Page 63 of Spies Like Us

“Nah, we’re blowing school off today and hanging out at Ryland’s place,” I tell her. Sally gives me a dirty look, but Stephanie just smiles.

“Have fun then,” she says as they all get on and the bus drives away.

“Phew, that was easier than I thought,” I say to Miller as Ry’s car pulls up, the dust from the bus swirling higher, and we climb into the back seat.

“How’s everyone feeling this morning?” he asks cheerfully, and in unison, Miller and I flip him off.

“How is it that you’ve had as much sleep as us and you are wide awake?” I ask him as he pulls away from the bus stop.

“He’s a cyborg, always disgustingly happy in the mornings,” Miller grumbles.

Lathan stares at the two of us with wide eyes.

“Hell, neither of you are morning people. Are you as violent as Miller in the morning?” he asks with a smile, and Miller flips him off too.

“I’ll have you know I am a perfectly pleasant morning person with the required eight hours of sleep,” I say primly, and Lathan and Ry chuckle.

“I will have to see it to believe it,” Lathan replies.

I poke Miller in the side, and he jumps. He leaned his head against the window and his eyes drifted closed.

“Tell them. Haven’t I been pleasant every other morning?” I insist, and he waves a hand and grumbles, “Less talk, more sleep.”

I gape at him in shock, and Ry and Lathan laugh again.

“Yeah, ask him again in a few hours, and you might get a more coherent reply,” Ry says affectionately as he concentrates on the road.

“Are you going to school?” I ask them. “Neither of you got much sleep last night either.”

“Actually, we were asleep when Miller sent us the text saying you were in the cage. It was my brother’s bellow of annoyance that woke us up, and he insisted we go down and keep an eye on you. So yeah, we’ll go for the morning at least.”

“Why was Max pissed off?” I ask, feeling even more tired at that.

“Because he can’t control what happens to you, and it’s messing with his head. His protective instincts are in overdrive, and all he can do is wait around for you to take care of yourself, which he knows you can do, but it’s messing with his core character.” All signs of laughter are gone as Ry explains this to me. “Have patience with him.”

I grimace and decide I need to be honest with everyone if I’m going to expect the same in return. “Don’t worry, I kind of get it. I have not so positive feelings about him spending time with Stella, and it’s a new experience. Jealousy isn’t something I’ve ever dealt with before.”

“We know, it’s an adjustment for all of us. None of us expected for this to go the way it has,” Ry replies.

“Not that we’re complaining,” Lathan adds, but I wave him off.

“I know. It’s fine.”

The rest of the trip is quiet as they take us back to the Turner mansion. Neither Ry nor Lathan get out. They just drop us off, and I follow Miller into the house. He drops his bag in the kitchen, and I add mine to it before he leads the way upstairs. He pushes through a door and drags his shirt and jeans off before climbing under the blankets. I stand awkwardly in the doorway. I can smell that this is Ry’s room. It has the same fragrance as the cologne he wears, and a shiver of want runs down my back. I’m not sure if I should join Miller or go down to Lathan’s room. I look at his closed bedroom door and decide I’m probably safer going down there when Miller calls out to me.

“God, I can hear you overthinking from here, and I’m trying to sleep. Ditch the clothes and get your ass in here,” he mumbles from under the covers. It takes me a moment to comprehend what he’s saying, and obviously that’s a moment too long.

He huffs and throws the sheets back, swinging his legs off the bed and stomping over to me. He grabs my hand and drags me back to the opposite side of the bed, where he strips off my jeans, pulls my shirt off, and undoes my bra. He turns back to a dresser and removes a shirt before tugging it over my head. He does most of this with his eyes barely cracked open. He then points at the bed, ordering, “Get in,” before going back around to the other side, climbing in, and pulling the covers over himself.

I’m speechless and so shocked that I obey him, climbing into really nice thread count sheets and pulling the down comforter over myself. I’m facing Miller, my eyes on his back, when he huffs again.

“God, do you ever stop thinking?” Miller grouches, and I feel him move closer, and then his foot touches mine. “Go to sleep. You can worry about what this is when we wake up. I’m tired, and you’re keeping me awake. We both need to be on the ball for tonight.”

He reaches out and grabs a remote, and the sound of rain comes out of speakers somewhere. I feel my body start to relax, and my eyes grow heavy. He’s right, I’m exhausted, and I think my brain is failing to comprehend what just happened. I’ll take his advice and worry about it once I have a few more hours of sleep.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been asleep, but it’s the murmured voices next to me that have me waking from the dead sleep I was in. It’s then I notice the heavy weight on my stomach as well as the dipped mattress in front of me. I hold my breath as I try to work out who it is. Finally, my brain catches up, and I recognize Ry’s and Miller’s voices. Ry is in front of me, and Miller is behind me, and they seem to be arguing about something.

I don’t pay too much attention because I’m trying to figure out how I’m pinned to the bed. I turn my head a little and open my eyes and find Miller pressed against my side. I’m on my back, and he has an arm and a leg wrapped around my body like I’m his favorite teddy bear, and he needs me to get a good night’s sleep. His hair is messy, and he has a soft look on his face as he talks to his boyfriend.

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