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Chuckling, I sat down, ass on the bare leather.
“Heated seats,” I said as I looked down. “I didn’t notice it before.”
He chuckled darkly and disentangled my bra from somewhere by the door.
The next five minutes were used getting dressed on my part, and him disposing of the condom in the dumpster next to where we were parked.
I blushed profusely as he climbed back into his truck, and he chuckled softly. “It’s okay, sweetness. What we just did is nothing to be embarrassed about.”
I bit my lip but nodded.
“I know.”Chapter 11If you really love me, you’ll let me sleep.
-Ares’ secret thoughts
Ares
The hike was a success, and I loved his friends. More so, I was glad that Hayes had the kind of support system that he did. The vets varied in size, color and disability.
One, his name was Grifter, was a double amputee with a sunny disposition.
Then there was Joseph, a very stabby-like man who had a very gloomy disposition. He, Hayes informed me, was the man that built a bunker in the middle of nowhere and lived off the grid.
Alec was the youngest of the group at twenty-one, and he was also the most what I would call damaged—at least physically. Fifty-nine percent of his body had been burned in a helicopter accident. And he was also very shy, and definitely the quietest of the bunch.
Kincaid was the oldest of the group at the age of forty-nine, and also the leader. The one that coordinated all the hiking events
“Ares?”
I blinked, startled out of my review of the men, to see Hayes staring at me in concern.
He was driving in the direction of my place, and I almost felt my heart sink into my feet at the thought of it.
“Are you taking me home?” I asked curiously.
He swallowed, his eyes taking me in as he said, “I wasn’t planning on it. Do you want to go home?”
I shook my head. No, I most certainly didn’t want to go. Not at all. I wanted to stay with him and continue to be happy as fuck.
“We’re being honored at the high school game tonight,” Hayes said. “I’m not sure why I’m going, to be honest. But they want me to go for some fucked up reason, so I’ll go.”
“They want you to go because they like you,” I told him.
“I don’t talk,” he said.
No, he didn’t.
But that was okay.
“You’re a quiet presence that listens,” I amended for him. “Which sometimes is what people need.”
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, but I could tell that my words hit home.
“True,” he admitted. “Though, just sayin’, I only listen because I don’t want them to ask me any questions.”
I snickered. “That’s okay.”
He was quiet for a long time, and I went back to my own thoughts, thinking about how the day had gone from start to finish.
When we’d gotten there, we were the last to arrive. As soon as we got situated, we started off on our hike, and that was when I realized that I was the only added member of their group to be there. Though, none of them had said a word to question me.
“How did you like the boys?” he asked.
I grinned as I thought about his friends.
“I like them,” I said. “It has me wondering, though. Why don’t you have any of your SWAT team members go with you? It seems like they would benefit from that, too.”
“I’ve asked,” he said as he clenched and unclenched the steering wheel. “I’ve practically begged Malachi to come. Yet, none of them think they’re fucked up enough to need any ‘bonding activities.’”
I rolled my eyes. “You’ll get them there one day. Don’t worry.”
He went back to his silence, and I closed my eyes, intending to just rest.
But the next time I woke up, we were parked in front of a stadium and Hayes was outside the truck leaning against the hood. I wasn’t sure who he was talking to, but I got out anyway and walked toward him.
It wasn’t until I was closer that I saw Grifter and Kinkaid standing there with him.
I smiled and shivered at the same time. “Whew, it got cold.”
“It did,” he agreed, smoothing his hand up and down my arm as he pulled me in closer.
I pressed my face against his chest and thought about how awesome it felt to be in his arms.
And by awesome, I meant magnificent. I never wanted him to let me go.
I curled my arms around in front of me and tried to practically crawl into his body, causing him to chuckle.
“Get up for a minute,” he ordered.
I did so, albeit reluctantly, and watched as he disappeared back to the side of his truck.
I watched him go for a few seconds before I turned and surveyed the men that were staring at me.
