He does and leaves.
I hop down, and we wordlessly clean up, stealing glances at each other in the mirror. He’s wearing almost as much of myblood as I am. It’s just harder to see because it’s camouflaged in his tattoos.
When we’re done, he inspects my cut closely. “I don’t know, Soph. I think maybe I should take you to the ER to get stitches.”
I lean in close to the mirror. Maybe I should get stitches, but I’ve had worse cuts and didn’t bother. I grew up in a house where you were told to toughen up. It’s what I do. “I’ll be fine. Can you help me with a butterfly bandage?”
He tilts his head. “Are you sure? This is gonna leave a scar.” He’s torn.
I nod.
The antiseptic stings like hell, but I’m shocked again how gentle his big hands are.
When we exit the restroom, Susan gives us both clean staff T-shirts and tells us Hannah and a police officer are in her office waiting for us.
Ever waits outside the office while I talk briefly to the officer. He tells me I have every right to press assault charges. I decline. Ben has more problems than I’m sure I’ll ever know, and jail isn’t going to solve any of them.
The police give Ben permission to leave, and Susan calls him a cab to take him to a motel a few miles away for the night. When I have assurances he’ll sleep somewhere safe but far from Hannah, I exit the office, thanking the officer and profusely apologizing to Susan.
Ever, Hannah, and I walk to the van in silence.
When Ever opens the van door, Jesse’s soft snores can be heard.
We all look at each other with weary, exhausted expressions. And laugh. Quietly at first, but then long and hard. It’s ridiculous and wrong, but that’s what makes it feel so right. We all needed stress relief and the tears in our eyes are just that.
By the timeEver gets Jesse in one hotel room, I get Hannah in the second, and we meet in the third, it’s almost three o’clock.
Way past my bedtime.
He’s sitting on the edge of the bed pulling off his shoes. The exhaustion in his eyes looks like it’s been piling on for years.
“What do you need?” he asks through a wide yawn.
I kick off my Vans.
He reaches behind his head and pulls his T-shirt off.
I slip my shorts down and step out of them.
He does the same.
We’re both so tired we can barely keep our eyes open, but I step forward and drop down on his lap, straddling him. His hands run up my thighs until he’s palming my ass that’s mostly bare thanks to my cheeky panties.
I make a mental note to thank Lola for the gift that, apparently, keeps on giving and drop my forehead to his. Watching his eyelids close, I clasp my hands at the nape of his neck and close mine too. And then I finally answer the question he’s asked a dozen times tonight. “In a perfect world? To sit on your face and finish what we started earlier.” I wish it sounded sexy, but it sounds every bit as tired as I am.
He’s running on fumes, but he huffs out a quiet, delirious laugh. “I would fucking love that.”
I yawn, unable to help myself. “But considering the day we’ve had, I need sleep. And you need sleep. Can we agree that when we wake up, we’re gonna get naked, and not overthink it, and make each other feel really fucking good?”
His hands skim up my back under my shirt, fingers splayed, before returning to my ass. “Soph, you have no idea how many times we’ve already fucked in my mind. I already never wanna leave this room.”
twenty-two
Soph is still asleepwhen I wake. We’re on our sides, a blissful tangle of bodies. The front of me pressed to the back of her, a knee tucked between her warm thighs. My palm, under her palm, pressed to her rib cage. She’s so peaceful that I don’t want to disturb her, and it takes me five minutes to extricate myself. As soon as I’m out of bed, I briefly contemplate crawling back in, and the only thing that stops me is the certainty of what’s to come in this bed later.
I dress as quietly as I can, leave a note that I’ll be back soon, and slip out to take care of some business before she wakes up. I stop at the front desk first and pay for another night for all three rooms. We all need time to rest and decide next steps. I don’t want anyone to feel rushed. Next stop is the convenience store across the street to buy a bottle of aspirin, a box of bandages, and a box of condoms. And last, a bakery down the street to pick up breakfast sandwiches and coffees.
I drop off food, coffee, and aspirin with Jess and Hannah and tell them they don’t need to be out of their rooms until tomorrow. They both look worse for wear, but thankful forthe temporary reprieve. We all agree to meet at six o’clock for dinner.
