always finds a reason to stand next to him, in the way her eyes follow him even when there’s no real reason for her to do so.
I can’t say I blame her. Ares is darkly attractive. He has a way about him that makes you crave his attention. I think it has something to do with his powers. I’ve felt the way he influences feelings and emotions since we first met. I don’t think he’s even aware of the fact that his secrets pull you in, so you want to know more about him.
Wiggling a bit, I take a deep breath and blow it out my nose. There’s nothing I can do to solve anything right now. It’s not like lying in the dark will give me some answers to where my mom is; nor is it going to help fight my new territorial behavior.
Clearing my thoughts, I pull forward the ritual I use to fall asleep when my mind won’t shut off. I build my forever home. I start with a large piece of property. It’s nothing I’ve ever seen in real life—more like an amalgamation of several places I’ve seen or wanted to see over the years. There’s a wooded area that offers cool shade during the hot months. A running creek that leads to a large pond just past the view of an older farm house. In the background, I can see waves of green corn stalks taller than my head. I take myself to where I know the house should sit.
Every time I build it, I change it a bit. The past few times I’ve done this, the house has taken on a striking resemblance to the house I’m sharing with the guys. I used to change it to fit my mood, sometimes I’d have a super modern interior, filled with high-tech gadgets, others I’d stay true to the exterior and keep it rustic. In my mind’s eye, I slowly craft a wide front door. The wood is dark with two matching windows on either side, framing it. The front porch is next, it spans the whole front of the house. As I collect rooms to add to my imaginary house, I let the thoughts keeping me awake fall away.
Chapter 5
With blurry eyes, I stumble to the bathroom when Ollie’s alarm sounds. I barely remember being woken up last night to come back downstairs. I don’t think I even walked. I remember the feel of Milo’s t-shirt against my cheek and his fresh-from-the-shower smell, but not much else.
I had to climb over Ares to get out of bed, but he barely stirred—he sleeps so deeply. He says it’s new, somehow related to sharing a bed with me. I’m happy that he sleeps so well now, but honestly, it freaks me out sometimes, too. I feel like there are times when he might not wake up at all.
I flip the shower on and handle my morning business, and by the time I’m done brushing my teeth, the water is piping hot when I get under the spray. I revel under the water for a long minutes before soaking my hair, so I can wash and condition it. I love the way the products smell, it’s the same scent all the guys use, so all day long, even when I’m not with them, I get subtle hints of them.
A few sharp raps on the door tell me I’ve been in here longer than intended. “Sorry, almost done.” I shut off the water immediately and towel dry. I’m not sure who else will need the shower this morning. After wrapping the towel around my body, I realize much too late that I didn’t grab my clothes this morning in my haste to get into the bathroom. “Damn it,” I curse under my breath as I poke my head out the door, hoping the room has miraculously become empty in the last few seconds.
Ollie and Milo are in various stages of readiness. Ollie is tugging a tight, fitted, grey thermal over his head, his flat stomach still visible. The sight gives me pause. He’s leaner than the other guys, but no less appealing. A throat clears to my right, and my cheeks blaze red having been caught staring. Milo raises his brows, but he has a light smirk on his face.
“Did you need something?” Ollie offers when the shirt finally falls into place.
Turning my attention back to him, red face and all, I bite my lip. “I forgot my clothes