Page 107 of Cruel Tides

Leander shrugged. “There’s no point in trying to hide anything from Barren.” He waited until my pants were up my hips to toss me my bra and shirt.

“I know that. I know I shouldn’t be trying to hide anything from any of you,” I threw back, frowning as Leander vented another chuckle.

“No, I mean, youcan’thide anything from Barren. None of us can.” Leaning against the side of the couch, Leander crossed his arms. “Trust me, he already knows everything that happened here.”

Well, that sure was ominous.

“Hidden cameras?” I whispered, quickly fastening my bra. I pulled myself up on the couch, my eyes darting around the room. Every surface was nearly bare, making it difficult to imagine where a camera could be concealed. The wall decor, maybe? But why would Barren even need cameras, and why would Leander know about them?

“Forget it,” Leander said, moving my hair out of the way so I could pull my arms through my shirt. And although it was sweet of him to help me, my eyes narrowed at him as soon as my head was through the hole.

“What do you mean, forget it? You can’t just tell me Barren knows everything that happens and then?—”

The bedroom door swung open, and I sank down, shrinking onto the couch cushions. Barren’s massive shoulders filled the doorway as he moved out of the bedroom, but instead of coming out into the living room, he went directly to the bathroom Leander and Kai had used for their showers. The door closed, and I released a breath.

When I looked back up at Leander, his smirk was prevalent as ever. “You’re beautiful when you’re flustered,” he said, his icy eyes warming as he leaned in to press his lips against my forehead. He twirled an errant strand of my hair, and I swatted him away, remembering what a mess my braid must be.

“I’m glad this is amusing to you.” My nose pinched as I got to my feet. “I’m going to go get cleaned up.” Even though I’d just put them back on, I could already feel that a panty change was in order.

I crept toward Barren’s bedroom and realized Kai was trailing behind me. Spinning around, I pressed my hand against his chest. His eyes to widened.

“Putting your clothes back on might be a good idea,” I said with a smile that he immediately returned. He looked so adorable, like he might follow me anywhere I asked. “Though I’m a fan of this look.”

“Oh—” Kai’s laughter caught in his throat. He turned down to look at himself as if only now realizing he was naked. “Okay, yeah. Thanks.”

I gave Kai’s cheek a quick kiss before pulling away. “You, too, Lee.”

“Uh-huh,” he said, not looking bothered to collect his pants.

Barren must not have cared about having my things lying around his bedroom, because the room appeared exactly as I’d left it, my brush sitting askew on the dresser and all. After rummaging through my suitcase for some new panties, I headed to the bathroom attached to Barren’s room to get cleaned up.

Maybe Barren is too big for you, I thought, halfway stuck in a daydream while I stared at the bathroom’s narrow shower stall. Or maybe he knew I’d want somewhere else to hide and was giving me some space? That made sense. His place was pretty much the definition of open concept living except for the one bedroom.

I glanced in the bathroom mirror before heading out and cringed at how disheveled my hair was. “Dammit, Lee. This is your fault,”I mumbled. My mind brought back to how he’d massaged through my hair while kissing me. I shivered, pressing my knees together to settle down the growing ache, and rolled the hair-ties out of the end of my hair.

As I combed more of the braid out with my fingers, I wondered if this was something we’d be doing more often. Kai, Leander, and me.

I could hardly contain my smile as I walked across the bedroom and poked my head out of the door. Kai was absently working over his shirt’s buttons, staring out of the window as he did it, but he was off by at least two holes. Goodness, he was cute.

Leander, on the other hand, still hadn’t found his way to his pajama pants. Figured.

The sound of running water from the other bathroom told me Barren had started his shower. “Hey, Kai,” I called, and he spun around, shaking off his daze. “Would you mind lending me a hand?”

“Use my hands,” Leander said, immediately pushing off the side of the couch.

My eyebrows lifted. “You can braid?” I held up the ends of my hair.

He turned right back around.

“Yeah, that’s what I figured,” I said with a snicker as Kai came to the bedroom door.

His pink lips tilted. “I know how to braid.”

“Great.” Stepping aside, I let him through the door. “I was hoping you did. But first, let me help you.” Undoing his buttons, I lined up the sides of his shirt and started all over.

“Oh, thanks.” His voice warmed as he looked down, watching my hands work over his shirt. “My brain’s a bit scattered right now, if you can’t tell.”

“Only a little,” I said, offering him a grin.

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