Ken nodded quickly, his thumb hitting the power button to kill the screen. "Yes... I'm good," he replied, dropping the phone onto the mattress as Lucien climbed onto the bed.
Lucien didn't hesitate. He pulled Ken closer, tucking the boy's head against the firm expanse of his chest and wrapping his arms around him in a protective cocoon. "You seem a little tense," Lucien pointed out, his dark eyes fixed on Ken's face with unsettling focus. "What is it?"
"Oh... I just remembered I haven't spoken to the girls," Ken lied, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against Lucien's ribs. "I recalled the scene from this morning with Amy. I don't know how to face them."
"That?" Lucien's voice was a low, vibrating rumble. "You are mine. You should never be ashamed of that."
