Chapter 5 - Hayden
HAYDEN
It was the greatest shower of my life, and not just because I was a houseguest to three ridiculously handsome guys with surprisingly soft towels.
No, it was great because it was three in the morning, and my tired body needed this.
Hell, my mind needed this too. The hot water and steam was soothing as it flowed and rolled; over my nakedness.
The lather of a very practical bar of soap stripped away the dirt and grime of last night, but also, a good portion of the bad memories.
I was left with the flirtatious banter that took place until the bar was closed, the doors were locked, and my three saviors insisted upon taking me home with them in the most gentlemanly manner.
There was no way I was going back to my apartment.
No way I’d be risking a run-in with Cole, who by now must be seething to such a boiling point he could’ve powered a small locomotive.
Their place was a short walk away, through the empty, early morning streets of All Saints Day.
I’d been draped with Carter’s jacket to protect me from the November chill, until we’d stepped through the front door of their cozy, multi-level brownstone.
I’d been offered food, a clean bed, a hot shower — the last of which I chose, immediately.
I was dirty and disheveled, and my hair felt like a crime scene at a Hidden Valley Ranch factory.
Twenty minutes later I smelled like Irish Spring waterboarded by Old Spice body wash.
I stepped over the ruins of my discarded devil costume, and slipped into a clean white T-shirt Sawyer had left me.
I also wriggled into a pair of gray sweatpants that seemed suspiciously small, for any of them, and headed downstairs.
“Leave her here, then,” I heard one of them say.
I paused on the stairwell, listening intently. Part of me felt bad for eavesdropping, but I was pretty sure they were talking about me.
“What do you mean?” another voice called out. “For the whole time we’re gone?”
“Sure, why not?” the first voice answered. “We’re not taking her home. She’s not safe there. Let her have our place for the weekend.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” another voice that sounded like Carter answered. “It’s not like we’re using it. At least she’d be safe.”
“And what if he tracks her here?” I heard Bodie ask. “That guy is crazy and controlling; she admitted it herself. If he shows up here, and we’re not home to protect her…”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said, bouncing down the last few steps and striding straight into the kitchen. “As much as I appreciate the potential offer, I’m not staying.”
They stared back at me from their positions around an oak table, each cradling a mug of coffee in their hand. It seemed more than a little weird; that they’d be drinking coffee this late. But hey, it had been a weird night.
“Sorry,” Carter cleared his throat. “We weren’t talking behind your back or anything.”
“You were,” I countered, “but that’s okay. It sounds like you boys are still looking out for me.”
“Yeah, well—”
I cut him off. “You don’t have to, though. I appreciate what you did for me last night, but soon as it’s light outside, I’ll call for a ride.”
“And take the risk that cement head is out there waiting for you?” Carter scoffed. “Not a chance.”
Their protectiveness was cute, but infuriating. Or maybe it was the chaotic nature of my situation that made me so angry. The truth was, I was scared not to go home. But I was even more terrified of running into Cole.
Worst of all, I had no one to blame but myself. The entire situation was of my own making.
“Hayden. you can’t go home,” Sawyer said pointedly. “Not with that idiot prowling around.”
I sighed and began rummaging through the upper cabinets, until I found where they were keeping the mugs. Bed, couch, or floor, it was obvious I wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
“He’s an idiot no doubt,” I admitted, grabbing a mug with a bunch of words on it. “But he’s my idiot, and this is my mess. I’m the one who was stupid enough to get myself back into this. I’ll take care of it.”
They didn’t seem at all convinced. To tell the truth, I wasn’t either.
“Besides, it sounds like you boys have somewhere to be.”
Carter and Sawyer exchanged sideways looks, the muscles in their shoulders tensing up. Bodie likewise shifted awkwardly.
“We have a cabin rented, up on Sugarloaf,” he admitted.
“Skiing?” I blinked. “Maine?”
“Yes. The powder there is crazy. We booked it three times already, and twice we had to cancel.”
“How come?”
“Bar things, mostly,” said Carter, “but other stuff too. Getting our schedules together used to be easy. But now, well… we haven’t gotten out of White Plains in like—”
“Forever,” Sawyer finished for him.
Shit. First I’d led an oversized gladiator into their lives, and he’d thoroughly trashed their bar. Now I was holding them back from their real first vacation in ages.
No. Fuck that.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” sighed Bodie. “We can’t leave now. Not while she’s in obvious danger.”
“She has a name,” Carter corrected him. “Remember?”
“Fine. Hayden.”
“And Hayden would like a say in this,” I jumped in. “I’ve ruined your lives enough; there’s no way in hell I’m letting you cancel your ski trip. At the very least, I owe you a juke box. At most—”
“Wait, I’ve got it! It’s simple!”
All heads turned to Sawyer, who was suddenly grinning. It was the kind of smile that could launch an armada of bad decisions.
“Oh yeah?” Carter groaned. “And what kind of—”
“We bring her with us.”
A new silence settled over the kitchen. Carter spent it devouring the rest of his sentence.
“That’s not bad, actually,” Bodie admitted.
“No, it’s not,” Sawyer confirmed happily. He turned to face me. “That human skidmark’s gonna be looking all over town for you anyway, right?”
I nodded, numbly.
“Then why not just take off with us for a few days, so he has time to cool down?”
Sawyer’s expression was childlike in its innocence, but still heartwarmingly genuine. The swelling around his eye had gone down, but now it was ringed with a dull purple. For some reason it looked sexy cool.
“As great as that sounds,” I stumbled awkwardly, “there’s no way I could possibly impose…”
“Actually, you wouldn’t be imposing,” said Bodie. “The place has four bedrooms.”
A cabin in the mountains, I thought to myself. An extra bedroom.
Shit. The idea really wasn’t half bad.
All the way north, in Maine. Hundreds of miles away from Cole.
I’d been afraid to turn my phone back on. By the time I’d turned it off, I already had eighty-six text messages and ten missed calls. Leaving town for the weekend was starting to look more and more like a good idea. Even with three perfect strangers I’d just met.
“We also have four lift tickets,” Sawyer added quickly. “Do you ski?”
“Ski? No, not really,” I fumbled awkwardly. “But why do you have four—”
“Our friend Trevor bailed out on us,” Carter cut in. “Last minute.”
“Trevor always bails,” Bodie snorted.
“Seriously,” urged Sawyer. “Come with us, take the extra bedroom. The truck’s fully packed, food and everything. We’re ready to roll.”
“Truck?” I jerked a thumb. “That Yukon outside?”
“Third row bench, heated seats,” Carter smiled. “You can sleep all the way there.”
I was running out of reasons to say no. Actually, I was starting to get excited.
“Six or seven hours from now, we’ll be knee-deep in powder,” Sawyer went on, “and last night will be a bad memory. Even if you don’t ski, you could be relaxing in a soft chair, sipping hot chocolate by a roaring fire.”
Sugarloaf. I’d been to a lot of mountains, but never that far north. The visual of me hanging back while they raced down the slopes made me chuckle, but not for the reasons they probably thought.
“Do they have wi-fi?” I arched my eyebrow.
“Probably not,” Carter admitted.
Slowly I tilted my head back and drained the rest of my coffee. Three strange men. A cabin in the mountains. No way of being found, or contacted, or bothered.
“Great,” I grinned, pushing my mug away. “Let’s go.”