by Various
He paused, giving her a funny look, and then smiled. “Yeah. My mother is an amazing cook. Really old school Italian. She hates packaged anything; if it can be broken down and made by hand that’s how it’s done in the house I grew up in.” He shrugged. “I usually don’t have time, but on special occasions I make the time.”
She took her position sitting on a wooden bar stool behind the kitchen island and watched as he checked on the sauce that was sautéing on the stove. She was impressed watching him as he worked away in the kitchen. And he looked incredible with his faded blue jeans riding low on his hips and a black t-shirt clinging to his torso and chest, showing an outline of the muscles underneath. She remembered running her fingers along those fine contours and longed to do it again.
Wrong brother, wrong brother! the voice of reason screamed out in her head.
We still haven’t made any commitments to each other, she reasoned back, but still a sliver of guilt crept into her consciousness. She growled at herself; she wasn’t the one to call Dane, he called her! And it wasn’t like she’d kissed him. They were friends. Just friends. Nothing wrong with that. It was okay to have a little crush over a friend as long as she didn’t do anything about it.
“Something on your mind?”
“Huh?” She looked up, met his gaze and then shook her head. “No, nothing. So what was the surprise?”
“Taste this first.” He scooped up some of the sauce and passed her the wooden spoon.
Taking the spoon, she sampled the sauce and moaned. “This is delicious. I mean… really… delicious.”
A self-satisfied smile spread across his lips. “Good. Glad you like it.”
“I don’t like it. I love it. Seriously.” Taking the spoon back, he placed it on the counter and wiggled his finger at her. “Hold on a second. I’ll get your surprise before we eat. Stay put.”
“Yes, Sir!”
He disappeared from the kitchen and returned several minutes later with a wide grin on his lips and holding something behind his back. “Now, for the record I’m going to expect something in return for what I’m about to give you.”
Tilting her head to the side, her eyes narrowed at him. “Like what?”
“I’m not at liberty to say right now, but just let it be known that sometime in the future, I’m not too sure when, I’ll be calling in my reward.”
“Oooookay.”
“Agreed?”
She quickly nodded, squirming on her stool, anxious to see what he had for her. She felt like a child at Christmastime. “What is it?”
He pulled the item from behind his back and her mouth dropped as she slipped from the stool.
“Oh my God!” Tears welled up in her eyes and her body trembled as she took a few hesitant steps toward him. In his hands was her most valuable and prized of items that was stolen from her boutique: a red crocodile skin Birkin that she’d been selling for fifty thousand.
With a little squeal of excitement she rushed to him, throwing herself into his arms, nearly toppling his large frame backward from her excitement. She placed a series of kisses across his jaw and as she was about to pull away he pulled her closer and claimed her lips with his.
Her body froze at first, but then quickly responded remembering his body and a low moan rumbled in the back of her throat. Parting her lips, she invited him in. She loved the taste of the spices from the sauce on his lips and tongue. But more than that she loved the feel of his body against hers as she pressed tight against him.
The sound of the bag slipping from Dane’s fingers brought her back to the reality of the situation and she pulled away from him, feeling breathless and confused. She’d been flirting with Dane, teasing, but she didn’t intend for things to go beyond harmless flirting – or did she?
She’d decided it was to be Graham. Didn’t she?
“So sorry. I –” He bent and picked the bag from the floor and passed it to her. “I hope I didn’t damage it.”
She accepted the bag and clutched it to her chest. “No. It’s perfect.” She couldn’t believe she’d gotten it back. Under the ruse of pretending to examine the bag for any damage she took a moment to gather her emotions. “How did you get it?”
His smile returned. “It was a fluke to be honest. We were investigating a store for another crime and we came across the bags in the back, getting ready to be shipped overseas. I remembered your stolen bags and matched them up with your stolen list. You’ll have to come to the station and claim them all and fill out the paperwork, but you should have them back within a week or two.”
“How were you able to get this one out of the station?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “Called in a favour. I know how much these bags mean to you and I wanted you to have it. And I remembered you said the most valuable ones were the weird leather and…” he motioned to the bag. “That one looks weird so I assumed it would mean a lot to you.”
Her brow furrowed. “You listened to me chattering on about the types of bags last week?”
His face flushed and he avoided her gaze. “Of course.” Brushing past her, he went back to the stove and pulled the pot of boiling pasta from the burner. “It’s ready.”
Still clutching the Birkin, she spun around and watched him. He wasn’t supposed to be the sweet brother. He was supposed to be the one who fucked women, got bored and went on his way to the next conquest. He wasn’t supposed to really care. Could it all be a ruse, a game to gain her affections so she’d sleep with him again and he could move on? She didn’t think so and it confused the hell out of her.
~*~*~*~*~
~ Graham ~
Ahhh. Shit, should have called. Hope he made enough for the both of us. The sweet aroma of spaghetti sauce and garlic bread drifted to his nose as Graham stepped through the front door of Dane’s house still in full uniform. The day had been one big disaster. It seemed like every call he got today was one stupid thing after another. Dane was an amazing cook, better even than their mother, even though he’d never admit it to Dane and certainly not to their mother, so Dane’s spaghetti would definitely hit the spot.
He’d been tempted to go see Genevieve, nothing could lift his mood like her, but she wasn’t answering her mobile and he wasn’t the type to just pop into someone’s place – other than his brother’s place. As he shrugged off his jacket and placed it onto the closet he noticed a woman’s black coat and hesitated as he considered leaving.
But curiosity over the identity of this mystery woman and the grumbling in his stomach were too much. I’ll pop in, grab some food, meet Dane’s chick of the week and be on my way. He heard a woman’s laughter coming from the kitchen as he made his way into the house. It sounded familiar. His curiosity piqued, he increased his pace until he got to the threshold of the kitchen and his eyes were immediately drawn to the kitchen table. His brother was at one end of the table and Genevieve at the other.
He cleared his throat and both sets of eyes shot over to him.
His brother was the first to acknowledge him. “Hey man. Come on in. There’s some supper left if you want some. Didn’t realize you were coming or I’d have made more.” He nodded toward Genevieve. “You remember Ginny.”
“Hi, Graham.”
“Genevieve.”
He looked from one face to the other, attempting to appear nonchalant. “Am I interrupting anything?”
What the fuck is going on? His thoughts never made it to his mouth. His eyes locked with Genevieve’s and he could have sworn he saw guilt flashing in her eyes. Guilt over what – exactly? Forcing down the surge of jealousy that was rearing its head he made his way over to the cupboard and grabbed a plate from the overhead cabinet.
He heard a chair scratching the floor and heavy footsteps behind him as he scooped some spaghetti from the pot and then covered it with sauce. His brother came to stand at his side and leaned into him.
“What the fuck, man? What’s with the attitude toward Ginny?” Dane kept his voice low, so Ginny wouldn’t be able to hear.
> Graham looked over his shoulder to eye Genevieve. She was focused on her plate, but just picking at her food. She apparently hadn’t told Dane they’d gone out a few times. But on the other hand it wasn’t like they’d had “the talk” and made things exclusive. They’d kissed a few times, but nothing heavier than that. And he hadn’t told Dane either.
He redirected his attention to Dane. If she was seeing Dane behind his back then Dane certainly wouldn’t be taking things slow like they were. If they were fucking he was done with her, no questions asked. But if she wasn’t…
“What’s she doing here?” Graham also kept his voice lowered.
Dane sliced a piece of garlic bread off of the loaf and plopped it onto Graham’s plate. “We found her merchandise. By accident really, but it worked out for her. I thought it would be nice to tell her in person.”
“So you’re not like…” he attempted to sound dismissive and hoped Dane couldn’t see through his façade. It was hard to hide anything he was thinking from his brother. It was a twin thing he supposed.
Dane sighed, turning his back to the counter and looking over at Genevieve. “No. I’d like to, but no.” He clucked his tongue off of the roof of his mouth. “I’m not getting the right vibe from her yet. And I don’t want to scare her off.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Dunno man, but I’ll figure it out.” He slapped Graham on the back and pushed off the countertop. “Grab a chair and take a load off. The Vegas thing is forgotten, it’s all cool.”
Graham battled with himself. Should he pull his brother aside and end this now? If he told Dane to back off chances are he would. But on the other hand if Dane was the one she wanted to be with then he didn’t want to be the consolation prize. He was once, with Emma, and he wasn’t about to be that again. He’d rather win her affections fair and square.
~*~*~*~*~
~ Genevieve ~
This was one of the most uncomfortable situations she’d ever been in. Worse even than the afternoon in Vegas when she realized she had gone down on the wrong brother.
It’s your guilt chickie, if you really felt you weren’t doing something wrong you wouldn’t feel this way, her conscience nagged.
“So Genevieve, how’ve you been?” She could feel both sets of eyes burning into her and had no choice but to lift her eyes from her food to look up at Graham, who had seated himself next to her.
She forced a smile. “I’m better. Your brother found my inventory. It’s a relief.” She wanted to pull him aside and explain to him nothing was going on, but was scared doing that would make it look as though there was.
“I bet.” He scooped up a helping of spaghetti, twirled it around his fork and shoved it into his mouth.
“How was your day?” That was the best she could come up with.
“Full of surprises.” He smiled and redirected his attention back to his food. He speared another forkful of spaghetti and then looked over at her again. “Surprises just keep on coming really.”
Fuck! I blew it. Shit, shit, shit. She was disgusted with herself. Her indecisive attitude came back to bite her in the ass. But when she looked from one brother to the other, examining them both, evaluating her emotions toward each, she knew who it had to be – that is, if she even had a choice anymore. She just needed him alone.
One thing she did know was that she needed to get out of there. Regroup. Give it some more thought.
She looked down at her watch and feigned shock. “Oh shit.” She did her best to display an anxious expression, but she was a horrible actress. “I didn’t realize the time. I gotta go.”
Graham cocked a brow at her, seemingly amused. “Why? What’s going on?” He motioned to his brother and back to him. “Anything we could help you with?”
“So soon?” Dane piped in, bewildered by her abrupt announcement.
“Ummm. Ahhh. Yeah.” She got up so quickly from her chair that it nearly went toppling backward, had it not been for Graham’s quick reflexes, grabbing it before it hit the floor. “Gotta meet a client. They were only available tonight. Ummm. Yeah.”
She grabbed her precious Birkin bag and the Chanel bag she had brought with her. She directed her attention to the bewildered Dane and motioned toward the Birkin. “Thank you by the way. You have no idea how much this means to me.” Without another look to Graham she scurried across the kitchen, her precious bags clutched to her chest.
“Here, I’ll see you out.” He started to stand.
She spun around at the threshold of the kitchen and put her hand up, stopping Dane from leaving the table. “No. No. It’s okay. You guys finish your supper. I can see myself out.”
She turned to leave, stopped and spun back around to face them again. Both men were staring at her, a mixture of amusement and puzzlement in their expressions. She pointed to Dane. “Thank you for supper. It was incredible.”
“My pleasure.” He gave her a smile that told her there was more to his statement than simply accepting a compliment. She bit down on her lower lip, not even sure how to respond – so she didn’t. Spinning around, she rushed from the kitchen and was out of the house within a minute.
Chapter 10
~ Graham ~
Graham spent the time at his brother’s house mulling over Genevieve’s reaction, barely listening to Dane’s chatter about the day’s big bust – the one that resulted in him getting Genevieve’s merchandise back.
He was seeing her a little more clearly now. When things got tough or uncomfortable she fled. It happened in Vegas and happened again at his brother’s place. Dane still didn’t know he’d been seeing her, but had confessed to Graham that he’d gone to see her the previous week. According to him, nothing had gone on between them aside from a brief kiss and Graham believed him. His brother had no reason to lie.
However, he suspected she did have some type of feelings toward his brother. He just needed to find out from her just what those feelings were. Had it not been midnight he would have broken his no pop-in rule and gone to see her, but that could wait until tomorrow. Perhaps it was for the best, it would give them both time to think. It would be apparent to her as it now was to him that if she were to be with either of them, the relationship would have to be out in the open. Full disclosure. Especially considering the past the three of them shared – regardless of how brief.
He turned the corner and as he drove down his street, he noticed a car already parked in his driveway. As he drew closer, it became clear it was Genevieve’s car. He wasn’t expecting to see her tonight, but he also hadn’t bought her lame excuse to leave either.
Had she been sitting in his driveway all night waiting for him to return home?
Slowing, he pulled into his driveway, parking next to her. She waited until he was out of his car and rounding his vehicle before getting out of hers.
“Hey,” she said as she approached, avoiding his gaze.
“What are you doing here Ginny?”
She walked up to him and stopped. She didn’t make an attempt to give him a hug or any kind of greeting – that worried him. She lifted her gaze from the area between their feet to meet his and he saw anxiety in her eyes.
He sighed, his mood softening. Thrusting his hand into his hair, he motioned toward the house. “Come on in, Ginny, and we can talk.”
A tight smile formed on her lips. “All right.”
He led her up the front steps and quickly unlocked the door. Stepping back, he allowed her to enter before him.
“This is a beautiful house.”
“I like the older feel to it.”
“How old is it?”
“I believe it was built in 1915. And of course remodeled over the years and upgraded. But it has many of the original features.” The first room was the living room with cathedral ceilings and a glass chandelier in the center of the ceiling. The chandelier was easily one of the most striking features of the room, in his opinion.
“It’s beautiful.” Her eyes scanned the room as she
did a 360-degree circle in the center. “It’s got so much character.”
Graham shrugged off his jacket, hung it on the coat rack and then helped her out of hers, placing it beside his. “So come on and sit down and let’s have a talk.”
She perched herself on the edge of the sofa and looked down at her hands, which were clasped in her lap. “I have to tell you something.”
“All right.” Pulling his gun from its holster, he undid his belt and placed it onto the maple coffee table in front of them and then sat down next to her. “What’s on your mind?”
“I’ve been seeing Dane.”
He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. “All right. And?”
She chewed at her lower lip, refusing to look over at him. He could see the distress in her expression. It made him want to hold her, stroke her hair and tell her it would be okay. But he didn’t know. He wouldn’t know until she finished what she’d come to see him to say.
“I’ve seen him a couple times since he showed up at the store and tonight he kissed me.” She frowned. “Or I kissed him. I’m not sure who or why. It just happened.”
“You’re attracted to him.” Graham gritted his teeth. Of course she was attracted to Dane, he was the one who had picked her up in the first place. He was his identical twin for fuck sakes. Of course she would be.
She turned to face him, her eyes pleading with him. “He’s so much like you. And so different at the same time. And after what happened with the three of us, it gets… confusing.”
He turned as well so they were eye to eye. “I understand this is a hard situation. It’s hard for me too. Do you think I like knowing my brother had you first? And that at any moment he could close his eyes and remember how you feel naked against him? But, I’m dealing with it because I want to be with you.”
A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“If you want to be with me Ginny, then you need to talk to Dane and let him know there can’t be anything between you two. You can’t be on the fence, you need to make a decision. Had it been anyone else we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but considering the circumstances I’m willing to be flexible – until now.”
