_______________
“Oh my God,”I say when we are back at the barn in Prestwick Forest. “That was such an adrenaline rush.” I finish bandaging Galen’s torn knuckles, smiling up at him. “You’re done.”
“Thanks.” He hesitates for a brief second before planting a soft kiss on my lips.
“Our princess has a hard-on for danger,” Caz says, winking. He’s sprawled across the large leather recliner, his bare feet hanging over the arm.
“Damn straight, but that’s nothing new.” I grin at him.
“It sends a clear message,” Saint says, still in business mode. He pulls my feet up on his lap as we sit at opposite ends of the couch.
We’ve all showered and changed. I’m in sleep shorts and a long-sleeved sleep top, and the guys are all bare-chested and in sweats. If I wasn’t so dead on my feet, I would be crawling all over their sexy asses, but I desperately need sleep. It’s after six now, and daylight is breaking.
“But they won’t stop coming for you.” Saint rubs his hands up and down my legs, and warmth penetrates bone deep.
“We need to find some dirt on them. Something that is irrefutable, that no damn connections can get them out of,” I suggest.
“I hate to say this,” Theo says, pressing a kiss to the top of my head as he hands me a mug of hot chocolate. My heart swells at the gesture. All the small things he does tells me how much he remembers and how deeply he cares. “But we need Diesel’s help.” He sinks onto the smaller couch beside Galen.
“We don’t need granddad,” Saint growls. “We’re capable of dealing with this problem on our own.”
“I’m with Theo on this,” Caz says. “Lo’s life is at stake, and we don’t have the time or the right resources to really nail their asses.”
“We should explore all options,” Galen agrees. “And personal shit has to stay at the front door.” He drills a look at his cousin.
Saint scowls as he brings a bottle of beer to his lips. Putting my mug down, I crawl up the couch, nestling between his legs with my back to his chest. His arms automatically circle my waist, and I angle my head and look up, touching his face. “He isn’t a threat to what we have. He and I were a thing for five seconds, and it was over before we got together. You need to let it go. He can help, and we’d be stupid to turn that down.”
Everyone waits for Saint’s response, and I run my fingers back and forth across the underside of his prickly jaw while I wait for him to process his shit.
“I’ll try,” he admits after a minute. “But I hate that fucking guy.”
Caz snorts. “You hate any guy who’s been inside the princess.”
I send a glare in Caz’s direction. “Not exactly helpful and not entirely true considering everyone in this room has been inside me.”
“He has access to stuff I can only dream about,” Theo says, appealing to Saint’s strategic side as he refocuses the conversation. He hands me my hot chocolate again, and I smile over the rim of the mug. “We’ll get things done much faster with his help.” I drink the chocolate goodness while Saint thinks about it.
“All right,” Saint concedes, fastening his arms more tightly around my waist. “But I’m not promising I won’t hit him.”
I shake my head, yawning as my eyes fight to stay open.
I guess I nodded off sometime after that because the next thing I know I’m being shaken awake. “Babe.” Warm fingers brush hair off my face. “You need to get up.”
“Go away.” I swat at Saint’s hands, pulling the pillow down over my face. Soft snoring and heat from another body confirms I’m not the only one having trouble waking up.
“Theo has found something important. He needs us all downstairs.”
The covers are whipped off me, and I groan, yanking the pillow off my head, sitting up and scowling. Saint is perched on the edge of the bed, smirking at the state of the bird’s nest on top of my head. I was too tired to dry it last night, so I just pulled it into a bun, and I’m sure it’s a hot mess. I look over my shoulder at Galen. He’s still passed out, and he actually looks peaceful in sleep. “Do we really have to wake him?”
Saint pulls me into his lap, nuzzling his nose in my shoulder. “I don’t want to, but we have to.”
I rest my head on his shoulder, yawning. “Did you sleep here too?”
“I did. You were practically comatose, so I carried you to bed. Galen followed, and I didn’t think you’d mind if he joined us.”
“I don’t mind although we do need to buy a bigger bed.”
“Truth.” Saint pecks my lips before leaning across and slapping Galen across the cheek.
