“Fine, but we get a room with two beds.” There was no way in hell that he was going to spend the night in the same bed with Chase. His nerves were frayed enough. Sleeping next to Chase’s sexy body would send him right over the edge.
A grim look crossed over Chase’s face, pulling his eyebrows down low and pressing his lips together, but the man nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
It wasn’t, but that was the way it had to be. Chase had made his position more than clear, and Taylor refused to give in to the need he had for the bigger man, no matter how much he wanted to.
Chase didn’t want him for a mate, and that meant Taylor couldn’t give in to his feeling for the man. He wanted to mean something to someone long term, not as a one-night stand, and that was all he and Chase could ever have. Chase didn’t want more than that, and Taylor would never voice his need, and that left them in two separate beds.
Taylor sat in the truck while Chase ran inside and rented them a motel room for the night. When the man came out, he jumped into the truck and drove through the parking lot before parking in front of one of the rooms.
Taylor followed Chase out of the truck and upstairs to the second door down from the stairs. He waited while Chase unlocked the door and then followed him inside, looking around.
The room wasn’t fantastic, but at least it seemed clean. Taylor just wished he had remembered to pack a bag so he would have something clean to change into after a quick shower and something to sleep in.
“If you want to jump in the shower, I’ll run down to that fast-food joint we passed a couple of blocks back and grab us something to eat.”
Taylor nodded and started for the bathroom.
“Is there something specific you’d like to eat?”
Taylor shook his head, and then stopped, glancing over his shoulder at Chase. “French fries. I’d love some hot French fries.” With Justin’s diabetes, he had to watch his diet. And since Taylor took care of Justin, that meant he mostly ate what Justin ate. He missed French fries.
“French fries it is.”
The moment the door shut behind Chase, Taylor walked into the bathroom and started undressing. His shower was fast, just a quick scrub down and shampoo. He was so tried that his eyes burned and his head throbbed. He just wanted to eat, climb into bed, and pass out—and no necessarily in that order.
As the hot water pounded his weary body, Taylor wondered if Chase would try anything or let Taylor sleep in peace. He wasn’t sure which one he wanted the most. He was exhausted, afraid for Justin, and too tired to argue with Chase. His anger from earlier had dissipated, and all Taylor wanted right now was to find Justin and go home.
Never in his life had a day lasted this long. He had spent nearly twenty-four hours with Chase, the longest the man had ever been around him, and Taylor had to admit that he liked being with Chase—even if it was to hunt for Justin.
He had kept a cool disposition, but his eyes had continuously wandered over to Chase as the man drove or they hunted through different places. It was kind of nice to spend time with the wolf.
He just wished Chase would stop telling Taylor he didn’t understand what was going on and explain things. From what he’d seen today, Taylor knew he wanted to get to know Chase a little better. Chase seemed caring and concerned. Taylor smiled to himself. The man was even interesting and witty.
Too bad he had a freaking wall built around him. A wall so high that Taylor knew he wouldn’t be able to climb it.
Taylor turned off the shower and climbed out. He grabbed a towel and quickly dried off and then tied a dry one around his waist. He really didn’t want to put dirty clothes back on, but he knew he would need to eventually. But for a little while…
Taylor grabbed his clothes and carried them out into the main room. He laid them out on the chair next to one of the beds and then scooted onto it, moving back to lean against the headboard. He grabbed the remote off the nightstand and started flicking through the channels just as the door opened and Chase walked in, two bags in his arms.
Chase paused in the doorway and stared at Taylor for a moment and then turned and shut the door, locking it. He tossed the keycard down on the small table in the corner by the window and then set the bags down.
“I knew you had forgotten to pack anything, so I stopped by a twenty-four-hour store and picked you up a couple of cotton shirts. Sorry, they didn’t have any pants.” Chase tossed the two shirts at Taylor, one white and one baby blue.
“Thank you,” Taylor said as he caught the shirts and held them up to his chest. He was surprised that they seemed to be his exact size. But he was extremely grateful that Chase had picked them up. Jeans two days in a row he could handle. Shirts, not so much.
“I believe you ordered fries?” Taylor’s eyes grew round as he looked at the huge basket of French fries that Chase held out to him. He loved fries, but he wasn’t sure he could eat that many. He wasn’t even sure that three people could eat that many fries.
“Thank you.”
“I also got you a grilled chicken burger with Swiss cheese and a juice.”
Taylor’s eyes shot up in surprise. “Juice?”
Chase shrugged. “I figured with you caring for Justin and all that, you didn’t usually eat a lot of junk food, and while it’s okay to splurge every once
