Page 26 of Vivian

“You can change in the bathroom if you want. There is a fresh toothbrush under the sink.”

I scurried off and heard the guys starting to talk in low voices. By the time I had washed my face and gotten ready for bed. I was feeling tired. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with my dress, so I laid it over Brendon’s hamper. Brendon was laying back on the bed and Ace was sitting on the end.

I stood there for a moment until Brendon opened his arms.

“Come here,” he said gently.

Relief washed over me, and I went to him. He tucked me under his arm next to him, and I laid my head on his chest.

Ace and Brendon were talking about sports, and slowly their voices started to fade away.

When I awakened, it was dark, and there was a firm arm wrapped around my waist. I could feel the slow, steady breathing as Brendon slumbered behind me. I smiled and went back to sleep, secure that I was safe in his arms.

The next time I woke he was untangling himself to get out of bed.

“What time is it?” I asked sleepily.

Brendon glanced at the clock, “Not quite six; you sleep, I will be back after my run.”

I think I nodded, but I really can’t be sure. I didn’t wake again until Ace jumped on my bed and nearly scared the daylights out of me.

“Get up, Sleeping Beauty! It’s nine, and I am bored without you!”

I yawned and tried to push myself into a sitting position. Ace laughed at the state of my hair.

“So, not a morning person?”

I threw a pillow at his head, but it only made him laugh harder.

“Truce!” he yelled. “Brendon had to meet with Cian, so he asked that I stay with you until he could get back. I was thinking that maybe we could go horseback riding?”

“On horses?” I repeated.

“No,” Ace replied deadpan. “I was thinking flying monkeys.”

“Very funny, Ace, I don’t know how to ride a horse.”

He grinned. “Then it’s a good thing that you will have me there to help you.”

I hurried to shower and then Ace and I found our way down to the barn. The horses were ginormous. Ace said that they weren’t any larger than American horses, but I swear they looked massive standing on the ground looking up.

The stable boy found a mount for Ace and then it was decided that I would just go on Ace’s horse for a short ride to see if I liked it.

Let me tell you all the reasons this was a terrible idea. A horse can only carry one saddle. Ace, being the rider, was sitting in it. So, I had to be in front of Ace; my back smashed against his front. His arms went around me to hold the reigns, and every move of the animal had me sinking back into Ace.

Hell, if I could have climbed inside of him, I might have tried.

When he finally spoke, his voice had deepened, and I know it wasn’t just the saddle horn digging into my ass.

“This may not have been the best idea,” Ace rasped.

The horse sidestepped a hole, and I tucked my face back into his neck.

Damn, he smelled good.

Good enough to eat.

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