Chapter 1
The hotel screwed up their booking.
Two rooms got merged into one. Some big industry show was in town and everywhere within ten miles was sold out. The front desk girl slid the only key card across the counter with a tight smile. All three of them looked at it. Then at each other.
"Only one king bed left."
Margot sighed first. She glanced at her boyfriend Reid, then at Cora. Shrugged.
"We'll make it work. One night. How bad could it be?"
Cora didn't say anything. Just nodded.
She and Margot had been close since college. Told each other everything. Reid had been Margot's boyfriend for two years now. Always polite. Attentive enough. The three of them traveled together for work all the time. Tonight still felt weird.
One bed. That was it.
After they brushed their teeth and changed, Margot patted the middle of the mattress.
"I'm taking the middle. Cora, you get the wall side. Reid, you're on the outside. Anyone who kicks goes to the floor."
Cora almost said something. The words hit her lips and died there. She'd been on her feet at the show all day. Her legs ached. Her eyes were heavy. Dragging this out would only make it worse.
So she lay down where Margot told her.
Lights off. Room went dark. Margot mumbled a few things about the show, her voice fading fast. Cora still felt off, but her body gave out before her brain did. She fell asleep before she could overthink it.
She didn't know how long passed.
The bed shifted.
Cora frowned in that foggy space between sleep and awake. The movement didn't stop. Found a rhythm. Soft fabric sounds. Held-back breathing. A tiny hum from Margot that slipped into her ears.
She snapped awake.
Her mind went blank for two seconds. Then she understood.
Blood rushed to her head. Hard. Her first instinct was to sit up. Pretend she needed the bathroom. Or at least roll over. Her body stayed nailed to the mattress.
She didn't dare move. One twitch and they'd know.
She faced their direction. Too dark to see details. But she felt the mattress rise and fall. Heard the breathing. The quiet sounds of skin meeting skin. Reid wasn't rough, but every thrust carried weight. Margot underneath him, making small sounds that got pushed back into her throat.
The worst part was the distance. Or lack of it.
Margot kept getting pushed closer. Her soft body pressed into Cora again and again. Arm. Chest. Sometimes her whole weight leaned in, warm and trembling.
Cora kept her eyes closed. Forced her breathing steady.
She made it long and slow. The rhythm of someone deep asleep. Her fingers locked onto the sheet beneath her. Knuckles white. Facing that way meant every sound hit her clear. Fabric. Skin. Margot's trapped breaths. All of it crashed into her ears.
She didn't know what to do.
Say something? That was insane. Keep pretending? Her body already tensed up. Worse, something warm and unfamiliar was building deep inside her.
Cora pushed her face into the pillow. Bit her bottom lip.
Don't make a sound. Don't move. Act like you don't know anything. The night will end.
The movement behind her didn't stop.
Reid seemed to notice Margot had been pushed too far in. He reached around her waist and pulled her back. His arm brushed Cora's side. Less than a second. Still sent a jolt through her. Froze her in place.
She heard Reid let out a low, rough breath. Then his rhythm steadied again.
Margot's sounds went softer. Little nasal whimpers mixed in. Cora gripped the sheet harder. She didn't know if she hated herself for being awake, or for reacting to the sounds and touches.
Time stretched.
Eventually the movement slowed. Margot let out a long sound. Almost a sigh. Melted into the mattress. Reid breathed heavy a few times. Steadying himself.
Quiet again.
Just three sets of breathing.
Cora stayed in the same position. Facing them. Not moving. She felt sweat on her back. Below her stomach, a wetness she couldn't ignore. Shame flooded her.
She told herself over and over. They don't know you're awake. Just keep pretending. Tomorrow you can act like nothing happened.
Then she felt a gaze.
Short. Almost like she imagined it.
Reid seemed to shift. Looked at her in the dark.
Cora's heart missed a beat.