Bella's head pounded the following morning, and she lay awake for several minutes before daring to open her eyes. The Semi-dark hotel room was silent, sans Leah's light snoring, but even that soft sound felt like drums in her ears.
As soon as she moved to stand, her stomach churned. Bella ran to the bathroom and pushed her hair back as she 'kneeled before the throne.' Her chin nearly kissed the porcelain as she heaved violently, ridding her stomach of more contents than she thought was humanly possible.
She tried to recall how much she'd drank the night before. And where were Declan and Kai?
After following the girls to their hotel, Bella ensured the SUV was locked and alarmed before heading toward the main entrance. Leah tugged Bella's elbow to gain her attention, and she turned around to see Kai carrying two well-used duffle bags as Declan ran across the street toward a small gas station.
"He'll be back in a minute." Kai grinned as he reached them, waiting to follow them inside. "He's grabbing some drinks, I think."
"Should we wait for him, or…?" Leah looked around nervously.
Kai said, "Nah, I'll text him the room number."
When they reached the hotel room, Kai whistled as he looked around, gently set their bags on the floor, and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.
Bella sat her keys and purse on a side table between the beds and immediately began gathering belongings, cleaning up the mess she and Leah left behind after getting ready for the concert.
Unsure how to fill the awkward silence, Bella ignored Kai as he watched her doing these things rather than looking at the phone in his hand. As Bella searched for something to sleep in, Leah rushed into the bathroom to change and wash off her makeup. Bella moved their luggage to one corner of the room and sat on the bed to wait. Kai walked over and sat in the opposite corner.
"Dec's on his way up," he said quietly, glancing from her face to the thin sleepwear in her lap and back.
Bella nodded, smiling timidly as she tried to ignore the ball of nerves she was becoming. "It will only take me a few minutes to change and then you two can have the bathroom for whatever you need."
Leah finally emerged from the bathroom with a pink, freshly scrubbed face, wearing a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. Bella rushed into the bathroom and shut the door as someone knocked on the door to their room. She could hear them let Declan in as she carefully removed her boots and dress.
Bella glanced up at her reflection and sighed. Her lacy purple bra and underwear set would likely be visible through her thin sleep shorts, but she wasn't about to make anyone wait for her to change again. She put on the shorts and matching shirt, hurriedly washed her makeup away (minus the new eyeliner that stayed on a little too well), gathered her belongings, and exited the bathroom.
Bella hesitated at the sight of Leah on one bed next to Declan, each with their backs to the headboard, their legs stretched out in front of them, and shoulders brushing. Kai remained right where Bella had left him, on the corner of the other bed. All three had beers in hand, chatting animatedly.
Declan looked over at Bella and grinned, blatantly appraising her figure as though noticing it for the first time, despite having seen her in a bikini a few days prior. Leah seemed amused by this, chuckling over Bella's reddening face. Kai followed her every move as she sat at the head of the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest.
"God, she's so little next to Kai, he could practically put her in his pocket," Declan said, snickering. Bella grinned ruefully as she flipped him off and Kai's laugh boomed through the room.
"My height is perfectly average," Bella huffed.
Sounding very suggestive, Leah teased, "The guys back home tower over her, too. She's into that, though…"
Bella glared at her friend as if to ask, 'What are you doing?' At Leah's responding chuckle, Bella sighed and hid her red face against her knees. She hoped Declan or Kai would go shower already, wondering what had prompted her to invite them to stay the night.
Oh yeah. Wildcats and vampires.
A nagging voice in the back of her mind told her they were being foolish for spending the night with strangers, and it sounded far too much like Charlie for comfort. She finally raised her head, inadvertently meeting Kai's direct stare dead-on.
He smirked as he stood and reached for one of the duffle bags. "I guess, I'll go first since Declan looks a little too comfortable over there."
"Be my guest, big guy." Declan wiggled further into Leah's side. "You're fuckin' warm, girl. I like it."
Leah snorted and rolled her eyes at Bella, but didn't move or push him away. Kai got their attention as he pulled off his t-shirt while walking toward the bathroom and Bella let out a deep breath as his long black hair fell down his wide, muscular back. As if sensing her staring, he turned to pull the bathroom door shut and winked at Bella.
She felt her blush spreading toward her chest and looked away. She was unsure what to think of Kai. He was attractive, of course, and mysterious in a way. An odd tension was quietly building between them. It made her feel nervous, intrigued… anything but calm.
This attraction to Kai didn't feel the same as when Bella caught herself swooning over Leah. It wasn't similar to how Leah and Paul could somehow comfort Bella and turn her on simultaneously. The attraction toward Kai reminded her of the adrenaline rush when she did something reckless. Despite his kind face and calm demeanor, Bella could sense something darker under the surface, just as she could with Declan.
And yet, Leah seemed completely at ease. Then again, Bella probably did enough fretting for the both of them. Bella smiled at Leah timidly, clenching her trembling hands into fists to keep them still.
"Still so innocent after everything we've been through," Leah whispered, leaning across the space between the beds to pat Bella's arm.
Bella teased, "You know, you can be as incorrigible as Paul?"
"Yeah, but you love me." Leah wiggled lower on the bed to adjust her sitting position as Declan leaned forward to look at Bella.
"You're more than welcome to drink with us, Bella. There's plenty. I put the beer in the little mini fridge." He gestured toward the other side of the room, pointing out the black mini-fridge under the counter that sufficed as an entertainment center for the flat-screen TV mounted above it.
Liquid courage suddenly sounded like a grand idea, and Bella climbed from the bed to fetch a beer. As she opened the fridge, Declan asked her to bring him another. Bella handed him a beer before returning to her guarded position on the bed. She popped the tab and took several long drinks before setting it on the side table with her purse and keys.
"Atta girl," Declan cheered quietly as Bella tried to stifle a belch.
"I rarely drink that fast." Bella laughed in embarrassment.
"Beer, anyway. The girl can knock down some vodka, though," Leah said before finishing her can and tossing it into the trashcan across the room.
"Nice shot," Declan said, sounding genuinely impressed.
Again, Leah's flirty tone made Bella pause as she said, "You should see me pitch a softball."
"Oh yeah? How well do you handle a bat?" Declan wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively and she laughed.
"That depends. Is it plastic or wood?"
Declan squeezed his eyes shut and groaned as Leah chuckled.
Bella felt almost numb as she watched them flirting. It didn't bother her much. Not like it did when Leah flirted with Paul. It was easier to worry Leah would start seeing Paul when he lived next door, but Declan was a passing fancy. He and Kai would go their separate ways the next day and that would be the end.
Bella couldn't help the visual of Leah and Declan that sprang to mind as she wondered how far things might go. She already knew from experience that watching Leah in action was incredibly arousing. Memories of their night with Paul sent a shiver through her, leaving her skin tingling as she drank more of her beer.
Suddenly, the bathroom door sprang open and Kai stood in the open doorway with a towel around his otherwise naked hips. His long wet hair hung over one shoulder as he asked Declan a question. Bella didn't hear what he said. She looked away, blood pounding in her ears as a wave of lust crashed over her and a fresh blush bloomed across her skin.
Declan got up to fetch something from his bag, and Leah turned to look at Bella.
"Damn, Swan," she whispered, as they ignored Kai and Declan's conversation. "He's nice looking, I'll give him that. He reminds me too much of the guys at home, though. Like slapping Jake and Sam into one person."
"God," Bella groaned, sounding breathless. She stretched her legs out, crossing them and squeezing her thighs together to relieve the sensation between them. "That's the problem. Between guys like Jake and Paul and then you, my brain stops fucking working."
She fought the urge to groan as she realized what she said. 'Yeah, Bella. Your brain stops working like the filter between it and your mouth.'
The knowing smile Leah gave her sent butterflies through Bella's chest. "You're not the only one with that problem, Swan…" Bella wondered what Leah meant by that as she turned to watch Declan follow Kai into the bathroom.
He suddenly turned and stuck his head back out, grinning. "This fucking tub is massive. Wanna see how many people we can fit in it?"
Bella shook her head as Leah cackled, then threw a pillow at him. He laughed and slammed the door shut just in time. Kai stepped back out in blue and green plaid pajama pants, nearly tripping over the pillow and shaking his head as he glared back at Declan.
"I'm sorry, ladies. He's an idiot."
"I'm a free spirit," Declan hollered through the open door.
Kai dropped his duffle on the floor as he met Bella's gaze and repeated, "Idiot." He fetched beers for himself and Leah, then retrieved the pillow before sitting near Bella's feet.
After an awkward silence and trying not to gawk at his hulking frame, Bella finished her beer and fetched another.
Kai grinned as she returned to her spot and popped the tab. "Not afraid to drink now that you don't have to drive anywhere, huh?"
She shrugged, hoping she didn't look as nervous as she felt. "I hope it helps me fall asleep. I'm wide awake now."
Kai chuckled. "I bet I can get you to relax…"
Bella blushed as Leah tried to stifle a laugh and his eyes widened as he realized how it sounded.
"No, no." He let out another booming laugh. "That's not what I meant."
"Sure it wasn't," Leah teased, and he shook his head, still grinning.
Kai sat his beer down on the floor and reached for Bella's feet, lifting them to rest them on his leg as he turned toward her.
"What are you do-"
"Just trust me for a minute." Kai chuckled, wrapping his large hands around her left foot. She felt the rough pad of his thumb press into the arch of her foot and glide upward, tickling at first until he repeated the motion, pressing harder. His other thumb pressed under the fourth and pinky toes, and Bella released an involuntary moan, closing her eyes. He rubbed her left foot for a few minutes, eventually working down to her heel before switching to her right and repeating the process. It felt so fucking good that Bella had to bite back another moan as her legs turned to jello in his warm hands.
Bella slowly opened her eyes as he bent down to retrieve his beer, grinning. "Better?"
It took a second to find her voice. "Yeah. Are you a masseuse or something?" It suddenly occurred to her that neither he nor Declan had ever discussed employment.
"I went to school to be a physical therapist at your age. I didn't finish, though."
"Well, why?" Bella asked. "I mean, why not? You seem pretty good with your hands."
"Because life got in the way," he mumbled, looking away. "Sometimes things just don't work out the way we plan."
"Amen," Leah grumbled.
Declan emerged from the bathroom in a t-shirt and sweatpants, dropped his duffle, and sat on the carpeted floor near the mini-fridge. "So what are we doing, folks? Is anyone ready to sleep, because that shower has me wide awake."
Leah glanced at Bella and Kai before asking, "What do you have in mind?"
Declan grinned as he held up a deck of cards. "Strip poker"
And that, Bella now realized as she hovered over the toilet, was exactly how every single person in the room had wound up nearly naked and drunk as skunks an hour later.
When everyone was down to just their underwear, Declan stopped teasing Leah with his flirtatious comments and leaned in to kiss her. Kai seemed to follow his lead a moment later, leaning over to brush Bella's wild curls from her face before pressing a feather-light kiss to her bare shoulder. Curious but hesitant, she shivered as his warm breath washed over her skin but didn't pull away. He looked to her lips and back into her eyes as though silently asking permission to kiss her.
The next thing Bella knew, she was straddling Kai's lap as he plundered her mouth with his lips and tongue, running large warm hands over the expanse of her back and hips as her breasts pressed against his heated chest. Everything afterward felt a little hazy, and she was unsure how long they remained that way, kissing and groping, both slightly hesitant to go any further yet too captivated to stop.
When Bella finally pulled away to look around them, she gasped in surprise. Somehow, Leah and Declan had returned to the bed, still in only their underwear, wrapped around each other, and out cold. Kai chuckled as he followed Bella's gaze and the rumble of his laughter pulsed through her, making her realize how exhausted she was.
Kai leaned over to grab Bella's sleep shirt from the floor beside her and slowly, carefully helped her slide back into it before lifting her with him as he stood. He carried her to the bed and gently laid her in it before climbing onto it and lying beside her. She remembered feeling surprised he didn't push for anything more when they'd been in their own little world only a moment before. She didn't remember closing her eyes or drifting off to sleep at his side.
Now, she was kneeling in front of the toilet, wishing the fire roiling in her belly would subside. Bella flushed the toilet, walked to the shower, turned on the hot water, and climbed in. Her limbs slowly came to life under the hot spray as it rejuvenated her body and rinsed the fogginess from her brain. She was about to turn off the water when someone pounded on the hotel room door.
Bella wrapped a towel around her body as she climbed out of the shower and heard Leah rushing across the room, presumably pulling her shirt and pants back on. Just as she exited the bathroom, Leah opened the door to Kai and Declan holding coffees and a box of glazed donuts.
"Figured we could all use some breakfast," Declan said cheerily.
Leah chuckled as she shut the door behind them. "How can you be so awake and happy? You only slept like three hours."
"We're used to it," Kai answered quietly as he set the coffees down next to Bella's purse, keeping his eyes on Bella as she dragged her luggage past them and into the bathroom with her to get dressed. The next thing she knew, Leah was barging into the bathroom to climb into the shower, entirely uncaring about her nudity as she pulled her shirt back off and clambered inside.
"Damn, I'm gonna miss these girls," Declan muttered, making Kai laugh as Bella shut the bathroom door.
Within a few minutes, Bella sat on the bed with a coffee in one hand and a donut in the other, listening to Kai and Declan tease each other over their next intended destination. Leah eventually emerged from the bathroom and snagged a donut on her way to sit down, only to be pulled directly into Declan's lap.
Kai pulled his phone out and frowned at the screen. "It's about time to get on the road, Dec."
Declan sighed before pressing a firm, lingering kiss to Leah's temple. "I kinda hope we run into you two again."
"Well, you never know. Maybe we'll cross paths again on the way back." Leah laughed as Declan leaned forward to steal a bite of her donut and kissed the tip of her nose with sticky lips.
The girls hugged them goodbye as they got up to leave, put their shoes on, and gathered their belongings to check out of the room on time. Leah gave the large, unused bathtub one last longing look, vowing to take advantage of the next one they came across as they headed out the door.
I really appreciate everyone's comments on this story. Your feedback helps more than you all know. Please keep sharing your thoughts, questions, and critiques xo