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Cole leans forward and grabs the remote off the coffee table to pause the movie. “I have an idea.”
Yeah, me too. “What’s that?” I ask instead.
He shifts toward me, gaze heated and lips quirked into a cocky smile. “Hide and seek. Whoever catches you first gets to fuck you.”
That’s as good a place to start as any. I shoot to my feet, rounding the couch. The two of them turn to watch me back away.
“My rules. Forty seconds to hide–no fast counting or skip counting–and if you can’t find me, I get what I want.”
“Which is?” Gage asks.
I take another step away. “Both of you at the same time.”
They climb to their feet. My heart skips. “Forty seconds,” I remind them. “Turn around and close your eyes.” They do as I ask and begin counting.
Cole: “One.”
Gage: “Two. Run baby.”
Delight shoots through me, and I whirl around, scanning my options. Obviously the kitchen is a no, even if the pantry would make a perfect spot. Anywhere in the open concept space will be too close. They’ll hear everything. I tip-toe toward the hall that leads to the garage.
“Ten.”
My breath catches. I’m running out of time. Changing direction, I head to the stairs as fast as I can while being mostly quiet. The stairs don’t creak when I rush up them, a testament to their building abilities, and I scurry to Hudson’s room, hoping it’ll be the last place they look.
“Twenty-five,” Gage calls out loudly.
No. This will be too easy. I turn and head back into the hall, looking around wildly, attention snaring on the steps that lead to the third floor attic. I haven’t been up there yet, and while there are probably spiders, it’s the perfect place to hide.
“Thirty,” Cole says.
Heart hammering against my ribs, I rush up them, take them two at a time, and throw myself into the fully finished attic room that’s lit up by a thin strip of LED lights running along the peak of the pitched ceiling. Instead of exposed wood, cobwebs, and god knows what creepy crawlies, the space is inviting. A soft rug greets my bare feet as I walk deeper into the space, momentarily forgetting that I’m meant to be hiding. It’s a perfect little guest bedroom. A king-sized bed, a TV and couch, even a little mini-kitchen. I had no idea all of this was up here.
“Forty! Ready or not–”
“Here we come,” Gage finishes for Cole.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I hold my breath, like they can hear me from this far away, and carefully get to my knees, crawling toward the bed which is elevated on four-inch risers. That’s the only reason I’ll fit under there. I shimmy beneath it, breath shuddering, pulse racing, and fix the bed skirt once I’m in.
The guys are shuffling around in the distance. I breathe in deep, steadying myself, and get under control so my panting doesn’t give me away. Distantly, doors open and shut. Adrenaline rattles through me the closer the sounds get. Who knew I’d love hide-and-seek as an adult?
They work through the spaces on the lower levels, taking their sweet time, but the more time they spend looking for me, the more likely I am to get my way. Smiling to myself, I rest my cheek on my hand and keep my eyes on the slip of space between the floor and bed skirt.
The faintest rustle of clothing coming up the stairs sends my heart tripping over itself. I bite my cheek and try to keep my breathing quiet. Someone pads into the room. Fuck. I’m caught.
They check the closet first then around the rest of the room. Even when they come close to the bed and my chest almost explodes, they don’t drop to their knees to peek under the bed.
Amateurs.
The sound of their retreat triggers a smirk. I’m going to win. Excitement bubbles inside me, and I almost let out an excited squeal, but I’m not that sloppy. They’ll look for me for a bit longer, and when they can’t find me, they’ll give–
“Gotcha.” Hands clamp around my ankles.
I scream as I’m tugged out from under the bed, heart slamming.
Cole drags me out, but Gage is there too, standing over me with his arms crossed and an infuriating grin tugging at his lips.
“No fair! You can’t tag team.”
