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When it’s time to go to bed, I build an even bigger pillow wall between the warm bodies on either side of me.
Tate grins while he watches, propped up on one elbow. “Scared I’ll get handsy in my sleep?” he asks, waggling his brows. “Or are you more worried about your hands wandering? Because if that’s the case, you should know that I do not mind.”
Ares glares at him, and I just build the wall higher and lie down, trying to avoid looking at either of them right now. I don’t know what to do with Tate’s flirting or Ares’ anger about it.
Am I fucking Tate to get back at Ares? At first, I didn’t know there was even a connection between them, but now… I think about it for a bit and realize no, Tate’s right. The chemistry between us has nothing to do with Ares. It’s just about us wanting each other and giving in to the tension. It just so happens that it pisses Ares off at the same time.
Still, I have no idea what to do about it or how to feel.
Tate seems to drop off to sleep easily, his breathing deepening on the other side of my pillow barrier. Ares fidgets for longer, tossing and turning restlessly. But I’m not really any better. Even though I’m tired, I don’t really want to sleep because there’s the worry of a repeat of this morning. Or what else I might accidentally do while I’m asleep.
When I wake up in the morning, the pillows have once again been shoved down to the foot of the bed. I open my eyes and find myself completely pressed between Tate and Ares, and there’s a fleeting moment of heat that surges through me. I’ve never woken up surrounded by two men like this, and it turns me on before my brain engages properly.
As soon as it does, I move like I’ve been burned, slithering out from between the two of them to stand at the foot of the bed.
Tate mumbles something in his sleep and then moves in closer to Ares, cuddling around him. Ares leans back into his touch, and for a moment, I can appreciate how funny that is. When I glance down at Callan, he’s awake and watching his two friends cuddle, and the two of us share a smirk at the sight they make.
Then Ares’ eyes flutter open and he frowns before looking over his shoulder to see Tate at his back. “It’s too early for this shit,” he mumbles, rolling away. Tate blinks awake a second later, takes in me standing at the foot of the bed and then Ares moving away from him and just shrugs, mussing up his bedhead with one hand.
Callan shakes his head and then his face morphs back into the usual serious, displeased expression he’s worn around me since we met.
I look away, trying not to let whatever his problem is get to me.
“Let’s just get going,” Ares says.
Everyone’s in agreement with that, and the room is quiet except for the sound of us getting bundled up and packing up our things to get out of here.
The same clerk from yesterday is at the desk when we head downstairs, and she looks surprised when we tell her we’re checking out.
“The roads are clearing up,” she says, “But are you sure you don’t want to stay put where it’s warm for another night?”
“We’re sure,” Ares says firmly.
She nods and processes the check out, wishing us a safe trip.
It’s just a short walk to the car rental place, thank goodness, and we manage to get there with our bags quickly enough. The place is open, and a bored looking guy with locs sits behind the counter, playing a game on his phone.
He looks up when we come stomping in, surprise on his face like he wasn’t expecting to have to deal with actual customers today.
“How can I help you?” he asks, glancing at us.
“We need a car,” Tate says, flashing his charming smile. Apparently it works on guys too, because the clerk smiles back. “Something with good tires, if you have it, but at this point, we’ll take whatever you’ve got.”
“Uh, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news or whatever,” the clerk says, “But we don’t have any cars to rent out today.”
“What?” Ares demands. “How can you not have any cars?”
“We were supposed to get a few back yesterday and then some today, but with the storm, no one was able to get into town to return them. So we’re completely out.”
“You’re telling me there are no rental cars in this whole town?”
The guy shrugs. “It’s a small town, sir. We only have about fifteen cars on hand at a time. The airport has some sometimes, but with the weather…”
He doesn’t have to finish that sentence for us to get the picture.
Fuck. Fuck!
I wasn’t looking forward to being in a car for hours with Ares and his friends, but the prospect of getting on the road and getting closer to Hope Falls was enough to make it worth the irritation. The idea that we might have to go back to that cramped room at the inn and stay for yet another night fills me with dread.
