Page 48 of Goldie and Her Bears (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 3)

Jasper smiled. “We figured since you were doing so well, we would all go out and gather some food and hang out for a bit, which would also give you some alone time.

“Really?” I asked. Already my mind was running with possibilities.

“Yeah,” he said.

“Are you okay with that?” Chase asked.

“Definitely. Go, have fun. Be safe,” I said, shooing them with my hand.

They laughed at me. I rolled my eyes at them and carefully drank my coffee. I was happy they were going to do something together. They needed the bonding time to heal their festering wounds.

The only question was what I should do with my time. I had my books to keep me occupied when Jasper and Chase weren’t around to be my entertainment. I was so glad they weren’t ruined by the rain that had soaked through my suitcase. But it didn’t feel right to do any of that while they were all out. This was my opportunity to do something for them. I wanted to repay the men for their hospitality. And since I could move around with the use of the cane, I thought what better way to repay them than by cleaning up the cabin a bit?

They had to leave first, which meant I had to be patient enough for them to finish getting themselves ready.

Thirty minutes, and two cups of coffee later, they were finally saying their goodbyes.

“Be careful while we’re gone,” Jasper said. “Don’t do anything to hurt your leg.”

“I’ll be fine. Go!” I laughed.

He kissed me on the mouth, and I relaxed into him as warmth bled through me.

Chase cleared his throat.

Jasper and I broke from the kiss. He jokingly acted regretful and winked at me before turning around and heading out the door. I settled my attention on Chase. His soft brown eyes took in mine as he pulled me close.

“Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone,” he said seductively before kissing me and sucking on my bottom lip.

I laughed and playfully pushed him away from me. “Okay, Casanova. Go hang with your bros.”

He chuckled and kissed me on the cheek before walking out the door.

The last one was Kai. He stopped at the door and turned his attention to me. He nodded once. I waved at him and smiled softly. He stepped out the door and I was finally alone and free to proceed with my plan.

But I wanted to be careful about the places I went and the things I did, though. The last thing I wanted to do was be subject to Kai’s rage again. That also meant his room was completely off-limits. Not that I wanted to step another toe inside that room ever again. I learned my lesson the hard way the last time.

Once the men had been gone for about an hour, I took stock of everything that could be done while relying on a cane. The one thing staring me in the face was the sheer lack of light the place had. That was where I decided to start first. With the windows. They were covered in inches of dirt, and it would allow me to keep most of my weight on my good leg.

That took about an hour to get done. And once they were cleaned, I thought it would be nice to open them to allow fresh air in. But when I pushed up on one, it groaned, unwilling to move. I frowned at the thing.

I supposed it shouldn’t have surprised me that they were hard to budge. With the layers of dirt covering them, they probably hadn’t seen a lick of love or had been open in years. But I wasn’t going to allow that to derail my plans.

Motivated, I headed into the kitchen and found some spray lubricant under the sink. With a good coating of the spray, I was able to get the windows opened. It was probably a temporary fix, but they were opened, and the house could finally be filled with fresh air.

I moved on to the dusting, clearing layers of dirt off every inch of the living room. I avoided the men’s rooms. And though the chore seemed like a simpler thing to do than the windows, it was the one taking the longest to get done. I wasn’t sure how long the men would be gone, but I figured I wouldn’t see them until later in the afternoon. So, I still had a little time.

However, by the time I was done with the dusting, I cleaned off the table, organized the randomness throughout the house, and then moved into the kitchen to wash up the dishes from breakfast, several hours had ticked by.

The place had been in desperate need of some serious TLC, and I was more than happy to have provided at least a little bit of that. And though it didn’t seem like enough of a thank you for all the men had done for me, it was certainly a start.

I smiled to myself as I took in my work. The men would certainly be surprised and appreciate that I put in the work to show them my gratitude for the time I had been here, taking up space in their home while they nursed me back to health.

I figured they would be home any minute, and I couldn’t allow them to see or smell me in the condition I was in. So, I ran myself a bath and climbed in. Once I was cleaned, I decided to relax by soaking in the warm water. I dangled my leg over the edge of the tub, so I didn’t soak the still healing wounds on my leg too much.

The one thing I hadn’t counted on in my grand plan, was the men coming home during my bath.

My first clue was the deep laughter echoing through the air. Then the door banged closed. Several seconds of silence ensued while I strained to listen, holding my breath for their initial reaction.

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