Kell’s insides with warmth. If only he and Ronin had met in a different lifetime. Maybe then they’d have had a chance to be something together. A man like Ronin would want children when he mated, and Kell couldn’t give him those children—not without possibly dying in the process.

And it didn’t matter that Kell had felt the mating bond. They’d remain friends until after the trial, and then they’d go their separate ways. It was the way it had to be.

The refrigerator was clean by the time Ronin returned with the final load. Kell had to reposition one shelf for the height of the orange juice carton, and then he began to sort the cold items into their appropriate spots. Then he rearranged everything, until he liked how it looked. With the refrigerator sorted, he shut it and turned to tackle the rest of the groceries, only to find Ronin smiling at him from a seated position on the counter.

“What?” Kell asked.

“Watching you making sure the eggs are in perfect alignment to the butter,” Ronin replied. “It’s adorable.”

Kell flushed. “Even though we had a cook, I was kind of militant about how the food should be arranged and stored. It drove some of them nuts, but I think they all felt sorry enough for me that they never said anything or made me stop.”

“I’m glad. It gave you some small aspect of your life you could control.”

“True.” He crossed his arms. “And you are so scrubbing the countertop clean now that your ass has been on it.”

Ronin slid off the counter and bounced on his toes. “At least it wasn’t my bare ass.”

Kell did not need to spend any time thinking about Ronin’s bare ass, thank you very much. “Yes, because you aren’t a total heathen.” Teasing Ronin now that they were in a non-professional setting, and not playing attorney/client was…kind of fun. “Maybe you can be useful and sort out what needs to go into the bathrooms?”

“Are you sure you won’t go behind me and rearrange the medicine cabinet?”

“No.”

His complete deadpan delivery made Ronin pause, eyebrows knitted tight. Kell let him off the hook by laughing. “My craziness only applies to kitchens, not bathrooms, so go be useful.”

Ronin grinned at him, then grabbed a few of the bags. As he wandered to the back of the apartment, Kell swore he heard Ronin say, “I love your craziness.”

He was probably hearing things.

Once Kell had the kitchen in order and to his liking with the empty bags stored under the sink, Ronin handed him the remaining three bags. “New clothes,” he said. “I hope you like it all.”

Stunned by the gifts, Kell carried the bags to the couch so he could peek inside. Pants, shirts, shoes, and even underwear, all in mostly the right sizes. His heart swelled with gratitude for the continued generosity of the alpha he was slowly learning to trust.

“Thank you so much.” Kell wanted to hug the man, but he wasn’t sure if Ronin would read more into the gesture, so he extended his hand for a shake.

Ronin glanced at his hand. “I owe you a hug from Braun.”

“When did you speak to Braun?”

“About an hour ago. Tarek called me, pissed because he’d had to hear about your release on the news. I spoke to Braun and assured him you were safe. He was upset he couldn’t speak to you directly, but he also understood why. And then he asked to pass along a hug from him, if you’d allow it.”

Kell studied the shape of the man standing only a few feet away. Ronin seemed to always keep an intentional distance, as if afraid to get too close and spook him. And this wouldn’t be the first time they’d been physically intimate. Ronin had held him tight after Senior Iverson’s attack, and he’d comforted Kell that morning after he nearly fainted. Ronin had strong, supportive arms, a broad chest that enticed hands to touch, and his scent…Kell could become addicted to the strong, woodsy scent of the man.

One hug wouldn’t hurt him.

“I’ll allow it,” Kell said.

Ronin’s mouth twitched, as if trying to keep a bigger, broader smile from spilling across his face. He held both arms out, inviting Kell closer. Allowing Kell to approach him, instead of the other way around. The sweetness of it urged Kell to close the short distance between them. He looped his arms around Ronin’s waist and leaned in until they were chest to chest. Ronin’s own arms rested gently at Kell’s sides, never squeezing or caging him in.

Kell’s eyes burned with so many emotions, but above all, gratitude for this amazing, comforting embrace. Ronin didn’t try to take anything Kell wasn’t giving first, and it meant the world to Kell. To have an alpha in his life who didn’t take without asking, who didn’t bully or demand.

Who didn’t do everything in his power to make Kell miserable and small.

“Thank you,” Kell whispered.

“You’re very welcome, little one.”

From anyone else, Kell might have bristled at the nickname. He was shorter than Ronin, yes, but he wasn’t short. Merely average, but he was so thin and weak right now. And the way Ronin said “little one” made those two words the sweetest endearment, and he meant it only for Kell.

He rested his head against Ronin’s shoulder and cherished the moment, because he’d had so few of them in his life. Ronin seemed in no hurry to part, so Kell soaked in his heat and scent, carrying them both in his heart where no constable or jury could take them away. The heady alpha scent curled around his body and warmed him from the inside out in a way he’d never felt before, certainly not with Krause.

The mating bond. It’s why Ronin feels so good, smells so good.

A bond he could never give in to, because it would only lead to heartbreak down the road. A bond that was beginning to stir his dick in ways that would only embarrass them both, so Kell gently eased himself out of Ronin’s arms before he shamed himself.

“That was lovely, thank you,” Kell said.

“My pleasure.” Ronin’s cheeks were flushed and his voice rough enough that Kell’s gaze flickered downward—to Ronin’s undisguised erection.

Acid soured his gut, and Kell took a full step backward. “I, um, I’m going to go put my clothes away. Do we have assigned rooms?”

“Not yet. I bought a door lock, though, so once you choose a room, I can install it for you.”

“Oh. Right, yes. Thank you.”

Kell grabbed the bags and dashed toward the tiny hallway. All three doors stood open, with the bathroom in the middle. He entered the room on the left because its windows would share the same view as the balcony. Plain furniture and bedding, unremarkable décor on the walls, but it was his. His room and no one else’s, and once Ronin installed the lock, no one entered without his permission. No one else would ever sleep in his bed, except himself.

I’m safe here.

Except he didn’t like the placement of the dresser against that wall, so he shoved it two feet to the right, centering it more. Then he swapped the two paintings on the wall. He nearly undid and remade the bed simply to know he’d done so, but he caught a shadow watching him from his open doorway.

Ronin was smiling at him from the hall, hands in his pants pockets. “Nesting in here, too?”

Kell shrugged. “Making it mine, as much as I can. I’ve never had my own room. Growing up, Braun and I shared, and then Krause…my bed was never empty.” His sharpness at the end snared Ronin’s attention, but he didn’t comment.

“If you don’t like the linens provided by the cleaning service, I can get you something else. I imagine the Iversons could afford satin sheets.”

“Ugh, I hated them. They made me sweat, and they stained terribly.” Heat rushed into Kell’s cheeks. Ronin didn’t need to hear about such things. “No, these sheets are fine. It’ll be better after a few days, when it doesn’t smell so sterile.”

“Agreed. It’s one of the things I could never get comfortable with in hotel rooms. They all smell the same, and it’s so impersonal.”

“Exactly.” A burst of inspiration made Kell laugh, and then launch himself at his new bed. It bounced comfortably, so he rolled around on the coverlet, not caring he was mussing it up. “What’s nesting mean, exactly?” he asked, keenly aware of Ronin watching him.

“It’s an old term derived from the habits of birds to build a nest in preparation for laying eggs. Some have used it to describe actions people take when they move into a new place.”

“Oh. Makes sense.” He rolled onto his stomach, facing the door. “You can come in. It’s silly to talk while you’re in the hallway.”

“Thank you.” Ronin took three steps into the room, his broad frame seeming to shrink the space. “I didn’t want to enter without permission.”

Good goddess, this man is perfect.

“Krause hated it when I fussed about how the bedroom looked,” Kell said, unsure why he was sharing this particular memory, but he did like talking to Ronin. Ronin always listened without judging him. “Every couple of months, I’d want to change something, and if he was feeling generous, he’d let me.”

“Every couple of months.” Ronin frowned, then scented the air.

“Yes, why?” Kell sniffed, too, but all he caught was the barest memory of Ronin’s faded arousal, and the odd tangle of their bonded scents.

“Did this behavior tend to happen close to a heat?”

“I…” He thought back to those days spent rearranging drawers, changing out bed linens and generally being a nuisance to the staff. “Yes. Shit.” Kell scampered up to his knees, checking himself for the familiar signs of an impending heat.

He’d been so stressed and foggy from not eating that he hadn’t seen the symptoms. Fatigue, dizziness that came with the shifting of blood flow, a general ache in his lower region as his anatomy altered to allow impregnation. He was days away, if he was lucky.

“Fuck, I can’t heat now,” Kell said. He didn’t want to heat ever again, but that wasn’t biologically possible. Maybe his body had decided it was ready to become pregnant again, but Kell wasn’t. He wasn’t sure he ever would be, not after the hell of his first pregnancy and then losing his son anyway.

Ronin took a full step closer to the door, and Kell didn’t take it personally. This could be a disaster if he heated right now. The case against him was still in discovery, and he couldn’t be unavailable for forty-eight solid hours. Especially now that his mate was dead. He had no one to help him through it.

Yes, you do.

No, I don’t.

“I’ll get the lock installed first thing,” Ronin said, “and then I’ll make you an emergency appointment. Maybe we can get your doctor to do a house call.”

“Okay.” Both of those things sounded perfect. This would be Kell’s first heat since his near-fatal pregnancy, and with whatever injuries Krause had caused last week, Kell was terrified of going through a heat that would leave him in even greater agony than having no sex at all.

He’d rather suffer alone, locked away in this room, than let another alpha hurt him like that ever again.