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He presses a few soft kisses to my face. “We should probably talk.”
I’m still enjoying the aftereffects of my orgasm, but that jerks me back to reality. When someone sayswe need to talk, isn’t that usually bad? His cock slips from me. I’m pretty sure he’s still hard. I want it back inside of me, but he’s right about me being tender. He took me so many times last night that I know I need to rest. It doesn’t stop me from wanting him.
A knock sounds at the door. “I fed this giant cat a steak. I hope that’s okay,” Aurora says through the door.
“It’s fine,” I shout back. She’s not here about the cat, but she can use that as an excuse. She’s here to be nosy.
“Barrow is hogging you all to himself.” There it is. The reason she came knocking. He rolls off me, and I sit up.
“Are you going to open this door?”
“No. Barrow is naked.” I don’t care if she sees me naked, but there is no way in hell I’m allowing anyone to see my man naked. Best friend or not.
“Oh. Make her fall in love with you, Barrow! That way she can’t leave!”
I want to tell her that I’m already in love with him, but I keep quiet.
“I better put clothes on.” I sigh, not wanting to leave this bed, but there are things that need to be handled. As much as I’m scared of having the talk with Barrow about what this thing is between us, I know it needs to be done.
Barrow has me rethinking my future. He’s making me think I could have one that I never thought was going to be in the cards for me. I’ve always pretended it was something I didn’t want. I think I was trying to convince myself. I slip off the bed and start to get dressed. Barrow does the same, but he watches me the entire time.
“I’m still out here,” Aurora informs us like I didn't know that already. It’s why I’m getting dressed. She’s not going to leave that door until I open it, and she can steal me away from Barrow and get the scoop. I walk over to the door and open it as soon as Barrow has all his clothes on. I pull on a sweater and yoga pants, ditching my bra and underwear. I flip the lock and open the door.
“It smells like sex in here.” Her eyes are wide. She tilts her head to the side to look past me. “Is that your phone on the floor?”
My phone! I usually never forget my phone. I haven't checked it in hours. It completely slipped my mind. Barrow picks it up, and I see the screen is shattered. Hell, I remember dropping it when Leonard jumped through the window, but then Barrow came and seduced me. Making me forget all about it. Which reminds me—I lean over and open the window just a little. If Leonard wants to go outside, he can push it the rest of the way.
“We need to talk.” She grabs my arm and pulls me from the room. Damn, I’m getting two of these ‘talks’ now. We enter the living room area, and I see Clover. She looks like she’s about to cry. Before I can ask what’s wrong, she tells me.
“I think Mark is here. I heard a car.” Clover sounds defeated as she opens the sliding glass door to let Leonard out into the snow. Of course, Leonard, a proper cat, stands in the doorway, deciding whether he wants to stay in, out, or in-between.
It’s not long before I feel Barrow wrap his arm around me and pull me into him.
“I can’t let you go,” he says against my ear. “Either you stay or I go with you. I can’t do the long-distance shit. I need you. I need to be wherever you are.”
A knot forms in my throat. Heneedsme. I need him, too. I can’t do the long-distance thing either. Before I can tell him that I’ve decided to stay and that I love him, all hell breaks loose.
13
BARROW
The first shot shatters the deer antler chandelier overhead. I push Bells to the floor and cover her with my body. Another shot lodges in the wall overhead.
“The fuck?” Charles yells from the hallway.
I hear the bolt action of a rifle, and I know I have seconds before another shot’s fired. “Stay down,” I tell Bells, then jump to my feet and rush to the door. I grab it and yank it closed right as a shot hits the glass, cracking it in a sunburst pattern, but not breaking through.
“The glass is bulletproof?” Bells asks, her voice in a higher tone than normal.
“Yes. All the glass on the lodge is.” I rush past her, making sure she’s safe, then I open the weapons cabinet as Charles darts in with Tiernan on his heels.
“The fuck?” Diego stomps in, a sniper rifle already in his hand.
“Someone’s got a death wish.” Tiernan takes a single knife. It’s all he needs, the deadly bastard.
“What was that?” Daphne’s voice floats from the kitchen.
“Stay where you are,” Tiernan growls.
