So Rare (Boys of South Chapel #3)

10. Greedy

Chapter 10

Greedy

NOW

When I open my eyes again, the dingy motel room is still dark. Kabir is sitting at the small table, his sharp features illuminated by the dimmed light of his laptop.

Still lying flat on my back, I loll my head to the side and study the man who has yet to sleep. The man who hasn’t stopped working since we found out Hunter was gone, who was awake for hours before any of us were yesterday.

His face is drawn, the way his computer screen illuminates him only emphasizing how exhausted he looks.

I curl up in bed, trying in vain to be quiet so the headboard won’t squeak.

Doesn’t work.

Spence looks my way, his blue-gray eyes tracking my every movement as I rise from the bed and shuffle over. The scowl he’s wearing makes him look all the more domineering. The man’s a force, even after being awake for twenty-four hours and working around the clock.

“Hey,” I whisper when I come to stop before him.

He blinks, but his expression doesn’t change. “Hay is for horses, Garrett. Even as a Londoner—”

I snort, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. “Don’t be a dick.”

He snaps his mouth shut, cocking a brow.

Huh. Interesting. Although not surprising, I guess. The man obviously favors directness.

“I can’t sleep any longer. Take my place,” I insist, extending my arm toward the bed.

He shakes his head once, the movement jerky. “You drove all day. You need rest. If you’re—”

“Spence.” I interrupt him again. “I slept as much as I can. Honestly? I need a workout more than anything. I promise I’ll be okay to drive when it’s time to head out.”

He considers me for a breath, then eventually nods. “This motel does have a fitness center. I doubt it’s of a distinguished caliber, but I do know it’s open twenty-four hours.”

“Cool. I’ll wait a while longer to check it out. Levi will probably want to lift, too.”

With a nod, Spence rises and starts to tidy up his makeshift workstation. He stashes his laptop away, casting the room into total darkness.

I use the flashlight on my phone so we can move through the room and follow him to the bed, lighting his path as he unbuttons his oxford and shrugs out of it. His belt and pants go next—unceremoniously dropped onto the floor as he steps out of them. He really must be exhausted.

Instinctively, I pull back the sheets.

Spence smirks, eyeing me as he shifts around me to climb into bed. “Are you going to tuck me in and tell me a bedtime story, Garrett?”

“Is that what you want, sir?”

My eyes widen when the words leave my mouth.

Are we bantering ?

“Cheeky bastard,” Spence scoffs under his breath. He pounds down a lumpy pillow.

Releasing the sheet, I take a step back so he can settle in. There’s a deeper sense of tolerance and understanding between us now—a kinship that most certainly didn’t exist twenty-four hours ago.

I hated this guy a few days ago. Loathed him, in fact.

Now? Now I’m really fucking glad he’s here.

“I cannot believe he’s just lying there, sound asleep,” Kabir remarks, pulling me from my thoughts. I look over to Levi as the headboard once again makes its age and decrepit condition known.

Leev has his back to us, but his slow, steady inhalations confirm he’s still out.

“He’s always been a heavy sleeper,” I remark, a warmth settling in my chest at the knowledge that he’s found peace for now. “Try to get some rest.”

I turn, but before I take more than a step away from the bed, warm fingers and cool metal caress the inside of my wrist.

Spence’s grip startles me, though not because his touch is unwelcome. I’m comfortable with him now, I realize. Comfortable in a way I didn’t know was possible with anyone outside of Hunter and Levi.

When I seek his gaze in the dark, I’m met with a steely expression.

“We’re going to get her back, Garrett. I swear it to you. Rest assured; I’ll stop at nothing.” He releases my wrist just as abruptly as he snagged it.

This man.

There’s no question as to how deeply and irrevocably he loves our girl.

“I know you won’t,” I assure him. “And neither will I.”