As I looked through my suitcase for a comfortable outfit, I felt like slapping myself. The rescuers brought with them a reality check.
It was all very well talking about a three-way relationship when we were the only three people in the world, but the way my friend and those men had looked at us made my blood run cold. I didn’t want to admit anything to them. I felt ashamed and fearful of their reaction, and I also felt ashamed of how I felt. It was so confusing.
And our rescuers were all nice people.
What if we bumped into someone like Elijah or my mother? My stomach churned at the thought of telling people or of anyone I knew finding out about what had happened: what was happening.
I might be about to let my guys down at the first possible hurdle.
I pulled on my casual clothes, a pleated tartan skirt and a sweater, and put my hair into a high ponytail. The bedroom smelled of sex, so I carefully secured the door shut when I went back out into the living room.
“Where’s Cameron?” I asked, noticing he’d disappeared.
“He’s gone to see Vic; reckons he’ll need some help with the clean up,” Hugh explained. That was Cameron, always ready to jump in and help out. My heart swelled, but guilt tempered my pride as I remembered how excited he’d been to hear I wanted to try a relationship with them both.
That was rash, Muriel.
Hugh looked at me carefully, probably sensing that I had a lot on my mind, but I brushed him off with a breezy smile.
“I’ll go and get dressed then, I guess,” he said.
As soon as he left the room, I turned to Poppy, determined to distract her before she asked me anything about Hugh and Cameron. “What happened to you during the storm?” I asked. “How did you end up with Cooper and Nolan?”
Poppy hesitated, seemingly wanting to tell me something but thinking better of it. “I’ll tell you later. I’m helping them with the rescues, but I’ve got a feeling we’ve both got a lot to talk about.”
She waggled her perfectly manicured brows, and my cheeks flushed scarlet. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” I protested.
She rolled her eyes. “Uh huh, I’m sure. See ya later.”
As I watched her leave with the two good-looking men, an even more handsome man placed his hands on my shoulders. He started massaging them, and I leaned into it, sighing happily.
“You okay?”
“Yes,” I lied. “Just tired, that’s all. Say, do you need a ride home? I doubt you’ll get a cab anytime soon, and my rental arrived before the storm got going last night.”
“That’d be good, but do you mind dropping me off at my folks’ place? I’d better check up on them; my mom can be... challenging when she’s stressed.”
I’d met Hugh’s mom a few times, so I knew he was being polite. She was a total battle-axe and fiercely protective of her only son.
I’d probably admire her if she didn’t happen to hate me. I wasn’t being paranoid; she made her feelings very clear every time Cameron and I went over to do homework at her house.
If she ever found out her son was in a three-way relationship with Cameron and me. I’d probably have to leave the country or risk finding a horse’s head in my bed.
“That’s fine, but I’d better drop you off at the door and then flee.”
He shook his head, laughing.
“I don’t know why you think my mom doesn’t like you. She acts the same with everyone. It’s the way she is.”
“She was never rude to Cameron.”
“Well, that’s different. Voldemort himself would be charmed by Cameron; it’s those freckles and that ridiculous enthusiasm of his.”
He wasn’t wrong, but I was still certain I’d be better off avoiding Hugh’s mother, at least while my guilt about what we’d done together was still fresh. Knowing my social awkwardness, I’d probably end up telling her all about our night. And I’d end up murdered on the spot.
We tidied up the apartment a bit, figuring that the cleaners would have enough to deal with for the next few days, then I grabbed my keys, and we set out.
Chapter Nine
Hugh Davis
Muriel was quiet as we set out for my parent’s house. Worryingly quiet.
I shouldn’t have let her say that she wanted to make things work between us. I’m sure she meant every word at the time, but you can’t count on things said under the influence of the post-coital glow.
The way her eyes widened when we told her about our run-in with Elijah made it obvious that she wasn’t ready for that sort of stick or for people finding out she was in a throuple.
“When do you head home?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“I am home.” Muriel looked over at me with a smile. “But if you mean LA, my flight is in a couple days. I promised my parents I’d hang out with them after the wedding, so I extended my trip a little.”