8. Liv
8
LIV
I t’s not the light coming through the window that wakes me but rather the warmth from the three furnaces in my bed.
I’ll never need an electric blanket again.
I might even need to invest in some cooling sheets, because the next time we do this, I don’t want to wake up feeling like I’m in an inferno.
No. There will be no new sheets. There will be no next time.
We all agreed that last night was just a way for us to get it out of our systems so we can act normal around each other, and more importantly, act normal around Max.
It will be bad enough trying to maintain something casual with any random guy I might meet while living under the same roof as my brother. Trying to maintain a casual relationship with my brother’s best friends who I’ve just slept with—again—will be impossible.
No matter how hard it is, or how much I want to feel their touch again, it cannot happen.
I start to extricate myself from the tangle of heavy arms and legs draped across me.
When I finally make it out, I’m breathing hard and actively sweating.
Gross.
This is exactly why I instituted the no-cuddling rule. Whether it’s figuratively or literally, I hate feeling pinned down.
I suppose this time it was inevitable, given the size of the bed and the number of people in it, but still.
No more hooking up with athletes , I scold myself.
I look back at the boys. They’re still snoring.
How the hell are they still asleep with all the pushing and shoving I did to free myself?
Part of me wants to leave them be and make them figure out how they’re going to leave my room without attracting attention.
The other part of me feels obligated to wake them up and have them leave using staggered exits times. They weren’t the only ones in the bed last night, and I highly doubt they would have enjoyed things as much if they were.
They’re also not the only ones with something to lose if Max or the media find out, so the kinder instincts in my head come out on top this time.
With a frustrated grumble, I move to Connor, the one closest to me, and start shaking his shoulder.
Nothing.
I shake harder.
The man doesn’t even twitch.
Okay, time to move on to Aiden.
His feet are the only thing I can reach without having to climb back into bed, but I happen to know a weird spot on his foot where he’s extremely ticklish—the base of his middle toe.
I’ve barely touched his foot when he kicks out so hard I’m knocked back a few paces. That had to have woken him, so I walk back over and look at his face.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Not wanting to risk the chance of getting kicked again, I go to my last resort, Dimitri.
Shaking didn’t work, and neither did tickling, so this time, I poke at Dimitri’s face to try to coax him into waking up.
His eyes are starting to open. Thank fuck.
“No, Ma, I don’t want to make borscht,” he says.
The jerk then has the audacity to roll over and bury his head under the covers.
Forget it. I give up.
I did my due diligence, now it’s on them.
I glance at the hotel alarm clock. I’ve got a meeting in a little less than two hours. Their flight home doesn’t leave until one. They have more time to spare than I do.
I slip into the bathroom to clean up and start getting ready for the day.
I take my pill while the shower is heating up, just like I always do because without the routine I’d forget. Oddly, doubt fills me as soon as I’m about to step into the spray.
I turn back and double-check that I took it.
I did but what about yesterday?
I turn back and check again.
I took it yesterday, too.
So why am I feeling so paranoid?
Condoms. We didn’t use any.
Oh shit .
What if one of them has an STD? I didn’t think to ask last night before we got naked, I was too wrapped up in the moment.
I step under the warm spray hoping to release the newly-formed knots in my back.
Another ugly thought pops into my brain.
What if the pill fails?
Just like that, I’m convinced I’m pregnant. I need to go get a test. As soon as I know for sure, I can make a plan.
Okay, you just took a ninety-degree turn into crazy town. How about you be practical and use your whole brain instead of letting the amygdala drive the bus?
Right. Panic is not practical and it helps precisely no one.
I take a deep breath and think it through like I would any other analysis.
Okay.
The standard use rate of success is ninety-three percent. A seven percent margin for error isn’t bad at all.
The numbers are on my side, no way I could be pregnant. So why aren’t the statistics soothing me as much as they usually do? Why is there still a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach?
I feel anxiety similar to what I felt on prom night when my date was ten minutes late.
That’s when it hits me. I’m acting like a hormonal teenage girl rather than the independent woman I’ve worked hard to become, yet another reason being with them is a bad idea.
I manage to scrub most of the anxiety off in the shower and the little that remains I choose to ignore.
I check my phone. Six-thirty a.m.
Plenty of time to kick them out of my room without anyone noticing then treat myself to a luxurious breakfast. I deserve a damn treat after all that effort to try and wake them up.
Fortunately, I don’t have to go a second round with the sleeping giants when I get out of the bathroom. They’re up, dressed, and waiting for me.
I quickly squash down the part of me that thinks that’s rather charming and considerate, adopting a more neutral tone.
“Morning.” I nod. “You three sleep okay? I imagine the bed was a bit more crowded than what you’re used to.”
“I’ve had worse nights of sleep.” Connor smiles. “Besides, the company wasn’t too bad.”
“Easy for you to say,” Dimitri grumbles half-heartedly. “You didn’t have Aiden snoring in your ear all night.”
“I do not snore.”
“As fun as it is watching you act like the three stooges, we do need to talk about last night,” I say.
“Did we do something to upset you?” asks Aiden.
“No, nothing like that. It’s just…”
A knock on the door makes all of us jump.
“You three go hide in the bathroom. I’ll deal with it,” I whisper.
“I’m a grown-ass man. I’m not hiding from anyone,” Dimitri growls under his breath.
“So, if it’s Max, you want me to just fling the door wide open then?”
“Now that I think about it, hiding in the bathroom sounds like a great plan,” he concedes then quickly adds, “but only because I don’t want to ruin our friendship. Has nothing to do with fear.”
I roll my eyes at him and he flips me off before reluctantly striding into the bathroom.
The knock comes again, more insistent this time.
Once the men are in the bathroom, I throw on my robe and head to the door.
If it is Max, I’ll talk him into breakfast, which will allow the guys to sneak out in peace once we’re gone. If it’s anybody else, though I don’t know who else it could be at this early hour, it will be even easier to get rid of them.
My stomach shoots up into my throat when I look through the peephole.
I take a deep breath, tie my robe even tighter, then open the door.
“Good morning, Travis. Is there something you need help with? Clearly, it’s something urgent if you’re up and knocking on my door this early.”
“No, nothing urgent per se,” he says. “I overheard you say that you’re an early bird, so I figured I’d come by and see if you wanted to go grab breakfast before the meeting.”
“You came here at six-thirty in the morning to see if I want breakfast?”
The way he’s looking at me makes my skin crawl. His gaze is so overt, so sleazy it’s like his hands are actually on me.
As soon as I get rid of him, I’m hopping right back into the shower and scrubbing myself until my skin is raw. Even then I’m not sure the exfoliating brush I brought with me will be enough to make me feel truly clean again.
“Of course. I want to make sure you feel welcome on my, er, your new team. How about a little breakfast bonding? I’ll wait here while you change into something nice. We’ll go and get breakfast, and then we can set our laptops up back in my room and brainstorm while we wait for the meeting to start,” he says, grinning at me in what I’m sure he thinks is a charming manner. Thank goodness there’s nothing in my stomach because it would have made an appearance by now.
“The meeting isn’t for another hour and a half. I don’t think that will be necessary. Besides, I’m already set up here.”
“I can join you in here then.” He takes a half step closer. “And I’m sure we can find a way to fill our time between breakfast and the meeting. There’s plenty for us to discuss, about the game, of course.”
Perhaps I should lean into this whole nauseated feeling and try to puke on his shoes. That should send a clear message of how I feel about his plan.
Stay professional, and document all of it later. You want the complaint to stick, remember?
“I prefer to be alone for web meetings. It helps me to stay present. That, and it eliminates the possibility of mic feedback entirely. Thank you for offering.” I give him a terse smile and move to shut the door.
“What about just breakfast then?” Travis presses.
“I tend not to eat breakfast,” I lie. “But thank you for the offer anyway.”
I continue to shut the door, but he jams his foot in it before it closes entirely.
His face twists into something ugly, and for the first time during the encounter, I feel afraid.
“Just a word of advice before I go,” he hisses. “I suggest you cover that hickey on your neck before the meeting. It might give people the wrong idea about you, maybe even make them question if you’re right for this job.”
I force a placid smile onto my face. “Thank you for the advice. I appreciate your concern. Now please remove your shoe so I don’t accidentally shut it in my door.”
He jerks his foot out of the space with a scowl as I slam the door closed, locking it as fast as I can.
“Who was it?” Aiden asks as he exits the bathroom.
“Travis.”
Dimitri scowls. “That guy is a fucking creep. You need to stay away from him. What did he want, anyway?”
“One, I already know that. Two, he’s my partner so how do you expect me to do that, and three, it’s not your business. I handled it. I sent him on his way. That’s all you need to know.”
“Sounds like that’s not all we need to know and that we should know more.”
“No, you shouldn’t. Look, I know Max got you into the habit and you feel obligated, but I don’t need you guys always looking out for me. I’m a grown woman and I can handle myself just fine, thanks. I survived by myself in Minnesota, didn’t I?”
“Is that really what you think? That it’s out of some obligation? Are you bli?—”
Connor shoots Aiden a glare and shakes his head.
“So, before we got interrupted, you said you needed to talk to us about last night. What’s up?” he asks.
“Look, last night happened pretty fast. Too fast. We didn’t talk before jumping right into the sheets, and I don’t know if you remember, but nobody used a condom.”
The color drains from their faces at the same time.
“Oh shit, are you?—”
I hold up a hand, stopping him. “I’m on the pill. We’re good on that front. And I know that I tested negative for everything on my last screening.” I take a steadying breath. “But is there anything any of you need to tell me about?”
“No. Last night was a fluke. I always use condoms. Always. And I have a clean bill of health per my annual visit two weeks ago,” Connor replies.
“Same goes for me,” Aiden nods.
“Negative here as well,” Dimitri says.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Was that all you wanted to talk about? You’re good with everything else that went on last night?” Aiden presses.
“It was… it was the most fun I’ve had in a while, but we can’t do it again. This was a one-and-done thing, and now we’re all going to go back to normal.”
Dimitri smirks. “That won’t be a problem as long as you behave yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“If you don’t start shit in the post-game show, I won’t have any reason to barge into your room again to finish things, now will I? So, I suggest you keep that in mind, angel.”