Falling For Them: A New Adult Reverse Harem Collection

by C. L. Stone

  12

  Rain Check

  They’d left the college grounds quickly after final bell. Matt managed to get out of the car park before the buses started to leave, so it hadn’t taken them long to get into town and park up.

  “Shame we can’t grab a pizza,” Jake murmured, rubbing his stomach as he jumped down from the Land Rover.

  “You can,” Nate spoke up. He pulled his tie off and undid his top button. “We’ll wait for you if we get done first.”

  Lily closed her door and looked up and down the high street. From where she was standing, she could see a couple of second hand shops, a pet store, two cafes, and a clothing shop. She would like to come back another time and explore. Matt had found a spot just outside the optician's, and Lily was impressed by his skill in parallel parking.

  “Ten minutes,” Josh called, already crossing the street with Jake beside him.

  “C’mon, Flower.” Matt tapped her shoulder, ran his fingers down her arm and caught her hand in his. He led her to where Nate was holding the glass door open for her. She let him tug her inside but kept her eyes on Nate. She wondered what he thought about Matt holding her hand. He gave no reaction, just smirked at her as she passed him. He went over to the main desk, and they went across to the racks of men’s glasses.

  “Will they be able to fix them?” Lily asked as Matt let go of her hand to take a pair of black framed glasses.

  “I think so.” He slid them onto his nose. “Nethercotts! To which one am I speaking?” He did an excellent imitation of Mr O’Connor, making her laugh.

  “Are you with Nate for Maths then?” she asked him, trying on different pairs of glasses and pulling faces at him. “You’re not with us.”

  “No, I’m in O’Connor’s Trig and Calc class.” He moved over to the ladies’ frames. He picked out a bright pink framed pair and put them on.

  Lily laughed and reached up to touch the frames. “They suit you,” she giggled. He caught her hand and tugged her slightly closer to him.

  “What are you saying, Lily?” He arched an eyebrow at her, a tiny smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

  “Pink is your colour. It brings out the brown in your eyes.” She grinned up at him.

  “It brings out the weird in him.” Nate joined them and reached out for a pair of black frames. He slid them onto Lily’s face and tilted his head. “These suit you.”

  “Yeah, they do,” Matt agreed, putting the pink ones back. “You look cute.”

  She caught Matt’s eyes, and her smile faded. His whiskey eyes were intent on her face, and it made her toes curl.

  “Did they fix them for you?” she asked Nate brightly, dragging her gaze to him and away from Matt.

  “They’re going to. I have to come back Monday for them,” he said quietly.

  Matt reached out and slid his fingers along the frames of the glasses, his fingertips trailed over her skin. He pushed his hands into her hair, unhooked the glasses and drew them slowly down, his fingers brushing against her skin. His eyes held hers, and she was completely unable to stop the shudder that overtook her. His eyes dropped to her lips as he slid the glasses free, and it made Lily’s breath catch. Her whole world narrowed to just him.

  “We can go now,” Nate said softly.

  Lily drew in a sharp breath, flustered at her reaction to him. This was ridiculous. She was feeling things for all of them that she had no right to be feeling. It was basic attraction, that much she understood. But to feel more than attraction would be bad, and to feel it for all of them would be a disaster.

  She turned to leave, annoyed with herself. She rushed through the door and collided with what felt like a brick wall. Her face was shoved against a rough wool coat that smelt good. Hands gripped her shoulders, and she was held tightly, stopping her from falling.

  “Whoa, where’s the fire?”

  She looked up and recognised the man she’d spoken to that morning in the BMW. He seemed to make the connection at the same time as recognition dawned on his face.

  “Well, hello again, beautiful.” He smiled widely at her. She felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment as she bit her lip.

  “I am so sorry,” she breathed out. “Did I hurt you?”

  He laughed as if the idea of her hurting him was ludicrous.

  “If I say yes, would it guilt you into going to get some coffee with me?” he asked her, his hands still on her shoulders. His eyes were so dark she was almost certain they were black, but there was no emotion reflected in them, and it made her uneasy. His skin had a slightly olive tone to it, and his hair was black as ink, thick, wavy, and on the long side. Her first impression that he was attractive was spot on, but his eyes looked dead.

  “We have to go now,” Nate spoke up and his voice was icy cold. Lily frowned and looked around at him. He was right behind her, his arms folded as he stared at the stranger. Matt was right beside him with an identical stance. Lily had the vague idea that this must be like having older brothers. They were clearly not happy with the stranger and were showing it, but she had no idea why.

  Her shoulders were released, and he moved past her into the optician's.

  “I’ve rented the cottage opposite yours, beautiful. Maybe we can take a rain check on the coffee,” he said as he passed her. He showed no reaction at all to the animosity rolling off the boys. He didn’t even acknowledge their presence as he carried on into the opticians. Lily shrugged it off and looked back at Matt and Nate.

  “C’mon, Lil,” Matt said quietly, and she went with them to the Land Rover. He unlocked the doors, and she climbed in.

  Neither of them looked happy. She doubted it was the odd man that made them unhappy. She wondered if she’d done something wrong, if she was who they were unhappy with. Maybe Nate didn’t like Matt touching her face like that. But he’d seen her hold hands with him and hadn’t said anything. And if she was honest, Nate had made no real indication that he liked her like that anyway. Sure, he’d held her hands whilst she told him about her seizures, but that could have been nothing more than friendly concern. In fact, when she thought about it, none of them had made any indication that they were interested in anything but friendship. Not really.

  She made an impatient sound in the back of her throat. She had to stop this. She had to stop thinking like this. She was going to let it ruin the friendship she was building with them. She wasn’t in a position to have a serious relationship with anyone anyway; she had to remember that. Even if she was normal, and didn’t have a seizure at the drop of a hat, she knew without a doubt that come the summer holidays she’d be moving, and most probably she would never see them again. Sadness slid through her.

  “We got half and half,” came a cheerful voice, breaking her from her thoughts. Matt and Nate were still outside the Land Rover, and she could see they were talking intently. Josh and Jake got into the Land Rover, the smell of pizza made her stomach rumble loudly and her mouth fill with saliva.

  “Was that thunder?”

  Lily blushed and rubbed her hand over her stomach. “Well, it wasn’t me, so it must have been the roll of distant thunder,” she said, making them laugh. Matt got into the front, and she heard Nate get into the back, slamming his door shut.

  “We’ve got half Hawaiian, half Meat Feast on one.” Josh spoke as soon as the door was shut.

  “Three Cheeses and Veggie on the other.”

  “Meat feast, please,” Matt said. “Six is still ages away, and they won’t actually eat till closer to six thirty, Lily. Have a slice.”

  “Keep the thunder at bay,” Josh sniggered and handed Matt a slice of pizza.

  “Veggie, please,” she said and turned to take the slice from Jake. It went silent as they ate the pizza. Lily picked off a piece of feta and popped it into her mouth, it was delicious.

  “Lily, it’s none of our business, but don’t take that rain check,” Nate suddenly spoke up. It took Lily a second to work out what he was referring to.

  “Well, that’s a contradictio
n, Nate,” Josh snorted. “And what are we talking about anyway?”

  Lily kept quiet, using the pizza as an excuse not to speak. She wanted to know what they would say to the twins if she didn’t say anything.

  “Lily bumped into someone leaving the optician’s,” Matt spoke up. “I think it was the guy in the BMW this morning. He asked her to go for a coffee with him.”

  “What? Out of the blue?” Josh demanded.

  “I expect he was just being nice about me trying to mow him over,” Lily finally said, and took another bite.

  “He was creepy,” Nate corrected her. “Lily, he tried to guilt you into going with him. Plus, you have your college uniform on, and he looked to be in his thirties at least.”

  Lily frowned, not quite getting what he was saying. She swallowed quickly. “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “You could be jail bait, Lily,” Jake explained, obviously knowing immediately what Nate meant.

  “What? But I’m nearly eighteen.”

  “He wouldn’t know that. College uniform should have made him think twice. You could be fifteen and just look older for all he knew,” Josh pointed out. “I didn’t see the man, not this morning or now, but if he’s that old he shouldn’t even look twice at you.”

  “It was coffee, not a suggestion to sleep with him,” she rebutted, flummoxed by their reasoning. She knew they a point about her uniform and age, but he hadn’t propositioned her, just been friendly.

  “Lily, take it from another male, it’s usually the same thing,” Jake snorted.

  “Lily, he was hitting on you,” Matt said quietly. “If you’re interested in him, then fair enough, but—”

  “No.” Nate cut him off sharply. “Matt! Don’t tell her that! We don’t know him from Adam. Why would a man that old be interested in a schoolgirl, Matt? That’s just wrong on lots of levels.”

  “She’s fucking beautiful.” Jake spoke through a mouthful of pizza. “He’d have to be dead not to be interested in her.”

  Lily felt her face flush at the compliment he paid her.

  “Well, yes, of course she’s beautiful,” Nate said, getting riled up. “But she still can’t go off with a complete fucking stranger for coffee and whatever the hell else he wants from her!”

  “He said he’s renting the cottage opposite Lil’s,” Matt spoke up. “Must be the one Mrs Johnston owns, the holiday home.”

  “I don’t like him, Lily May!” Nate said firmly. She heard him muttering something else under his breath. He was worried, that much was clear, and she didn’t want him to worry about her.

  “It’s okay,” she spoke up and turned around completely in her seat so she could see him. “I won’t go for coffee with him. I don’t know him, and he doesn’t interest me.”

  “He doesn’t interest you at all?” Josh asked, and again she got the impression her answer was important to them.

  “No. He was good looking, yes, but his eyes were wrong.”

  She heard Nate grunt, but Matt spoke up. “What do you mean wrong?”

  “They looked blank. I mean, almost dead somehow, as if he had… no soul.” She frowned. “And now I’m being stupid.” She shook her head. “He can’t help his eyes, poor man.”

  “It’s your gut instinct,” Josh said, pointing his pizza crust at her. “Go with it; it rarely lets you down.”

  “I doubt he’d even give me another thought. He was probably just being friendly because he knows we’re neighbours.” Again, she heard Nate snort, but nothing else was said. Matt put his belt on, and she took her cue to turn around and belt up. She finished the last of her slice, licking her fingers clean.

  “You still up for tomorrow, Lil?” Josh asked. Lily looked back at him, not sure what he meant.

  “The quarry,” Jake reminded her. “Swimming. It really will be one of the last chances we get this year, unless you happen to have a wetsuit?”

  “No, I don’t. I’ve never been scuba diving,” she replied.

  “We’ve got them because the sea is freezing, no matter what the time of year,” Jake told her.

  “We’ve still got our old ones in the attic,” Josh spoke up. “Maybe one of them might fit you.”

  “We’ll dig them out and bring one over tomorrow,” Jake finished for him.

  “Okay, thank you. I have a swimsuit, though,” she said.

  “A wetsuit over it will keep you warmer. Is it a bikini, or a full swimsuit?” Nate asked.

  “Full one,” she replied.

  “Good, wear it under the wetsuit. You’ll need old shoes that you can jump in with as well, don’t go barefoot there,” Matt spoke up. “We’ll pick you up after lunch, okay?”

  “Okay,” she nodded, excited at the thought of going swimming with them. Matt pulled in by her gate, and she got out, dragging her bag with her. “Thanks for the lift.”

  “See you tonight,” Matt called out.

  “Yes. Bye!” She waved at them and ran up the path to the front door. She opened it, turned and waved again. She watched them wave back and then drive off before shutting her door.

  “Lily?”

  “Hey, Mum,” she called, dropping her bag by the door and hanging her jacket up.

  “Come and have a look, see what you think,” her mother called from the living room.

  Her mother was sitting cross legged on the floor, her sketch pad in her lap. “I managed to get a few more sketches done before the rain came down.”

  Lily moved forwards and knelt in front of her mother. She took the pad from her and smiled. “Is this Crowder Manor?” she asked. It was a three story, Georgian built house. It wasn’t as large as she’d assumed when she heard manor, but it was beautiful. Vines covered one side of the house and wisteria hung over the entrance porch. Sweeping lawns hugged the gravel driveway. In the centre of the driveway was a round pond with an elegant fountain in the middle.

  “Yes, locals still call it the vicarage; but Mr Crowder, Harold, doesn’t like that. If you refer to it, call it a manor or Crowder Manor.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “He’s a politician,” her mother replied with a laugh. “No, that’s mean. He’s nice, quite polite, but formal. His wife June is lovely. Really friendly. You’ll like her.”

  “It’s brilliant, Mum.” Lily handed the pad back to her.

  “Thank you, darling. Did you have a good day?” she asked. “Did your friend get his glasses fixed?”

  “He’s picking them up Monday after school.” She got to her feet. “Tomorrow we’re going swimming at the quarry. Matt’s picking me up after lunch.”

  “I need to go back to the manor, so that works well. Do they know about you?”

  “Mum, it was Matt and Nate that were there when I had the seizure,” she reminded her mother. “Besides, I’m sure it was just the stress from moving. I’m fine now.”

  “Take your phone with you just in case you need me.”

  “I will. I’m going to get some homework done before we leave.” Lily got to her feet and dropped a kiss on top of her mother’s head. “I’ll wear the green dress, that do?”

  “That one looks lovely on you,” her mother replied, her pencil flying over the paper as she spoke.

  Lily smiled at her mother’s bent head, she would need to come down and remind her to get ready. When she started drawing or painting, she got lost in her own world, and time meant nothing to her. Lily went out, closing the door quietly.

  13

  CROWDER MANOR

  Crowder Manor was exactly as her mother had drawn it. Except for the colour. The lawns were immaculately cut and a brilliant emerald green. Late summer flowers edged the borders of the lawn and around the fountain. The wisteria that draped over the entrance was no longer in bloom, but Lily could imagine how beautiful it would be when it flowered. Lily's mum parked their purple Mini around the side of the building. Her mother picked some of the flowers from their own garden; flowers Lily had no name for, and no interest in finding out. She liked looking at garde
ns but that was as close to gardening as she got.

  The front door opened as they rounded the corner, and Matt came out. He was dressed in black slacks and a white shirt, the top three buttons undone. His hair was brushed and almost tamed, the front section was swept away from his eyes. He made her breath catch in her throat.

  "Mrs Adair. Lily." He came over, a smile on his gorgeous face, his eyes on Lily's mum. There was a movement from the entrance and two more people came out. Lily could see where Matt got his looks from. His father was an older version of him. The only difference was the grey in his hair and the lines around his eyes. His smile was as engaging as his son's.

  "Lynda, Lily, glad you could make it," he spoke up and came forward with his wife beside him. She was small, dark haired and looked nothing like Matt. But she could see Josh and Jake in her, and it made her smile that she was more like her nephews than her own son.

  "Lily." Her hand was shaken by Mr Crowder and then his wife, who insisted she call them June and Harold. June wrapped an arm around her mother's shoulders and led her towards the house with Harold, already talking to her about how excited she was after seeing the sketches.

  "You look pretty, Lily," Matt shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks. She was wearing her nicest dress, a bottle green fit and flare dress that ended just above her knees. It had a sweetheart neckline, three quarter length sleeves, and a black belt that encircled her waist. Black kitten heels completed the look.

  "Let's just hope it doesn't rain." She coloured up at his compliment. "I forgot my coat."

  He laughed and indicated the front door with his head. "Come on, we've got a couple of minutes before dinner's ready. I'll show you ‘round if you want."