Cora lay in bed between Hayes and Ren, staring at the ceiling and trying to fall asleep. The guys had dozed off pretty quickly after they’d all taken a shower. Neither of them had tried to discuss or pick apart what had happened yet. She’d been happy for the reprieve. She wasn’t ready to talk. She hadn?
?t expected for things to go like they had—to feel so much afterward. She wasn’t sure what to do with that.
She’d laughed like a crazy person when they were done because a big part of her had wanted to cry. Things were supposed to be good, exciting, sexy. They weren’t supposed to blow her world apart and make her want things she wasn’t going to get. Being with them had felt like the purest expression of her sexuality, of herself. Like for a little while, all the things that had always been off in her dating life had clicked into place. She’d never felt so free with anyone, so in her own skin, so cherished. Loved, even. Which was ridiculous. That’s not what this was. Her brain chemicals were hijacking her brain and mixing up good sex with emotional stuff. But she needed time to sort herself out and get her armor back up before having any kind of conversation with these two. She couldn’t let them see how deeply they’d affected her, how much she was starting to feel for them. Her poker face would be shit right now. They’d see right through her.
So she was thankful they hadn’t pushed. She would feel better and more centered after a good night’s sleep. She could tackle the hard stuff in the morning.
But even though she felt dog-tired, she couldn’t fall asleep. She’d felt a little light-headed after sex and had chalked it up to not having eaten enough before going out. But now she felt downright nauseous. She had no idea if it was just worry stirring things up or if it was something else. She tried a few different positions, trying to get settled, but the sick feeling only got worse. Ugh. She needed something to settle her stomach.
With a sigh, she gingerly pushed herself upward and scooted down to the foot of the bed, working hard not to disturb the guys. Hayes rolled on his side when she brushed against him, jostling the bed, but his eyes didn’t open. He reached out as if seeking her warmth and his hand landed on Ren’s thigh instead. For a moment, she let herself just look at the two of them. In sleep, they went from hot and intimidating to boyishly adorable. Smooth expressions and messy hair. Soft snores. She could get used to that sight.
No. She couldn’t let her mind go there.
Ren had said this could be more than one night, that tonight was to see where things went. But she had no idea what they were feeling, and more than one night didn’t mean a relationship. It simply meant more sex. And she couldn’t pretend that anything more than that wouldn’t be enormously complicated.
With a frown, she got to her feet and hunted down something to wear. She found one of Ren’s dress shirts draped over a chair and slipped it on. Her stomach rolled.
Blech. She needed crackers and something fizzy. Stat. She was making herself sick with all her swirling thoughts.
Working hard not to bump into anything in the dark, she made her way down the hallway and into the kitchen. The place looked like the aftermath of a drunken striptease. Her clothes were strewn on the floor, her panties hooked under the leg of a chair at the dining table. There were smudge marks all over the table from grappling hands and naked bodies. She wondered if the guys had a maid service. What was the charge to remove butt prints? That made her snort. The maid would be in for quite a scene.
Cora opened the stainless steel fridge in search of soda but all that was in there was bottled water, a few beers, and orange juice. Her stomach staged a protest at even the thought of orange juice and she pressed her fingers against her lips. No bueno.
She grabbed a bottle of water and shut the fridge. But when she turned around, she spotted the cup from the bar, sitting on a table by the side door. It would be watered down by now but may be enough to do the trick. She set down the bottled water and went for the drink. The insulated cup had kept some of the ice from melting and the fizz was just what she needed. She took off the top and drank a few big gulps.
The carbonation seemed to start its magic almost instantly, and after snagging a few saltines from their pantry and finishing the drink, she went back to bed. The guys were still fast asleep, Ren snoring lightly. She carefully climbed back between them and tucked herself under the covers. Hayes automatically threw his arm over her and snuggled against her.
She smiled, settling into the warm place between them, and closed her eyes, deciding that she would just enjoy the moment and leave the hard thoughts for tomorrow.
But a little while later, when she shifted slightly to adjust her position, something in her equilibrium flipped over and the bed felt like it tipped sideways beneath her. Whoa. Her eyes popped open, but a wave of dizziness hit her. She groaned, the room listing in her vision. Her fingers gripped the comforter.
Something was wrong. This was . . . Things didn’t feel right. She closed her eyes, trying to breathe through the wave of vertigo, but that only made it worse. She reached out blindly for Ren, attempting to alert him, but her arm wouldn’t cooperate. Everything felt slow, drunk. Out of her control.
Panic tried to rise in her, alarm bells sounding, but she wasn’t able to hold on to the thought long enough to take action. Her lips parted, her voice trying to form a protest, but nothing came out.
She was just so dizzy and . . . sleepy.
Her eyes fell shut. The world went black.
And the guys never knew a thing.
TWENTY-FIVE
Boom. Boom. Boom. The thumping sound filled Hayes’s dream. A cop was hitting the prison bars right next to his head, trying to wake him up. He had his hand over his ears and was yelling at them to quit. But the banging wouldn’t stop. Boom! Boom!
Hayes’s eyes popped open, and he blinked into the darkness, coming out of the dream with blurred awareness. For a second, he couldn’t place where he was, but when one of Ren’s drawings came into view in a shaft of moonlight from the window, his head cleared. Cora’s warm body was tucked beneath his arm, their legs fused together with a sheen of sweat. But she was still asleep. The banging started up again, and Ren rolled over to face him, mumbling, “What the fuck?”
“The door. Someone’s knocking on the door,” Hayes said, peeling away from Cora and glancing at the bedside clock. Three thirty in the morning.
Ren eyes opened at that. “What? It’s the middle of the night.”
The knocking came again along with a muffled voice. Hayes sat up and got out of bed in search of his jeans. “I’ll go see what’s going on. Stay here with her.”
Cora seemed deep in sleep, her body rising and falling with slow breaths, her hair damp with sweat.
Ren pushed up on his elbow. “Be careful. If anything looks suspicious, call the police. There was a break-in down the street a few weeks ago.”
Hayes gave a nod, but unease was curling in his gut. Late-night phone calls were bad enough. Late-night knocks were worse. He tugged on his jeans and strode down the hallway. The heavy thudding knocks started up again as he made his way to the front door. He was just leaning down to peek through the peephole when the voice on the other side shouted, “Police, open up.”