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“Did I do what?”
“Oh come on! He looked like he was mauled by a bear!”
I frowned. Gabi spoke up, trying to clue me in. “I think she’s referring to his back.”
It hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn’t noticed before, too focused on his reaction to really take in anything else. I didn’t realize I was that rough that I’d leave a mark. My cheeks burned and I hid my face again.
“Alright, stop teasing her, Jo. It’s not like Liam’s never been injured from your little sexcapades.”
Jo snickered. “Hey, as long as it’s consensual, I say you do you. Liam never complains. But aren’t you the pot calling the kettle black? The stuff you and Dmitriy do is way worse than what we do. At least we don’t have belts involved.”
I jerked my head up, gaping at Gabi who blushed straight to her hairline. She launched out of her chair, snatching a pillow off the bed. She tried her best to smack Jo with it but Jo just laughed, tossing it back at her. I relaxed a little. They weren’t judging me, which was a relief. I don’t know what James did to draw out the sex kitten in me but it was really embarrassing to have it on display in front of people I barely knew.
James was fully dressed when he came out of the bathroom, outside of his suit jacket which was still on the chair. He shook his head at Jo and Gabi, coming to sit next to me. When he kissed my temple, both Jo and Gabi put their hands on their chest, cooing at us.
“Aww you guys are cute.”
James said nothing, sighing deeply. “Why are you here so early?”
Gabi snorted and Jo rolled her eyes, elbowing her. “Shut up. No reason, we just wanted to hang out with Elizabeth, who should probably get dressed. If we make Jaime and Yuri wait too long on those donuts, they’ll lose their minds.”
James just shook his head. “Donuts, really?”
I frowned at him. “What’s wrong with donuts?”
Jo snickered. “James is a health nut. He likes eating clean, and almost never indulges in sweets.”
I flashed him a horrified look. “What’s wrong with you?”
His eyebrows flew up and the girls burst out laughing. I couldn’t survive without sweets. And coffee. And pizza. And other not so healthy foods. He never mentioned anything about it before.
James grinned, kissing my cheek. “I’m going to check in with Liam, I’ll be back in a minute.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes but Jo waved at him dismissively.
“Don’t bother. They’re on their way. They had something to do this morning but apparently since the drama of yesterday they don’t trust us to be here without them.” She couldn’t sound more annoyed if she tried. Gabi frowned at her but said nothing. I got the feeling there was more to that story but I didn’t want to pry. Gabi stood, pulling Jo with her. “Come on, let’s let Elizabeth get dressed so we can have some fun. You’ll feel better after you eat.”
James frowned as they left the room. He looked just as confused as I was. Blinking, he turned his attention back to me. “Come on, let’s get going. Jo’s right, Yuri is a huge pain in the ass when he’s hungry.”
He refused to let me hide under the sheets to get dressed, snatching it from me the first chance he got. I grabbed my clothes, hiding in the bathroom. I’d be mad if I hadn’t wanted to do the exact same thing when he was in his towel. Probably would have too, if Jo and Gabi weren’t here. I showered and got dressed quickly, picking shorts and a graphic tee. Most of my friends would only dress up for one day. It was a lot of work for the whole weekend.
I left my hair down, brushing it out so it would dry right. It was a wild mess after last night and I had to use most of the hotel conditioner to get all the knots out. James was waiting for me when I got out, laying back on the bed scrolling his phone.
“I think you may be addicted to that thing.”
He grinned, pulling me on top of him when I got close enough. I instantly was distracted by his mouth on mine, almost forgetting we were supposed to be meeting people. He hardened against my belly and groaned when I squirmed against him. When things moved from playful to downright steamy, I straddled him, running my fingers through his hair. He rolled over, trapping me beneath him, without removing his lips from mine. He was just starting to grind against me when his phone went off.
My growl surprised even me. I wasn’t normally so aggressive. He pushed up onto his hands, eyeing me curiously. I flushed, covering my face and he chuckled, pulling us both to our feet. While he scrolled through the message on his phone, I packed up my bag. I didn’t need to check out until noon but it kept my hands busy.
“Jo said if we don’t get out there, she’s going to bring them all in here. Did you need to check out first?”
I shook my head. “No, I generally wait as long as I can, in case we need the room for something. I just wanted to be ready.”
I grabbed my purse, pulling out my phone. There were several messages from Charlotte and Nikki. I grimaced. I forgot to text them after everything that happened yesterday. I shot them a text, asking them to meet me out front and promising I had an explanation. James waited until I dropped my phone back into my purse before taking my hand and leading me out the door.
Outside the hotel there were several benches and even a few picnic tables that the staff set out during events like these. Jo and Gabi sat at one, squeezed between two guys I didn’t recognize. Jaime and Yuri sat on the other side, their backs to me. Gabi waved at us as we headed their way but Jo was scowling.
I slid into the seat beside Yuri, James on my other side. I gave Jo an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I wanted to clean up a little. I have to check out before noon.”
She just shrugged, passing a box of donuts down the table. Luckily, they ate without us so they weren’t kept waiting and hungry. I grabbed a glazed one, offering James a bite. He just shook his head, kissing my head.
