Page 27 of Too Many Beds

Oakley

M orning light invades the room and I groan, rolling onto my back. In between stretches, I glance next to me and quickly sit up, Ambrose is nowhere to be found.

They didn’t leave me here, did they? Did I do something I don’t remember that made him realize I’m more trouble than I’m worth?

Glancing down, my heart jumps to my throat when I notice all of my clothes are missing. I climb out of bed, hoping I didn’t repeat the past mistake that caused me to lose my best friend. My sleeping issues worsen during stressful situations and right when I think I have my disorder under control, I’m wrong. The meds help sometimes but not always—especially not in new environments.

I freeze when the hotel door opens and Ambrose walks in with a plate of food in his hands, along with a coffee resting between his arm and body. “Morning, princess. Hungry?” He gives me a once-over, licking his lips when his gaze pauses on my half-hard cock. I have to be seeing things, right?

“Yeah.” I bend down, grabbing my underwear and pants from the floor.

“I’ll leave it here for when you’re ready. The guys should be back from gassing up soon. Once they are, I’ll head to the gas station next. Want any snacks?”

“Can’t you stop on the way to the cabin?”

His face turns to stone. “No. It’s not safe. There’s a chance these assholes who are after you are close by, and we don’t want to risk the wrong person spotting you. Men like these have eyes everywhere. Even on different continents.”

My heart jumps. “My dad promised I could have a normal life if I moved with my mom, far away.”

“And that’s his bad for promising something he has no control over. Get dressed and eat. We’ll be back on the road in an hour.” He heads into the bathroom and pisses with the door open. Of course my perverted mind goes to the wrong places, wondering whether I’d catch a glimpse of his cock in his hand if I walked closer to the mirror.

Taking a breath, I shove on my underwear, followed by my jeans and shirt. Then, fully dressed, I run my fingers through my hair and sit in the chair at the table. As I’m digging into my food, the sink turns on and off and Ambrose passes me by, setting down a burner phone. “Just in case you need me if at any time we get separated. My number’s in there. Don’t use it to call anyone else.”

“What about my mom? She was expecting me and she’ll be worri?—”

“It’s been taken care of already,” he interrupts. “She knows you’re safe and has been taken somewhere too.”

“Who did my father piss off this time?”

Ambrose’s stare deepens, his dark blue depths swimming in mine. “That’s not for you to worry about. He and his men are handling it. We’re doing what we need to do and he’ll do what he needs to.”

“Yeah, until he can’t. I never asked for any of this.”

“Most people don’t. Finish your food. I’ll be back in ten.” He exits the hotel and a door opens close by. Mitch steps into my room, holding a cup of coffee, steam simmering off the top of his cup.

“Sleep okay, princess?”

“Can that not be my nickname? Oakley works just fine.”

“But it’s not as fitting.” Vance enters the room, grinning from ear to ear. “So did you, princess?” He folds his arms, leaning against the nearby wall. “You know, sleep okay?”

“I…yeah…I think so. I feel well rested at least.”

“Yeah, me too.” Vance winks, turning around to walk back into his room.

What the fuck was that about, and how is it these guys look so hot no matter what they do? Sitting on my bed, Mitch reaches for the remote and turns on the TV. Minutes later his laughter fills the room and as I’m taking my last bite of food, Vance comes barging in. “We gotta go. Where the hell is he?”

“Can’t be too far,” Mitch says, standing up. “What’s going on?”

“I’m thinking we were either spotted outside the diner or college campus, and were followed.”

“What happens now?” I ask, my voice cracking.

“We take care of the problem when Ambrose gets back.”

“Let’s hope he didn’t get delayed.” Mitch checks the chamber of his gun.

“If he did, we’ll have to go on without him.” Vance moves around me, looking out the window.

“What?” My stomach tightens. “We can’t. What if they hurt him?”

“They won’t. Ambrose can take care of himself. He’s better at losing people than anyone I know. He’d want us to move while we could.”

“We’ll give him a few more minutes. For now, we’ll keep an eye out.” Mitch goes to the other side of the window, staying hidden behind the curtain.

The moment I hear the loud roaring of a motorcycle outside and Ambrose’s voice approaching, I stand from my chair and grab my bag, shoving my feet into my shoes.

The hotel door beeps and opens. “Ready?” Ambrose searches my eyes, his hands covered in blood.

“Yeah. You okay?”

“Yeah. Nothing but a scratch. I don’t know who else knows we’re close by, but the smaller the trail of dead bodies I leave on the way to the cabin, the better.”

“You mean?—”

“I mean he won’t be following us anymore. I’m gonna clean up. I’ll meet y’all outside when I’m done.”

I nod, following the other guys outside. It’s not like I haven’t seen my dad kill people before, but Ambrose and I always promised we’d never let this life touch us. Maybe he’s right about most of us not having a choice. If I had to take someone’s life to save my own, would I? I don’t even know the proper way to hold a gun. My dad did his best to keep me from having to get my hands dirty but did he really do me a favor?

“You’re riding with me this time, princess.” Vance places a hand on my back, guiding me to his bike.

“What?”

“I just think it’s better if we take turns. I’m a lot more comfy to lean on anyway,” he says, waggling his brows.

He’s a bigger guy, with extra weight in his midsection and a bulky form. I wouldn’t mind being wrapped up in him every night. He’d definitely win over any blanket. Then my mind flashes to him holding me from behind while Ambrose lays in front of me, stroking my hair the way he used to whenever I had issues falling asleep.

Seriously, the damn daydreaming needs to stop, and these guys rubbing against me on motorcycles isn’t helping.

I hop on behind Vance, pressing my body to his when he starts the engine. Yanking on my helmet, I wiggle my legs until I’m more comfortable as Ambrose exits the hotel with his bag tossed over his shoulder. He hooks it onto his bike, and while he’s positioning himself on the seat the other guys take off ahead of him. He quickly catches up to us as we head down a narrow road, going in the wrong direction until they’re sure we aren’t being followed.

I wrap my arms tightly around Vance, my nose buried in his jacket, taking in his musky cinnamon scent. He shoots me a smile, sliding his glasses over his eyes and speeding up. The ride is long and I catch myself nodding off several times, but Vance hooks his hand over my arm when he feels my grip loosen too much and the front of my body parting from his.

My eyes snap open as we pull over to the side of the road. The other guys do the same, giving us a curious stare—Ambrose’s less friendly than Mitch’s.

“We’re an hour away. Why the fuck did you stop?” Ambrose throws his hands in the air, placing one foot on the ground.

“Princess here is falling asleep. Almost fell off the bike.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m fine, and for the last time, it’s Oakley.”

“Sure thing, princess.” Mitch smirks, taking a swig of his water.

“Let him ride with me then,” Ambrose offers. “I’ll make sure he stays on.”

At first, I don’t think Vance is going to agree, but then he gives Ambrose a nod and as I’m climbing off the bike he steadies me, whispering in my ear. “Don’t worry, princess. We’ll get more one-on-one time later. Hopefully it’ll be like last night and I’ll get to make you come more than once.”

Freezing, my stomach tightens and Ambrose whistles loudly. “What’s taking so long? Hurry up and get over here. We can’t keep stopping like this. We need to get the hell off the road.”

I meet Vance’s eyes one more time, not missing the heat in them as I step fully onto the concrete. Something did happen last night, it just wasn’t with Ambrose. I didn’t even consider it might happen with the other guys. Fuck.

Vance doesn’t stop watching me until we’re moving again. I can’t let him know I was asleep. How embarrassing would that be? Then Ambrose will know my little problem wasn’t a one-time occurrence. I can’t handle him running away from me a second time—not when we almost feel like us again.

When I fall asleep halfway to the cabin, Ambrose stops, gesturing to the others to keep going while pulling a rope from his bag. “If you can’t stay awake, I’ll have to secure you to me.”

My mouth parts. “What?”

“You heard me, princess.” He hands me the rope and I wrap it around myself, handing him both ends. He ties us together, wrapping the rope around us twice and tying a knot.

“Now, let’s get to this damn cabin without any more interruptions.”

Too speechless from his actions, I gawk at him, gripping onto his hips when the bike jerks. I don’t fall asleep the rest of the way, the rope making it hard for me to get comfortable or separate from his body when the bumps in the road cause his ass to rub against my crotch. Mitch and Vance are standing outside the cabin with brown paper bags in their hands when we finally arrive.

“What’s that?” Ambrose asks, parking his bike.

“Groceries. You fuckers took so long we were able to stop at the little shop down the road and still beat your asses here.”

Ambrose waves him off, pulling a knife from his boot. Once free from the ropes, we both get off the bike, Ambrose catching me when I almost trip on my own feet. “How have you survived this far on your own, princess? You can barely stand by yourself.”

I shove him away and pick up my backpack from the ground, heading for the cabin. They all watch me as I search for the keys in my bag—I’ve always kept them on me. My mom’s paranoia stuck with me all the way to adulthood, and for good reason, apparently.

The door clicks open when I turn the key and the smell of oak hits my nose when I enter the small living room. There are only two bedrooms, but also a cot in the closet, and a couch. The lights flicker on as Ambrose walks in behind me and the other guys set the groceries on the counter, checking out their surroundings.

“You sure no one knows about this place?”

“Yeah. My mom occasionally comes up here to check on it, and her last visit was only a month ago, so it shouldn’t be too dusty.” I flip on the heat as the cold air pierces my skin.

Mitch and Ambrose familiarize themselves with every exit, window, and room, while Vance unpacks the food. I help him, and occasionally his hand grazes my ass, his flirty glances adding to my already dazed state. “You know how to cook, princess?”

“A little. Mostly the basics. Mac ’n’ cheese. Grilled chee?—”

He sticks out his hand. “Alright, I’ve heard enough. We’ll have time for a lesson later, but for now have a seat and let me cook you something good.”

“Okay.” Setting my bag on the ground, I sit at the table. Ambrose enters the kitchen, setting a lemon-infused mineral water in front of me. “Thought it would help with the stomach issues you get when you’re under too much stress.”

“Thanks,” I say, smiling on the inside and out.

“No problem. Grabbed Sour Skittles too.” He sits beside me, plucking a purple pack from his pocket.

“That shit will spoil your dinner,” Mitch says, scraping the floor with the legs of the chair when he joins us at the table. “Don’t want to piss off the chef over there.” He tilts his head in the direction of a whistling Vance.

“Yeah. He’s right.” Ambrose laughs, shoving the Skittles back in his pocket. “We’ll save them for later.”

“And have a movie night like old times?” I ask, the hopefulness in my voice more noticeable than intended.

“Maybe. There isn’t a whole lot of other shit to do here.”

“I can think of a few things,” Mitch says, his voice deepening and eyes wrinkling with humor.

“I’m sure you can, and it’s better you keep those thoughts to yourself, big guy.” Ambrose shoots him a warning with his eyes and Mitch sinks back in his chair, sighing in disappointment. Was he suggesting…? No way. Are these guys all together or something? They haven’t really done much around me, aside from Mitch occasionally eye-fucking everyone in the room. Will they sneak off together later when I’m sleeping? Heat stirs in my groin. Why am I hoping they’ll all hook up while we’re here? Why am I hoping they’ll ask me to join them?

Biting down hard on my tongue, I pull myself from my insane fantasies. I went from wanting one unattainable man, to lusting after three. But this is just a job for them. Not the time to reenact my favorite porno.

None of us talk until the food is ready. The steak is so fucking tender and juicy between my teeth, and Ambrose and Mitch talk about something I’m unable to follow while Vance is too focused on the food like me. It was a long trip here without food and I eat way quicker than my body has time to process, nearly choking on my last forkful of mashed potatoes.

Ambrose hands me a glass of water. “Easy. The food isn’t going anywhere. We said we’d protect you from danger, not yourself.”

“I’ll be in charge of the mouth to mouth.” Vance smiles around his cup and Mitch barks out a laugh. Ambrose leaves the table first, taking a phone call outside. When the rest of us are done, we clear the table and Mitch helps me with the dishes, showing me a trick for how to get the best shine on a plate. I can’t believe I was so scared of these guys only yesterday. There’s a lot more to them than I realized. I already knew that about Ambrose though, and it’s been good to see a little bit of the old him occasionally come to surface.

“So what are we watching?” Mitch lowers himself into the recliner and Vance sits beside me, practically squishing my leg with his. I don’t move or push him away because his warmth radiates into me like my own personal heater and it’s fucking freezing in the cabin. It’s always been like this during the winter.

“Whatever princess chooses.” Vance wraps an arm around me, dragging a throw blanket over our laps.

“So, what’s it gonna be?” Ambrose stands in front of the TV, looking back at me with the remote in his hand.

“I don’t know. Doesn’t matter to me.”

“Pick something.” Ambrose’s eyes stay on the blank screen this time and he hits the power button.

“ Good Girls .”

“That’s a movie?”

“A show.” I shrug. “It’ll keep us busy longer.”

“Sounds good to me.” Vance tightens his hold on me. “Like I said, whatever princess wants. It’s hard saying no to him.” I don’t think he’s talking about the show anymore. His hand slipping between my thighs confirms my assumptions.

“Yeah, alright.” Ambrose finds it on Netflix and hits play, sitting on the other side of me but leaving a large gap between us. And that’s hard to do with three people on a couch. You’d have to be really trying. The distance gnaws at me until I’m distracted by fingers squeezing at the bulge in my pants. Swallowing down a moan, I spread my thighs and my zipper is tugged down after Vance pops the button free.

I press my back harder to the couch, thankful the other guys are paying more attention to the show than us. My cheeks heat and skin tingles as I slip closer to the edge, each touch along my sensitive skin feeling like licking flames.

I bite the insides of my cheeks, fighting back the blooming orgasm, my body struggling not to lose control the harder Vance tugs at me and tightens his grip. Whatever I did last night can’t be so bad if it led me here. Right as I’m about to let go, Vance drags his hand away and smiles. Cheeky bastard knew exactly what he was doing. “I’ll save that in case you want to pay me a late-night visit again.” His warm breath ghosts over my ear and I shiver.

When I look over at Mitch, he’s passed out in the recliner and Ambrose is licking the cream off an Oreo, laughing at something being said on the show. My mind is so fuzzy from my body being denied that nothing around me is clear.

Yawning, I struggle to keep my eyes open. “I think I’m going to head to bed.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ambrose says. “You pick which room you want and I’ll choose the other.”

“I’m stuck on the couch, I guess. We’re switching tomorrow, though.” Vance looks up at Ambrose.

“Fine. We can all switch, except for the princess here.” Ambrose stands up, smiling down at me. “He’s much too precious for any couch or recliner.”

“I agree.” The corner of Vance’s lips turn up. “See you later, princess. Whenever that’ll be.” He squeezes my thigh, letting up when I toss the blanket off me. I pick the room I always stay in when I come here, and Ambrose makes sure I’m okay before heading to his.

Looking around me, I shut the door, wishing there was a lock. It would make it easier to sleep. I can’t have the guys waking up to me riding Vance’s dick in the living room. Panic rises in me the more I think about it happening, and I move a chair from under the corner desk to the door, shoving it under the knob. I’m in a house full of dangerous criminals and it’s me I can’t trust, not them.