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“Do you miss it?” he asked gently. “Home?”
“Yes.” There was no doubt in my mind that I was eager to go home. “But the city has its perks.”
“Oh really?” Lucas’ easy smile turned into a smirk, and I tightened my grip slightly.
“Really.”
Ten minutes later, we arrived at my hotel, and I kissed Lucas’ cheek, then turned to say goodbye.
“Thank you for walking me home,” I began but paused when Sebastian tsked softly.
“We’re coming in with you.”
“What?”
“There’s no way we’re leaving you alone tonight,” Danny said. “Now after what we just saw with Shane.”
“I’m sure he’s drunk in an alley by now,” I said but my attempts to dissuade them were minimal at best. Secretly, I was glad they wanted to stay. Not just because being near them made me happy, but the unsettled feeling that lingered thanks to the altercation simply wasn’t fading. Having these guys with me would definitely help.
“I don’t care where he is,” Sebastian said as the other two nodded. “Tonight, respectfully, we will be staying with you. Just in case.”
His tone was clear, they weren’t taking any chances.
“Okay,” I agreed, trying not to sound too eager. “Come on.”
Up in my hotel room, I was glad the place wasn’t a mess as I let them in and thanked my past self for having the sense to clean up. There was one awkward moment as they filed in when I was unsure if I should say anything about where things were located in the room, but everyone seemed to relax the moment they were seated. A yawn stole over me, and I rubbed my face.
“I’m going to take a shower. Do you need anything?”
“You don’t need to do a thing,” Danny said with a smile, reaching for the room phone. “Go and relax.”
Lucas made a beeline for the minifridge, murmuring about calling down for ice for his hand and there was a strong pull in my gut to help him. Then again, Danny was still staring at me with a look that told me he wasn’t going to ask again,
Not needing to be told twice, I did exactly as requested and retreated to the bathroom. Discarding my dress and pulling the pins from my hair, a small thrill shot through my body. All three of them were here, in my room, and there was something incredibly exciting and heart-warming about that. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly why it brought me so much joy, but it nestled warm in my chest.
Shower on, I stripped down and stepped under the powerful spray. Instantly, the lingering tension from Shane vanished from my shoulders and the water poured like soothing hands down my body. As I washed the hairspray and makeup away, my mind began to run.
Valentine’s was so close now, and Lily was sending those roses with the hopes that it could ignite something more between me and the guys. There hadn’t been much talk of feelings, but surely the fact that they were here for me meant something? Something more than a fling? I knew in my own heart that it was more than a crush, that the love I was feeling was growing by the second. Knowing that they were protective over me was the cherry on top and I replayed the moment they saved me from Shane over and over in my mind.
It was like something out of some cute movie, but it was my life. My real life. Things were finally looking up. I’d almost secured my home; I had a fantastic job lined up with Sebastian and I had three men that I adored. Years of solitude and scraping by on the bare minimum were surely at an end.
By the time I stepped out of the shower, I was very relaxed. I wiped away some fog from the mirror and studied my fresh face in the mirror as a little apprehension grew. None of them had seen me without makeup and there was something daunting about revealing my fresh face without warning.
Then again, they had all been drinking, so maybe they wouldn’t even notice.
I dressed quickly in soft, floral pajamas and scooped my hair up into a silk towel, then I opened the door and stepped out into the lounging area of my room. The scent of pizza hit my nose immediately and my stomach pulled unexpectedly with hunger. Lucas was down to his undies, gathering the remaining pillows from the couch and putting the finishing touches to what looked like some kind of pillow fort. Danny was by the counter plating up slices of pizza that made Scarlett’s mouth water and Sebastian was by the TV flicking through the movie channels. As I stepped in, a floorboard creaked slightly, and all three pairs of eyes snapped to her.
Scarlett’s heart jumped once, then three smiles melted onto those handsome faces, and I released a quiet breath of relief. No one cared how I looked. Wasn’t that something?
“Good shower?” Lucas asked, tossing down the last two pillows.
“Amazing,” I replied. “I feel so relaxed now.”
“Excellent.” Danny turned, two paper plates in hand laden with pizza. “Because the pampering will continue.”
“Pampering?” Scarlett asked.
“Pillows, pizza, and a movie,” Sebastian said with a grin. Out of his suit and with his hair slightly ruffled, he looked less of the upstanding, in-control man I was used to seeing. He looked warm and relaxed, and that was adorable to see.
