Page 66 of Infinity Chronicles 1
“Get out of my bathroom!” Ares booms, causing me to wince.
“Shit,” Ollie curses turning to go, he watches me over his shoulder until the door closes.
* * *
Freshly showeredwith a thick white towel wrapped around my hair, I push the door open. A hot wave of steam clouds into the room before me. All four of them are huddled close together with their heads almost touching, whispering furiously. They’re so deep in debate none of them hear me exit the bathroom. I run my bare toes over the thick carpet. Should I clear my throat, say something? I can’t make out what they’re saying, but it seems urgent.
Reaching out I tap my fingernails on the door like I just push it open. Ares’s head jerks up in my direction. His lips lift, in a fake smile. “All good?” His question throws me off, what wouldn’t be good.
“Yes,” I mutter hesitantly.
“Good, come sit, let’s watch a movie.” Dante motions me over to the far side of the bed and I poke at the towel on my head. I feel silly with all of them watching me.
I make my way over to the bed where an open laptop is sitting. I’m greeted with several chick flicks and rom-coms on the screen. Wrinkling my nose, I look up. This is the last thing I want to watch.
“Go ahead, pick whatever you want,” Dante urges me. I sit down and pull the laptop over, scanning the selection for something bearable. Peeking up at them again, I notice none of them are watching me. They’re all making themselves look busy by grabbing a few pillows and blankets from the end of the bed and floor.
Ares makes his way over to the bathroom, disappearing inside and leaving the door open. Searching over the titles, I find a tab at the top with romance selected. I tap the action adventure tab instead. I find a recent anti-super hero movie and click on the watch now button.
Ares returns, dropping on to the bed next to me. He scoots over enough to see my selection. A dark chuckle rumbles up his chest. “You see this yet?”
“No, but I wanted to. Have you?”
“I actually have, it’s pretty good.”
“We can find something else.” I hit the back button, but Ares stops me, placing his hand over mine.
“No, I don’t mind seeing it again. We should watch this one. Here…” Using the track pad he returns to the watch now button and hits play. “Movie’s about to start,” Ares announces before putting the laptop at the end of the bed and turning up the volume. He crawls back over to me. My stomach tightens—how can he make something so mundane make my head swim? He’s watching me from under his brow, eyes turning to black pools the closer he gets.
Ares hand reaches out and he pulls the damp towel from my head, tossing it to the floor. My still sodden hair tumbles down, partially covering my face. Ares’s hands are gently pushing it back before I have a chance. “I brought this.” He holds up a black paddle brush. That must be why he went to the bathroom.
I reach out to take if from him, but he pulls it away, holding it to his chest. My eyes go to his, questioning what he’s doing. He looks over his shoulder, and is satisfied the others are still finding places to lounge. On the bed, he rests his back against the wall behind us. “Will you let me?” he whispers near my ear.
I bite my lip, no one has brushed my hair since I was a little girl. I’m worried what the others will think. I glance over at them, and Ares must understand what I’m thinking. “Stop over thinking and let me do this.” He pulls his knees up spreading his legs, when he taps the inside of his thigh with the brush I swallow. He wants me to sit there. Will he even be able to brush my hair like that? He gives a sharper rap when I don’t immediately jump into position. That spurs me into action. I crawl over, keeping my eyes on the floor beside the bed. I can’t look at him, or the others. I don’t know how do this this kind of thing. I’ve never had a boyfriend.
I sit with my back to him and my legs folded in front of me. I’m not touching any part of him, but I can feel his heat and him all around me.
The first scene of the movie begins with a man in a red and black suit singing an old rap song. Ares closes his legs a bit and pushes me forward with a palm on my shoulder. I feel the first touch of the brush at the ends of my hair. Slowly, he works his way through all the tangles, holding handfuls at a time so it doesn’t pull from my scalp. I want to look at him, how does he know how to do this so well?
Instead I focus on the screen, Ollie has slapped my leg a few times laughing along with the others at the movie. I’m watching it, but to be honest, my eyes are falling shut more and more as Ares works his way up to my scalp. My muscles are relaxed, so when he urges me to lie back against him I do, easily. Holding up my neck gets hard within minutes. Abandoning the brush altogether, Ares begins massaging my head. If I’m not careful I’ll be drooling any second.
Tightening his legs around me I feel his heat invade. I stretch out my legs, making sure I don’t kick any of the others. I know I’m going to fall asleep and I don’t even try to stop it.
* * *
Coming awake slowlyI burrow deeper into the warmth cocooning me. My head lifts when someone takes a deep breath. I freeze, my hands curled under me. I’m lying on someone, it has to be Ares. I can smell his musky scent, all woody with a bit of burning fire. Assessing the rest of me I realize his arms are wrapped around my back and my legs are still trapped inside his. I couldn’t get away if I tried.
Squinting my eyelids, I can’t make out much because his room is like a tomb when the lights are off, but I know the others are still here with us. It must still be early, or possibly late. No one else is awake. I nuzzle into Ares’s chest a few times before settling in, my eyes already drifting closed.
His arms tightening on my back is the only warning I get before he rolls to his side keeping me locked against him. My hip hits the mattress as my legs land on the bed and his leg immediately hooks over my thigh, holding me in place. Ares drops his face, so his forehead is just under my jawline. I feel his every breath as it heats over my chest.
Uncurling my hand from between us, I reach under his arm and wrap my mine over his side. He sighs, I swear I feel the slight pressure of his lips at the base of my throat, but then he’s breathing deeply again.
I shiver once, without the heat of his body I begin to get cold. The same stupid air vent from the last time I slept here blowing frigid air over me. A body closes in from the other side, trapping me between them. My breathing picks up, I’m not uncomfortable, it’s actually the opposite. My muscles go rigid as my heart gallops in my chest. The weight of a hand on my hip has me holding my breath. I don’t even know which one of them it is. After a few long seconds I exhale, trying to steady my breathing.
I don’t know how much time passes, but I feel like I drift in and out of sleep for hours before an alarm on someone’s phone blares, jolting me awake. I try to sit up, only to be stopped by a weight against me. Ares shifts, arching his back and his lower body rocks against me before he pulls his hips away. His arms go over his head as he rolls onto his back, or rather tries to. Cursing he growls, “Why the fuck are you spooning me?”
“Because you were trying to shove me out of bed with your ass.” Ollie’s voice is muffled.
