Kaden stood taller than his brothers, but Jaxon’s shoulders were a bit wider. Sloan and Jaxon were almost the same height, but the youngest brother was paler than the other two. All three of them had incredible arms that stretched their short sleeves.
“The opposite team has all three Henderson brothers on it.”
“I don’t think I can watch this.” Carol’s tummy flipped and then clenched. Somewhere deep inside of her the idea of watching any of the three brothers get hurt made her nervous.
“Don’t worry, Carol. I get all fidgety before a game, too.” Mai patted her leg. “Remember, they will heal no matter what, and by the end of the game, whatever started the fight will be forgotten.”
A group of teenage girls all screamed Sloan’s name in unison and waved signs declaring their feelings for him. He laughed and waved at the group before glancing out over the rest of the bleachers. As soon as he saw her, he grinned at her and blew her a kiss. Thankfully, enough people sat between them and the teenagers’ view of her. Four teenage heads swiveled as the girls bobbed up to see who had Sloan’s affection. River waved down at him, and Carol joined in, thankful for the cover. Jaxon looked up and found her immediately. He stared at her, and she could feel the heat of his gaze from where he stood. He smiled and waved up at them. When Kaden glanced up at her, his gaze found her immediately, making her think that perhaps he knew she was sitting there but pretended not to see her before.
Mai bumped her shoulder against Carol’s. “Wow, after the look that Kaden gave you, I’m surprised you didn’t go up in smoke.”
“I’m not entirely certain that is how he meant it.” Sure, his gaze was intense. Maybe he wanted to see what kind of woman fooled around with brothers? From the corner of her eye, she could see Mai and the incredulous look on the woman’s face.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“No, she’s not,” River added, rolling her eyes. “Brenna warned me that Carol can be completely oblivious to some things.”
Carol ignored the comment because it was pointless to argue. Besides, she was sitting beside two toothpicks for women. She didn’t doubt she looked huge sitting between them. She should have sat far away from them or next to the players’ bench. At least against the size of the men, she would look small. She watched as a few men spoke to Vencel and Gaspar and then pointed up at the stands to where they sat.
River snickered and pointed at the men gathered on the other side of the field. “Looks like you are the talk of the team, Carol.”
Oh, Shit. “Are you kidding me? What makes you think that they are talking about me?”
“Because everyone already knows me and Mai.” She tapped her water bottle against Carol’s. “You’re new here, and they all want to know who you are.”
“Look at how furious that is making the Hendersons.” Mai nodded toward the three men who now wore similar scowls as they lined up to start the game.
River reached across Carol’s lap and patted Mai’s leg. “I hope you have extra ice packs in your freezer, Mai.”
Carol watched as the game started. They tossed the ball back and forth while more than one man got tackled hard into the ground. She could see that things were being said between the players, but she was too far away to hear. Kaden barked out a comment, and Gaspar broke formation and ran across the field. He slammed into Kaden’s back, forcing him to throw the ball forward to his brother.
Mai jumped to her feet hollering, “Oh, dirty hit!”
Carol watched as Vencel helped his brother to his feet and then held on to him as Kaden got up. She got the impression that Gaspar might go after him given another chance. “Did you hear what he said?”
Jaxon and Sloan both met Kaden on the field, obviously making certain that he was okay.
Mai sat down before answering. “No, they usually insult each other during a game, but there is something personal being dealt with there.”
The whistle blew, and the men all gathered in a group in the middle of the field.
“What are they doing? It looks like a big group hug.” Carol didn’t know a thing about rugby, but she’d heard it described as being brutal. A big group hug didn’t seem that tough.
In fact, she thought this might be the best part of the game. Each team huddled together in a triangular formation. Linking arms, they pressed forward against the other team who stood in the same configuration. That put all their asses in perfect view, leg and thigh muscles flexed with the force as they all tried to kick the ball back to their own side of the huddle.
“That’s called a scrum,” Mai said over the hollering and insults that coloured the air around them. “The ball gets kicked back and forth inside, and each team is trying to get it onto their side, and that means they have possession.”
Carol watched the group of men shuffle back and forth. Their muscles strained as the scrum undulated under the extreme effort. She was starting to appreciate the value of rugby when River hollered out a cheer. “Cris has it!”
Carol remembered Brenna pointing out 3XTC’s DJ the other day. A holler went up as Cris worked his way up the field. He held onto the ball for a while but then tossed it behind him. That player would run past him and then toss it back again.
“Why the hell wouldn’t he toss it forward?”
“Against the rules,” Mai answered. “You can only pass back to a player or it’s a knock on and there’s another scrum.”
For the remaining time, Carol tried to keep track of the rules but soon decided enough was enough and cheered along with everyone. The funny thing was the spectators cheered for everyone regardless of what team they were on. The teenagers screamed the loudest when Sloan had the ball, and Carol couldn’t deny a flash of annoyance. “What is their problem anyway? Shouldn’t they be hanging out at a high school watching boys their own age?”
Mai nodded and then grinned. “It’s infuriating sometimes. Tourists like to come to the games, and then when they fall all over my husbands, I get really pissed off. Thankfully, after the game everyone gets together for a barbecue. It’s at my place this time, and it’s for locals only. You’re invited, too, of course.”
“Thanks, Mai. Do you need any help? I could bring something.”
“No, not at all, but I appreciate your offer. Rugby night is taken care of by the boys. It’s an unwritten rule. Vencel and Gaspar have everything ready to go. All we have to do is show up. I tried to help and ended up in a bubble bath that Vencel made for me to get me out of the way.”
“Wow. That is pretty amazing.”
“Yeah, I’m spoiled.” Mai smiled and blushed. “I’m very lucky to have found them.”
Both River and Mai kept up a running commentary during the game, explaining the rules. Mai watched everything but always knew when one of her guys had a hard hit and if they were hurt or not. It was kind of eerie, but in a way, Carol was envious. To have such an intense connection to someone else, how amazing would that be?
The first forty minutes of the game passed quickly, but the second half was much more brutal than the first. It became obvious that the Henderson brothers and the Solfalvi’s were pissed at each other, but with every hit, they seemed to get over it. By the end of the game, they were shaking each other’s hands and carrying on as if nothing ever happened. Carol was certain Kaden’s nose was broken, and Sloan had a nasty-looking bruise coming up on his cheek. Jaxon limped slightly and held on to his stomach. Mai’s husbands didn’t look much better. Mai fussed over each of them and then glared at the Hendersons.
Carol looked over to where the Henderson brothers were standing talking to another couple of men. They were a breathtaking example of masculine beauty. Seeing the three of them, even dirty and roughed up, they looked incredible. She looked away before they caught her gawking at them.
The brothers must have spoken by now about meeting her. She’d flirted shamelessly with Sloan and had the best sex of her life with Jaxon. Despite her intention to look everywhere but the group of men, her eyes were co
ntinually drawn to the three of them standing there.
Kaden she couldn’t put a finger on. She felt drawn to him, but when he looked at her, she felt an icy tingle at the back of her neck. Her instincts told her to look but not touch, but her fingers itched to smooth his frown away. There was a sadness in Kaden’s eyes that she didn’t understand but wanted to.
Sitting here watching all three of them sent a wave of longing through her that she couldn’t explain. She wanted all three of them, and that was not normal. Gordon might have two wives and Mai, two husbands, but was she pushing the limits considering three men?
* * * *
After the game, everyone met at the Solfalvis’ house as planned. The athletes had a chance to shower and change, and the effect was devastating to her libido. It was Gaspar and Vencel’s turn to barbecue, but everyone showed up with a dish of some sort. Carol hadn’t seen so much food outside of a buffet restaurant. Coolers lined the edge of the deck. Tiki torches surrounded the perimeter of the back yard, keeping the mosquitoes at bay, and added a bit of light as the sun set.
Carol had declined a beer and ended up in a chair, holding on to Willow. The lively sounds of Great Big Sea played through speakers attached to the back wall of their house. Carol looked over the people milling about as laughter echoed all around her. She was struck by how perfect it all was. This was a life she could get used to, living in a community that cared for each other. Visiting with neighbors and bringing food to a barbecue even though it was not expected.
Small towns meant that everyone was in everyone else’s business. It also meant that they could count on each other for help. Carol wished for a second that she could stay in Ecstasy Lake, but she knew it couldn’t last. She could only hide away here for so long.
A man crouched down next to where she sat, and Willow kicked her feet excitedly. “Hi there, Miss Willow, who’s this pretty lady holding you?” He smiled at Carol. “I’d offer to shake your hand, Carol, but yours are full at the moment. My name is Cris.”
“From the radio station. It’s nice to put a face to the voice.” “That’s me, and I’m glad to meet you in person, too. Brenna spoke so much about you when she said you were coming to visit.”
Cris had an easygoing manner that put Carol at ease right away. He spoke softly, and his voice had almost a magical quality to it. A career in radio was perfect for him. She would happily listen to him recite a grocery list. His hair drifted over her arm as a breeze picked up around them. His hair was shaggy, and it matched the scruff that lined his jaw. He wasn’t built as solidly as the Hendersons, but there was no denying he was a good-looking man, only he didn’t send her heart thumping or make her hands shake.
“Brenna didn’t say how long you were going to stay up here. Were you thinking of moving to Ecstasy Lake?”
A shiver of awareness danced up the back of her neck where Cris’s arm lay across the back of her chair. She darted a look over her shoulder and saw that all three of the Henderson brothers had arrived. They had cleaned up from the game. She could see some nasty bruising on their faces. As Jaxon walked toward them, he still limped slightly.
“Um, no. I’m only here for a couple weeks to help Brenna, and then I have to return to the city to sort some things out at home. I’ll be going back after Labour Day.”
With a scowl on his face, Jaxon led his brothers across the lawn toward them. Cris acted as if he didn’t notice the three brothers bearing down on them like a trio of warriors. Willow gurgled, kicked her feet, and waved the rattle in her hand as if she was excited to see them.
“Hey, Jaxon, how’s your knee doing?” Cris asked casually.
Carol looked down, but a continued awareness crept over her skin as though she could actually feel her gazes. She hadn’t completely come to terms with the idea of all three brothers being interested in her. Maybe Brenna had it wrong and they didn’t want to share her. Perhaps she was about to get the “one or none” talk. Well, she wasn’t going to sit here and have them stand over her and try to intimidate her.
She shored up her confidence and looked up at them. They stood so close that she had to tip her head way back to see them all. The movement caused her to bare her throat, and she belatedly remembered Brenna warning her against doing such a thing. It made most shifter men think it was a challenge.
She could almost feel the tension grow thick in the air around her. Dropping her chin, she looked down at Willow and tickled the baby’s cheek as she spoke.
“Hi there, guys. If you will excuse me, I have to get Willow back to her moms. I promised them I wouldn’t keep her out here too long.”
“I saw them in the house helping Mai set up all the food.” Cris stood and held out a hand to Carol.
“Perfect, I can help Mai at the same time.”
Before she could place her hand in Cris’s, he scooped up Willow out of her embrace. “No problems, I’ll take the baby in and give them a hand. You’re a guest here, sit and enjoy.”
Carol got to her feet but didn’t get much farther. Jaxon didn’t move an inch, so she stood almost brushing his chest with her breasts. A small voice in her head begged to lean forward and close the space between them, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it in front of the other two.
“Come here.” Jaxon pulled her forward and wrapped his arms around her. He tilted her head up and brushed her lips with his own. “That’s better.”
Carol could feel the heat rise in her neck and face. She would be beet red in another minute, she knew. Everything she heard about the three of them flashed in her head along with a full-colour memory of Jaxon naked. He smiled down at her, and the laugh lines around his warm brown eyes crinkled slightly. “I think I can guess what you’re thinking.”
“No. No, you can’t.” She stepped away from his embrace and tried to look unflustered.
A second later, Sloan wrapped his arms around her, and he claimed her lips like a man possessed. She couldn’t help but respond to his enthusiasm for a moment before she remembered where they were. She pushed against his chest with her hands and broke the kiss. “Sloan, stop. We’re surrounded by people.” She glanced around, but everyone standing near them before had moved away and weren’t looking in their direction.
“You worry too much, Carol.” Sloan grinned at her and gave her a hug. “I plan on doing this every time I see you.”
She glanced up at Jaxon, expecting to see him angry, but he grinned at her and winked.
A low growl vibrated in the air, and Carol followed the sound to the third brother. Kaden stood at about six four with broad shoulders and long, strong legs. Carol almost melted like a pat of butter on a summer day.
“Hello, Kaden. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You, too, Carol.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he spoke. “I want to apologize to you for my behaviour the other night. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Carol wasn’t completely certain of the middle brother. While his apology seemed sincere, she didn’t understand what it was he had against her.
“Don’t mind him, Carol.” Sloan elbowed his brother slightly, and she couldn’t help but return his smile. “He’s pissed that you beat his high score on Skip-It.”
“You’re kidding me. I wasn’t very good at that game at all.”
“All depends on where you were standing. I thought you showed incredible form while playing.”
She stepped out of his arms and smacked him in the chest. “That’s because you couldn’t keep your eyes off my boobs. If you got any closer, I might have knocked you out.”
She saw Kaden’s gaze drop to her chest and then over the rest of her. He frowned slightly and then took a couple steps back. “You know, I’ve got a couple things I have to finish before tomorrow. I think I’ll head out now. Nice to meet you again, Carol.”
Obviously, her size was an issue with Kaden. If she were twenty or thirty pounds lighter, she’d bet he wouldn’t be going anywhere. She pulled her sweater closer together
, figuring too much skin showing. Who knew a look could hurt so much? A hard lump formed in her throat, and the back of her eyes burned.
“Nice to meet you, too, Kaden. See you around.”
She turned to Jaxon and Sloan, who were both glaring at their brother. No way was she getting in the middle of this mess. “I told Mai I would help her with bringing some things out. How about I talk to you both later?”
Jaxon grabbed for her hand. “Carol, I think you misunderstood.”
She was not going to stand here and be embarrassed anymore by this. “No, I didn’t. Talk to you both later.” She rushed away toward the house and refused to acknowledge the sharp pain in her throat, or the tears that burned in her eyes. There was nothing to be worked up over she hadn’t dealt with before. A few weeks and she would put this town behind her.
* * * *
Jaxon regretted every tackle he’d blocked today to save his brother’s ass from the Solfalvis. He should have let them knock some sense into him because now he was going to kick Kaden’s ass himself. The look on Carol’s face before she turned away sent another wave of anger through him. He caught up to his brother after they rounded the house and were far enough away from everyone not to be overheard.
“You selfish bastard.” Grabbing on to Kaden’s shoulder, he whipped his brother around with the intention of punching him in the mouth.
Kaden never raised his hands in defense. It was obvious he planned to take whatever Jaxon chose to dish out. The stark acceptance across his brother’s face drained the buildup of steam he was about to release. “Kaden, what is going on with you?”
“I can’t do it, Jaxon.” His brother ran an agitated hand through his hair and started to pace back and forth. “I look at her and…I can’t. It feels like my head will explode.” He gripped at his shirt as if he were having a heart attack. “It’s too much.”
Jaxon stepped into Kaden’s path, blocking his movement. “Talk to me. Explain it to me. What do you feel when you look at her?”
Davies, Corrine - Embraced by Fur [3xtasy Lake 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 9
