Matching Cherries

The rumble of the engine cutting off rouses me from sleep, and I lift my head, my neck protesting from being slumped over for too long.

With a groan, I stretch my stiff legs, pressing my toes against the driver's seat. At our last stop, Aspen took over the driving, shuffling me to one of the middle bucket seats so Haut could stay up front where there's more room.

Darkness surrounds the brightly lit hotel, and I reach over and shake Tris awake.

We've finally arrived after an eternity on the road. My ass aches from sitting for so many hours. With all the stops along the way, the promised twelve-hour drive ended up being more like fourteen, and I can't wait to escape the van.

I grab the handle and roll the door open to step out into the cool night air, my breath forming white clouds.

"No running off," Haut warns.

Tris hops out, stretching his arms above his head with a satisfied groan. "The only running we're doing is to a soft bed, right sparky?"

Haut emerges from the front passenger seat. "We're sharing a room, so no getting frisky."

Tris and I gape at him. "But… We have sex all the time around each other."

"Not around me, you don't." Aspen rounds the nose of the van. "And I'd appreciate it if it stayed that way."

"Spoilsport," I say while Tris gives him two thumbs down.

Levi climbs out of the back, his tall frame unfolding from the cramped confines of the van with a grunt. "I think I preferred running as a wolf between our towns." He combs his fingers through his tousled hair. "This is the longest I've ever spent confined in a vehicle."

Haut studies the taller man. "You're welcome to give us directions and go ahead on your own."

Levi slaps his cowboy hat against his thigh, as if ridding it of dust, but doesn't put it on. "Now, that wouldn't be very hospitable of me."

Tris slings an arm around my shoulders. "We at least get dibs on which bed we're sharing."

Together, we head into the hotel, Tris's body heat seeping through the thick fabric of my sweatshirt. I lean into him gratefully. Despite it only being a little past seven o'clock, the air holds the metallic tang of snow.

The warmth of the lobby envelops us, fighting back the chilly night. We make our way to the front desk, where a tired-looking clerk greets us with a forced smile.

"Checking in?" Her hands hover over the keyboard.

Haut leans against the counter, his dark-brown hair falling across his forehead in charming waves. "Reservation should be under Haut. Two connecting rooms."

Her gaze sweeps over him, and she noticeably perks up as she accesses the information. "We have you in 212 and 214 on the second floor."

She codes our keycards, her fingers brushing over Haut's as she passes them over. "Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with."

I bristle at her flirtation. "Soap."

Her attention shifts to me in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"He needs soap. Lots of it." I grab his arm and tug him close. "For his hands."

"Oh, I see." Color floods her cheeks. "Our hotel provides complimentary toiletries in the bathrooms, but if you require more, I'll send some up."

Faced with her professionalism, I feel a bit like an asshole now and jerk my chin toward Aspen and Levi. "They might be interested."

Aspen clears his throat. "No, I'm good."

Levi just winks at her, which makes her blush harder.

Haut holds up the keycards. "Where is the elevator?"

She points to a short hallway past the reservation desk. "We have luggage carts available if you'd like one."

I tug on Haut's arm. "We need a luggage cart."

His brows arch. "Do we?"

Eagerly, I nod and release him so he can go fetch my chariot.

"Can I trust you to behave while we bring in our suitcases?" The question comes with a stern stare at both me and Tris.

"Yes, Daddy," we say in unison.

Haut shifts to face the receptionist, who is now tomato red. "I guess we'd like a luggage cart."

As she vanishes into a back room, Aspen lets out a long sigh and turns to Levi. "They are always like this, so please warn your people to expect utter chaos."

"Nothing wrong with livening things up a little." Levi dips his head at us. "We're used to wrangling pups."

The receptionist returns, rolling a flat-bottomed cart with golden arches. "Here you are. Enjoy your stay."

With another stern stare at me and Tris, Haut takes it from her, and the three men go out to collect our stuff.

The second the doors close behind them, out of earshot, Tris turns to me. "We've trained him so well."

I nod. "He didn't even think of asking us to help."

Tris purses his lips in consideration. "Ros would have made us help."

"Ros would have spanked us for the thing in the toy aisle." Aside from growling about abandoning Aspen to pick up our mess and stuffing Tris and me in the back with a gag order, Haut was shockingly ambivalent about that.

A frown puckers my brow as I look up at Tris. "Something's wrong with Haut."

He nods in agreement. "He's being far too accommodating."

I peer after my mate. "Think he's hurt that the mall girls didn't hit on him?"

Tris frowns with concern. "He doesn't know about the mall girls."

My focus jumps to the receptionist, who's making no pretense of minding her own business. "You think Haut is hot, right? More than the others?"

Eyes widening in alarm, she shakes her head. "I don't?—"

My head cocks to the side. "You don't?"

"Pretty sure you were propositioning him." Tris gives her a gentle smile. "It's okay. The women back home do that, too."

My head jerks up. "Who?"

He pats my head. "No one, sparky. Forget I said that."

"That's it." A cup of pens sits on the reception desk, and I snatch one, then rush toward the doors as they swish open and the others return with our bags. "Haut, give me your forehead. I need to write my name on you!"

Tris catches up and scoops me off my feet, depositing me on the luggage cart. "Save it for when we're up in our rooms."

"You will not be writing your name on my forehead." Haut takes the pen from my hand and motions for me to grip one of the golden bars. "If you want people to know I'm yours, put a ring on me."

My mouth drops open. "But…" I lower my voice. "You'd lose it the first time you shift."

"Buy me a chain to wear it on, then." He leans down to my ear. "Although I don't need it around wolves. They can smell your scent all over me."

That both horrifies and delights me, and I subtly lift my arm to sniff for traces of Haut.

"It's there," Levi assures me.

Again, with the horror and delight.

Still, putting a ring on my men isn't a bad idea. We did the bonding ceremony, but a universally recognized sign of commitment sounds good, too.

Tris and I have rings we bought for each other. Why did I never consider doing the same for Haut, Ros, and Owen?

We arrive at the elevator, and the doors slide open with a soft ding. Tris hops onto the cart with me to make enough room for everyone else to pile in, too.

Amusement twinkles in his eyes. "You're quiet. What are you plotting?"

"How many rings I can fit on one finger and how to figure out Ros and Owen's size." I study Haut's thick fingers. Owen's and Ros's are more slender, though not as slim as Tris's. "Should we buy doubles in every size?"

"That would shock the jeweler." Tris snuggles close as the elevator comes to a stop. "What will you do with the leftovers?"

"Put them in my buck—" I snap my lips closed before I reveal my secret bucket. No need to make Haut suspicious enough to go snooping for my treasures.

The annoying man gives me a knowing look. "We could melt them down into a platinum doorstop."

"Platinum?" Tris sputters. "Mine is only gold!"

Haut smirks. "I'm worth the extra cost since you trained me so well."

Levi snickers while Aspen's brow wrinkles in confusion. Damn wolf hearing, eavesdropping even from the parking lot.

The elevator comes to a stop and opens onto a long, beige hallway lined with identical, dark-brown doors.

The carpet resists the tiny wheels on the luggage cart as Haut pushes us down to room 212. Aspen and Levi continue past us to the next door over and disappear inside.

Haut slides the keycard into the slot, and with a satisfying click, the door swings inward to reveal a spacious room with two queen-sized beds and a small sitting area by the window.

I leap off the cart to bellyflop onto one of the mattresses with a sigh, the soft comforter enveloping me like a cloud. "We made it."

A knock comes from the adjoining door beside the dresser, and Tris bounces over to open it from our end.

Immediately, I scramble off the bed to go investigate the other room, which is identical to ours, only mirrored.

I pass Aspen in the doorway as I head back into our room, where Haut crouches in front of a mini-fridge, stowing our bottles of water and placing the ice packs in the tiny-freezer to keep things cold for tomorrow.

"Should we order something?" Tris walks to the desk to inspect a three-ring binder. He flips through a couple of pages. "No room service, but they have the numbers of some delivery restaurants."

"It's getting pretty late for most places." Haut straightens, stretching his arms over his head. "Pizza's probably our best bet."

I bounce back to the joining door. "We're ordering pizza. What do you guys want?"

Aspen grimaces. "Do they have a chicken Caesar on the menu?"

"How do you constantly disappoint me?" I back up into my room. "Come look for yourself, you desecrator of the pizza gods."

He lets out a little huff of annoyance. "A vegetable every now and then wouldn't kill you."

"Cocoa grows on trees and is a fruit, and milk is good for my bones." I join Tris by the window. "Ergo, chocolate shakes are healthy."

"Nice." Tris raises his hand, and we high-five.

Aspen sighs like a man long used to suffering and takes the binder from Tris to peruse his options.

Levi leans in the doorway, the top of his head brushing the frame. "I'll eat whatever is ordered."

"Pepperoni and sausage for me and Rowe." Tris pushes open the curtain, then spins toward me. "There's a hot tub!"

Excitement shoots through me. Tris and I never got to use the hot tub the one time we rented a hotel room with one, on account of the psycho vampire who attacked us.

Now we have a do-over, though. "Did Owen pack my swimming suit?"

"Of course, he did!" Tris rushes to take my bag from Haut and lifts it onto the bed to dig out a skimpy, two-piece bikini with a cherry pattern.

He throws it at me. "Go change."

"We're about to order dinner," Haut protests as I scurry to the bathroom.

"Cold pizza is still the food of the gods." Tris rummages around in his back and pulls out a matching pair of cherry-patterned swim trunks. "We'll eat when we return."

They're still arguing when I close the door and quickly put on my swimsuit. It doesn't cover much, but all that means is more hot, bubbly water against my skin.

I wind my long, red hair into a bun on top of my head so it won't get wet and pop back out into the main room. "Ready!"

Haut's eyes bug out of his head, and he moves to block me from Levi's view. "Robe. Now."

My hands move to my hips. "Why? I'm just going to take it off."

A growl rises in his chest. "Because it will be cold."

Tris, who had changed while I was in the bathroom, sweeps forward to swaddle me in a terrycloth bathrobe that itches with too much starch and drags on the floor. "Humor the growly wolf."

I throw my hands into the air. "People run around naked all the time in Hartford Cove! What happened to the nude form is natural?"

Haut's growls deepen.

"Okay, enough of that imagery." Tris grabs one of the room keys and hustles me toward the door. "We'll be back in an hour."

The carpet chafes against my bare feet, and I belatedly realize we left our shoes in the hotel room, but there's no turning back now. Not when adventure is afoot.

We ride the elevator back down to the ground floor, then follow the sign and the sting of chlorine at the back. A piece of paper on the door announces that the pool closes at ten o'clock, so we have a little time to enjoy a soak before heading back.

The sight of the glowing blue water makes me shiver in the autumn chill, and we bypass it to head for the steaming hot tub tucked into one corner. A wrought-iron fence separates the area from the woods behind the hotel, offering their guests privacy, and since we're the only ones out here, that means we have the whole place to ourselves.

My feet turn to blocks of ice on the short trek across the cement, but Tris stops me from jumping straight in. "Start with sitting at the edge and dip your feet in. Sometimes it takes a minute to adjust to the temperature."

Shrugging out of my robe, I set it on a nearby lounge chair while Tris fusses with some knobs on the other side of the hot tub, and bubbles roar to life from the jets in the sides.

Eager to warm up, I sit on the cold ground and dunk my feet in. Boiling water burns my skin, and I yank them back out with a yelp.

"See?" Tris sits next to me and drops his legs in without flinching. "That's why I warned you to take it slow."

I bite my bottom lip as I test the water again. The first attempt burned off the icy chill from the surrounding cement, so the heat isn't so bad this time. Slowly, I lower my legs farther into the water, the bubbles tickling my toes.

With a grin, Tris slides fully in, submerging to his shoulders with a hiss. "Burns so good."

He floats nearer and runs his wet palms over my knees, spreading water over my legs. His hands dip back beneath the bubbles before moving higher up my thighs, and sparks of blue dance where our skin connects.

In the reflection of the lights from the hot tub, his eyes shimmer gold as he gazes up at me. "Come join me, my spark."

Breath held, I slide into Tris's waiting embrace, the bubbles surrounding me and melting away the ache left in my body by the long car ride.

Tris guides me onto a small ledge, his hips between my knees. "What do you think of your first hot tub experience?"

Pulse skipping into a faster rhythm, I lean forward. "Burns so good."

"I knew you'd love it." Our mouths come together, his burning hot where the autumn chill still clings to mine.

My ankles hook around his waist, and I scoot to the edge of the bench to be closer to him, to feel his skin. Bubbles tickle my sides and slip under my skimpy bathing suit to do fun things between my legs.

Tris smiles against my lips and cups my ass to support my weight as he shifts us to the side, bringing the jet into direct contact with my center.

A gasp escapes me at the sensation of the jet on my sensitive folds, the scrap of fabric that covers my entrance no match for the hot surge.

Tris's hips rock, his hard cock massaging my clit.

Head dipping, he trails kisses down my throat. "I've wanted to be inside you since the toy store."

A moan slips past my lips, and my eyes close as my head tilts to give him better access.

His grip on my ass shifts, his fingers slipping beneath the elastic bands around my legs to brush my center. "God, you're so hot. Imagining fucking you right now, with these bubbles…"

With a gasp, my eyes flutter open, my unfocused gaze moving across the pool as Tris dips lower, kissing his way down my chest.

Then something moves in the shadows, and everything comes into sharp relief.

A man stands on the other side of the fence, staring straight at us.