Page 132 of Play Dirty

That was all that needed to be said. A beat of silence passed. Then—

“She with you?” Sebastian asked.

I grabbed a mug from the crowded cabinet.

“Yeah.”

Another pause.

“Figured,” Ares muttered.

There was no judgment in his voice, no curiosity. Just… fact.

I poured my coffee black.

“Storm’s worse,” Sebastian said, glancing toward the window.

I followed his gaze. Snow was piled halfway up the glass. Through the parts I could see, a swirling storm of white.

“Yeah,” I said. “We’re not going anywhere.”

Ares finally turned, leaning back against the counter, arms folded.

“Good.”

I raised a brow. His mouth twitched.

“No practice,” he said. “Tragic.”

Sebastian stifled a laugh.

“Mercer’s going to lose his mind.”

“Mercer’s not getting here,” I said. “No one is.”

That statement settled over the room. Not heavy, but real.

We were alone.

All of us.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. All three of us looked up at the same time.

Haven appeared a second later, wearing one of my shirts again — because of course she was — and a pair of shorts that barely reached her thighs. Her hair was tied back, her skin still flushed from the warmth of my bed.

She stopped when she saw us watching her.

A beat. Then—

“Well,” she said, like she’d just walked into a casual meeting. “This isn’t awkward at all.”

Sebastian snorted into his coffee mug. Ares didn’t move.

I took a sip of my coffee.

“You’re late,” I said.

Her eyes snapped to mine.