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A road trip with her brother’s best friend, alone in a car for two weeks, and only one bed. What could go wrong?
EXCERPT:
Weston insisted on checking us in at the hotel, and I let him. With him, I know I need to pick my battles, and something small like who checks us in isn’t a battle I want to fight.
He comes back out, helping me with the bags. When we walk back through the lobby to the elevators, he presses the right floor and then looks over at me.
“Here’s your room key,” he says.
Taking the plastic card from him, I check the room number. Then I walk down the hall and stop in front of my door. Looking back, I can see he’s watching me, and I assume he wants to make sure I get into my room and lock the door. So I open the door and step in.
It’s a pretty standard hotel room with two beds. What I don’t expect is for him to step into the room behind me.
“Hey, excuse you! Why do you think you can barge into my room?”
“Our room.”
It takes a minute for what he said to sink in. Did he just say our room?
“No way! We are not sharing a room. Why do you think we need to share a room?”
“We are because it’s too dangerous for you to be on your own.”
He sets his bag down on the bed closest to the door. Always the protector. I want to smile because my dad did the same thing when we traveled. He and my brother took the bed closest to the door, and my mom and I shared the other one.
“Nope, not going to happen. I didn’t agree to this, and my sleep clothes are completely inappropriate to be in around you. Furthermore, I’m not sharing a bathroom with you.” I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly uncomfortable as his eyes rack down my body.
When his eyes land back on mine, he smirks.
“I can put the seat down,” he says and pulls out clothes and other things to take a shower.
“Not the point,” I sigh. After tonight, he will get two hotel rooms, and I’ll just have to prove my point.
Once he’s in the bathroom, I sit on the bed, pull out my phone, and text my brother.
Me: I did NOT agree to share a room with him!!!
Nate: I know, but it’s the safest. If someone knows you are sleeping alone, they might try to break in.
Me: Why are you so paranoid? Did you join the mafia?
Nate: No, but Mandy watches those true crime shows, and it has made me more aware.
Me: Tell her this is all her fault and whatever happens is her fault.
Nate: See you in a few weeks. Love you.
Me: Love you too, barely.
I have never had a problem with Mandy, Nate’s fiancé and my soon to be sister-in-law. But if she is making him this paranoid, we need to have a talk.
Since the shower is still running, I decide to call Kinsley.
She answers on the first ring, so I know she was waiting for my call.
“How goes the road trip with Westie the Hottie?” she giggles.
“Good lord Kins, what if he was standing right here?”
“Is he?”
“No, he’s in the shower because he’s insisting we share a room because it’s too dangerous for me to have my own room.”
“What?!” she screeches.
“Yeah, apparently Mandy is a true crime junkie and freaked my brother out, so my brother insisted.”
“Figures. He’s always been super overprotective,” she says.
Kinsley and I met our freshman year of college, and even then, my brother was still protective. She found it funny, but I was annoyed. Until now, he had mellowed out, but I won’t put up with him starting up again.
“Yeah, this is only day one.”
“Well, how was the rest of the day?”
“It was actually pretty pleasant. You were right. It was nice to have someone else drive while I just enjoyed it.”
“See, I don’t think this trip will be that bad. Now let me tell you what happened at my sister’s work today.”
She goes on talking about her twin sister’s boss when the shower turns off. A moment later, the bathroom door opens and out walks Weston in nothing but a towel.
What the hell?
He was always in shape in school from playing sports, but I didn’t need to know he’s kept in even better shape. Holy hell, those are some abs. I watch a drop of water slide over his hard nipple and ripple over each ab until it moves through his happy trail and is soaked up by the towel.
“Rory, are you still there?”
“I’m going to have to call you back,” I say and hang up without waiting for a response.
“Why didn’t you get dressed in there?”
“I forgot my boxers. I’m not used to sharing my space either,” he shrugs.
Great, this isn’t going to be as easy as I had hoped to hide my feelings.
When he goes back into the bathroom, I get my stuff ready to take a shower.
“Your turn,” he smiles when he walks out again. I don’t say a word as I grab my stuff and head into the bathroom.
The hot water from the shower feels good. I didn’t realize how tense I was from having my high school crush sitting next to me all day, not to mention him walking out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel.
Who does that?
Oh well, I’ll get dressed, go right to my bed, and get under my covers. Maybe we can watch some TV and that will be the end of this. Once he sees how inappropriate my sleep clothes are, next time he’ll want his own room.
As I put on my sleep clothes, I figure I might need to stop and get something more, well more, to sleep in. My tank top, with no bra and tiny cotton shorts really is not appropriate around Weston.
When I packed, I wasn’t planning on his tagging along, and even once I knew he was, I thought we’d have separate rooms at least. It never crossed my mind to pack something more modest. I like to be comfortable.
There is nothing I can do about that now, so taking a deep breath, I step out of the bathroom.