“Shut up.” I whacked his arm.
He just grinned as he bent and grabbed a saddlebag from the bike. Then he led me to a set of metal stairs. We clomped up to the second floor and Andros used a key, an actual key, not a key card, to unlock the door at the end of the hall. He pushed it open and then held it there with one hand, like a gentleman.
“Ladies first.”
“I’m dreading how nasty it’s gonna be inside.”
He glanced in and a grin spread across his face. “Oh, I think you’re gonna be impressed.”
I shook my head as I walked past him. I stopped short. Hideous was an understatement. There were cheesy murals of ocean waves and ships on the walls that looked like they belonged in an elementary school instead of a hotel room. The carpet was a dark brown with several worn spots and several more suspiciously dark spots. The bedspread was dark blue, no doubt to better hide all the nastiness it had collected over the years.
I seriously considered whether or not I’d be better off sleeping in the woods.
Andros locked the door behind me and turned to look at the room. “Not bad,” he commented, going toward the old box television set.
“Don’t touch anything.” I held out a hand. “Just, wait a second. Actually, come over here and hold my stuff, would you?” I gave him my helmet, then shed my knife and my weapons belt. I unzipped my jacket and handed it to him, then dug around in my pants pocket for another of the disposable traveling wands Gray had given us.
I wrote a quick spell to disinfect the room because while I wasn’t a complete germaphobe, this place looked like it was the petri dish where gonorrhea got its start. When the magic faded, Andros gaped. “It’s a different color.”
He was right. The bedspread was a deeper blue, the carpet was four shades lighter, and the walls, now free of decades of grime, showed off the hideous mural even more. An otter who’d been smudged away over the years, now peeked out at the bed happily floating on his back.
I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Sorry to be all squeamish about that. But, obviously, it needed it.” I glanced over at Andros, whose hands were piled with all of my things, plus the saddlebag. He looked like some romantic comedy boyfriend stuck on a warped weapons shopping spree. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my burner phone. I snapped a quick pic.
“What’s that for?” Andros asked as he dumped everything on the bed.
“Just letting the guys know we’re safe.” I smiled to myself as I sent the text.
-Andros and I are safe and he’s having fun.-
Grayson, aka, Shrinky, sent back: -Good. All’s well. We’ll meet up tomorrow.-
Andros took the phone out of my hand once it was sent. “I’ll go destroy it outside, so it doesn’t smell.”
“Thanks.” I looked up at his soulful blue eyes, which gazed at me steadily for a second, before he headed to the door. “Hayley?” He spoke as he turned the knob.
“Yeah?”
“Get ready for bed while I’m gone.” He was out the door before my jaw could drop, but drop it did.
Did he mean what I thought he meant? His voice had dropped an octave and it had been so gruff, so commanding.
My nipples tightened. But then I waved them off. No. He couldn’t. He hadn’t even kissed me. I was just still reeling from my date with Z getting cut short. Still, nervous anticipation tickled my skin as I moved my things on the bed and stripped off my jacket.
I opened up the saddlebag and found a couple of outfits, one for each of us, and a set of toothbrushes. Since whoever had packed this bag had decided a bustier was a good on-the-run style choice (my money was on Z), I stole Andros’ green t-shirt and one of the toothbrushes and made my way into the bathroom.
I got ready and by the time I walked back into the bedroom, Andros was back. His arms were crossed and he was staring at the bed. I approached on his right side.
“Everything ok?” I asked.
“I can’t believe it.” He shook his head and laughed softly. Then he rummaged through the saddlebag without really answering my question. “This is crazy.”
“What?” I turned to stare at the bed, which just looked like a normal bed to me. But then I saw it. On the back left corner, near the headboard, was a bronze metal box with a coin slot. “No fucking way.”
“Oh yes way,” Andros’ chuckle almost reminded me of Z. “And I found a quarter. We’re trying it. Climb on and prepare for the ride of a lifetime.”
I got on the bed on my knees, staring at the little box, which looked just as old as everything else in the room. “I dunno—”
Andros shushed me as he put a quarter into the machine on the side of the mattress. And then the bed began to vibrate.
He climbed on and laid down on top of the comforter as a low buzz filled the room. “You’re wearing my shirt.” He finally noticed, and his eyes narrowed as they traveled up and down my torso.
“Yeah. The stuff someone packed for me wasn’t exactly comfortable.”
He gave a nod, his eyes not quite reaching mine. But I couldn’t blame him. The vibration was making my breasts jiggle. And I wasn’t wearing a bra to bed.
“Come on, lay down,” He bit his lip as he patted the bed beside himself.
And again, I couldn’t quite tell if it was an invitation full of innuendo or not. I decided to wait it out. Unlike Z who would randomly tackle me with bouts of horniness or affection, Andros was more the slow and stealthy type. More of a tracker who slowly watched his prey before moving in.
I rolled onto my back, deliberately letting his shirt ride up my thighs so that the lacy edge of my panties was visible. I stared up at the pale blue popcorn ceiling. Laying down, the vibrating sensation was totally different. When I was kneeling, it had been a low buzz, but as it continued, the vibration rolled through me in jerky starts, like the machine was short circuiting.
“I think this vibrator’s about to die,” I snorted.
“Maybe we’re breaking it.”
“That is definitely the story we have to tell the guys tomorrow,” I quipped. “We spent last night playing with a vibrator until we broke it. Z will die of jealousy.”
Andros’ full body laugh shook the bed just as much as the machine did. He rolled onto his side and propped himself up on an elbow so that he could stare down at me. “You’re pretty damn funny, you know?”
“I know,” I gave him an arrogant smirk.
“And pretty damn pretty. And pretty damn smart …” he leaned down over me, his huge back blocking out the cheesy lamp and giving him a domineering, backlit glow.
My breath caught as he leaned closer.
“Pretty damn perfect,” he breathed, hovering just above my lips.
My stomach tightened in anticipation. My eyes flickered over Andros’ face: his hard, square jaw, his dirty blond hair. He had a strong brow line and deep-set eyes that were fringed by straight lashes. Every ounce of him oozed masculinity. Even his scent, which was tinged by oil from the bike, was rough.
My throat dried out as the anticipation grew and grew. Finally, when my entire body was thrumming just as much as the bed beneath me, I whispered, “Kiss me.”
“No,” he pulled away and rolled onto his back.
I felt like I’d been smacked across the face.