I fell asleep to the quiet sound of Jason’s tinkering, his presence lingering in the space between my dreams. And when the dreams came, they were tinted with shades of pink and the faint hum of the newest Pink Cherrie gadget.
I dreamt about testing it.
The second timeI woke up, my head still ached as if I had slammed it against a wall. I opened my eyes to search for the smug Toy Maker, but his chair sat empty.
I groaned as I forced myself out of bed and into the showroom. Decorations lay everywhere, and faux blood poured out of the tipped-over fountain. Red puddles stained the concrete floors.
With each step, I became more uncomfortable in my shorts. I glanced down in wonder. My costume was missing, and the track shorts were backward.
As I neared the main floor, I spotted Jason and Ethan by the front door. And I got the impression they knew each other a lot better than I imagined. Their once-friendly body language morphed into a standoffish stare down.
Ethan tried to place his hand on Jason’s shoulder, but it didn’t last long. Jason shrugged it off with a quick, sharp motion. His expression was colder than I’d ever seen before. Ethan shook his head and tried to resume the conversation. And that’s when he saw me.
Jason’s jaw tightened, his piercing gaze snapping to follow Ethan’s line of sight. The weight of their aggravated glares pinned me in place, and heat rose to my cheeks.
Ethan recovered first and rushed to my side. “Are you feeling better?”
The tenderness blindsided me. “About as good as this room looks,” I remarked, glancing around at the wreckage and trying to lighten the mood.
Ethan chuckled lightly and wrapped an arm around my waist for support. His warmth was comforting, and I leaned into him without much thought, using him as a human crutch.
But as I shifted, I caught sight of Jason out of the corner of my eye.
Jason stood a few feet away, arms crossed tightly against his chest, his lips pressed into a thin line. His dress shirt from earlier was stained with—what I hoped—was fake blood. The green eyes I found myself staring at all the time burned a hole in Ethan’s arm where it touched me.
Jason’s annoyed stance became a stroll towards us. He contained most of the unpleasant emotions on his face. “It’s getting late,” he said.
The snappiness in his tone echoed in my ears moments after he disappeared into his lair, leaving me to fend for myself. For amoment, I stared at the spot where he’d disappeared, my pulse quickening.
I winced at Ethan’s low whistle. “He isnota happy camper.” A soft, involuntary laugh escaped me, cutting through the awkwardness. Ethan glanced at me with a small smile. “Want help getting home?” he asked.
The thought of returning to my own bed was tempting, but I hesitated. Jason’s irritated expression lingered in my mind, tugging at something deep inside me. I shook my head, deciding against leaving.
I promised Ethan I would be fine and wobbled to the back.
The door creaked open, and I stepped inside, freezing in place at the sight in front of me. Jason stood by the bed, completely at ease, except for the look of surprise on his face as he whipped his shirt off and tossed it onto the chair nearby.
He was stripped down to his boxers, his bare chest and toned arms catching the low light in a way that made it impossible to peel my eyes away.
“Don’t you knock?” he sputtered.
I forced my eyes to focus on his upper half. “Thanks for letting me rest in here.”
“I wasn’t given much of a choice,” he scoffed.
I hesitated, his annoyed tone making me second-guess myself. “Well, thanks anyway,” I tried.
Jason nodded but maintained the same irritated expression. His green eyes were fixed on me as I bent to gather my things from beside his bed. On my way back up, my gaze betrayed me, catching the sharp V-shaped lines on his hips that disappeared under the waistband of his boxers.
I swallowed hard, my cheeks flushing as I quickly averted my eyes. “Goodnight.”
Turning toward the door, dread pooled in my stomach as I thought about the long, lonely walk back to my apartment. Thethought of dodging catcallers and freezing in my shorts added an extra layer of disgust.
Jason saw the apprehension on my face. “You can stay here for the night.”
My eyes widened.The tin man does have a heart.
He added, “But if you roll onto my side, you will spend the rest of the night on the floor.”Never mind.
