Chapter 29 #2
Reaching out and hitting the alarm button on his clock, Hunter groaned when he peered at the time.
Fuck! Way too early for me to even think.
Scrunching a pillow over his head, he closed his eyes, aching for at least another hour of sleep, but the sounds of his brothers waking up seeped through.
Noisy bastards! He added another pillow, concentrating on the sound of his breathing, counting his breaths—but all his attempts failed.
Giving up, he rolled over, thinking about this day and what it meant.
The motorhome was packed with enough food to feed fifty shifters but, according to Mason, it was better to have too much instead of too little—‘just in case’.
Though what emergency his brother thought might happen remained a mystery to Hunter, since he couldn’t imagine them marooned on the highway for any appreciable amount of time.
Always calm, Mason examined everything from all angles, making sure he’d accounted for everything that could go wrong.
But that was how Mason was and it was exactly why Hunter counted on him so much; his brother always seemed able to find a solution to a problem, no matter how perplexing.
The only thing Mason could never figure out was why Hunter gave up the Alpha position he’d been groomed for.
And if Hunter had his way, it would remain that way, even though he knew Mason was miffed by not being taken into Hunter’s confidence.
But he had to stay silent, even though by doing so, he knew he was driving a wedge between himself and a brother who cared deeply for him.
It took all the mental strength he had, but he had to persevere because he knew what would happen if he didn’t.
Now, living with the consequences of his action, he avoided thinking about it because every time he did, it was like ripping a bandage off too fast, causing a burning pain in his heart.
“Hunt, you up?” Mason’s voice was muffled by the door.
“Yeah, getting up now. Be out shortly. Is everyone up?” Hunter asked.
“Everyone’s awake…but up? No. I’m about to drag Sawyer out of his bed.”
Hunter chuckled. “Good luck with that. If he isn’t up by the time I’m finished with my shower, I’ll help you.”
“Counting on it.” Mason walked down the hall to Sawyer’s room and, just as he thought, his brother was still in bed, fast asleep.
He stood there, contemplating the best way to achieve his goal.
Finally, grabbing one foot, he yanked hard and his brother landed on the floor with a loud thump.
“C’mon, Sawyer, up and at ’em. I thought you were eager to get to California. Sure doesn’t look that way to me.”
“I’m up. Go fuck with someone else.” Sawyer said, curling up with the blanket that had ended up on the floor with him.
“Uh-uh. You’re awake but until you’re on your feet and in the shower, I’m not leaving,” replied Mason, nudging his brother’s foot, the one that wasn’t covered.
Sawyer knew his brother meant it. Rolling on his back, he stared up at Mason. “Did Mac ever tell you how important it is to wake people gently?”
Snorting, Mason replied, “Right, I think I filed that under ‘does not apply to Sawyer’.”
“You know…you got a real mean streak in you,” Sawyer grinned.
“Flattery will get you nowhere. Now, are you going to get up or do I have to drag you into the shower?”
Laughing, Sawyer sat up, leaning against the side of the bed. “There, happy? Now get out and go do something else.”
Snatching the blanket off his brother, Mason replied, “I told you…when you are in the shower.”
Groaning, Sawyer stood. When his brother made up his mind about something, he knew from past experience the best thing to do was give in, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have some fun at Mason’s expense.
Facing his super uptight brother, Sawyer pushed down his briefs, letting his hard cock spring to attention.
Grasping it, he tugged on it, smiling at the pleasure, then asked, “Do you mind if I take care of this first?”
Mason’s eyes narrowed. “Fuck off, asshole. Cool the crap. This trip is going to be tough enough without your juvenile shit. You know what? Do what you want because I’m finished playing the bad guy here.” Turning around, Mason stomped out of his brother’s bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
“Hey, I was just teasing you,” Sawyer yelled but heard no response. “Shit, now Hunter’s going to be pissed,” he mumbled, letting go of his cock and heading to the shower.
Trying to calm down, Mason stalked down the hall passing Quin’s room, stopping short when his brother appeared in the doorway.
“Mason, I heard yelling. Is everything all right?”
Inwardly sighing, hiding his anger, Mason responded, “Just getting Sawyer out of bed. You look great. Is that a new shade of lipstick?”
“Yes, it’s called Natural Red. I thought I’d try it today; it’s supposed to be long-lasting. I have my doubts, but we’ll see how it goes,” replied Quin.
“Well, it looks good on you. Are you ready to go?” asked Mason.
“Almost. Is breakfast ready, yet?”
“Just heading to the kitchen now. You have time so don’t worry,” smiled Mason.