“We’ll let the owners of Lapton Main Gallery make that decision.” I grab my book and note cards off the counter and extend my arm for them to go ahead of me.
“Just a peek?” Mrs. Buckley wheedles as we head toward the room.
All three of them pause outside the door to stare curiously toward the open town hall doors.
“I think I might need to visit the ladies room for a quick refresher,” Darcy announces.
My arm blocks her path. “None of that, Darcy. I’m sure the owners will let the whole town in once everything is sorted, but for now, the boxes are dangerous to walk through. I’d hate to tell Mr. Burke you were hurt because of my negligence.”
With a secretive smile, she adjusts her headband. “We’ll see.”
I usher them inside, making a mental note to lock the town hall at night. I wouldn’t put it past Darcy to send in her spies.
As they place their books on their seats and shuffle to the refreshments table to load up their plates with snacks, I take a chair and flip through my cards. When I get through the ones I made notes on, I find the empty ones now filled with neat, blocky print. Chapter numbers head each one with notes for important events and topics of discussion.
Shuffling back through them, I recall Davin’s revelation that Jameson reads romance novels. My heart skips a beat. He must have done this for me. I cover my mouth, gaze locked on the last card that reads True love knows no distance, holds strong through times of separation, and makes each partner better for being together.
“Everything alright, dear?” Darcy asks as she settles in beside me.
Blinking back the sting in my eyes, I glance up at her and smile. “Yes. Everything is perfect.”
Hot and Cold
Huddling deeper into my scarf, I watch as the elderly ladies shuffle up the street on their way to Lapton Steam for hot chocolate before the retirement home sends the bus to pick them up. Mrs. Moran calls it their ‘girls night out’.
With dark settling in so early these days, I worry for their safety, but they’re determined to make the trek, regardless of the season.
The O’Brien’s truck waits at the curb, the guys huddled inside to avoid being cornered once more by the busybodies. As soon as they deem themselves safe, they leap into action. Hughe hops out of the back, a plastic sack in one hand, and waves before he strides around to the side of the building.
When Jameson climbs out of the driver’s seat, I hurry up to him and wrap my arms around his waist, huddling against his warmth. “Thank you so much for the note cards.”
His arms band around my shoulders, and his gruff voice rumbles through his chest and into me. “I read that one a few times on the island.”
“You found more depth in it than I did.” I rub my nose against his thermal shirt and sneeze as dust tickles my nostrils. Snuffling, I lean back to stare up at him. “Maybe I should have you vet next month’s list with me.”
His whiskey-colored eyes warm, and he leans down to his lips against my forehead. “I’ll even read them with you and help come up with topic points to discuss.”
My eyebrows raise in surprise. “You’d do that?”
“I thought Davin already gave away my big secret.” Gaze shifting away from me, he gives a self-deprecating chuckle. “I actually enjoy reading romance novels.”
My arms tighten around his waist. “That is so sexy.”
“Really?” He peeks back at me to study me. “You’re serious.”
“I’ve never been more serious.” I wave a hand in front of my face. “See the seriousness here?”
He frowns uncertainly. “Now, I think you’re teasing.”
I let the smile break free and grin up at him. “No, I’m telling the truth. Caira hates reading, and no one in my family will open a book. I’m excited to have someone to talk to besides Darcy and her crew.”
His eyes sparkle with excitement. “Have you read—”
“Stop cuddling, and help me with the measurements,” Davin grouses as he stomps past, tool bag in hand. He disappears around the corner of the community center, undoubtedly on his way to the giant piece of wood they’d left next to the stairs this morning.
I stare at his back, worried at the display of grumpiness. My sweet Davin is almost always in a good mood. “Did something happen today?”
Jameson slings an arm over my shoulders to pull me after his brother. “No. We skipped lunch, and he always gets like that when he’s hungry.”
“Why didn’t you take a break?” I remember, now, that Davin had always had a granola bar in his pocket back in middle school. He used to get in trouble for eating in class.
Jameson shrugs. “We wanted to get done faster.”
“You should eat, now.” I elbow him in the side. “And tomorrow I’ll pack you lunches.” Then I cringe, shoulders hunching up around my ears. “I’ll have to go to the store to buy stuff to make sandwiches.”
“Hughe has it covered.” When we round the corner, I spot Hughe with a plastic sack balanced on top of the new support post for the stairs.
He squirts mustard onto two slices of bread and slaps deli meat between them before thrusting it at Davin. “Eat up, Diva, before you bite someone’s head off.”
Davin snatches it and takes a grumpy bite, half the sandwich disappearing in one go.
Hughe readies another one and glances at us. “Ham or turkey?”
“Turkey,” Jameson says at the same time I say, “Both.”
Hughe points at me. “I like the way you think.”
“I want both,” Davin grunts around his mouthful, a plume of fog forming in front of his face.
“You get what I give you,” Hughe mutters under his breath about cranky asses as he lays out more bread slices.
I lift a box of chocolate covered granola bars out of the plastic bag. “Is this dessert?”
“I meant to leave that in the truck for emergencies.” Hughe passes a sandwich to Jameson, who immediately takes a bite. “But if you want one, go ahead and open it up.”
“No, I’m good.” Shivering from the cold, I set it down to tuck my hands into my elbows. “You know, we could be doing this upstairs where it’s warmer.”
“If we warm up, now, we won’t want to come back out.” Davin snatches the next sandwich before Hughe can pass it to me and stuffs it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing before he continues. “Besides, it’s already dark out. We want to make the cuts as soon as possible so we don’t disrupt the neighbors too much.”
Putting words to action, he grabs his measuring tape out of the tool bag and jerks his chin toward the stairs. Jameson sighs and waves away the offer of a second sandwich as he follows his brother. Hughe opens the abandoned sandwich back up, piles some turkey on top of the ham, and offers it to me.
“Thanks.” Shuffling from foot-to-foot to stay warm, I eat quickly, but he still manages to make and devour his own before I’m through. I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. “Can we go upstairs now? I’m freezing.”
He stuffs the ingredients back into the bag. “Not into impromptu picnics?”
“I like them just fine.” I stick my cold nose into the air as I head for the stairs. “Invite me again in the summer. When it’s warm outside.”
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Hughe crowds close to my back, his hands on the rails to either side as if to create a safety net if I fall.
I resist the urge to glance back at him and keep my focus on the stairs. “Didn’t I tell you I became boring while you were gone?”
Hughe lets his quiet laugh be his response. Salt crunches beneath our boots, but not as much as there should be. I need to spread more out tonight.
When we reach the top, I stomp my feet on the welcome mat before going inside. I immediately flip on the radiator by the door. The apartment is only slightly warmer than the outside, but leaving the heater on while I’m at work makes me nervous. These old buildings are fire hazards waiting to happen.
I kick off my shoes and turn
to Hughe. “I guess it wouldn’t have been much warmer in here after all.”
He shrugs, but stays huddled inside his coat. “It should be fine by the time you get out of the shower.”
“I was going to let you go first.” Walking to the kitchen, I turn on the kettle to make myself something warm to drink. “You’ve had a long day, you deserve to clean up first.”
“That doesn’t seem fair. Your day was long, too.” He joins me, and I hear the fridge open and close as he stores the sandwich makings inside. A moment later, his chest presses against my back. Soft lips brush against my neck, and my fingers fumble with the knob to light the stove top. “Careful.” He reaches past me to turn the burner off. “I have a compromise in mind.”
“Oh?” My voice rises at the end as he pushes my scarf away to nibble at the place where my shoulder and neck meet. My pulse picks up speed. Can he feel it under his lips? I clear my throat and try to sound nonchalant. “What did you have in mind?”
His lips drift up to my ear, and my breath catches when he sucks my lobe between his teeth. Releasing me, he whispers. “Let’s race. Winner gets the shower first.”
“What?” I stand at the stove in confusion and hear his feet pound toward the hall. “You asshole!”
Spinning, I race after him, my sock covered feet no match for him on the hardwood floor. I slide right past the door as he runs through and almost land on my ass at the end of the hall. The door slams closed, and his laughter echoes off the tiled bathroom.
Righting myself, I stomp back and throw the door open.
He smirks at me, coat already off and shirt halfway over his head. “The race isn’t over, you know.”
Eyes widening, I yank off my coat and scarf. When I reach for my sweater, his hands are there to help me pull it off. I laugh and reach for the button on his jeans. “Is this considered cheating?”
“Not if we want to tie.” He spins me around to fumble at my bra, and hot lips return to my neck. I moan when he gently bites the place between my shoulder blades, my hips thrusting back in reflex. He tries it again and growls with satisfaction when my back arches.
The bra comes free, and his large hands push the cups out of the way to palm my breasts, fingers pinching and rolling my nipples until they stand at attention. I lean back against his body, head turning until I find his mouth with mine.
His tongue pushes inside, hungry and fierce as he stakes his claim. He releases one breast to tug at my pants until they slide down my legs, and I feel the hard press of his erection against my ass.
“Gods, look at you,” he breathes. His hand circles my throat, his thumb against my jaw to turn my head until I see us reflected in the bathroom mirror.
My curly hair frizzes around my head, my cheeks flushed pink and lips swollen from his assault. His hands cup my breasts once more, the dusky tips peeking from between his fingers.
His broad shoulders curve toward me from behind, his eyes hooded as he stares at us in the mirror. My heart pounds, heat pooling between my legs as he grinds against me. My thighs tremble with the need to open, to feel him against my core.
I twist within his grasp, lifting my arms to circle his neck. “I think you promised me a shower.”
“That I did.” His mouth reclaims mine as he bends to lift me, palms cupping my thighs to direct them around his waist. His cock bumps against my ass as he carries us into the shower and turns on the water.
Cold splashes against my skin, and I yelp, clinging to him tighter as he mutters an apology. I laugh into his shoulder as he fumbles with the knob one handed, his other splayed across my ass to hold me in place.
The water warms, and he backs into the spray, warm liquid sliding between our bodies. I lift my face to let it wash the dust of the day away before lowering my head to find his mouth once more.
He groans as our tongues slide together and shifts until my back presses against the wall. Gasping, I tighten my legs around him as his cock nudges against my entrance. His head lifts, and he catches my gaze as he slowly thrusts into me.
My nails dig into his shoulders, the hot stretch as he fills me almost enough to send me over the edge. He pauses when his pelvis meets mine, and he can go no farther.
Shaking the water from his eyes, he studies me. “Are you okay?”
Adjusting to his size, I squeeze my inner muscles around him, and his mouth opens on a groan. “I’m not going to break.”
“Let me know if I need to slow down.” He pulls out and rocks back in, the motion measured and careful.
I dig my heels into his backside and reach up to yank his hair. “I don’t need gentle from you, Hughe.”
Swearing, he smashes me against the wall, his head tucking into my neck as he grabs my hips and yanks me into the next thrust. A moan escapes, and I cling to him as he thrusts in and out in short, hard bursts that rock against a place inside that floods pleasure through me. Pressure builds, and I scramble for something to hold on to. My fingernails scrape against his back, and he groans loudly, his motions becoming jerky.
A moment later, I feel him pulse inside me as he cums.
Cursing, he grinds into me, his pelvis rolling against my clit until I stiffen, toes curling as my orgasm takes hold. The breath catches in my lungs as my body pulses around his cock.
His frantic lips find mine, tender and out of sync. “Are you okay?”
Unable to speak, I nod and kiss him back. Sweet shudders of release still roll through me as he slips from my body.
Tenderly, he lowers me to my feet and smiles crookedly against my lips. “Are you sufficiently warm?”
“I am.” I shift us until I stand fully beneath the spray and reach for the shampoo bottle. “But you won’t be once the hot water runs out.”
All the Lifetimes
Hughe and I are still laughing when we come out of the bedroom, dressed in our pajamas. I was right in my suspicions about that duffle bag this morning. He opened it to reveal not only sleepwear for all three, but also a change of clothes and their preferred shower items.
Since the idea of them leaving makes my stomach twist, I’m not going to fight their slow invasion.
On the one hand, it feels too fast. And in those quiet moments when my mind has time to whisper words of caution, my heart speeds up, and my chest tightens as I consider what will happen if, in the end, they leave again.
But every action they’ve taken since coming back to Port Lapton shows their determination to stay.
Hughe stops at the bathroom door and pointedly puts three toothbrushes into the cup by the sink before stacking shampoo and bar soap in the shower.
Leaning in the door, I cross my arms. Voice raised to be heard over the buzz of the saw outside, I ask, “Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I don’t hear you telling me not to.” He catches the shampoo bottle as it slips off the edge of the tub and frowns up at the shower head. “We should get a caddy to hang until we can remodel in here.”
I purse my lips. “What if I like the bathroom the way it is?”
“Do you?” He straightens and almost bumps his head on the shower rod. I don’t know how he maneuvered us in there earlier without hurting one, or both, of us. He grabs it and wiggles the tension bar a few inches up the wall, well out of bonking range.
As I stare around the small room, I consider his question. I haven’t really thought about how much I did or didn’t like the apartment; I was just happy to have a place of my own to get out of my parents’ house. But as he shuffles around in the narrow aisle left between the tub and the vanity, I notice how the counter hits at mid-thigh, and the single sink will make getting ready in the morning difficult if we all need to leave at the same time.
“It could use work,” I admit at last. “Could we knock down the wall the vanity is on and use some of the closet space in the spare bedroom to make it bigger in here?”
“We’d have to move the pipes, but it’s doable.” He grabs me around the waist and pulls me close to nuzzle my damp curls. “We
could even get a two-person tub.”
“I don’t know, I kind of like this one.” He bites gently at my shoulder, and I gasp. “It has good memories.”
“We could make even better memories in the new one,” he growls into my ear.
Outside, the saw cuts off.
Hughe lifts his head, and we glance down the hall toward the front door. “I thought they’d be out there longer.”
“Maybe it’s getting too late?” I check my watch. “It’s dinner time. We don’t want to disrupt our neighbors.”
His hands tighten on my waist as he faces me once more. “Our neighbors?”
I peek at him from the corner of my eye. “Well, you did move your toothbrushes in.”
The front door opens, and Davin and Jameson stomp their feet before walking inside. Davin spots us in the hall, and his gaze drifts over us. For a moment, I tense, unsure of his reaction. We’ve ventured into new territory in our relationship and never discussed how this would work.
But he simply shrugs out of his jacket and hangs it off one of the kitchen chairs before sitting to unlace his boots. “Is there any hot water left?”
“Might want to give it half an hour,” Hughe says as he nudges me forward.
“I’ll make some coffee.” Jameson heads into the kitchen, then glances back over his shoulder at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “Unless you need tea?”
My face catches on fire. Did they find the bag from the apothecary after I left this morning? I change my trajectory from the kitchen to the couch and flop down to hide behind it.
Out of eyesight, I call, “No, just in the morning.”
I hear the fridge open, then close, and Jameson sighs. “We need to go grocery shopping this weekend. We should probably take the truck so we can stock up.”
“Cereal again?” Davin asks.
I pop my head up to stare at them in disbelief. “We already had sandwiches.”
Three pairs of identical eyes roll. Hughe, comfortable at the kitchen, table rubs his stomach. “That was a snack.”
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 80
