Page 28 of That's the Way Rejection Goes

And that was the last we spoke of it. We spent the rest of our time just catching up and eating sweets until it was nearing noon. Ace had a farm to get back to and I had a hotel to run, so we headed back once we realized the time. But when he pulled up outside the hotel, I stopped in the passenger seat for just a moment.

“Thanks for talking with me, Ace. It helped a lot.”

He smiled, tipping his hat. “I didn’t say much, but I’m glad to help.”

“Also, I think I found you someone to help build the barn,” I added. “He might even be interested in longer term work if you need it.”

“New tenant?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, send him my way and we’ll see if he’s got the stuff.”

“I’ll do that.”

I made to leave before I stopped, the door only halfway open. Turning back, I threw my arms around Ace and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Thanks for being my best friend,” I said, giving him a squeeze.

He hugged me back, his hat nearly falling off his head. “Anytime, buddy.”

Chapter Fourteen: Calum

Erick and I had gone down to the front lobby that morning to talk to Sam. However, when we arrived, all we found was Gary and Benny making out behind the desk. At first, we were just going to turn around and leave them to their make-out session, but the phone rang, interrupting them before we could. When Gary picked it up, he noticed us watching and turned bright red. I didn’t know a man that age could blush that hard. Then again, it wasn’t every day I saw a man in his mid-forties sucking face like he was in high school. I was happy for them.

Gary rushed through the reservation and let us know that Sam was out for the morning. He said he’d be back by noon. He and Benny exchanged nervous glances the entire time we were there. However, before we’d even gotten back in the elevator, they were at it again. It was adorable.

So, with nothing better to do, we headed back up to our room. Cold pizza was the breakfast of choice, and I was glad for it. The carbs helped soak up some of the alcohol from the night before. I wasn’t exactly hungover, but I was feeling a bit off. Erick, on the other hand, was definitely hungover, and he popped a few headache pills the moment we got back to the room.

Surprisingly, we didn’t talk much more about Sam for the rest of the morning. I was still sifting through a lot of emotions, and I had a good feeling Erick was doing the same. He was doing that mindless scrolling thing on his phone that he always did when he was upset or working through stuff. So, I did what I could to be supportive and scrolled on right next to him.

It wasn’t until afternoon that there came a knock on our door that roused us from our stupor. Erick glanced over at me, one eyebrow raised and I just shrugged.

“Who could that be?” he asked.

“Laundry maybe?”

“I thought Gary said he wasn’t doing that today.”

“I have no idea then.”

I dropped my phone on the side table and hopped out of bed wearing nothing but pajama bottoms that were barely being held up by my dick. I gasped as my bare feet hit the cold floor. All the wolves we’d spoken to hadn’t been joking. Winter in this part of the country was more brutal than I expected. It seemed like the bed and the air were warm enough inside, but the floor and walls were always freezing. I’d need to find slippers eventually, or I was going to lose all my little piggies to the frost.

However, all thoughts of my cold feet were driven away the moment I pulled the door open. A rush of cool air pushed that floral and honey scent right into my face and I breathed it in deeply without thinking. My gaze drifted up the man standing in front of me until my eyes came to rest on that warm smile, dark eyes, and messy bun of hair perched atop his head.

“Hey,” Sam said, his cheeks turning pink immediately. I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold or if he was feeling embarrassed. Either way, it was cute. “Can I… uh… talk to you two?”

“Of course,” I said, stepping to the side.

I did my best to keep my jaw from hanging open as I stared at him. But when he glanced down at the visible dick print in the front of my pajamas and then back up at me, I couldn’t help but grin. He returned the expression before stepping inside, his cheeks getting a little pinker in the process.

“Hi Sam,” Erick said, sitting up on the bed. “I… uh…”

“You two didn’t expect to see me again,” Sam said, finishing his sentence.

“Well… yeah. We tried to find you this morning and Gary said you were gone so I figured you were avoiding us.”

Erick’s last words trailed off quietly, but Sam didn’t seem offended by his bluntness. In fact, he looked like he expected a lot worse, possibly even anger.

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