But losing the guys…that possibility scared her far more than the thought of someone hurting her physically. One she knew she could survive, because she already had. The other... Well, she didn’t want to find out if she could live without them.
“What?” Simon looked at her as if she was speaking in a foreign language.
“You decided you needed someone who was yours. For just you. That you didn’t want to share me anymore.” She sniffled, her stomach cramping saying the words out loud. Did that make her selfish? She knew it did.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Andi.” Reed backed off far enough that he could meet her gaze directly. “But what we have…it’s not only about you.”
Strangely, that did make her feel better. “It’s not?”
“Nah.” Cooper smiled softly. “I’ve gotten used to having these guys around, too. They’re my best friends. An important part of my life. Just like you.”
“What we have, while it might be weird to others, works for us. And that’s all that matters,” Simon reminded her gently. “We’re not going anywhere. You can count on us, promise.”
She nodded shallowly, able to draw a deep breath for the first time since she’d roused. “Sorry. It was just a dream.”
Reed gave her a look like he might argue. Cooper stopped him with a shake of his head as if he knew that now wasn’t the right time to press her. She appreciated his awareness that, still ragged inside, the slimy coating of fear in her gut hadn’t entirely vanished yet.
Maybe it never would go away completely.
Andi bit her lower lip as she asked, “What time is it anyway?”
Now that she was calmer, she could tell it was closer to morning than midnight. Birds chirped and there was a faint glow—a normal one, unlike the kind in her dream—on the horizon.
“About five-thirty.” Cooper confirmed her suspicions. On a regular day they’d probably be getting up soon. Simon and Reed often went for a run around this time before getting ready for their days. Sometimes she and Cooper stayed in and snuggled, or fucked, then made breakfast so they could eat together before going their separate ways—him to school, her to the lab. Other times Simon was on the road with the team or Reed was gone on business trips.
But they spent the time together when they could.
Today was no different.
It was early, but not the middle of the night. She was up. So she might as well make the most of it. “Why don’t we order room service and watch the sunrise from the Jacuzzi?”
“Damn, Andi. That does sound like a good way to start the day.” Simon was already lunging for the menu beside the phone on the nightstand. “The warm water and pressure will also help work out any kinks left from last night’s…ahem…activities.”
When Reed finally loosened his hold and laid her down on the bed, she stretched, wincing a little at the tenderness in her muscles and joints. “Yeah, I could use a good soak.”
“You? I’m pretty sure he’s talking about us.” Cooper laughed.
Reed climbed from bed then, exaggerating as he walked like the Tin Man, hunched over and clasping his back. “I’m getting too old for this.”
“You’re twenty-two, asshole.” Simon threw a pillow at Reed, hitting him in the back of the head.
Andi couldn’t help but grin at their antics. Every moment that passed helped erase her lingering terror and the blackness of her nightmare from her mind. How could she dwell on the darkness when rose-gold light spilled over the horizon, limning the skyline?
“Hurry, it’s starting.” Andi crossed to the whirlpool and climbed inside, settling herself so that she had a prime view. Simon switched on the faucets, which filled the tub remarkably quickly with steamy water.
Andi sighed and let herself melt against the wall of the contoured tub for several minutes.
Reed was returning from the bathroom when a knock came at the door. He detoured to claim their breakfast. His booming thanks rang through the suite before he reappeared with an entire cart laden with fancy silver-domed dishes and a crystal pitcher of OJ that would be awesome mixed with a hint of their leftover champagne from the night before.
“Holy shit. What did you order?” Cooper asked Simon.
He shrugged. “No idea. When I said I’d like breakfast, they said they’d send a selection right up. I guess it’s a perk of the honeymoon suite.”
The guys didn’t say much then. As much as last night’s dinner had been for her, this was their style of feast. They piled their plates high, then climbed in beside her. Heaps of bacon, pancakes, and eggs disappeared into their mouths. Andi grinned as she recalled the energy they’d burned the night before. They deserved a few extra helpings.
She settled on a selection of fruit and a donut or two. Hey, she’d earned them—sprinkles and all.
Simon leaned over when she’d finished and licked the icing from her fingers. “Mmm.”