Alexander, Kalissa - Katlynn in Training (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Kalissa Alexander

  “I like a variety of sweet things, too,” Jeremiah said, “but then again when you find what you like best, you want it all the time.”

  “You making the coffee?” Justin looked pointedly his brother.

  “Absolutely,” Jeremiah said, pushing himself away from the table. “My coffee and your cake, a combination that should have Kat begging us for more.”

  Katlynn subconsciously licked her lips. For a few seconds everything seemed to stand still for her. It was if she had been caught in some kind of time warp. No one moved. Both Justin and Jeremiah stared at her, more so at her tongue that she could feel gliding slowly across her upper lip. She couldn’t look away from the two men that were making her feel like she was dessert. Then just as quickly they both turned and walked into the kitchen. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. What had just happened? Nothing, she told herself sternly. She was letting her imagination run wild, something that was new for her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to still the beating of her heart before they returned.

  Chapter Five

  Justin’s chocolate cake was by far the best she ever tasted. It could have graced the shelf of the finest bakery. The beautiful layers of vanilla cream, the lightest of cake, and buttercream frosting made the delicious concoction a true work of art. Justin cut a large piece that she had said was way too much, but the truth was she could have easily succumbed to another piece. And she would have, except she knew there was no way she could ask for another without appearing to be a glutton.

  After dinner they shared a second cup of coffee in the living room where Katlynn found herself seated between the two brothers on their large, comfy sofa. She was going to sit on a side chair, but they insisted they wanted to share her attention without one having an advantage over the other. She laughed like a schoolgirl, possibly from being so well fed or just from being in the company of two handsome young men who were acting like she was the most important person in their life, at least for the evening. Whatever the reason, she was happy, and considering how down she had been feeling, she decided to just go with it and enjoy their warmth that made the overwhelming sadness of the past months a little more bearable.

  “So, tell me, is this not the best coffee you’ve ever tasted?” Jeremiah asked, taking a sip from his own cup.

  “I must say, I’ve never had better.” Katlynn wasn’t telling a half truth to be polite. It really was the best she had ever tasted. Her new neighbors were excellent hosts.

  “I don’t like to brag, but it’s my own special blend. It’s taken me some time, but I finally got just the right combination of ground coffee beans and spice.”

  “I did tell her when she was here earlier that you made a good cup of coffee.” Justin leaned into Kat, balancing his cup against his knee. “Didn’t I, Kat?”

  “Yes, you did.” She smiled at Justin. “You are both very talented, and I also understand from Justin”—she turned to Jeremiah—“that you’re good at fixing things. What’s your specialty?”

  “My specialty,” he said slowly, his eyes drifting up toward the ceiling. “We are talking about household repairs, right?”

  “I think so, unless you want to tell me about another specialty you have?” She knew she was flirting, something she never did, but she couldn’t help herself, and besides, she had given herself permission to have fun tonight.

  “Now that’s a loaded question. However, for the sake of keeping this conversation G-rated and not wanting to take a chance of scaring you off this soon in our relationship, I guess I’ll say plumbing is where I shine the most. You know taking care of things that are need of being opened up, leaking, or need to be fitted with the proper pipes.”

  Justin coughed, spewing hot coffee all over his shirt. “Sorry,” he gasped. “It went down the wrong way.”

  “Are you okay?” Katlynn leaned toward him. Without even thinking, she placed her hand on his back to rub it gently.

  “I’m fine,” he said, “but that feels nice. Maybe a little more to the right.”

  Removing her hand, she lowered her eyes and smiled shyly. “Sorry, I just reacted.”

  “No, seriously, a little more to the right would be great. I love having my back rubbed.”

  Katlynn wasn’t sure whether he was kidding or not, but she did as he asked. She could feel the tension in his back muscles ease under the pressure of her fingers. “Does that feel better?”

  “Oh, yes. If I didn’t have to get up and change my shirt, I could stay here all night like this.”

  “Really?” Jeremiah eyed him. “So, do I have to spill my coffee to get a back rub, too?”

  “You’ll have to talk to Kat about that.” Justin straightened up, smiling over his shoulder at Katlynn, who had now folded both her hands in her lap.

  “While I’m getting changed”—he smiled at this brother—“why don’t you tell Kat about how much you like to spackle and paint, you know, like filling in holes and prepping before you’re ready to do the job.”

  “I am a man of many talents.”

  Pushing himself off the sofa, he looked back at Kat. “And if my brother pretends that he’s choking, ignore him. He’s got a helluva gag reflex. Just ask his dentist. The first time he had X-rays, he spit out the thing they use to hold the plate so many times they eventually had to put him under.”

  “Real nice, brother. Anything else you want to share with Kat?”

  “In time,” he said, walking down the hall to the bedroom, his back to them. “All will be revealed.”

  “Okay, now that my brother has thoroughly embarrassed me, how about we change the subject and you tell me about one of your most embarrassing moments, or”—he smiled boyishly—“since you’re a guest, I could give you the option of telling me about your writing.” Jeremiah casually stretched his arm so that it rested against the sofa behind her head.

  She wasn’t stupid. She knew they were both acting like naughty little boys and at her expense. But for some reason she found their double-edged humor more endearing than vulgar or embarrassing. However, she thought it best to just ignore it and move the conversation on to a more comfortable topic. “Let’s talk about my writing.”

  “Fair enough. So, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?”

  “I think I’ve always known I wanted to write. I was an avid reader as a child. I loved all types of books from mysteries to romance to horror stories. I’ve even written a few stories here and there, but I never thought they were that good. However, when I went to college, I realized that I was good at research and writing nonfiction. I was asked to review and edit some of the other students’ writing and found the process came quite naturally to me. When I graduated with my degree in English, I knew I wanted a career that included writing. Even though my dream of writing stories or a novel didn’t seem to be in the cards, I hoped I could still find work in my field. Then I saw an ad in the newspaper for a technical writer, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “It’s wonderful when you can find your niche so quickly. Justin was like that. He always knew he liked numbers, and accounting was a natural fit for him.

  Katlynn shook her head in agreement. “You’re right, it is wonderful to be able to get paid to do what you like and know you’re good at it.” Forgetting that Jeremiah’s arm was behind her, she leaned back, her neck touching his arm. “Sorry.” She leaned forward. “What about you? What made you choose the law?”

  “Kat, just relax. I’m not going to bite you.”

  “I know. I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said quickly.

  Jeremiah removed his arm, “You could never offend me. Now lean back and I’ll tell you why I chose the law.”

  She did as he asked, leaning her head against the sofa as she turned to give him her full attention. His smile was so inviting. She could get lost in it. Slow down, you may feel like a schoolgirl on her first date, but you’re no schoolgirl, and this is far from a date.

  “Unlike you and Justin, I didn’t know what I wanted
to do with my life until about a year after I graduated from college. My dad had always told me I should be a salesman because I was good at convincing people to agree with me. Sales never really appealed to me, but I gave it a shot anyway. My first job was with a pharmaceutical company. The money was great, but my heart wasn’t in it.” He stopped and took another sip of his coffee. “Now here’s the part that I don’t like talking so much about, but it is what opened my eyes to the law.”

  “You don’t have to tell me, Jeremiah. It’s okay.”

  “No, I started this story, and when I start something, I like to finish it.” He settled his head back against the cushion and turned to her. “I got in some trouble with a couple of my friends one night after a party. We were drunk, and we broke into this house that had a pool in the backyard. All we wanted to do was take a swim, and to say we weren’t thinking straight was an understatement. Needless to say, we got caught and were charged with breaking and entering.”

  He stopped talking, he eyes never leaving hers. She imagined he was trying to gauge her reaction. She didn’t say anything. She just listened as he took a breath and continued.

  “The guy’s house who we broke into was a judge, and my brother Jarred knew his oldest son. It was a first offense for all us, and with Jarred’s help the judge dropped the charges but he didn’t let us off the hook. My friends were assigned to wills and probate, but I was assigned two weeks working with the judge whose house we had broken into. His assistant was on vacation for couple weeks, and he decided to make me his slave

  “I still had school, but luckily my schedule allowed me to work afternoons.” Jeremiah finished his coffee, placing his cup on the nearby end table, before his head came back to rest against the back cushion, now almost touching hers. “Anyway, I guess you could say I found my niche. Two weeks of working with the judge and I was hooked. I studied for and took the LSATs, applied to law school, and got accepted to a few of them. I decided to go to the University of Chicago. When I graduated, I spent a couple years with a firm in Chicago, and then I was offered a job in Philadelphia with an office in Media and here I am. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing…other than spending time with a lovely woman like you.”

  Katlynn could feel herself blush. She didn’t know quite how to respond, so she ignored his last statement, “I’m not an expert about law schools, but I think the University of Chicago is one of the best in the country. You must be an excellent lawyer.”

  “He certainly thinks so,” Justin said, walking back into the room to sit back down next to her on the sofa.

  Jeremiah just sighed and looked at the ceiling. “You know, Justin, you’re becoming a real pain in the ass.”

  “Well, it’s my job, since Jarred isn’t here, to keep that ego of yours in check. But the truth is”—he turned to Katlynn—“Jeremiah is an excellent lawyer and could have worked for any law firm in the country. The whole family’s pretty proud of him, including me.”

  They were both excellent conversationalists and when one was quiet, the other took over to keep her entertained. However, regardless of the subject, there was always mention of their older brother Jarred. It seemed that he was never far from their thoughts. They also spoke of their mother along with their sister who was married with three children and living in a town near where they grew up. Katlynn was thoroughly enjoying herself until she ruined it.

  “My mom has never understood why we opted to move across the country to the suburbs of a city like Philadelphia.” Justin shook his head. “Even though she knew it was a great opportunity for Jeremiah and that I could find a much better paying job, to her the personality of a small, rural town has a huge advantage for a more balanced, fruitful life.”

  “Fruitful meaning she thinks you should both be married with children of your own. I must say I was wondering the same thing. Why aren’t you two married with a houseful of kids?” Katlynn slapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I just asked you that. Me of all people who hates it when people ask me why I’m not married. That was inexcusably rude. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I don’t mind your question. I think I speak for Justin, too, when I say we want to share who we are with you. It’s the only way you’ll feel comfortable enough to share yourself with us. Let’s just say up until now we haven’t met the right woman who we want to share our lives with, but there’s always hope.”

  “That’s true,” Justin piped in. “If we’re going to be the kind of friends I anticipate, the more we know about each other the better.”

  “Thank you,” Katlynn said, suddenly feeling a little weepy. “That means a lot to me. I don’t really have any friends to speak of. I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and even though I haven’t been without some companionship, my parents and I were always so close, I never felt the need to have a lot of other people in my life. I hope that doesn’t make me sound strange to you. Most people think I am odd because I was so close to my parents.” She suddenly felt incredibly sad.

  Before she could grasp what was happening, both brothers leaned their bodies into her and gently wrapped her tightly in their strong arms. She had never been hugged by two people like this before, not even her parents had hugged her at the same time. It felt strange but unbelievably comforting. She didn’t want to cry, but the tears fell until her body was racked with sobs. Both brothers whispered sweet words into her hair until her tears subsided. Still they held her. Taking a breath, she finally came to her senses and squirmed, a signal they acknowledged by lowering their arms, allowing her to free herself from their grasp. She needed distance to gather herself even though a part of her longed to stay wrapped in their arms.

  “I don’t think,” she said, standing up and walking a few paces from where they sat, “that I’ve ever apologized so many times in one evening. I’m so sorry for crying like that. I can’t believe I did that for the second time today.”

  “How about we make a deal?” Jeremiah said softly. “You never apologize to us again, especially for being yourself, and we’ll be here for you for as long as you want us.”

  “You’re going to make me cry again, and I hate crying in front of strangers.”

  Katlynn put her hand up in defense to ward off the overwhelming feeling of warmth and caring that surrounded her, something she wasn’t used to. “I’m sorry,” was all she could choke out before she ran for the front door that she opened and closed it behind her without looking back. Once she was inside the safety of her own home, the tears fell once again. She prayed they wouldn’t follow her. She had not only humiliated herself by allowing her emotions to get the best of her again, but running away from them was not only childish, it was embarrassing. She had single-handedly put an end to any hope of friendship with the brothers. She didn’t think she could face them again, and goodness knows they probably thought she was a mental case and were glad to be rid of her. The fact that they didn’t follow her was testament to that.

  As she was brushing her teeth, she wondered if they would want to see her again. Since they had both been so kind to her, maybe they would forgive her rudeness. She had no idea what she was going to say to them after she had made such a spectacle of herself. Although normally she would have tried to avoid them, she had to admit she wanted to see them again. The comfort she felt with them was unnatural for her. Possibly it was their acceptance of who she was without making her feel like there was something wrong with her. Well, at least they had until she had run out on them. She didn’t know what they thought of her now.

  She had never met one person, let alone two, that not only held her interest like the two brothers, but made her long for their company. It wasn’t like her to feel a bond with anyone so quickly. Turning out her bedroom light, she jumped in between the clean, crisp sheets that felt cool against her warm skin. Before the sad thoughts that usually bombarded her senses when she closed her eyes could take hold, she pictured their smiling faces. When sleep claimed her, she dreamed of two men whose b
eautiful blue eyes were looking into hers with such promise that she thought her heart might break.

  Chapter Six

  The following day, Katlynn woke to immediately tackle a few more boxes. She needed to keep busy. It felt good when the kitchen began to resemble a kitchen once again. She found a spot for her coffeemaker and even cleared enough space off on one of the counters for the microwave. She checked her cell phone for the time. It was already after three in the afternoon. She had been up since seven and her stomach was beginning to growl. She had skipped both breakfast and lunch. After the feast Justin had prepared the night before, she wasn’t surprised it had taken this long for her to even think about food again. What she really needed was to go shopping. The crackers she unpacked were stale and the cereal box had opened during the move, its contents ending up at the bottom of one of the boxes. She didn’t even have a can of soup to open.

  She took her winter jacket out of the closet and was just about to reach for the door knob when she heard a familiar knock on her door. Her heart lifted.

  “Hi, Justin.”

  “Hey, Kat. I’m going out for groceries and thought you might need some supplies. Do want to come with me?”

  “That’s really sweet of you, considering I wasn’t sure you’d ever want to speak to me again after the way I ran out on you and Jeremiah last night.”

  “Don’t be silly. We understand how raw your emotions are. Like I said before, losing one parent is devastating, but losing two so close together, that’s really tough.”

  Not wanting his compassion to start a waterfall of tears again, Katlynn looked away for a moment while she composed herself. Trying to smile, she said, “Actually I was just on my way out to the store. I’m out of everything. Maybe we should take separate cars.”

  “Not necessary. I drive a Land Rover, so there’s plenty of room.”

  Katlynn locked the front door behind her and followed Justin out to the carport. He held the car door for her. Watching him walk over to his side of the car, she felt a sense of relief. He had made it very easy for her to save face. She had been sure he and Jeremiah thought she was some kind of nut and would have tried to avoid further contact with her. She was so happy to be wrong.