I let the questions and worries fade into the background. I’m not sure I could handle knowing anymore right now anyhow.
Dante turns to look over his shoulder at his brother. “Why don’t we go watch a movie or something?” The change of topic is jarring, but not unwelcome. Getting my mind off everything that’s going on sounds way too good to pass up.
“Mia.” Milo’s one word reminder is enough to cause Dante to wince.
“We can all camp out in here.” Dante turns to examine the room and it’s like it’s the first time he notices the lack of anything but a bed. “You don’t have a TV?”
“I come in here to relax, or sleep. I don’t need a television for either of those things,” Ares drawls.
“I’ll grab my laptop, and a few things from my room,” Dante offers then slaps Ollie on his back. “Come help.” It’s not really a question. Ollie follows, leaving me alone with Milo and Ares. I cross and uncross my arms, not sure how I should act now.
Ares doesn’t suffer the same uncertainty. He saunters over and invades my space. “Why don’t you get comfortable?” His words are an invitation I don’t want to deny. I would love to curl up in his bed and just forget for a few hours.
“Can you show me where the nearest bathroom is?” I ask.
Taking my hand, Ares guides me over to the wall opposite the bed. He pushes in at a seam and the entire wall moves inward, revealing a large bathroom done up in mostly greys. There’s a glass wall dividing the shower stall from the rest of the room. I can see three black showerheads running down the wall, with a few semi-circle shelves built into the corner, holding bottles and a bar of soap. Next to the shower are free standing shelves, which hold several white towels. On the left there is a single sink with a mirror above and black cabinets below.
Ares takes minimalism to the extreme. So, this is where he came from. The floor of the shower is still wet, as well as the glass wall. So, this is where he came from when I thought I was alone in his room earlier. I wouldn’t have even known this existed had he not showed me. Looking back the door is open into the room, so I can see space on either side. There’s no handle so I’m assuming it would open in both directions.
“I need my bag.” My voice sounds hollow in the space. The ceiling is high, as high as the ceiling in the bedroom.
Milo walks forward with my ratty overstuffed bag, holding the strap in his hand. Just as I open my mouth to tell him to hold the bag itself, the jerry-rigged strap snaps again. I scramble to pick it up.
“Sorry,” Milo winces, bending to nab it from the floor just as I am. “I’ll get you a new one, this one looks pretty beat anyway.”
I gather the bag to my chest. “It’s fine I’ve fixed it before.”
Ares ignores us, instead passing me to head to the sink. He opens a drawer and pulls out a gray and white toothbrush still in the packaging. What is it with him and all the dark colors? “You can use this until we get you a new one.” He brings out a tube of toothpaste to set next to it.
“Ollie gave me a new toothbrush yesterday, it’s upstairs in the yellow room—well the bathroom.”
Milo disappears around the wall to wait in the bedroom.
“That one can stay up there, this one is for here.” He doesn’t give me a chance to argue, just brushes past me on his exit. “Take your time, use anything you’d like.” Milo disappears around the wall.
“The shower?” I’d really like to wash my hair.
Ares turns to face me. “Of course.”
“Could you show me? I’ve never used one like that.” I wave my hand out behind me. Feeling stupid that I have to ask.
Ares dips his head as he walks over to the glass wall. His bare feet stop just outside the stall. “This is for the overhead.” He leans over, tapping on a lever. “Hot is to the left. This will turn on the wall heads.” He points to a button. “These can change the type of spray, but we’ll play with those later. If you turn the water off, all of the heads will shut off, so don’t worry about hitting the button again.”
I commit the simple instructions to memory, I probably could have figured that out on my own, but I was afraid I’d mess something up. Scanning the shelves, I see two bottles of shampoo, but no conditioner. My hair is already a tangled mess, I could really use some. “Ares.” I catch his attention as he turns.
“Yes.” He keeps his back to me but stops mid-stride.
“Do you have any conditioner? I hate to ask. It’s just… I didn’t have any yesterday either. And…”
Spinning to face me, he cuts me off saying, “Anything you need, just ask. We’ll take care of anything you need.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.
“Milo, run up and find some conditioner, I’m sure we have some in one of the bathrooms. If not, ask Mia. She’ll definitely have some.”
My back goes straight “Milo, do not ask her.”
Ares’s eyes narrow. “Fine, if we don’t have any someone needs to run to the store.”
“No, they do not Milo. I’ll get some tomorrow as long as I have a brush I’ll be fine.”
“Go look,” Ares grates, never taking his eyes off me. I hear Dante’s muffled voice from outside the door.
Ollie pokes his head in. “Why didn’t you ask yesterday? I have some.” I should have known Ollie would have conditioner, his hair is almost as long as mine. Not really but it looks a whole lot healthier.
I shrug. “You were already letting me shower here and you gave me the toothbrush. I didn’t want to ask for more.”
“Well you’re going to have to get over that shit real quick sweetheart,” Ares mutters, the term of endearment sounding more like he was chastising me instead of being kind. He stalks out of the bathroom and Ollie moves away just before getting bowled over.
His gaze follows Ares. “Geez man.” Ollie shakes his head then he looks back at me. “I’ll knock when he gets back. Milo just had to run over to the apartment to get it.”
“Thanks Ollie.” He grins at me, taking a few steps into the bathroom.
“Get out of my bathroom!” Ares booms, causing me to wince.
“Shit,” Ollie curses turning to go, he watches me over his shoulder until the door closes.
Freshly showered with a thick white towel wrapped around my hair, I push the door open. A hot wave of steam clouds into the room before me. All four of them are huddled close together with their heads almost touching, whispering furiously. They’re so deep in debate none of them hear me exit the bathroom. I run my bare toes over the thick carpet. Should I clear my throat, say something? I can’t make out what they’re saying, but it seems urgent.
Reaching out I tap my fingernails on the door like I just push it open. Ares’s head jerks up in my direction. His lips lift, in a fake smile. “All good?” His question throws me off, what wouldn’t be good.
“Yes,” I mutter hesitantly.
“Good, come sit, let’s watch a movie.” Dante motions me over to the far side of the bed and I poke at the towel on my head. I feel silly with all of them watching me.
I make my way over to the bed where an open laptop is sitting. I’m greeted with several chick flicks and rom-coms on the screen. Wrinkling my nose, I look up. This is the last thing I want to watch.
“Go ahead, pick whatever you want,” Dante urges me. I sit down and pull the laptop over, scanning the selection for something bearable. Peeking up at them again, I notice none of them are watching me. They’re all making themselves look busy by grabbing a few pillows and blankets from the end of the bed and floor.
Ares makes his way over to the bathroom, disappearing inside and leaving the door open. Searching over the titles, I find a tab at the top with romance selected. I tap the action adventure tab instead. I find a recent anti-super hero movie and click on the watch now button.
Ares returns, dropping on to the bed next to me. He scoots over enough to see my selection. A dark chuckle rumbles up his chest. “You see this yet?”
“No, but I
wanted to. Have you?”
“I actually have, it’s pretty good.”
“We can find something else.” I hit the back button, but Ares stops me, placing his hand over mine.
“No, I don’t mind seeing it again. We should watch this one. Here…” Using the track pad he returns to the watch now button and hits play. “Movie’s about to start,” Ares announces before putting the laptop at the end of the bed and turning up the volume. He crawls back over to me. My stomach tightens—how can he make something so mundane make my head swim? He’s watching me from under his brow, eyes turning to black pools the closer he gets.
Ares hand reaches out and he pulls the damp towel from my head, tossing it to the floor. My still sodden hair tumbles down, partially covering my face. Ares’s hands are gently pushing it back before I have a chance. “I brought this.” He holds up a black paddle brush. That must be why he went to the bathroom.
I reach out to take if from him, but he pulls it away, holding it to his chest. My eyes go to his, questioning what he’s doing. He looks over his shoulder, and is satisfied the others are still finding places to lounge. On the bed, he rests his back against the wall behind us. “Will you let me?” he whispers near my ear.
I bite my lip, no one has brushed my hair since I was a little girl. I’m worried what the others will think. I glance over at them, and Ares must understand what I’m thinking. “Stop over thinking and let me do this.” He pulls his knees up spreading his legs, when he taps the inside of his thigh with the brush I swallow. He wants me to sit there. Will he even be able to brush my hair like that? He gives a sharper rap when I don’t immediately jump into position. That spurs me into action. I crawl over, keeping my eyes on the floor beside the bed. I can’t look at him, or the others. I don’t know how do this this kind of thing. I’ve never had a boyfriend.
I sit with my back to him and my legs folded in front of me. I’m not touching any part of him, but I can feel his heat and him all around me.
The first scene of the movie begins with a man in a red and black suit singing an old rap song. Ares closes his legs a bit and pushes me forward with a palm on my shoulder. I feel the first touch of the brush at the ends of my hair. Slowly, he works his way through all the tangles, holding handfuls at a time so it doesn’t pull from my scalp. I want to look at him, how does he know how to do this so well?
Instead I focus on the screen, Ollie has slapped my leg a few times laughing along with the others at the movie. I’m watching it, but to be honest, my eyes are falling shut more and more as Ares works his way up to my scalp. My muscles are relaxed, so when he urges me to lie back against him I do, easily. Holding up my neck gets hard within minutes. Abandoning the brush altogether, Ares begins massaging my head. If I’m not careful I’ll be drooling any second.
Tightening his legs around me I feel his heat invade. I stretch out my legs, making sure I don’t kick any of the others. I know I’m going to fall asleep and I don’t even try to stop it.
Coming awake slowly I burrow deeper into the warmth cocooning me. My head lifts when someone takes a deep breath. I freeze, my hands curled under me. I’m lying on someone, it has to be Ares. I can smell his musky scent, all woody with a bit of burning fire. Assessing the rest of me I realize his arms are wrapped around my back and my legs are still trapped inside his. I couldn’t get away if I tried.
Squinting my eyelids, I can’t make out much because his room is like a tomb when the lights are off, but I know the others are still here with us. It must still be early, or possibly late. No one else is awake. I nuzzle into Ares’s chest a few times before settling in, my eyes already drifting closed.
His arms tightening on my back is the only warning I get before he rolls to his side keeping me locked against him. My hip hits the mattress as my legs land on the bed and his leg immediately hooks over my thigh, holding me in place. Ares drops his face, so his forehead is just under my jawline. I feel his every breath as it heats over my chest.
Uncurling my hand from between us, I reach under his arm and wrap my mine over his side. He sighs, I swear I feel the slight pressure of his lips at the base of my throat, but then he’s breathing deeply again.
I shiver once, without the heat of his body I begin to get cold. The same stupid air vent from the last time I slept here blowing frigid air over me. A body closes in from the other side, trapping me between them. My breathing picks up, I’m not uncomfortable, it’s actually the opposite. My muscles go rigid as my heart gallops in my chest. The weight of a hand on my hip has me holding my breath. I don’t even know which one of them it is. After a few long seconds I exhale, trying to steady my breathing.
I don’t know how much time passes, but I feel like I drift in and out of sleep for hours before an alarm on someone’s phone blares, jolting me awake. I try to sit up, only to be stopped by a weight against me. Ares shifts, arching his back and his lower body rocks against me before he pulls his hips away. His arms go over his head as he rolls onto his back, or rather tries to. Cursing he growls, “Why the fuck are you spooning me?”
“Because you were trying to shove me out of bed with your ass.” Ollie’s voice is muffled.
“If you poke me with your dick, I’ll give you nightmares for a month,” Ares threatens and wraps himself back around me. I hear a huff and feel the bed shift. I’m assuming Ollie has turned on his other side.
“Is it time to get up?” My voice is rough with sleep. I place my hand over my mouth, hoping it will keep my morning breath from rolling over them.
“Shh, not yet.” It’s Dante’s voice coming from behind me. I lift my head, curious where Milo is. I find him curled up at the end of the bed, his arms tucked into his sides and his chin buried in his chest. He looks like he’s freezing. Knowing exactly how he feels, I wiggle myself out from under Ares, and away from Dante. Still half asleep I walk to him on my knees and wrap myself over his back, making him the little spoon, much like Ollie did to Ares.
Milo uncoils a bit, his body loosening as he accepts my embrace. The cool air actually feels good after being squished between the others all night. Dante kicks his legs out, and Ares rolls away from Ollie, each of them taking up the space I was filling.
It feels like minutes later when the same blaring alarm goes off again. This time it’s accompanied by groans and demands to, “Turn it off.” Ares pulls the pillow right from under his brother’s head and uses it to cover his own.
“Get out and let me sleep, I haven’t sleep this good in years. Go, and take your fucking alarm with you.” His head pops up. “Laura?” When he sees me behind Milo he grins, letting his eyes fall closed. “You stay, come back up here and keep me warm.” Ares’s words are an invitation, but I think he means more than just laying down next to him.
“Oh, she can stay?” Dante sounds grumpy. “Selfish prick,” he adds without any real heat.
Too awake to fall back asleep, I roll off the end of the bed, landing on my hands and knees. I probably could stay in that pile all day long, but my bladder is demanding attention and I can’t miss another day of school.
I find the bathroom door easily now that I know where to look and push it open. When it closes I feel the tug of a heavy magnet holding it in place. It’s pretty ingenious really, the only problem I see is there isn’t any lock.
Washing my hands, I peer into the mirror, my hair is a little tousled from falling asleep with it still damp, but there’s not a halo of frizz like I was expecting. The miracle of nice shampoo and conditioner I guess. Or maybe my hair just doesn’t want to disappoint Ares. Having him brush my hair last night was the single most relaxing thing I’ve ever experienced. I can only hope he’ll do it again some time.
Using my second new toothbrush, I scrub my teeth and splash some water on my face. My bag is still on the floor in the corner, so I strip off my t-shirt and leggings. Digging through the bag I find my last clean pair of underwear and pull out an older pair of jeans I haven’t worn in a while. They’re tighter than I’m
used to but not too bad. My problem is the length, I’ll have to cuff the bottoms to make them into capris or I’ll be wearing floods. I top it off with a faded green t-shirt that’s a little slouchy and call it a day.
Everyone’s still asleep when I come out. I’m not surprised to find Ollie half hanging off the bed, his arm touching the floor, and Ares spread out on his back. Dante faired a little better since he’s still on the bed, but not by much. Milo’s face is inches away from Ares feet, but he’s completely out. I wish I had a camera. Of all the times I’ve seen kids with phones, playing games and taking pictures, this is the first time I’m actually really jealous.
A light from the floor flashes, and the alarm starts again. Rushing over I grab it just as Ollie reaches out to nab it. His hand smacks down on mine, causing me to jump back from the shock. His head snaps up at the loud crack. Eyes half open, his mouth works like a fish. “Oh man, I’m so sorry. Did I get you?” All traces of sleep are erased from his face and his voice is urgent.
Rubbing my forearm, I shake my head, “No, it’s okay. I was just going to shut it off. I should have left it alone.”
Ares leans his head over Ollie’s shoulder. “What’d you do?”
Dante pops up next, followed by Milo. Wincing, I stand up from my crouched position. I don’t need to be the center of attention right now. He was just reaching for his phone, clearly, he didn’t expect me to be in the way.
“I clipped her when I was getting my phone,” Ollie answers when I don’t.
“I’m fine, just startled that’s all,” I say dropping my arms to my side.
“Then why do you have a big red welt on your arm?” Ares points out, not helping at all. I cover the spot, knowing immediately what he’s referring to.
“Shit, I’m sorry Laura.” Ollie hops out of the bed and reaches for me. He wraps me in a hug, my arms trapped between us. Awkwardly, I pull free and pat his back.
Infinity Chronicles Book One: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Series Page 23