Not to mention, I feel like a prisoner in my own body. I know on the outside I still look fine, but the inhaler digging into my thigh in my left jeans pocket is a constant reminder that I’ll never be what I was—an unstoppable force. I was in the gym every morning at 5 a.m. without fail, and I was the fastest sprinter on the team. Now I can’t take a five-minute jog without being winded.
I pull my shirt over my head and toss it onto the floor next to the bed.
Sebastian looks at it distastefully. “I don’t know how long we’re staying here, but I’ve seen your place.”
“You try cleaning when you’re depressed,” I snap, taking off one of my socks and throwing it at him. “I feel accomplished when I can take a damn shower.”
He catches my sock with a grimace and tosses it onto my shirt. His shoulders sag a little before he grabs a blanket from the foot of the bed and a pillow and lays them on the floor.
“C’mon, Bastian. Are you really going to raw dog it on this old shag carpet? Who knows what’s happened in this cabin since it was built in the eighties.” I tick off the possibilities on one hand. “Dirty shoes, raunchy sex, threesomes, murder. There could be cum and blood everywhere, and you’d never know.”
“Jesus, Michaels. Would you shut up?” Seb sits down on thefloor, rolls the blanket around his body like a grumpy little burrito, and lies down. “Everything is a fucking joke to you.”
I continue to strip down to my boxers. “I deflect with humor.”
Sebastian eyes me from his makeshift bed. “You could wear a shirt or something.”
“Baby, you’re lucky I’m not sleeping naked.”
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters and rolls over.
I climb under the covers and flick off the light. The stream outside gurgles happily in sync with the sigh of the trees, and the sound is soothing.
Sebastian shifts on the floor, groaning softly. I peer at him in the darkness. He’s squirming around, clearly uncomfortable. He groans again, shifting onto his back.
Our eyes meet, and I freeze.
“What?” he asks, deadpan.
“If you keep groaning like that, you’re going to give me a boner.”
“This floor is really hard,” he grumbles, wiggling his hips.
“And this bed is really big and comfy.” I pull back the covers and pat the spot next to me.
The moonlight shines through the thin olive-green curtains, illuminating the defeat in his eyes. He nods mutely and stands, and I scoot over and lie back down, hugging the extra pillow between us to my chest while I watch him remove his jeans, fold them neatly, and place them on the dresser. Then he lies down with one arm behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Our thighs graze, and it sends a jolt of electricity to my cock.
That was weird.
He side-eyes me and hip checks me under the covers. “Boundaries. You’re taking up the whole bed.”
“Sorry,” I mutter, scooting away from him. “But you do realize we didn’t light a fire tonight, so we’re going to have to snuggle for warmth at some point. Our lives may depend on it.”
“You’re fucking delusional.”
I swallow, still watching his silhouette. “So four weeks? That’s a long time to be away from the pub.”
He shrugs, the movement small in the darkness. “I have things I can work on here.”
“Like…”
“Jesus, do we need to make small talk?”
“I’m sorry. I ramble when I’m uncomfortable.” I swallow. “You make me uncomfortable, and we’re stuck here together, so I’m trying to deal.” When he doesn’t respond, I switch topics. “This whole situation is so fucked. You actually saw Fi getting attacked?”
“Yeah.” Bastian turns onto his side, looking over at me. “Did you ever get to meet Dennis? Since you guys were together and all?”
