Page 19 of That's the Way Rejection Goes

“That’s it.”

“I don’t do anything like that!”

It was a bald-faced lie and I knew it. Everything and everyone pointed to the contrary. I’d been hooking people up for over a decade. I figured someone might as well get a happily ever after because I sure as hell wasn’t. And, to be honest, it made me happy to see my wolves not only given a home, but someone to share it with. That was important, right? They deserved to be happy in every way possible.

But Calum and Erick just grinned at me. They knew that I was lying. It was far too obvious to be anything else.

“Okay, fine,” I huffed, keeping my voice low. “I want my people to be happy, okay? Is that a crime?”

“Not at all,” Erick said, giving me a warm smile. “I think it’s kind of cute.”

“I think it’s adorable,” Calum added.

Erick got closer, his face only inches from mine and my heart began to race. “The way you care for these wolves is saint-like.”

Calum got just as close, my skin prickling from the heat rolling off his body. “It’s hot.”

“Sexy.”

“Just…”

“Like…”

“You.”

That last word was whispered into my ear, Calum’s lips nearly brushing against my skin. My entire body erupted in goosebumps and heat pulsed off my neck in waves. I was regretting wearing jeans, my cock so hard it was almost painful against the tough denim fabric. I nearly gasped in relief when the two of them pulled away just in time to avoid being seen by Gary. He, however, took one look at me and my flustered state and cocked his head to the side.

“You okay, Sam?” he asked, genuinely concerned.

“Y-Y-Yeah,” I replied, stammering far longer than I meant to. “Just really excited for this poker game.”

Erick and Calum exchanged a knowing look and grinned at one another. Then, Erick picked up the deck of cards and began to shuffle. And I sat there, watching him deal as I tried to figure out how the fuck I was going to survive having these two in my hotel.

Chapter Ten: Sam

“You ready for that drink?” Calum grinned, fanning himself with the gift card he’d won for pummeling everyone at the poker tournament. “Pizza and drinks are on us!”

“I really shouldn’t,” I said, sitting tight behind my desk. I’d thrown my first hand as fast as I could to get out of there and away from those two. They’d been driving me wild. But now there was nowhere to run, and my body still hadn’t calmed down from our close encounter. “I don’t have anyone to cover for me.”

“Oh, I took care of that,” Erick said, popping into the room with another man behind him.

It was Gary.

“Gary here said he’d run the front desk for you for a couple hours to give you a break,” Erick continued. “I told him how overworked you’ve been feeling and apparently that’s not a secret around here.” He gave Gary a playful nudge. “And I’m sending a pizza down for him and Benny to share here at the desk.”

“I… I don’t think I should…” I began.

“But Gary needs some alone time with Benny,” Calum added. “You wouldn’t want to take that opportunity away from him would you. Not after they’ve already set things up and made plans.”

It was an obvious guilt trip made worse by the big puppy eyes Calum was giving me. And Gary was blushing, so I knew they weren’t lying about the date. As much as I wanted to be grumpy about it, I knew I couldn’t get after them for meddling in people’s lives. After all, that’s exactly what I did most days. I had to respect their determination.

“How about this,” Erick said, stepping closer. “You come upstairs and have one drink with us while Gary and Benny hang out. If, after that drink, you still want to be alone, we’ll leave you be and won’t bother you again. Deal?”

Erick’s warm earthy scent washed over me, and I found myself nodding before I could help it. “Alright,” I conceded. “Just one drink. Then I really need to get some work done.”

Both he and Calum smiled brightly. “Perfect.” He turned back to Gary, patting him on the back. “Front desk is all yours. Make sure you wipe it down when you’re done.”

“Why would they need to…” I trailed off as Gary’s face turned bright red, realization dawning on me.

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