Chapter 8
“Come on, let’s go back. Those women were hot!” Mitch said for the hundredth time since they’d left the club.
“No,” Brad and Jason said in unison as they headed for the hotel.
“I know why Brad doesn’t want to, he’s married, but what’s your problem?” Mitch asked, sighing heavily as they headed inside.
“I’m just not interested,” Jason said, shrugging it off.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Mitch demanded.
“Nothing,” Jason bit out.
He wasn’t in the mood for this conversation or for Mitch.
All night, he’d somehow resisted the urge to punch the asshole in the face.
When Jason wasn’t thinking about punching Mitch, he was kicking himself for leaving Haley.
He should have stayed and taken care of her.
She’d brought them to a great game and they’d ditched her when she’d needed them.
Plus, if he was going to be honest, he probably would have had a better time with her just sitting around a hotel room, watching a movie than going to a club and having a bunch of women rub all over him trying to get his attention.
God, there was something seriously fucking wrong with him…
“There’s a problem,” Brad said as he joined them.
“What is it?” Jason asked, not really in the mood to deal with any more bullshit tonight.
“They gave our room away since we didn’t check in on time and there are no more rooms available.”
“Shit,” Jason bit out, running his hands roughly down his face.
“Yup,” Brad said with a nod and a heavy sigh as Jason dropped his hands away.
“I guess that’s it, then,” Mitch said, shrugging it off as he turned around and headed back the way they came.
“Where the hell are you going?” Jason asked, watching as Mitch shoved the door open.
Mitch stopped and gave him a “duh” look. “We don’t have a room. I’m going back to that club to find a warm body and a bed for the night,” he announced with another shrug, further pissing Jason off.
That son of a bitch.
He’d been trying to get between Haley’s legs for the past week and now he was trying to get laid just for a bed. There was no doubt in his mind that come morning, Mitch would be back sniffing around Haley again.
“Are you coming or what?” Mitch asked, waiting for them.
“No, you go have fun. I’m going to bed,” Jason said, shaking his head in disgust.
“Whatever,” Mitch muttered as he headed out.
“Let’s go beg for mercy,” Jason said, sighing heavily.
Looking really fucking relieved, Brad gestured for him to lead the way. When they reached Haley’s hotel room door, they knocked only to have to knock again a few minutes later when there was no answer. Finally, the door opened, revealing an exhausted-looking Haley.
“What is it?” she asked around a yawn.
“They gave away our room,” Jason said with a pout.
She rolled her eyes. “Well, duh, you didn’t check in this afternoon.”
“You don’t have to rub it in,” he muttered, giving her his best pout, hoping that she’d take pity on them.
“That’s not me rubbing it in, trust me. If I was rubbing it in your face, I would give you an evil little laugh before slamming the door shut in your face.”
“Good point,” Jason said, wincing while hoping that she didn’t do just that. He was exhausted and really didn’t feel like fighting with Brad over the backseat of his car.
“So, what do you want?” she asked, blinking up at him.
“Mercy?”
She rolled her eyes. “You want to sleep here? There isn’t enough room for all four of us.”
“Mitch went somewhere else for the night. It’s just me and Brad.”
Something in her expression shifted, making him frown. Was she upset that Mitch wasn’t here? The idea pissed him off more than he wanted to admit.
“Alright, guys. Come on in,” she mumbled as she made her way back to the first bed. Jason took the time to note the cute little tank top and matching cotton shorts that hugged her round backside rather nicely.
She climbed onto the first bed and flopped down beneath the covers. Obviously, she was all set to go back to sleep and wasn’t giving them a second thought.
“Ah, Haley?” Brad said hesitantly.
“What? Please tell me that the two of you don’t need me to brush your teeth and tuck you in,” she mumbled into the pillow.
“Ah, no,” Brad said, smiling. “Is it alright if I sleep in my boxers? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
She regally waved a hand in his direction. “Knock yourself out.”
“Okay, goodnight,” Brad said, heading for the bathroom.
Jason looked around the room, noting that there were only two beds and a small chair by the window and shrugged. He yanked off his shirt, pants, and shoes and began to climb into bed with Haley.
Her hand came up in a stopping motion. “Hold up there, buddy,” she said, turning over to face him. She pointed to the other bed. “Have a good night.”
Jason frowned at the suggestion. “You can’t expect us to sleep together.”
“Yup.”
“Nope,” Jason said, climbing the rest of the way onto the bed quickly and flopping onto his stomach. She pushed him, well, tried to anyway. He did outweigh her, after all.
“Out.”
“No.”
“You’re not sleeping in the same bed as me.”
“Yes, I am. Unless you’re planning on sleeping with Brad and I don’t think you want to do that. His wife will kick your ass.”
She groaned.
He smiled.
“Look, I’ll stay on my side and you stay on your side. We’ll both sleep. Problem solved.”
“No way.”
“Afraid that you won’t be able to keep your hands off of me?” he teased.
Haley rolled her eyes and dropped her head back on the pillow. “Fine, but just so you know, anything that comes over this way will be chopped off.”
“Duly noted,” he said, snuggling under the covers.
“Oh, and if you snore, I’ll kill you in your sleep,” she mumbled.
“Ditto.”
“Ah, guys?” Brad said.
Haley buried her face deeper into the warmth while she tried to block out Brad and the sunlight streaming into the room.
“Go. Away,” she muttered.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go grab some breakfast,” Brad said a little louder this time, earning a groan from her cushion of warmth.
“Fuck off. We’re sleeping,” Jason mumbled as he pulled Haley closer. Surprisingly she went willingly. Her head rested on his chest just under his chin, her arm laid across his stomach, and one leg was thrown over one of his.
She felt so good in his arms. He’d never held a woman like this, never cuddled with one, never mind, spent the entire night in her bed.
Normally, when a woman tried to cuddle, he felt cornered.
With Haley, he felt comfortable, relaxed, and even happy.
She felt like she belonged with him. He wasn’t about to look too far into that at the moment.
“If you weren’t the best mattress ever, I would totally kick your ass for moving onto my side,” Haley mumbled against his chest.
“Actually, you’re both in the middle,” Brad pointed out.
“Why is he still here? Sleepy,” Haley grumbled adorably.
Closing his eyes, he waved his hand towards the door. “Go eat with Mitch or something. We’ll be up in a little while.”
Brad sighed unhappily. “Fine.”
A moment later, the door was closed and they both drifted back into a beautiful deep sleep.
“Stupid pillow,” Haley muttered, trying to punch her once comfy pillow into submission.
Last night had been the worst night of sleep that she’d ever had. She’d spent the entire night tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable only to finally fall into a restless sleep around five this morning. Now it looked like she was in for a repeat performance.
She looked over at the alarm clock and groaned.
It was nearly two in the morning. She buried her face into her pillow and screamed.
This sucked! She was so tired. All day, she’d kept herself busy with grading tests and homework and even cleaned her house, thinking that by the time she went to bed that she’d be exhausted enough to fall asleep.
It looked like that plan was failing miserably.
“So tired…” she mumbled pathetically.
Damn Jason. Somehow, he’d wrecked sleep for her.
She’d never slept in the same bed with a guy before.
Sure, she’d cuddled with a few boyfriends in front of the television after a heavy make-out session, but it always felt awkward.
With Jason, it felt so good. He was a thousand times more comfortable than her bed and down comforter.
How was she supposed to get comfortable on a pillow-top mattress after sleeping in his arms? She couldn’t. There was no way that she was going to be able to manage work tomorrow on less than two hours of sleep in forty-eight hours, but she couldn’t call in because they were preparing for finals.
“Move over,” Jason said, startling her.
She jumped up, clutching her chest and trying to catch her breath as she watched Jason push her window open and climb into her room. He closed the screen behind him and lay down on her bed.
Still gasping, she sucked in a breath and asked, “What the hell is wrong with you? You just scared the hell out of me!”
“Look, woman, I don’t know what you did, but I haven’t been able to sleep since we got back from New York. I’m tired and bitchy and all I want is some sleep, so cuddle your ass up with me or so help me, I will kill you!” Jason snapped.
“Wow, you are bitchy,” she mumbled.
“It’s your fault.”
“Whatever.”
“Let’s go,” he said, holding out his arms expectantly. When she hesitated, he wiggled his fingers. “You know you want to.”
“Just for tonight,” she clarified.
He nodded quickly. “Just for tonight. Come on, I’m cranky.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” she said dryly, but she did as she was asked. She was too exhausted to do anything else at the moment.
It didn’t take long for the beating of Jason’s heart to lull her into a deep and peaceful sleep.
The alarm went off, waking Haley from a deep sleep. Instead of feeling jumpy and attacking the alarm clock after only getting five hours of sleep, she felt oddly well-rested.
Jason yawned as he sat up and shut off the alarm. He rubbed his eyes and turned around to push the screen up.
“I’ll see you at work,” he mumbled around another yawn.
“This was a one-time deal,” Haley said, more to remind herself than him. She could quickly become addicted to his body and that wasn’t a good idea with a guy like Jason.
He gave her one of his lopsided smiles. “Of course.”