“Why?”
“Because you’re mine.”
“That’s just a game. An act.”
I raised my brows. “Is it?”
I didn’t give Niall a chance to respond before using my grip on his shoulders to turn him to face the spray. I soaped up my hands, then slid them down his back and over his ass, dipping into his crack
“Mmm. Feels good.”
“I’m sure it does.”
When I had washed his body thoroughly, I drizzled shampoo on his head and worked it into his scalp, massaging him as he leaned back against me like he could barely stay on his feet. “Did I wear you out?”
“Mmm. It’s been a long fucking day.”
“You should get some sleep after this. You earned it.” I rinsed the shampoo from his hair.
“I don’t sleep all that well,” Niall said once he was thoroughly clean.
“You’ve got to get some rest. It’s going to be a long week.”
“If we make it that long without getting caught.”
“We will.” I wasn’t going to consider the alternatives. I began to wash myself, and Niall frowned. “I can…”
I shook my head. “That’s okay. Go on and get ready for bed.”
“But…”
I pushed the shower door open, and he stepped out. I watched his ass as he grabbed a towel from the heated rack, then remembered what I was supposed to be doing. As I washed myself, I heard Niall moving around the bathroom, drying off, brushing his teeth, hanging up his towel.
I wasn’t sure why I’d insisted he go to bed. I wanted to convince myself it was because I knew how tired he was, but that wasn’t really true. What difference would a few more minutes have made? I would have enjoyed him touching me, running his hands all over me just like I had him, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for that kind of tender treatment. I’d let him fuck me earlier, but somehow this seemed more intimate. I was fine with things being just sex between us, but it was starting to feel like more, and letting a man wash my hair, letting him bathe me… I didn’t know if I could go that far.
I’d learned that letting myself care for people was a mistake. Eventually they all turned on me. I needed to trust Niall while we were here, but I didn’t want to risk getting too close.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, Niall was already tucked into bed. I didn’t say anything. I headed toward the couch and grabbed a blanket from a basket nearby.
As I stretched out on the couch, Niall sat up. “What are you doing?”
“Going to sleep.”
“On the couch?”
“Yes, you said you didn’t intend to share the bed.”
“I was… That was… Jesus, Marco. We fucked three times today, and now you’re going to sleep on the couch?”
“When he said it like that, it did sound ridiculous, but… “I don’t share my bed.”
“But when I complained about it, you said—”
“I just wanted to piss you off. I thrash around a lot. You’ll sleep better on your own.”
“Marco, get over here and get in this bed right now.”
My mouth fell open. Had he really said that. “What?”
“You heard me. It’s fucking cold, and you’re like a furnace.”
Those words got to me when something more seductive wouldn’t have. Fuck. I was in trouble.
I ran a hand through my hair and stood.
“Also, you left the light on in the bathroom. Are you afraid of the dark?”
“I’m used to leaving a light on for my cat.”
“Your cat needs a light?”
“Fine. If you’d grown up hearing all the stories my nonna used to tell, you would—”
He chuckled. “I’ll protect you.”
“Like I’ll protect you from the cats?”
“Yes. Turn the light off and come to bed.”
I did exactly what he said.
He turned away from me, and I wrapped my arm around his waist and tucked his body against mine.
He laughed. “You didn’t want to share a bed, but now that you’re here you want to cuddle?”
“You said you were cold.”
“I am.”
I fell asleep quicker than usual wrapped around Niall, my nose pressed into his hair so I could breathe in the scent of his shampoo.
I woke to sun streaming across the bed. I was sprawled on my back, and Niall was curled on his side facing me.
I turned over and watched him sleep, wishing we were actually on a real vacation and could spend the day playing in the ocean, walking on the beach, and coming back here to fuck each other’s brains out.
16
Niall
Early the next morning, X let me know that Walsh’s family had made a fortune in real estate. He lived off his inheritance and was well liked by everyone he knew. X was as puzzled as Marco and me about why he was part of this group. Dalton had been a barista before Walsh had become his sugar daddy. Arlington’s companions, Lavender and Tiberius, were apparently former Vegas dancers who’d fallen under the spell of Arlington’s money. Heidi used to work as a maid in Orly’s home, and Malachi was a disowned member of a minor New Jersey mafia family. While they might have been coerced into being here, none of them were trafficking victims, which made their presence easier to stomach.