Fine. I was going to give in a little.
So, if I couldn’t enjoy my bath in peace, I was going to at least be productive. Starting with figuring out what I was going to do about the three men who have attached themselves to me.
At first, I didn’t want them. But now? I was starting to wonder if I could allow myself to love again.
Maybe it was their persistence. Or it was the way each of them touched me and made me feel alive. But I could see myself with any one of them. And that brought on a whole new level of worry.
So sure, I might consider another relationship.
Then again, Xander was still ever present in my life. He was like a bad penny. I couldn’t get rid of him regardless of what I did. I hated to think it would take him permanently disappearing for me to be free. And that thought almost made me feel guilty. Why? Because what gave me more right to live than him. As much of an asshole as he was, he was still a person.
So, what if Xander was no longer an issue by any other means outside of unaliving him?
It wasn’t like I could be with the men. Charlotte, their alpha, had not so kindly pointed out that they belonged to her. As though she had some sick, twisted claim over them. All she wanted was to use them to fatten her wallet. She didn’t cherish them or love them. They were no better than slaves to her.
My thoughts were starting to spin out of control. I huffed. Something had to give. My gaze settled on the Moscato. I picked up the bottle, screwed off the top then took a long pull of the sweet bubbly liquid.
Delicious, but it wasn’t enough to break my racing thoughts.
Anger started to form a ball of fire within my torso. I was supposed to be on vacation. I was supposed to be relaxing and enjoying myself not breaking into more and more problems.
My phone buzzed again. I turned my glare to it. Steele’s name as it flashed across the screen.
I groaned.
Not him. Not now. He was the last person I wanted to talk to.
“This was supposed to be my birthday gift to me!” I snapped, voice bouncing off the walls of the bathroom.
Ugh!
I took another long swig of the Moscato and decided to turn on some music from my phone.
Less than a minute into the first song, a strange tapping pulled my attention. It was a sound I barely heard over the music and wasn’t sure it wasn’t a part of the song or my imagination. I sat up and strained to listen for the sound again. I thought it might have been knocking on the door. God, I hoped not. My first thought was Xander was behind the door, and I definitely didn’t want to have another run-in with him.
Just as I was about to lay back and try to relax again, the sound happened again and this time, I was certain it was a knock on the door.
“Go away!” I shouted and glared in the direction.
My phone buzzed, flashing Steele’s name on the screen. At the same time, more knocking.
I tapped on the message icon.
“Let us in,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow. “No. Go away.”
More persistent knocking happened.
I sighed.
It seemed I wasn’t going to have the chance to enjoy some semblance of peace. Not anymore at least. Either my mind was going to race, or I was going to have company. I couldn’t win.
So, I gave up and climbed out of the tub. I barely had a towel wrapped around me when I stomped to the door and pulled it open.
Steele, Malachi, and Dallas stood outside my door. Each of them stared at me and the towel that barely clung to my body, suds and water dripping down my legs to the floor, forming a small puddle.
“Hello, nurse,” Dallas said.