I was going to stop worrying about how long we’d known each other and just follow Austin’s advice. It hadn’t gotten him killed yet, so hopefully, it would work out for me.
I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.
Most of that was going to be the drive because they lived in the middle of nowhere, but I knew it wouldn’t take me long to throw a few clothes in a bag. The only place I had to be tomorrow was over at Dakota’s by two, so I’d have time to come back and change clothes before that if I needed to. Everything else on my to-do list I could do from my phone and computer.
I was right. Almost twenty minutes later to the dot, I pulled in their driveway. Just seeing the house and knowing they were inside was relaxing. Grabbing my bag and phone, I turned off the car and climbed out. By the time I reached the porch, they were waiting for me.
For some reason it felt familiar, like I’d always been coming home to them and something had just distracted me for a while. Wrapping the feeling around me, I stepped into their arms and cuddled between my two alphas.
Graham pressed a kiss to my head as Russ stroked down my back, speaking quietly. “You look like you’ve had a long week.”
“It’s only Thursday.” For some reason, saying that made me feel even worse. Why was I so tired when it wasn’t even the weekend? Hell, I hadn’t even seen Russ or Graham since Monday except for a quick lunch with Russ yesterday.
“That’s not the point and you know it.” Russ ran his hand over my head and down my neck, making me want to purr. I loved it when he did that. “What time did you get up this morning?”
“Four-ish. Something like that.” I shrugged.
Time was starting to run together lately. “I had to go over the questions Tanner had about the changes to the club and email him. Then I had to find another poison for Dakota because he’s panicking and has to figure it out this week because he’s on a deadline. And Austin still can’t leave the house without being mobbed by people asking about porn stars and politics and sex toys. It’s silly, but he needed help sorting through the extra emails he’s been getting.”
Figuring out who was real and deserved a response and who was insane wasn’t always easy.
“Does he realize what time you’re having to get up at to help him?” Graham stroked over my cheek as Russ continued to play with my neck, and holding a conversation was starting to be difficult.
“I think I mentioned it? I’m not sure. I write it all down on a spreadsheet for when I get paid, though.” So someone had to be reading it because money kept showing up in my account.
“Blue eyes, when do you get time to do your art or even sleep?” Russ’s question made my head start to pound.
He seemed to think it would be easy to answer. “I don’t know. There’s just always so much to do.”
And it wasn’t like I was just doing it for the money.
Yes, it helped on the lean months between sales, but I’d sold a few pieces earlier in the year. Unfortunately, there was just something that was making it harder and harder to focus on my art. No focus meant no finished pieces and that meant no sales, which meant I had to make sure I was earning the money I was getting from the guys.
“Well, you’re all done for the day.” When I started to lift my head and protest, because I really should do a bit more research later, Russ put his foot down. “No. Unless you safeword, as your Doms we’re making the decision that you’re done for the night.”
Safewording hadn’t occurred to me—but grumbling had.
“What time do you have to work tomorrow?” Graham’s quiet question had me fighting to make my brain work. He was going a lot faster mentally than I was.
“I have to be at Dakota’s at two tomorrow.” Was that it? “I might have a few things to do for Austin before that, but I can’t remember.”
There was always something else to do. “He bought a small town and there’s just so many people to help, his real estate manager can’t keep up.”
Russ snorted. “He needs another full-time employee.”
I nodded but then shrugged too. “He caught the last one taking pictures of the feminine clothes in his closet. He was going to sell it to the tabloids.”
“Shit.” Russ sighed. “Yeah, I can see why he’s cautious then. But there has to be a way to get him someone honest who will help protect his privacy.”
If there was, I hadn’t found it.
“Probably.” I wasn’t betting on it being easy, though.
“What does Silas say?” Russ’s question had me shrugging.
“No idea.” Had it ever come up around Silas? “Austin works weird hours, in general. Now he’s working even stranger ones to be able to hang around him. He was texting me at two o’clock in the morning the other day.”
He never slept.