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“There’s that ‘shouldn't’ word again.” He’s right. I’m dancing around the fact that I really don’t want him to leave the bathroom, but I’m not ready to admit that yet. He parts his lips to say more, but there’s a hard knock on our bedroom door.
“Open up, Barrow!” I hear Aurora shout. “You can’t suck up all her time. She’s my best friend.”
Barrow drops his gaze to the floor. Aurora knocks again. “Bust it open, Diego,” she orders her man.
“I’m coming,” Barrow says and lifts his head to get one last look at me before heading out of the bathroom.
The water suddenly feels cold. He took all the heat with him. I bite my lip to keep from calling him back.
I don’t, though. I do, however, get the next best thing. My best friend.
5
BARROW
First Leonard and now Aurora. I can’t catch a break from these cockblockers.
She was right there. Her body open for me, her mouth calling my name as she pleasured herself.
I scrub a hand down my face at the thought of it, at the fucking memory of her seared into my brain. How am I supposed to live like this? She tempts me constantly, whether she intends to or not.
This has to end. Maybe I should bust back into the room and tell Aurora I need to tend to Bells’ head wound. I mean, that’s not entirely a lie. I should look at it and wrap it back up now that she’s done with her bath.
I reach for the door handle, but then I hear a burst of giggles break out inside the room.
“You really flicked the bean while he watched?” Aurora snickers. “You are a wilder woman than you ever let on!”
“Oh, shut up!” When Bells giggles, I can’t stop myself from smiling. “It was an accident, okay? Just a total misunderstanding.”
“So you moaning his name while you imagined him doing the bow-chicka-wow-wow with you was just an accident, too?”
“Me? What about you? I’m surprised you’re not on your back right now instead of in here talking to me.”
“Diego kind of likes me on top, to be honest.”
“Do tell.” Bells’ voice turns more conspiratorial.
I want to hear more about Bells, but I’m definitely not down to get a play-by-play of Diego balling Aurora, so I force myself to back away.
Turning, I grit my teeth as I stride to the living room. It’s a huge space that overlooks the snowy woods and far in the distance, the town of Frozen Falls. I’m already itching to get back to Bells, but I need to calm my ass down. She needs girl time. Fine.
I can still be there for her. Just … out here. I spin and fix my gaze on the snowy woods. A plan comes together quickly in my mind, and I head to the big doors that lead onto the frosty patio. After a quick dig through the closet, I find my heavy coat and gloves and a knit hat. Once I’ve pulled on my boots, I stomp down to the garage and dig around until I find a rusty metal cage.
Returning to the main floor, I glance down the hall. If Aurora’s gone, I can give up on my current plan—but no, the door’s still closed, and I hear laughter. Bells is busy.Dammit.
The plan continues as I jog to the kitchen and dig around until I find what I want in the fridge. Then I walk out into the freezing air and glance around. It’s clear. No would-be assassins hanging around like usual. I guess getting rid of Aurora’s Kent Kingston problem cleared that up.
I push through the snow and walk around to the woods near my bedroom window. Though it takes more self-control than I knew I had, I don’t look in the window. Even though I know she’s in there. Even though I could get a glimpse of her, I don’t. Because she’s doing girl time, and I need to respect her boundaries—God, I hate her boundaries!Okay, calm it down, Barrow.
In the field, I was known for solving problems. If that meant taking out enemies or treating bullet holes, I was the guy who’d jump in and help. Being a merc for hire for years on end trained me to choose my battles. Sure, I’d been in plenty of firefights and rescue missions, so I know how to handle myself in combat. But I was also responsible for keeping my team alive in the midst of some pretty daring odds.
Once I ‘retired’ though, I didn’t need those particular skillsets. But I still have them and hone them. Bells woke up a part of me I thought I’d put away for good. She needs taking care of, and I’m the man for the job. Maybe she doesn’t need me during girl time, but I can still work for her. So that’s what I do.
I arrange the trap beneath the big fir that leans downhill along the side of the lodge near my window. The snow is still pretty powdery despite being down for a few days, so it doesn’t give me too much trouble. Once I have it level and set where I want it, I load it with the hunk of ribeye I found in the fridge.
“Such a waste,” I grumble to myself as I hang it toward the back, just far enough from each wall of the cage that Leonard can’t stick a paw through and swipe at it. He’ll have to go all the way in if he wants any of that sweet marbling and perfectly aged flavor.
I sigh as I back out and set the door to spring shut once my prey is far enough inside. This will be easy. Leonard’s always loping around and making an ass of himself. He’ll jump right into the trap when he smells the food. Then I’ll get rid of one of my cockblock problems. Easy.
