"Oh god, can you imagine? 'The Bodyguard's Forbidden Love'. It would be a bestseller for all the wrong reasons."
I grinned, lifting my head to meet his gaze with a mischievous glint in my eye. "Well, maybe we should give him a call and let him know that his master plan worked. Put him out of his misery, so to speak."
But just as I dialed Dylan's number, we heard a strange sound coming from the other side of the door - a muffled buzzing, like a phone set to vibrate.
I frowned, exchanging a confused glance with Jared.
"Is that...?" I began, my voice trailing off as realization dawned.
Jared's eyes widened, a slow grin spreading across his face.
"No way," he said, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. "You don't think...?"
I held up a finger to my lips, tiptoeing quietly towards the door. And as I pressed my ear against the wood, I could hear the unmistakable sound of hushed voices, of someone shifting their weight from foot to foot.
I looked back at Jared, my eyebrows raised in a silent question. He nodded, his own grin widening as he moved to stand beside me.
And then, in one swift motion, I flung the door open, revealing the guilty faces of Dylan and Mason, their ears pressed firmly against the other side.
For a moment, they just stared at us, their mouths hanging open in shock and embarrassment. But then, with a yelp of surprise, Dylan leapt back, his hand clutching at his chest in a dramatic gesture of outrage.
"Asher!" he cried, his voice high and indignant. "What the hell, man? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
I crossed my arms over my chest, fixing him with a stern look that was belied by the twitching of my lips.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Were we interrupting something? Perhaps a bit of casual eavesdropping?"
Dylan's eyes widened, his cheeks flushing a deep, guilty red.
"Eavesdropping?" he sputtered, his hand fluttering to his chest in a gesture of mock offense. "I would never. I was just checking the door for termites. You know, making sure the structural integrity was up to par."
Beside him, Mason chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Right, because that's totally a thing people do. Just casually pressingtheir ears against random doors, listening for the telltale signs of wood-munching insects."
Dylan huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive posture. "Hey, it's a legitimate concern. Do you have any idea how much damage termites can do to a building? I was just looking out for Asher and Jared's safety, that's all."
I bit back a laugh, shaking my head in fond exasperation. "Dylan, this is a five-star hotel. I'm pretty sure they have pest control on speed dial."
He waved a dismissive hand, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "You can never be too careful," he said, his voice taking on a lofty, superior tone. "Besides, it's not like I was the only one with my ear to the door. Mason was right there with me, hanging on every word like a lovesick puppy."
Mason's jaw dropped, his eyes narrowing in outrage. "Excuse me?" he sputtered, his hand coming up to jab a finger into Dylan's chest. "I was trying to get you to stop being a nosy little shit and mind your own business for once in your life."
Dylan scoffed, batting Mason's hand away with a flick of his wrist. "Oh please, you were practically drooling on the floor. Admit it, Mase. You're just as invested in this little love story as I am."
Mason's face turned a fascinating shade of purple, his fists clenching at his sides as if he were physically restraining himself from throttling Dylan on the spot.
"Oh, please," he gritted out, his teeth clenched hard. "I just didn't want you to get us caught and ruin everything with your big, fat mouth."
Dylan gasped, his hand flying to his chest in a gesture of wounded dignity. "How dare you?" he cried, his voice rising toa shrill pitch. "My mouth is not fat. It's voluptuous. Luscious, even. A work of art, crafted by the gods themselves."
Mason rolled his eyes again. "More like a weapon of mass destruction," he muttered, his voice low and sullen. "Capable of annihilating entire cities with its endless stream of bullshit and nonsense."
Dylan let out a squawk of outrage, his finger jabbing into Mason's chest with each word. "You take that back, you overgrown ape," he hissed, his eyes narrowing to slits. "My mouth is a national treasure. A marvel of modern engineering. A..."
"A black hole of idiocy and self-delusion?" Mason finished, his lips twitching with a barely suppressed smirk.
Dylan's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, his face turning an alarming shade of red. "Why, you insufferable, arrogant..."
"Charming, witty, devastatingly handsome?" Mason supplied, his grin widening with each word.