Perturbed, I glanced over at my motivation for living and caught her eyes on me. Nanci forced a brave smile, but I sensed she was scared with damn good reason. This was the last time I took a road trip with James Washington. The man was cursed! Nanci continued clearing away the remains of the meal we’d eaten before this shit kicked off. I checked my phone and blinked. It was only seven p.m. Christ, I figured it was later than that, but I was clearly wrong.
“Come on, brother, let’s clear these things out,” Drake muttered. I nodded and got my ass in gear. Calamity was draping a cloth over the huge mirror hanging above the fireplace. Good idea, I thought. Anything could crawl through that monstrosity. I’d seen enough horror movies to know anything was possible.
As we worked, conversation rose about everyone sleeping here tonight. Nobody baulked, to my relief. Discussions arose about how to proceed, and Nanci spoke up, offering a logical suggestion. Damn, I loved her.
“Look, let’s hit our rooms, shower, and clean up. Then we can bring our cases down here, and we’ll wait here with James and someone while the guys fetch the mattresses. It’s not rocket science,” Nanci stated, and Phoe chuckled.
“Nanci, you’re a bitch sometimes, but I like it,” Phoe said.
“Gotta admit, I can still feel that blood on my arms,” Chance replied. “I’d love a shower.”
“Then let’s do this. Can we take this lot back to the kitchen and clear the mess away? While we’re there, let’s find some snacks too. When we come down, we can pick the coffee vats up and bring everything here. We need to stick together as a group,” Sabine suggested.
“Snacks are good!” Vladimir replied with a kindly smile.
“Honestly, I’m surprised this place is so well stocked,” Phoe mused, and we all looked at her. “What? This has nothing to do with me!”
“Never said a word,” Rosie muttered.
“Let’s do this,” Nanci interjected before a fight broke out.
“Agreed.” I nodded at my woman—so damn proud of her.
Nanci
Inglorious shut the door behind us as we entered the room we’d been given. He placed his phone down and pulled me into his arms, brushing his lips against mine.
“Babe, you okay? You’re tense,” he asked softly, gazing into my eyes as he massaged my shoulders.
“Just scared.”
“Want to know a secret? Make that two of us. Phoe’s shenanigans don’t compare to this!”
I laughed as Inglorious intended me to. “Come on, we’ll shower together. Safety in numbers and all that!” I teased.
“Good idea,” he muttered, and I felt his hardness through his jeans. I winked at Inglorious and waltzed off into the shower. Shower sex seemed a perfect way to rid myself of this tension, and my man agreed.
???
Thirty minutes later, I pulled my boots on and shoved everything back into my case. Inglorious was drying his hair with a towel, and I loved watching the muscles in his arms flex. With a glint in his eye, Inglorious reached for his phone. He scrolled through an app and pressed on something.
A love song came over the speakers, and I cocked my head.
“Dance with me,” Inglorious murmured, holding out his hand. My heart melted as I took it, and Inglorious swept me up. The music played as we swayed together. This had to be one of the most romantic things Inglorious had done, and he’d done plenty.
“Love you,” I whispered.
“My addiction,” Inglorious replied softly, and I knew he meant me. I was Inglorious’s obsession. He often told me he couldn’t get enough of me. Happily, I leaned my head on his chest as the song played in the background, and I thanked my lucky stars. If not for Drake coming to fetch me, I wouldn’t have had this. I’d still be mired in pain from my brother’s death.
Grateful, I raised my head and pulled Inglorious down for a kiss. Our lips met, and Inglorious held me tighter. Before wecould go any further, a piercing scream cut through the air, and we both jumped and raced for the door.
“Phoe!” Drake bellowed as we entered the hallway. He threw his body against the bedroom door as Phoe screamed again.
“Drake!” Chance roared, coming out of his room.
“Phoe’s locked inside!” Drake yelled. Inglorious rushed past me and slammed into the door. He bounced off it.
Phoe shrieked again. There was no denying her terror.
