Penny marched over to a table and set the basket down hard. “There.”
“Can you guys either go… I don’t know, screw this tension out? You’re killing my buzz.” Garrett pulled open the ribbon and pulled out a holiday mug. “Nice. I love a mug. Dibs. I calldibs.”
“He’s right.” Christian eyed the basket. “I will be taking my fiancée and this basket to our room. We can go through the prizes tomorrow.”
“Oh, will you?” Penny asked.
Christian grinned before picking her up and hoisting her over his shoulder. “We’ll see you at brunch in the morning.”
“Christian!” Penny yelled, but she smiled. But her tone shifted really fast. “Put me down.”
“Nope.” He smacked her butt before grabbing the basket. She laughed, and just like that, they walked down the hall, her squeals echoing back toward us. She seemed happy with the turn of events, and that’s all I cared about.
To repeat Hayden’s words, they were wonderful but strange.
“I wanted that mug.” Garrett stared after them with a sad look. “It was really nice.”
“G, you can get your mug tomorrow.”
He shrugged and stared at us with mischief. “What’s our wolf pack gonna do? Wanna play a game, drink at a bar? They might think they won’t see us until morning, but I have a surprise for them.”
“What does that mean?” Hayden demanded.
Garrett shrugged, looking way too proud. I didn’t like it one bit. “Oh, nothing.”
“Dude, what did you do?” I asked, pointing a finger at his chest. “Tell me right now.”
“You’ll see.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Let’s say it’s a fun little gift for them.”
“You don’t understand,” I argued, annoyed that Garrett was being so nonchalant about it. “We can’t do anything to ruin this weekend or wedding. If you pulled a prank, it could upset them.”
“Char, I love you, babe, but if they can’t handle this joke, then they are doomed.” He yawned and had the audacity to look surprised. “How am I more tired than you both? I’m way more fun.”
“They can’t handle any more stress than the wedding itself. Can you please tell me what you did? I don’t want to ruin this for them.”
“It won’t, okay? I promise. I think my hangover is starting now. God, is this what it means to be thirty? Not a fan.Four out of ten stars so far. I might go to bed so we can go wild tomorrow.” He clapped Hayden on the shoulder and pulled me in for a hug. “Don’t worry so much, Char.”
“Please don’t ruin this.” I debated telling him what we knew, but Hayden shook his head slightly, almost in warning. I trusted Garrett but wasn’t sure what he would do if I shared my concerns. “What can I do to get the prank out of you?”
“If I was on top of my game, I’d say marry me, but I just need sleep. It’ll be fine. Plus it’d be too late to cancel anyway. I already paid for her. Anyway, night, y’all. Don’t have too much fun.” He kissed the top of my head before marching away.
“I really don’t like him sometimes.”
“He saidher. Paid forher. He ordered a stripper. Fuck.” Hayden took off his glasses and ran a finger over his eyebrow before meeting my gaze. His intense gray eyes, the same color of snow under moonlight, narrowed. “We have to stop this.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HAYDEN
Ihad to hand it to Charlotte. She charmed her way into finding out what room Christian and Penny were in. They had been given a suite on the third floor at the very end of the hall. Of course, it wasn’t a convenient location near the lobby, where we could hang out on chairs and wait for what… some woman to arrive?
“I am not judging. I would never. However, I have no idea what we’re looking for. We can’t just ask every woman who is on this floor what they are doing.” Charlotte chewed on a hangnail on her thumb, her attention darting down the third-floor hallway and to the elevator. It was 10:00 p.m., so most guests were heading in for the night.
“Can we ask if they are going to room 300 or not?” I slid down the wall, resting my arms across my knees. There was a break between rooms right in the middle, where the ice and vending machines were plugged in. The little nook was perfect for sleuthing but not exactly comfortable. “Why are we friends with Garrett? I need reminding.”
Charlotte joined me in leaning against the wall. She left six inches between us, which was for the best, but I wanted her against me. My fingers still buzzed from touching her skin. It might’ve crossed a line, but my finger almost did it involuntarily, and then I couldn’t stop. She was so soft and warm.So mine, my brain finished. Even if it wasn’t true, it felt that way.
“He’s a good human most of the time. It’s the fifteen percent rascal in him that gets in the way.” She leaned her head against the wall and yawned. “I’m also tired. The igloo seems like ten years ago.”
