by Roma James
Even if she was just being nice—and she had to be, since there weren’t many people walking this earth that she would truly call a friend—it was a gesture that I appreciated. I could tell from their faces that the guys understood the significance of her words, too.
“Your friends are missing out, in that case,” Ty said after taking a bite. “This is amazing. Truly.”
“The credit has to go to Nana,” I said, my gaze flicking from man to man before settling on my grandmother. “She’s the one who taught me what little I know in the kitchen.”
“My Gracie was always better in an operating room than in front of an oven,” Nana said. “But spaghetti is her specialty. Ever since she was old enough to ask for it, she’s loved to help me prepare it.”
“Well, we certainly appreciate you both sharing this meal with us tonight,” Cody said. “If you could see some of the things Jaeger and Ty have tried to call meals, you’d know what a treat this is tonight.”
“Hey now,” Ty said, laughing. “I didn’t hear you complaining that much last night when you went back for seconds.”
“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Jaeger said, adding, “And just for that, you can feel free to cook for us the rest of the weekend.”
I laughed, then smiled at Cody. “Don’t worry. If these guys won’t cook for you, we will. Though you might have to eat a lot of spaghetti, because—as Nana already pointed out—it’s really the only meal I’m any good at making.”
“Now, Gracie.” Nana gave me a stern look. “You know it’s impolite to only invite one of these young men over for dinner. If Cody comes, Jaeger and Ty are more than welcome to join him as well.” She cracked an impish grin before continuing. “But yes, plan for lots of spaghetti.”
I shook my head as we all laughed. She was in rare form tonight. Maybe we should have company over more often—or at least these three guys. Seeing my grandmother smiling and laughing with them made my heart happy.
It was pretty clear that she was starting to see past the motorcycles, the leather, the tattoos. She was starting to see what I saw in them—that they were smart, funny, kind men.
Good men.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when we all finally stood up from the table, but I knew it had gone by too quickly. I had really enjoyed having the guys over for dinner.
Apparently, Nana had enjoyed the company, too, because she shocked all of us by offering the use of our shower before they went back to the tents.
They had been getting by on the facilities at the clinic, but even though there was technically a shower there, it had been installed with dogs in mind rather than grown men. I didn’t ask how inconvenient it must have been for them, but I could imagine.
The three of them had jumped at the chance to take a real shower in a real bathroom, and I felt bad for not thinking of it days ago.
It wasn’t like any of us—them included—had planned on this being an extended stay, though. We were all just kind of getting by the best we could.
Nana and I had gone back to the linen closet for extra towels while the guys cleared the table. She looked at me and smiled as she handed me a stack of fluffy bath towels, and there was a twinkle in her eyes that made me pause.
“What is it, Nana?” I asked, cocking my head to the side.
I was pretty familiar with her looks. She could say a lot without speaking a single word. But this look? This smile?
All I could tell for sure was that she was up to something.
“These men have good hearts,” she said, her voice low as she glanced over my shoulder down the hallway. “I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about them at first, but their energy is good. Their intentions are pure.”
I nodded. I felt it, too. But unlike her and Jenny, I had felt it from day one. “You’re right, Nana,” I said, simply. “They’re all good guys. All three of them. Every time I think I have a favorite, the other two will surprise me. Not that it matters, of course…”
I didn’t know why I had said that much. I hadn’t really thought about it before, but it was the truth. I liked all of them, and couldn’t have picked a favorite if I had tried.
“Who says you only need to have one favorite?” she asked, winking.
I blinked, then opened my mouth to speak before snapping it shut again. What was she getting at?
“Like I said, it’s not really an issue,” I shrugged, trying to pretend like my mind wasn’t racing. “They’ll be gone in another week anyway.”
“Which is exactly why you should enjoy the attention now. Have a little fun, Gracie.”
I felt my eyebrows knit together. Who was this woman and what had she done with my grandmother?
“Nana, I don’t even know what to say to that…”
I started to turn away, hoping to end this conversation before it got super awkward, but she put a hand on my arm and stopped me.
“All I’m saying, dear, is that you should enjoy the bounty you’ve been offered. You know that everything happens for a reason. Who are you to deny the spirits their wishes if they are the ones who sent these men?”
I had no words. Enjoy the bounty? There was no question in my mind what she meant by that, even though I was more than a little mortified to be talking about it with my grandmother.
It just wasn’t a topic that came up between us. Then again, there was never really much opportunity for that topic to come up.
Until now, apparently.
Still completely speechless, all I could do was nod as she finally let go of my arm and waved me off.
“I’m going to bed, but just keep it in mind,” she called after me, making me blush right as I was walking into the kitchen again.
“Good night, Nana,” I called back, half-turning to see her disappear down the other end of the hallway.
Dear Lord, please never let me have to talk about sex with my grandmother again.
Also, please never let me refer to it as bounty.
“Thanks a million, Grace,” Jaeger said, taking the towels from me and setting them aside before grabbing one for himself. “Looks like I’m going first.”
“And I’m going to walk over and check on Rambo before my turn in the shower,” Ty said.
I nodded and smiled as they each disappeared on their way, and then shrugged at Cody. “I guess it’s just the two of us for a while, then.”
He grinned. “I can’t say I mind that at all.”
I didn’t mind, either. Though if I was being honest, I wouldn’t have minded being alone with any of them.
“Shall we have a seat?” I asked, nodding toward the couch.
He followed me over and waited for me to sit down before joining me. The sofa wasn’t small, but it felt that way with the two of us sitting there.
There were only a couple of inches of space between us, and we were close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“Has it always just been the two of you here?” he asked. “You and your grandma?”
“Pretty much. I never knew my dad, and my mom left when I was a kid. Grandpa died around that same time.” I sighed, all of the unpleasant memories hitting me at once. “It’s been just the two of us ever since.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, reaching over to give my knee a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t mean to pry…”
“That’s okay,” I said, my eyes following his hand as an electric jolt from his touch traveled through my body. “You, um… you didn’t know.”
It was an innocent touch, but it was enough to make it really hard for me to think. And the fact that he was sitting so close—was he even closer now?—was even more distracting.
He moved his hand away and I looked up to see him looking back at me, the heat from his body reflected in his sexy stare. “Sorry,” he repeated, never taking his eyes off me.
“Nothing to… apologize—” My voice broke on the last word. I had finally torn my eyes away from his and let my gaze drift down to his mouth. How had I never really noticed th
e fullness of his lips before? I wondered suddenly if they were as soft as they looked.
“Grace,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “May I…”
Our lips met before he could finish asking, and I felt myself melting against him, his strong, steady arm wrapping around me and pulling me even closer. I gasped as my entire body came alive, a warm heat rushing through me as I opened my mouth to him.
His tongue pressed against mine, gently, tentatively at first, but then more insistent with each passing second.
God, it felt so good. So right.
My body was trembling as his other hand moved along the outside of my thigh, up over the curve of my ass. I tried to turn toward him even more, hoping he would keep going, keep exploring, keep touching.
The sound of the front door opening brought me back to reality with a jolt. Cody and I untangled from each other just as Ty walked in. My face was already hot and flushed from our kiss, but now it was burning even hotter as Ty gave us a curious look.
“I’m back,” he said, smiling. “Rambo was good. Everything good here?”
I nodded emphatically as Ty’s smile widened.
“Yep,” Cody said, his arm and leg still pressed against mine. “Everything is perfect here.”
“Grace?” Ty asked, quirking an eyebrow. “Everything good?”
“Perfect,” I repeated, even though my mind was swimming with conflicted emotions.
I wanted Cody, no doubt about that. But I also wanted Ty, if I was being honest.
And Jaeger, too.
Oh, God.
What was I going to do?
Chapter 7 - Jaeger
Taking a shower in an actual bathroom instead of that dog grooming basin at the clinic had been really nice. You don’t realize how much you take things like hot running water for granted until you have to go without it for a couple of weeks.
Or until you have to squat down and shower in the same place as the German Shepherd.
“Hope you didn’t use up all the hot water, man,” Cody said, popping a towel in my direction as he walked into the bathroom.
“Maybe I did.” I shrugged, shoving a hand back through my still-damp hair. “Maybe I didn’t. Guess it’ll be a surprise.”
“I’ll get your ass back if you did,” he said, closing the door and locking me out of the bathroom as soon as I stepped out into the hallway.
“Hey, my clothes are still in there,” I knocked on the door. “In the dryer.”
“Maybe I’ve seen them,” he called back through the locked door. “Maybe I haven’t.”
Fucker.
I thumped the door with my fist once for good measure and sighed. I wasn’t about to beg, and even though I didn’t give a damn who might see me naked, I didn’t need Grace’s grandma yelling at me if she happened to come back out of her bedroom over the next few minutes.
So it seemed that I’d be sporting one of Grace’s fluffy yellow towels until Cody decided to stop holding my clothes hostage.
I walked into the living room just as Ty was walking out the door. “I thought you already left to check on Rambo,” I said, nodding toward the door and turning my head just a little so I could see Grace from the corner of my eye.
“That was where I just came back from. I forgot to stop by the tent and get some clean clothes for after my shower, though.” He looked down at my towel and quirked an eyebrow. “Did you need me to pick you up something, too? Or are you going for the toga look?”
From the corner of my eye, I could see Grace smirk. I reached down and not-so-subtly adjusted myself, letting my towel fall open just a few inches and enjoying a little smirk of my own as I watched her eyes widen.
Let’s see Cody or Ty compete with that.
“I’ll wait,” I answered. “I don’t mind air-drying a little while I wait for Cody to stop fucking around with my clothes.” I cut a look in her direction. “Excuse my language.”
She didn’t answer, and Ty simply shook his head before walking out the door and closing it behind him.
For a few seconds, I stood there, feeling a little uncertain for the first time all night. I knew for sure that I’d caught her checking me out, but not that I was looking directly at her, she didn’t seem as interested.
Only one way to be sure, though.
“Mind if I sit down?” I asked, crossing the room to stand next to the couch where she was sitting.
She looked up at me, her eyes lingering just a split-second too long on my low-slung towel and then again on my chest before she finally met my stare.
“I-I’m sorry?” She shook her head, a pink flush coloring her cheeks. “I mean yes, of course.” She gestured toward the cushion next to her. “Please have a seat.”
I grinned. Caught her again. “Thanks,” I said, easing down onto the couch and spreading my legs just enough that my towel fell open again.
Now, I’m not a total perv, so I wasn’t going to sit there with my dick hanging out—unless she wanted me to, of course. But I didn’t mind getting her imagination going with a little thigh.
“Did you, um… have a good shower?” she asked, her eyes darting down to my chest, then to my thigh again before she looked away completely.
“It was good,” I said, meaning it. “I didn’t realize how much I missed a good shower.”
“Oh, yeah,” she glanced over at me again, this time looking directly into my eyes before turning her attention to a loose thread on the arm of the couch. “I guess it probably is a lot better than our, um, grooming station at the clinic.”
I just shrugged, not wanting to be a total ass about it. I knew that she was actually being generous by letting us use the facilities at her clinic, and no matter how inconvenient they might be, it was sure as hell better than no water at all.
The last thing I needed was to be the jackass who bitched about it and fucked it up for the other guys. I’d really never hear the end of that.
“Anyway, I was just asking because I thought maybe you guys could, you know…” her voice trailed off and she swallowed hard, putting both her hands in her lap as she looked over at me again. “You guys could probably come up here and take a real shower more often, since you’ll be staying for a while.”
I nodded, but didn’t say anything, preferring instead to watch her struggle not to look at me. But every time she’d force herself to look away, her eyes would come wandering back, trailing up my abs to my chest, or sometimes moving in the other direction.
Finally, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?” She asked, shooting me a sideways glance. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing,” I lied, then shrugged. “You.”
“Me?” She looked directly at me this time, her eyebrows knitting together. “What’s so funny about me?”
“I don’t mind if you look,” I said. “Hell, I don’t mind if you touch.”
She grimaced. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I laughed again. “Sure. Suit yourself. But go ahead and really look next time. It’s just you and me here. I won’t tell.”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her legs, turning her whole body away from me—presumably so she wouldn’t be tempted to steal another glance.
We sat there completely quiet for at least a solid minute. If she wanted to be stubborn and give me the silent treatment, I sure as hell wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of talking first.
I could do this all night long if I had to. Or at least until Cody got out of the damn shower.
But, of course, I didn’t have to wait all night. She was the first one to break, just like I knew she would be.
“I was only looking at your, um…” She huffed out a short breath. “At your shoulders and your back because you’re wet.”
“I’m wet?” I snorted. “I did just get out of the shower, you know.”
She gave me a look that was decidedly not amused, and I had to struggle not to laugh again. Pushing her buttons was too easy, but it wouldn�
�t have been nearly as fun if she didn’t look so damn sexy when she was annoyed.
“I meant that you’re getting my couch wet.” She waved a hand in my direction. “You’re all wet.”
“Maybe I am,” I said, giving her a half-shrug. “Are you?”
“What?”
“The way you were looking at me just a minute ago…” I let my eyes trail down her body this time, satisfied when I saw the color return to her cheeks. “I figured you must be a little bit wet, too.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” she said, in a matter-of-fact voice that was almost certainly a sign that she was lying. “I’m not. And I wasn’t looking at… at anything. I don’t even like you.”
“I think you might actually be telling the truth about that last part,” I said, grinning. “Or at least, I think your brain is probably telling you that you don’t like me.”
“Well, I don’t know what body part you listen to,” she paused to give me a pointed look, “but when my brain tells me I don’t like someone, I don’t usually question it.”
“Your loss,” I said, hoping I sounded nonchalant enough to get under her skin just a little more.
Before this night was over, she was either going to love me or hate me, but she wasn’t going to pretend not to care.
“You have some kind of ego, don’t you?” she asked, shaking her head. “I suppose you think you’re God’s gift to women. Is that it? We all want what you’ve got there?” She nodded toward my crotch, again letting her eyes linger just a moment too long to be completely innocent.
“I like it when you get worked up like this,” I said, giving in and telling on myself just a little. “And yeah, maybe I have an ego.” I leaned in a little as I looked her in the eye. “But at least I’m honest.”
“I’m honest. Are you really going to sit here in my house and say I’m not?”
“You’re right.” I held my hands up in a mock surrender. “That was rude of me. My apologies.”
