Chapter 297

I leave Neil at the base of the stairs. He’s not ready for sleep yet and plans on going into the kitchen for a snack. He invites me, but I’m not hungry. I’d rather go lay down for a while and think about what to do.

It’s not that I mind spending the night with Neil. Far from it. But I have a hard time accepting his words that this might be our last night alive. It feel so… morbid.

I don’t want the beauty of our intimacy to be tainted with the darkness of looming death.

I wasn’t sure what to do. If we were going to die, shouldn’t I want to spend my last night with someone?

As I head up the stairs, I’m stopped along the way by Beau coming down.

“No fair, Neil,” he mutters under his breath. “Always trying to steal all of the fun.”

Still distracted by my thoughts, I don’t realize Beau’s plans until he scoops me up in his arms and presses me against the wall. We’re still on the stairs, our legs are all uneven, but Beau still makes it work. He leans in and kisses me. I swoon.

He holds me upright, with his hands on either side of me.

I hum pleasantly against his mouth as he swoops his tongue into mine. He tastes so good. He’s such a good kisser. It doesn’t matter how many times we kiss, he steals my breath away each and every time.

When we finally break away for air, he smirking, smug, as he so often does after he rocks my world. Smug arrogant bastard who deserves each and every moment of smugness. I’d almost wish that he didn’t, but I am on the benefiting side. I keep my mouth shut.

“Don’t go to Neil tonight,” he says. “Come to me instead. I’ll keep you so distracted, we won’t even think about what could happen tomorrow.”

That is very promising, but it still holds the weight of ‘this could be our last night’.

I don’t give Beau an answer, because I just don’t know.

He leaves me without a word, going down the stairs. He doesn’t even glance back. He’s simply that confident he’ll get what he wants.

Mind even more addled, I continue on to the top of the stairs. There, Archer is waiting, leaning against the frame of his bedroom door.

When our eyes meet, I lick my lips. He wastes no time. He storms toward me, grabs me around the waist, and drags me against his hard body. His mouth covers mine, devouring me once more.

When it breaks, he says, “Mine.”

That’s all he needs to say for me to know what he wants. Just like Neil and Beau, Archer wants me to go to his room tonight.

He too doesn’t wait for a response. He simply releases his hold on me and disappears into his bedroom.

My mind is fuzzy, both from the kisses and their requests.

I’m usually more decisive, but with each request, the decision becomes more and more difficult.

If I have to choose one, who would it be? How could I choose one when I wanted them all?

I shake my head to clear it and continue on toward my room. Just before I reach my door, the bathroom door opens, revealing Steven inside.

Carrying his toothbrush, he stops when he sees me. I stop too, when our eyes meet.

A moment of tension stretches out between us. I wonder, will he too want me to spend the night with him?

If he does, he doesn’t say anything about it. Instead he just gives me a sad sort of smile, and says, “Goodnight, Chloe.”

“Goodnight, Steven,” I say, giving him a soft smile of my own.

He walks past me without touching me, heading into his bedroom. The door closes behind him quietly, though I quickly notice that it is not latched. It’s open about a quarter inch.

Enough for me to enter if I want to.

This is Steven’s invitation. Much more subtle than the rest.

I watch the not-totally closed door for a long moment. I truly am faced with a choice here tonight.

Shaking my head again, I finally enter my own bedroom. My bed seems rather lonely, looking at it.

But… to choose one of the brothers feels an impossible task. Also, if I choose one, would the others be upset? Would this fundamentally change everything between us?

I don’t want that to happen. Things are messy and complicated, sure, but I like the way they are. If I make the wrong choice here, I might lose three of the four brothers I care so much about.

An intrusive thought enters my mind: I’m going to lose them all anyway.

Soon, likely on my upcoming birthday with how fast my wolf is manifesting, I will feel the call of the mating bond. It will either be one of the brothers, which seems unlikely, or some unknown.

How could I possibly care about some unknown as much as I care about the Hayes brothers?

Ug! Why did I let myself care about them so much at all? Wasn’t I supposed to be guarding my heart?

They are major assholes. Just because they’ve gotten a little nicer to me doesn’t change that. Yet here I am, ever the fool, practically falling in love with each of them.

In this anger state, I aggressively change my clothes. Once I’m in my comfortable pajamas, I throw myself down onto my bed.

I’m so mad right now. At myself. At the brothers for giving me an impossible choice. At the universe for getting me into this mess in the first place.

Neil, Beau, Archer, or Steven…

Which one will I choose?

I flip flop around, unable to make myself comfortable.

I just need time to get my head in order, that’s all. Maybe if I take a moment to really reach some kind of zen-like state, I’ll finally be able to relax.

I’ve never really meditated in my life, but now is as good a time as any.

I flop onto my back, stretch out comfortably on the bed, and close my eyes.

Clear my mind. That’s what they always say to do, right?

I try it, focusing on the darkness behind my own eyelids.

Then, slowly… I drift off.

When I blink my eyes open again, it’s dark in my room and I’m under the covers.

Shit. I fell asleep.

Yet, before I can panic, I realize there’s something hard and muscly about the pillow I’m curling around.

As my eyes adjust to the dark, I realize it’s not a pillow I’m holding, it’s Steven!

And, oh shit! His arms are around me too!

Think, Chloe. Think. Just what happened last night?

Steven appears to be wearing pajamas, which is good. That thin t-shirt and plaid pajama pants are the same outfit he’d been wearing when he came out of the bathroom last night.

So likely nothing happened…

But! Why is he here?

Oh Gods, I hope I didn’t sleep walk or something and drag him over here. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person to just see himself into someone’s bed uninvited.

Not that he’d ever be uninvited to my bed.

My eyes adjust further, and in the dim light, I can see a distinct blush in his cheeks.

He’s awake then. Pretending to be asleep. Why?

“Steven?” I ask.

His eyes squeeze shut tighter. “It’s not what it looks like!”