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The drive to Prague didn’t take long. We were going to spend a night or two there to get ready and recover from the frantic flight out of Vienna. We took Ivan’s suite at a luxury hotel in the center of the city, and by the time we made it to our room, the sun was setting, and we were all ready to crawl into bed and forget about the day.
But there were a few things to do first, like order room service and find new clothes. I spoke to the concierge when we got there and got the clothing thing covered. We called down once we were settled in the room, and I ran a bath for myself the minute I saw the massive spa tub in the bathroom off the main bedroom.
“This is going to essentially be the nicest bath I’ve ever had,” I laughed as I watched the water run. I threw in a eucalyptus bath bomb to help cleanse my wounds. I knew it was going to sting like hell, but it would ultimately help me heal.
Ryker helped me into the tub, and I convinced him to join me when I was settled.
“Why me?” he asked and slipped into the water with me. “You know these guys wouldn’t mind getting naked and slippery with you.”
“You need to clean up, just like me,” I said. “Your head is still bloody, and look at the injuries you got when you fell.”
I pointed to his chest, where he had bruises and split skin with blood crusting around the spots the metal ladder had gouged him on the way down.
“It’s probably going to—”
I didn’t have time to finish my warning, he slid into the water, and once the bath bomb hit his skin, he sucked in a harsh breath.
“Oh fuck,” he said with a growl. “How can you stand this, princess?”
“Women are made tougher than men,” I smiled and ignored the pain rolling through my own damaged skin. “We deal with a lot of shit compared to you guys.”
“Like what?” Kingston asked defiantly. I could always tell when he was ready for a fight, even if it was a playful thing. He liked the verbal back and forth we would sometimes get, sparring with our minds, so to speak.
“Well, you men, for one,” I laughed. “That’s just the start.”
“She’s got you there, Kingston,” Archer said with a grin. He was sitting on the edge of the tub, watching us bathe, and he shrugged his shoulders as he said it. “I wouldn’t want to put up with us, you know?”
“I wouldn’t want to put up with you,” Valen said with a chuckle and then looked at me. He was standing above us but dropped to the marble floor to be closer. “I do agree, however, we are a big bunch of fools, but luckily we’re fools in love with you, princess.”
“You are ever the romantic,” I sighed and sunk deeper into the water. My feet slid between Ryker’s feet, and he pulled them up onto his thighs. The steam rose around me, and I let the heat soak into my muscles and the myriad of cuts dotting my skin.
Valen reached in and rubbed my shoulder, then began to massage them both. His hands were strong and deliberate, and even more of the tension drained away from my body.
“This is nice,” I said with a smile, not opening my eyes. “It almost makes getting kidnapped, tortured, forced to run, and injured all worthwhile.”
“You know, next time, you could just ask for it, babe,” Archer replied.
“You know I’m not good at asking,” I replied with a smile. I still hadn’t opened my eyes, and I could feel the warm glow of the energy all around me. The love. It radiated off my Kings, and I was soaking up every ounce of it. I needed it more than anything else to help me heal.
“You shouldn’t have to ask,” Kingston said. “We know what makes you happy. We basically wrote the book on care and feeding of Everly Hayes.”
I gave a small chuckle at that, but Ryker’s hands massaging my legs and Valen’s hands on my shoulders, pushed me one movement after the other into sleep. Like waves on the ocean, they rocked me into slumber.
Of course, I didn’t stay down for long, not in the water. I didn’t fully wake up when the bath began to cool, though. They helped me out, got me onto the bed, and rubbed me down with lotion and antibiotic creme to prevent any infection in the wounds from the glass.
I was well taken care of, well fucked, and well-loved.
I couldn’t ask for anything more, so why did I have the creeping sensation that something was wrong every time I let my guard down?
The assault at Maksim’s hovered in the back of my mind, ever-present and ever ready to rear its ugly head to remind me that I had to tell them. I had to let them know that I wasn’t faithful when I was away from them.
It was tearing me up inside, and I could only imagine how it was going to tear us all apart.
I had to hang onto my secret a little longer so I could enjoy these last few days in peace before I threw a bomb into the center of our world and blew everything up.
I just hoped we’d be able to pick up the pieces.
CHAPTER18
