The Job (Auctioned) by Cara Dee (highly illogical behavior txt) 📕

Mom raised her brows and eyed us both. Then she shook her head and disappeared into the suite, only to return a few seconds later with her purse. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re on, but you make sure to sober up, stat. You hear me, boys? We’ll talk tomorrow.”

She patted our cheeks before walking out, and I had to be real quick before I lost her.

“But, Mom.” I stuck my head out the door. “You didn’t tell me you love me back.”

She sighed and offered an indulgent smile. “I love you both to stupid measures. Now, please, for the love of God, do not wake up Paisley.”

I grinned. “We won’t. Did y’all have a nice time?”

“We always do, sugar. Go back inside and get some rest.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I brought my sandwich into the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub. I’d plant my merry ass on the shitter if it weren’t in its own little space, and I’d just get lonely in there. I wanted company. To be honest, I hadn’t felt sick in probably over five minutes, so maybe I was done throwing up. That would be great. It meant I’d be better company to Boone too, who came in with a change of clothes for me. Or a pair of boxer shorts and a tee anyway.

“I’m thirsty,” I informed him.

“You’re chatty as fuck too.” He placed my clothes between the two sinks. “I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Like what?” I polished off the rest of my sandwich and threw the wrapper in the bathtub. I wasn’t supposed to throw shit on the floor.

Boone snorted on his way out. “I ain’t giving you ideas.”

I didn’t need ideas. I needed to strip. I couldn’t shower with clothes on. As I stood up and started removing my belt, I caught sight of our toiletries on the sink, and I had to smile. Ma had placed my toothbrush next to one sink and Boone’s next to the other, and Ace’s was in between the two. But if he moved in with us, we’d share a sink, and it definitely wouldn’t be made out of marble.

Boone returned by the time I was throwing my shirt over the chair by the vanity, and he had a Coke and a bottle of water for me.

He looked a little put off. I didn’t like that.

“Are you mad at me?” I asked.

He pulled out a bottle of painkillers from his pocket and shot me a wry smirk. “I wouldn’t say mad.”

“What would you say, then?” I pushed down my pants and underwear, then removed my socks too.

Boone averted his gaze and leaned against the sink. “Frustrated. All kinds of frustrated.”

“Oh.” I didn’t know what to say to that. Instead, I downed two painkillers with a couple mouthfuls of water. Room-temperature water. Fuck that. I opened the Coke next. It was ice-cold.

Goddamn, that felt good.

After draining half the bottle, I picked up my toothbrush and noticed Boone staring at me and trying to be discreet about it. More accurately, he was checking out my stomach. Yeah, I bet he hadn’t believed me when I’d told him my abs showed a little now. That’d show the fucker! I hadn’t been lying.

“When did you do this one?” He brushed his fingers over a tattoo along my rib cage. It was my latest piece, a heavily shadowed image of Boone’s first car. A blue, American classic that we used to drive out into the desert to get high in.

“Last year, I think.” I squeezed some toothpaste onto my toothbrush, then headed for the shower next to the bathtub. I wanted to get more ink, but I was running out of places to put it. Boone had more space on his torso. Mostly his back and his shoulders were tatted up—and one that snaked down from his shoulder to the side of his ribs. But his chest was free of ink, unlike mine. And I hoped it stayed that way, ’cause his chest was magnificent as it was. Plus, he had more chest hair than me, and that was just sexy as shit.

Talk about luxury, the water turned hot right away. I stepped under the spray and began brushing my teeth, and I contemplated asking why he was still here. Although I was far from sober, I didn’t feel sick anymore, and the earth wasn’t spinning as quickly either. In half an hour or so, I’d even be able to close my eyes without getting dizzy.

“Boone?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you enjoying the show?”

He sighed heavily and didn’t say anything.

I grinned to myself and spat out some toothpaste. Shame I couldn’t see his facial features properly through the glass.

I bet I was hot when I gargled.

He’d kissed me tonight. That was wild. It’d actually happened.

I twisted my body and cupped my hand under the body wash dispenser. “Are you pissed I told Ma you had your wicked way with me?”

Boone left the sink and sat down at the vanity instead, so I guess he wasn’t leaving anytime soon.

“Not really.” He yawned. “I know your mouth runs when you’re drunk.”

Hey. I was offended. The truth was, it depended on the topic. I’d never compromise any work shit or say anything Ace shouldn’t hear.

“My mouth can do a lot of things,” I chose to say instead.

He didn’t reply now either. Bastard.

I let it go and focused on soaping up. The hot water was quickly draining me of my last energy, and I was looking forward to falling asleep. Boone could take the bed with Ace. I’d been told I snored like a motherfucker after a night out. Besides, the sectional in the sitting area looked plenty comfy.

“I’ll sleep on the couch, by the way.” I tilted my head back and let the water wash me clean. No dizziness when I closed my eyes—score.

“All right. I’ll, uh…I’ll go prepare it for you.”

I cracked one eye open and watched him walk out. There wasn’t much to prepare. We’d been given spare sheets and whatever