Page 7 of Huge Games

"Did she?" Elias finds that amusing enough to crack another smile. I swear, the dude has smiled more tonight than in the past six months.

"Molly's is a dive," I say.

"Yeah, but it's cheap and local." As Travis is paying, and it's already the middle of the night, I don't object.

Celine's head drops to my shoulder on the journey, and she snores gently, making all of us quietly laugh so as notto wake her.

When we pull into Molly's, she's fast asleep. "Shall I carry her?" I ask Elias.

Surprisingly, he agrees, and we work together to get her safely out of the car.

Travis heads to reception to get the key, and we follow slowly, waiting outside so the receptionist doesn't see Celine and fear anything untoward is going on. From an outsider's perspective, three men hiring a room for an unconscious woman is the very definition of red-flag creepy.

"Room one-one-one-nine," Travis says, emerging with the key dangling from his index finger.

He leads the way, and we lumber after him, watching as he unlocks a battered green door and opens a far-from luxurious room.

"She's out for the count." Celine's head rests against my chest, and her face is peaceful.

"I don't think we should leave her," Elias says. "At least one of us should stay."

Travis puts his hands up, palms out, grimacing at the prospect of me and Elias bickering again. "I think we all need to stay. That way, Celine will be in safe hands, and we will have each other as witnesses to what does and does not happen in this room. Plus, I'm dog tired."

"Good point."

Elias steps in to tug down the comforter, and I gently lay Celine on the mattress, arranging her beautiful red hair in a fiery bundle behind her head and covering her gently so I don't disturb her. We stand around, looking down on her like she's Sleeping Beauty, and we're about to duel over who will be the one to wake her. There are only two huge beds in the room and a weird chair that looks like it might fall apart at any second. The carpet has seen better days. I don't know how we're going to all stay here.

I can see Elias and Travis thinking the same thing.

"So, we need to leave Celine to sleep alone."

"Yes," they both reply.

"So, two of us can share the other bed and one of us on the floor?"

"Didn't know you cared." Elias shoots me an amused look, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans.

"Very funny."

"I'll take the floor. You guys know each other better." Travis is already pulling a spare blanket from the closet.

"That doesn't make this better." Elias flops into the chair as though he imagines he'll sleep in it. His bulk makes the chair appear the size of a child’s.

Travis wrinkles his nose and sniffs the dark brown fluffy bundle. "I don't think I want to know what people have done on this blanket."

"Take your shirt off, fold it up, and use it as a pillow." It's a surprisingly useful suggestion from Elias.

I flop onto the bed, find my phone, and set an alarm. "I'll sleep for a couple of hours, and then you can have the bed."

Elias nods and rests his head against the wall, closing his eyes.

Travis flicks off the light, and we all settle in the darkness. When I'm just about to fall asleep, Elias says, "She's a good kisser, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Travis's voice sounds like a distant whisper.

"Her ex is such a fucking loser."

"We can agree on that." I turn, trying to make out my teammate's shape in the darkness.

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