I watch out the back window as the motel disappears over the horizon. I’m too exhausted to fight with them. After a few hours of sleep and maybe a shower, I’m going home.

Leo tries to assure me that everything is going to work out, but I’m not in the mood. I close my eyes and pretend to sleep until he leaves me alone. The ride back seems to last forever, and I should be able to doze off. I’m bone tired. The week of twelve and fourteen-hour workdays has worn me out.  But even so, tonight's events have my mind racing.

Sure, it makes me extremely uneasy that Bruce was hanging out in the parking lot with a gun, but Asher and Leo are over reacting. I’ve stayed in places like that all my life—and not all of the motels were that nice. My mother was living out her rock star dreams with a child in tow. I grew up in hotels and motels all across this country. I took my first steps at a Holiday Inn in Van Nuys, learned to read while holed up at an extended stay in Denver, and lost my virginity at some no-name chain in Cleveland. So I’m just as comfortable in a shabby motel as they are in their penthouse downtown.

It isn’t long before we’re pulling into said penthouse. I’ve been here once before during the office’s Fourth of July party. Leo and Asher own the entire top floor and converted it into a shared living space, complete with a rooftop garden and hot tub. It’s a beautiful, open space and it’s no hardship for me to stay the night.

It’s the company that worries me.

My little crush on Asher has blossomed into full-on infatuation, and now that I’ve gotten to know Leo better… Swoon. It’s one thing to work with them all day long, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep in the next room knowing that they are both so close. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give for my vibrator right about now.

Speaking of my vibrator (talk about odd transitions), I just realized, I don’t have any clothing. Nothing to sleep in and nothing to wear tomorrow besides my work dress.

Leo offers me a hand to get out, and I shake my head. “I need to go back.”

“No. We already discussed this. It’s not safe,” he says, offering his hand again. This time a little more insistently.

“No, really,” I say, crossing my arms. “There are things I need from my room. A change of clothes. My toothbrush. My hair brush.”

“We’ll take care of that tomorrow.”

“And what am I supposed to sleep in?”

“I prefer to sleep nude,” Asher adds over Leo’s shoulder.

Great. Now I’ve got that image imprinted in my mind. I shake my head and frown. There’s no way I’m sleeping naked.

“I have a T-shirt and a pair of boxers you can sleep in,” Lee offers.

I’m not sure that’s any better. The thought of my naked flesh caressing the same fabric he’s worn causes a blush to creep into my cheeks. Maybe I will sleep naked. Or fully clothed. That’d probably be safer.

“Come on, Bambi,” Asher says. “We’re all tried. Let’s just go to bed, and we can talk everything out over breakfast.”

The word bed triggers a yawn that I can’t hold back. I know it’s stupid to keep fighting. It’s almost four a.m., and I can hardly keep my eyes open as is.

“Fine. But just for tonight.”

“If that’s what you want,” Leo says and offers the hand again. This time I take it.

We all pile into the elevator, and Leo inserts his key to access the top floor. An uncomfortable silence engulfs us as the doors close. I’m not exactly sure what to say, and evidently, they don’t know either.

About halfway up, Leo is the first to break the silence. “Explain to me again why you were staying at the no-tell-motel. Especially one in a crappy part of town. Do you realize the kind of people who stay there?”

“People like me,” I say, not amused. “I’ve been there for ten months, and other than the time some drunk guy serenaded the woman who was staying in unit 23, it’s been pretty quiet.”

“You seemed cozy with that Bruce guy,” Asher says. “Based on his tatts, he’s probably muscle for some gang.”

“What do you know about gangs? He’s a nice guy. He looks out for me,” I insist. And I’m not lying. Asher looked at guys and just saw tattoos. It’s easy to assume he is some kind of thug, but Bruce is a good guy. He is one of the reasons I stayed. He likes me and goes out of his way to keep people from bothering me.

“I’m glad someone has been looking out for you,” Leo says, surprising me. The doors open into the entry, and he exits, leaving me to wonder exactly what he means.

The penthouse is as spectacular as I remembered. Large, floor to ceiling windows line the far wall, offering light from the city below. The space is open and inviting. But it feels different being there with just the two of them.

Asher drops his bag on the sofa and slips off his tie. Leo enters a code on an alarm keypad by the elevator and then does much the same. And I just stand there, unsure what’s going to happen next.

“I’ve set the alarm, so don’t try to slip out in the morning. When you’re ready to go tomorrow, we’ll take you back. Promise,” Leo says walking across the open common room. He points to a dark wood door on the north side of the room. “Asher’s suite is over there, and I’m over here.” He points to an identical door on the south end of the room. “If you need anything, just knock. The doors are unlocked.”

I nod, watching Leo as he opens another dark wood door on the far end of the room. He waves me over, and I shuffle across the hardwood, exhaustion finally hitting me.

“This is the guest suite. There’s a private bathroom that should have a toothbrush and any other necessities you should need. Help yourself.”

Leo flips on the light, and I’m greeted with a large room as tastefully decorated as the rest of the house. I can’t help but wonder if they hired someone or picked out the furnishings themselves. The guest suite, as he called it, is bigger than the apartment I shared with Billy. A large king-size bed dominates the center of the room. There’s even a small work area and separate sitting area.

“If you get hungry, the kitchen is the next door over. Please make yourself at home.”

I sag against the doorframe and close my eyes. The weariness of the day is catching up with me.

“Are you okay?” Leo asks. “If this doesn’t work, you can take my room.”

“This is fine,” I say, but he doesn’t seem like he’s buying it. “Really. I’m just tired.”

“Stop hovering,” Asher yells from the living room. “Let her sleep. You can talk to her tomorrow.”

Leo shakes his head and takes a step closer. “I want you to be comfortable,” he says in a low voice. His hot breath whispers across my skin, causing every nerve in my body to take notice. The air between us is charged with an untapped energy, and it’s all I can do to stop myself from leaning into him like some drunk stripper.

As if reading my thoughts, a grin spreads across his face, and he steps away. “Sleep tight.”

It wasn’t until he’s already closed the door to his suite that I realize, I still don’t have clothes to sleep in. There was no way in hell I am going to go knock on his door. With a sigh, I close the door to the guest room, resigned to sleep in my underwear.

But soon after I brush my teeth and wash my face, there’s a knock on the door. Much to my surprise, Asher is standing there when I open the door.

“I figured you’d want something to sleep in,” he says and holds out a bundle of clothes.

“Thanks, I could have managed.” I reach out to take the clothing. My hand brushes his, and a chill runs up my arm. It’s not like we’ve never touched before, but this time there is something different in his touch. Something more. I glance up, wondering if he felt it too. The heat in his eyes steals my breath, and I pull back. But as he lets go of the stack of clothes, his fingers slide down my arm.

“I’m sorry,” he says, catching me by surprise.

“Sorry for what?” Sure, they may have brought me here against my wishes, but now that I’m here, I admit, I’m glad I came. For the first time in years—hell, probably ever—I feel safe, protected.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you before,” he says and steps in closer. For a second I’m sure he’s going to kiss me, but instead, he tucks a stray lock of my hair behind my ear and kisses my forehead. “But I see you now, Bambi.”

And with that cryptic comment, he goes back to his room, and I am left to wonder exactly what it was he saw.