Nerds on Fire

by Grady, D. R.

“Are you telling me we have to move your furniture from a second floor apartment to your attic, on the third floor?” Leo sounded suspicious.

  “Yes.” Trixi, hands on hips, stared him down.

  Katy patted his chest. “This is your exercise for the day.”

  He glanced at Mark, who looked amused. “This is not a good idea.”

  “Yes it is. Lauren hopes to start moving in this afternoon or evening, whenever her shift ends. We need to make room for her.” Trixi beetled her brows at him.

  “Who rented her this apartment again?”

  Trixi pointed to his brother, the guilty one. “Him.”

  “Ah.” Leo looked interested. “Let me guess, you didn’t even know about this until after he pretty much rented the apartment.”

  “It wasn’t like that,” Mark defended although he didn’t sound concerned.

  “How was it like then?” Katy appeared amused. She also, thankfully, steered Leo into the mudroom and handed him his jacket before slipping hers on.

  Trixi followed Mark and was astonished when he helped her into her jacket before grabbing his. Since she was allowed to kiss him now, she did. “Thanks, honey.”

  He laughed. “You’re welcome.” His finger traced over her nose and he bent and kissed her again.

  “How was it like then?” Leo repeated Katy’s question.

  “What?” Trixi had entirely forgotten the others. Entirely. This man blew all her neurons. Oh no, she was thinking in terms of brains. Ugh.

  “Lauren was telling someone how her landlord sold her building and gave the tenants three weeks to move out. I told her about Trixi having two places she can rent.”

  Leo frowned. “That’s not much notice.”

  “No, it isn’t. Lauren was in a panic, and I knew Trixi had this apartment. I figured Lauren would love it, so I mentioned it to her.”

  “She asked me as soon as she tracked me down.”

  “She squealed when she saw it.” Mark smiled at Trixi as he took her hand. Her hand curled into his like it belonged there. Another surge of... something she didn’t recognize but liked, caused a wave of thankfulness for this man and this moment.

  They led the way to the carriage house where Trixi unlocked doors as they went. Leo enjoyed inspecting the garage and the small tractor and nodded when she told him Lauren planned to rent one of the bays.

  She pelted up the stairs, aware of her followers and unlocked the door. Leo inspected the apartment—it only took him about a minute to see everything. “This is a great setup for a single person or a couple.”

  “Yeah, Reed and Shawna did a great job with the remodel.” Katy peeked into the bathroom.

  “Who are they?” Leo asked.

  Katy scooped up a small end table. “Our brother and his wife.”

  Leo nodded and then he looked between her and Mark. “What are you thinking for emptying this place?”

  “I’ll go get the cart.” The machine would be helpful in transporting what was here.

  “You stay, let me do it.” Katy set the small table down.

  “Cart?” Mark asked and Leo echoed.

  “It’s like a rugged golf cart.” Trixi assessed the furniture in the apartment. It might take a couple trips but there wasn’t as much here as she feared.

  The men were still interested in the cart, so Katy mentioned the brand name, and both seemed familiar with it. Like the SUV and tractor, the utility vehicle was a necessity for an estate of this size.

  “Those are nice.”

  Trixi smiled. “We use it frequently. It has earned its keep.”

  “You use the tractor for what?” Leo asked.

  She shrugged. “Yard work and snow removal.”

  Leo turned speculative eyes on Katy. “You know how to run Trixi’s tractor?”

  “Of course.” She sent him a superior smirk.

  He play growled and attacked her. Trixi wondered if he planned to start licking Katy. No, he tickled her instead while she shrieked with laughter.

  “I’ll go get the cart.” Mark cocked an eyebrow at her. She handed him the keys and he left to retrieve it from the outbuilding where it was stored. It was parked right beside the big SUV since Mark’s vehicle now resided in its bay in the garage.

  In the meantime, Trixi gathered up everything she could carry. There wasn’t much here.

  They finished clearing the apartment in under an hour. Then they had to transport it all up to the attic. The hardest part was ascending and descending all the stairs. After they cleared out the furniture, she and Katy quickly cleaned the place. Therefore, Lauren wouldn’t need to bother. It wasn’t dirty, but they had tracked leaves and other debris in.

  After she locked up, she turned to her helpers. “You know, the guesthouse also has furniture in it.”

  They all groaned, but Leo hadn’t seen it yet, so they trudged over there. It didn’t take long to show them through the cottage as well. Katy had seen it plenty of times, and this time Mark made plans.

  There was a storage loft, so they moved everything neatly up there. There was a lockable closet at the back where they stored the furniture. It was wonderful to have this done.

  “Now Lauren can move her things in and this space is ready to rent as well.” Trixi was pleased with their morning’s work. “Thank you.” She smiled at her tired crew. They all turned of one accord toward the house.

  “Lunch?” Gran asked from her spot at the kitchen island.

  “Yes, please.” Trixi took an appreciative sniff of the fragrant air.

  Gran nodded and quickly set a meal on the table.

  “So you cleared the apartment?” Gran inquired as to their progress after they started eating.

  “It’s ready for Lauren.” Trixi squirted some ketchup beside her potato wedges.

  “When does she move?” Leo reached across the table for the iced tea pitcher.

  “Probably this afternoon.”

  He nodded and resumed eating after pouring tea for most of them.

  Trixi reflected that this man was spending a lot of time around her table. It was nice.

  Mark turned to Trixi. “Does Lauren know the apartment is cleaned?”

  “Yes, I texted her.”

  He nodded and finished off his burger.

  “About tonight,” Katy ventured. She dipped a potato wedge in the mound of ketchup on Trixi’s plate.

  “Yes?” Leo swallowed a huge bite.

  “What do we wear?”

  “You can wear what you have on.” Mark assembled his second burger.

  When both she and Trixi leveled censorious looks on him he turned in bafflement to Leo. Who wore the same look so they turned to Gran.

  That unflappable lady offered, “Wear something casual, but nice.”

  “Thanks, Gran.” Relief threaded Katy’s tone.

  Trixi concurred as she had also been nervous. “Yes, thanks Gran.”

  “You have nothing to worry about.” A frown line formed between Mark’s eyebrows.

  “Have you ever taken a woman home to meet your family before?” Trixi set a potato wedge back on her plate. Her stomach wasn’t certain all of a sudden.

  “No.”

  “Then I need to be nervous.”

  Leo snorted. “Trust us, our family is nice and they’re looking forward to meeting both of you.” He leveled a look at her. “And they don’t know you’re dating big brother here.”

  “They don’t?” That offered a wave of relief. Their lack of knowledge made things a little easier.

  “No. All they know is he’s bringing the woman he’s renting his place from. They have no idea you’re dating.”

  Some of her tension leaked out.

  “They’ll probably take one look at you two together and figure it out fast, but they don’t know right now.”

  He might as well have poked a pin into her balloon. Her relief deflated after a loud, resounding pop.

  “Thank you, Leo.” She nearly choked on the words.

  “You’re welco
me.”

  Katy smacked him and he laughed. “You two need to stop worrying. As far as we know, none of our rellys have ever eaten someone we’ve taken home.”

  “That’s reassuring, at least,” Katy said a moment before Trixi could.

  Trixi turned to Mark. “I think I’m getting a nasty headache.”

  “Too bad.” He leaned over to kiss her nose. “We can nap after lunch.”

  A nap sounded really nice.

  Then another thought occurred to her. Together?

  Chapter 31

  “Of course together.” They had finished lunch and were loading the dishwasher. Mark sent her a look like he suspected she had damaged some brain cells. His answer made her smile though, and she was happy when he followed her up the stairs.

  “Where are you two going?” Trixi asked Katy. Leo was close behind her.

  “We’re taking a nap too.” The four of them ascended the stairs and then separated, with her and Mark entering her bedroom and Katy and Leo disappearing into the one she used.

  It didn’t seem weird to have Mark in her room. In fact, somehow, it felt exactly right. “I haven’t seen your domain before, you know.” He gazed at everything with interest.

  She offered him a tour, showing him her bathroom and the closet, both of which were perfect sized for her, but he would have a hard time using her shower.

  “I forget how tiny you are.”

  “Is my size bad?” Was that her flirting?

  “No. I like you just the way you are.” He wrapped her up in his arms. She drew him closer, their breath intermingling. They embraced, just enjoying the other, for long moments.

  Then she took his hand and tugged him to her bed. He settled on it, looking exactly right there. When he stretched out, he groaned then pressed his nose into the pillow. “This smells like you.”

  “It should since I use it nightly.”

  He hauled her across the bed until she landed against him. “I love your scent. It’s one of the first things I noticed when we met.” Mark paused. “Well that and your beautiful eyes.”

  She craned her neck to peer up at him. “My eyes?”

  “You have the most beautiful eyes in the world.” He traced her nose. “And the cutest assortment of freckles.”

  Trixi wrinkled her nose at him. “I hate my freckles.”

  “I don’t.” He leaned down and kissed her. By then the hectic week and busy morning took its toll and both of them yawned. She cuddled closer as he yanked up the blanket at the bottom of the bed. It was perfect for napping under.

  She drifted off into sleep in the arms of the man who felt right.

  When she awoke, still hazy, Trixi realized two things. The first was she had needed a nap. The second was acknowledgment of the toasty warmth and happy feelings simmering inside. The reason for those snored on beside her, holding her close and making more noise than a hospital generator. Okay, maybe not that much, but the man sounded busy.

  She turned her head on the pillow they shared and even snoring and sound asleep he was still an incredibly attractive man. And she was dating him. A thrill undulated through her.

  Good things had come to her who waited. And waited and waited, and worried about becoming petrified. If this was her reward for patience, she would take him, snoring and all. He encountered her and awoke because the snoring stopped. Then he frowned before he hauled her closer.

  “Trixi?”

  “I’m here.”

  She felt him smile. “It smells like you.”

  He didn’t elaborate so she decided he must have drifted off again. Then he abruptly dragged her on top of him. “Did you sleep?”

  “Oh yes. I awoke about a minute before you.”

  He nodded and scrubbed a hand over his face. “That was a great nap.”

  “Yes, I agree.” She snuggled closer. “You’re warm.”

  “You’re cuddly.” He ran a hand down her spine.

  “Is that a nice way of saying I’m fat?”

  Mark rumbled. “You barely classify as curvy. But you’re perfect.” His eyes fixed on her lips, and when she licked them, realized she could be licking his which was far more interesting. He must have been entertaining similar thoughts because he twined a hand in her hair and tugged her lips to his.

  Their lips met and one of them groaned. It was amazing and incredible to kiss this man. In this case, not any man would do. Only this one. His lips were surprisingly tasty.

  She nipped his bottom lip with her teeth and he rumbled again, but for an entirely different reason. With a gentle caress of her tongue, she soothed it and then explored his top lip. Tracing it with her tongue, Trixi settled in to enjoy herself.

  Forgetting where she was until he suddenly rolled. In a heartbeat she was flattened under him. “Hey,” she protested, sort of.

  He laughed, and then set about exploring her lips. It was as thorough as the man himself. Soon their tongues were dueling and she enjoyed this as well. They slid sensually across each other, in a dance of discovery.

  Never before had she kissed this intensely. Never had a kiss been so intimate. Never had a man felt so good and so much like he was a part of her life.

  A loud pounding on her door split them apart. Both of them turned to glare at the door as Katy and Leo sailed in.

  “I told you they were kissing and didn’t want to be disturbed.” Katy indicated the bed with her chin.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot they were kissing now.” Leo scratched his jaw, not in the least concerned.

  “Can we make him go home?” Mark asked hopefully.

  Laughing, Trixi shook her head. “I don’t think so. Lauren might need his help.”

  They glanced at the clock. Trixi gasped. “We slept for two hours?”

  “You were both tired.” Leo glanced around the room.

  “What did you two do while we napped?” She couldn’t believe how long they slept. You’d think they didn’t sleep at night. Then she thought of the still ominous goings on, so none of them did sleep well right now. Even with Mark here.

  “We also napped, and then I had a few errands to run, so Leo and I left to do those. We took Gran with us because she had some things to do too.”

  “She’s an awesome lady,” Leo remarked.

  “Yes, she is. We adore her.” Trixi sat up so she could refold the blanket. Mark sat up with her and cracked his jaw.

  “I haven’t slept so well in ages.”

  “You both needed it. Now, let’s go help Lauren.” Katy pointed out the window.

  “She’s here?”

  “She just pulled up and it looks like she has a full load.”

  Leo grinned. “In her car, it’ll only take one person to empty.”

  “That’s not her car she’s driving. It’s a truck.” Katy and Leo hurried out of the room to help.

  Trixi and Mark rolled off the bed and stretched. Mark backed her against the armoire. “Thank you for the best nap of my life,” he murmured against her lips.

  Happiness infused her. “You’re welcome and thank you for the same.”

  Their lips met in another mind-blowing kiss before they reluctantly followed Leo and Katy outside to help Lauren.

  “You’re still feeling guilty,” Mark accused behind her as she gazed after Lauren who had just driven off for her next truckload.

  “Not so much now. She’s excited about the apartment and it is nice. The rent is reasonable for the area, and she can catch a ride with us if the weather is bad since we all work at the same hospital.”

  “Who pointed this out to her?”

  “Leo.” She pointed to the culprit who was busy checking out the tractor and firing questions at Katy.

  He laughed. “I think she’s going to enjoy living here. It’s safe and close to work, not to mention nice.”

  “I’m fine now. It was just getting over the initial hurdle.”

  “This means you’re independent.”

  “Yes, and financial independence is good. Dad can finally concentra
te on his own home instead of worrying about mine.”

  “Is his place bigger than this?”

  “He owns the old Wintermyer estate.”

  Mark whistled. “You’re a Wintermyer?”

  “Yes. On Dad’s side. Like my house, it ended up going through the female side of the family, Dad’s great-something grandmother, after the males were killed in a war. I can’t remember which one. His house doesn’t have to pass through a female, though, like mine.”

  “Your Gran lived there all her married life?”

  “Yes. She and Granddad put a lot of time and energy into it. My Gran inherited some money so they used her funds to spruce the place up. One of the first things she and Granddad did when she inherited was wisely invest the money. They did fix up the house, but over a period of time.”

  “So she still has all those investments?”

  “I imagine so. Gran has money, but it’s mostly invested. She lives on the interest.”

  Mark nodded, looking like he was deep in thought.

  “I’ll be happy to help her with them if she wants a non-family opinion.” He eventually glanced at his phone screen. “If we’re going tonight, we better think about getting ready.”

  Trixi’s heart fell. Oh no. What if Mark’s family didn’t like her? What if they wondered why he was with her? What if... and too many doubts assailed her.

  Dread washed over her in a powerful wave.

  “She’s scared to death,” Leo murmured as they watched the women climb the stairs to change.

  “Katy?”

  “Yes. She’s scared, but not as much as Trixi.”

  Mark paused in the act of pouring another glass of tea. “What does Trixi have to be afraid of?”

  Leo’s eyebrow climbed nearly into his hairline. “Hmm, maybe that she’s meeting her new boyfriend’s family for the first time.”

  Okay, so maybe her fears made sense. He set the glass on the island. “She’s met you.”

  “Right. Has she met Mom and Dad?”

  Good point. “No.”

  “Meeting the folks is hard enough. But she’s meeting a huge number of family tonight, people she’s never met before.”

  “But our relatives are great.” He picked up the glass and took a long swallow.