Even so, there was no way I was putting myself in the direct employment of this man or his family.
Marco walked me back through the study, stopped at a cabinet, then pulled out a fancy-looking blue bottle filled with a deep amber liquid. He brushed the dust off the label before handing it to me.
“I know you drink whiskey,” he said firmly. “So you’lltake this.”
There was no debating his intentions this time. This was an order.
“Thank you Marco,” I said immediately, glancing down. “It looks great.”
“It’s better than great,” the man grumbled. “That’s Mortlach Midnight, thirty-year malt. Enjoy it, but don’t falltoomuch in love with it.” He nodded back toward the brick-like envelope. “Not until you’re ready to make a different decision.”
He patted my shoulder again rapidly, indicating it was time to go. I bid him farewell, thanked him again for the gift, then retraced my steps through the mansion. Otto followedme the whole way, intentionally trying to make me feel uncomfortable. Those dark, deep-set eyes never left me, all the way back to my car.
I wasthisclose to flipping him off, as I rolled back down the long gravel driveway.
~ 30 ~
HAYDEN
There was something peaceful about lying in bed alone, staring at the ceiling, long after everyone else was asleep. It was like the whole world became yours. Everything else just melted away, if you were willing to let it.
“Are yousureyou’re ready to go back there tomorrow?”
Of course, lying in bed next to a sexy, naked bartender was good too. Especially one that had just fucked you through some of the best orgasms of your life.
“Yes,” I eventually sighed, snuggling into the crook of Carter’s great arm. “I can’t avoid the place forever. Besides, Cole’s been quiet.”
“Still… if you need more time.”
I planted kisses against the side of his chest, hooking my bare leg over his body to pull him in even closer. His muscles flexed, warm and thick, beneath my lips.
“Are you trying to keep me around?” I teased.
Cole’s free arm slid downward, his palm so big it cupped both globes of my ass at once. He squeezed it so hard I yelped.
“Fuck yes,” he grunted. “We love having you here.”
We.My God, it was such a fucking turn on. Even now, more than a week into my stay with the boys, the word still made me queasy with arousal.
“I really have to get things in order,” I told him. “Prep the place for whoever sublets it.”
“Uh huh,” he murmured, still distracted by playing with my ass. “And you’re giving them the furniture?”
“Every last bit of it,” I sniffed, wrinkling my nose. “They can have it, they can enjoy it, or they can chuck it out the nearest window for all I care. Doesn’t matter to me what happens, as long as I never see it again.”
The apartment was strangely easy to let go of, once I’d made the decision not to go back. I missed some of my furnishings though, whatever Cole had done with them. A few pieces had followed me through several moves already.
“And the three of you promise to take me apartment hunting?” I asked.
“Sure. Didn’t we say we would?”
“Yes,” I sighed contentedly. “Just making sure.”
“Don’t blame us if we’re not in any hurry though,” Carter warned. “As a roommate, you come with some pretty good benefits.”
Smiling, I traced his chest with a roaming fingernail. “You’re talking about my cooking, aren’t you?” I teased.
His hand rose up and came down on my ass, smacking it playfully.
