by Lia Davis
I sat down next to Jon, and he welcomed me with another smile that made my insides warm up.
“You look better than breakfast in that outfit,” Jon said.
“Thanks for getting it for me,” I said.
“Option two was to have you go naked, but then we’d never leave here. Besides, I don’t trust myself not to go postal on anyone who lays eyes on what’s ours.” He winked before pouring coffee in our mugs.
Ours. It sounded so definite and seductive, but it gave no clue into what being theirs would mean for us. Maybe this was the time to bring it up.
“Breakfast is served,” Jacob said, setting hot eggs in front of us and taking a seat at the head of the table.
“It looks delicious,” I said.
“Glad you think so,” he said. He piled food on my plate. “Eat up. You’re going to need the energy.”
“Energy for what?” I grinned, remembering what day it was. One of the most romantic days of the year, and I was with two men who had shown me passion beyond anything I’d ever experienced in my entire life. Maybe they had something planned for it, but I doubted they could outdo our night at the opera house.
“Your last day of work,” Jacob said. He opened a newspaper and read as he ate breakfast.
I started on my plate of food, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Jacob had seemed so calm in the kitchen. Now, he was back to the stoic presence I was used to seeing in him.
The courage I had built up shrunk back inside of me. I couldn’t ask them about our relationship. Not with the tension I felt around Jacob, so I finished breakfast in silence, taking glances at them whenever I could. Why couldn’t I get the most romantic time of the year to celebrate with the two new men in my life?
Chapter Twelve
It was weird going back to work after my time with the Sims brothers. Although it was going to be my last day as an intern, I still held sentimental value for the place. It was a part of them and the main reason I had the chance to meet them.
We didn’t go in together to keep everyone from talking. I didn’t mind having them as my secret as long as I had them.
Everything was fine until I got to the public relations department, where I had spent the last year of my life. It was hard to miss the side glances from my co-workers and other interns. Two workers I didn’t know whispered to each other before turning to me as they waited for the elevator.
I didn’t get a clue to what was going on until Sally met me for lunch. She was a full-time employee in public relations for Sims Innovative Industries, and we hit it off instantly.
“Seems like you’ve been busy,” Sally said sitting next to me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
She studied me. “You don’t know.”
“Want to clue me in?”
“Everyone is talking about you. Apparently, a group of employees went to the opera recently and spotted of the Sims brothers there, and they weren’t alone.”
I stared at Sally, but I couldn’t move. I knew what she was going to say.
“One of them recognized you, and the office has been abuzz all morning about it. Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing one of them?”
I took a slow sip of my soda, gathering my thoughts before I spoke. Sally was one of the only people I could talk to who didn’t judge me or join in on spreading the gossip that filtered through the company. I chose to trust her with the most significant thing that mattered to me.
“It just happened, and it’s not just one of them. More like both.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously? I thought Annie was joking when she said you had your hand on both of them. I’m impressed.”
“Is that what people are saying? That I’m with both of them?” I didn’t really care about what the office thought of me since I was leaving, but I didn’t want to tarnish Jacob and Jon’s reputation in the company they’d worked so hard to build.
“Don’t worry,” Sally said. “The gossip line will change tomorrow. There’s always something more scandalous to interest them.”
“I doubt anything will top this one.”
“At least you don’t have to be part of it after today. If it were me, I wouldn’t care what people said about me. I mean, you snagged not one but two of the richest bachelors in the city. So what happened?”
I told her what I could without going into too many details. Although I trusted Sally, I still wanted to keep parts of the brothers to myself as something I could hold onto, especially if the distance with Jacob kept up. They could change their minds anytime and decide I wasn’t what they wanted.
“You’re officially my hero,” Sally said after I was done. “Do you know how jealous the women in this place are going to be if they find out what they’ve been whispering about has some truth to it? That one woman snagged both Sims brothers?”
“Don’t tell them anything,” I said.
“I’d never do that,” she said.
“I know. I just want to be careful.”
“None of the people gossiping deserve to know anything about your life. You can trust me to not spill.”
“Thanks. The last thing I want to do is cause problems for them before I leave.” I shuffled the food on my plate around. I couldn’t eat anymore, although I’d barely taken a few bites.
“I’m sure that pair of male hotness upstairs can take care of themselves. If someone causes trouble for them, they’ll handle it. From what I hear, the brothers don’t mince words with people. They tell them exactly what’s on their minds.”
“I wish they did that with me,” I said. As soon as I did, I wanted to take it back.
“What’s wrong?”
“Never mind.”
“They didn’t do anything to you, did they? God so help me, I’ll storm right up there and give them a piece of my mind.”
Sally knew how to lighten my mood, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how she’d go to my defense. “They’d never do something to intentionally hurt me. Sometimes they’re just hard to read.”
She shrugged. “Welcome to the world of men. They’re all confusing like porcupines in mating season.”
“You’ve got to stop watching all those weird animal channels.”
“What? They’re educational.” She took a sip of her electrolyte water.
“Sounds a little too informative, but I’d pay to see you use those animal facts in a verbal match with Jon and Jacob. Probably wouldn’t know what hit them.”
She scooted closer to me and lowered her voice. “Listen to me. You have two guys who obviously chose you because they found you as awesome as I do. I doubt you have anything to worry about. If I were you, I’d fly high on bliss twenty-four-seven, especially if they’re as good in bed as the rumors say.”
I smirked. “They’re better.”
Sally looked up dreamily. “Hot damn.”
“Yep.”
“Send that good juju my way when you get the time. I need some bad.”
We laughed and talked through lunch, which kept me from dwelling on what I had to go back to work with.
I did my best to ignore the stares as I completed my final duties and intake forms. Sally was right. It was no one’s business about what we did, and I couldn’t imagine them knowing anything beyond the rumors.
I was fine until I went to the restroom. Two women, who worked in advertising, came in while I was in a stall. I recognized their voices, since public relations worked closely with that department, but I didn’t know their names.
“Did you hear about what the brothers did the other day?”
“You mean with that innocent intern in PR? Please.”
“She’s probably not so innocent anymore.”
Their laughter echoed through the restroom.
“She won’t last. None ever do. They need real women who know what they’re doing. That’s the only way those two will ever settle down.”
“Someone should warn the intern, whatever her name is.”<
br />
I’d never been so angry in my life. There they were, talking about me like they knew me. I swung my stall door open so hard it made them jump.
I washed my hands with my head down, but I could feel their eyes on me in the mirror. After I dried off, I finally looked up at them.
“Consider me warned,” I said and walked out of the bathroom.
I had an hour left on my shift, but I didn’t care. I needed to get out of there as soon as possible. I grabbed a few things from my desk that belonged to me and tossed them into my work bag. People gave me curious looks as I hurried around my work station. It didn’t matter.
I was done with the internship, and I was done with them.
I texted Sally as I moved towards the elevator to let her know I was leaving. She knew where I lived, so she could always visit me later. For now, I had to distance myself from all the crazy. That meant every single person who worked in Sims Innovative Industries.
I briefly thought about going up to see Jon and Jacob, but the last thing they needed was me stirring up rumors by going to see them without an appointment.
My mind was distracted as I texted and walked. I ran straight into someone going the opposite direction.
“There you are.” Jon’s familiar voice made me look up. “I was on my way to find you.”
“If it’s about the gossip, I already know about it. I need to get out of here.” I didn’t know whether to scream or cry. I just knew I didn’t want to do either one in front of an audience.
Jon took my hand and pulled me into the stairway. “I wanted to get here before any of that reached you,” he said. He brushed the back of his hand against my cheek. “It doesn’t matter what others say. You’re with us now.”
“Am I?” I couldn’t help but be a little bit skeptical after the breakfast we had together.
“I thought we made that pretty clear over the last two days,” he said. He moved in closer to me until I was trapped against the door with him barricading me from escaping.
“Jacob didn’t seem to feel that way this morning. He didn’t say much of anything and didn’t even kiss me.”
“Is that what you’re so upset about?”
“I can handle the gossip, but it’s kind of hard when I don’t even know what kind of relationship we’re starting. If I’m supposed to be a girlfriend to both of you, people are going to talk either way. I don’t care about that. I just need to know for myself.”
“First, we don’t want you as our girlfriend. What we want from you is so much more than that. As for Jacob, he was only acting like that because he didn’t want to ruin the surprise we have planned for you. One glance at you, and he was worried he’d tell you everything.”
“That doesn’t sound like Jacob.”
“You’re not the only one in new territory here. You’ve changed us, Sandy.” He leaned in so close to me that I could feel his breath on my skin. A mere inch kept us from kissing. “We don’t need labels for what we have. Do you know why that is, beautiful?”
I shook my head, unable to speak with him so close to me. My body molded naturally to his and heated up, longing for him to close the short distance that remained.
“It’s because once you agreed to become ours, Jacob and I didn’t need labels. You’re it for us, for both of us. Even though Jacob isn’t here to tell you himself, I know he feels the same way I do. Trust me. From here on out, it will only be you. Always you, Sandy. Do I need to make that any clearer?”
“No,” I whispered.
“Good answer.” His lips invaded mine and consumed all the remaining doubt I had inside of me. The rest of the world didn’t matter. Only the fire between us in that moment was left behind. He tasted like cinnamon and sex swirled into one. He acted as a magnet that drew me in, and I didn’t care what the repercussions would be as long as he always found some way to kiss me like that repeatedly.
My eyes were still closed when he pulled back.
“Go home and pack some warm clothes and essentials. You’ll find out about your surprise later this evening, and I guarantee we won’t disappoint.” Jon walked with me to the elevator. “We’ll pick you up at eight.”
The doors opened, and thankfully, it was empty. I got on and pressed the button for the first floor, but I was sad to see he didn’t join me.
“And Sandy?” Jon said. “Never again doubt that we want you. As long as you are with us, that’s strictly forbidden. Understood?”
I nodded as the doors closed and blocked him from my sight.
“Never again,” I said to myself.
Chapter Thirteen
Instead of a car with their driver, Jon and Jacob picked me up themselves in a black SUV with tinted windows.
“Just the three of us?” I asked Jacob as he got out of the passenger’s seat and took my bag.
“That’s all we need, all we’ll ever need,” Jacob said.
He held the back door open for me and closed it when I was safely inside. Instead of getting back into the passenger’s seat, he sat in the back with me, while Jon drove us.
“Jon tells me I was cold to you this morning,” Jacob said. “I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean to be. I had a lot to plan before we left.”
“It’s fine,” I said. “I get it now.”
He wrapped his arm around my waist and slid me over to him. “To make up for it, I’m riding close to you the entire way there.”
“I’d love that.” This time I pulled Jacob to me for a kiss, showing him all was forgiven.
Before I could pull back, he held me captive with his lips. He explored my mouth like he was on a mission and refused to come back empty. When he released me, I was left panting and filled with a need that couldn’t be satisfied in the backseat, not fully.
“That was for not kissing you this morning,” Jacob said.
“Definitely a kiss worth waiting for,” I said.
He traced my lips with his fingers before interlocking them with mine. “I’m not good at expressing myself like this,” he said in a low voice. “Business is a different beast. I know the best way to run a corporation, but Jon has always had a better perception of relationships, even with his scientific mind. Still, don’t ever once think you’re unwanted by either of us.”
I snuggled into him. “I won’t. Jon’s already forbidden me from doing that ever again.”
“Has he?” Jacob asked.
“You bet your ass I did,” Jon said. “No woman of ours is going to question what we feel for her. We were going to surprise you later, but I think you should know where we’re kidnapping you to so you get how serious we are about you.”
“I can’t be abducted if I’m a willing victim.” I smiled at Jon in the rearview mirror.
Jon smirked and shook his head. “You’re going to make us pull over before we get there, and you definitely want us to get there, sweetness.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“We’re going to our winter cabin about forty minutes outside the city,” Jacob said.
“That’s why Jacob was so distant,” Jon added. “He was obsessed with giving you a night to remember, and when Jacob’s obsessed, he has a one-track mind until he’s seen it through.”
“This one definitely had to be seen through,” Jacob said, nuzzling my neck. “Worth perfecting every detail.”
“Hey!” Jon scolded. “Not fair, Jacob. You get to touch her, but I have to focus on driving us there.”
“Then you better get us there fast, brother,” Jacob said. He looked at me, the darkness in the car giving his eyes a shadow of longing in them. “With you so close to me, I can’t promise restraint for too long.” That rare smile of his was back, and I hoped it stayed on him longer this time.
“That means I get to ride with her on the way back,” Jon said.
“I’d love that, too,” I said.
The cabin was too big to be called that. From the outside, it looked like a second mansion, only a more rustic version of one.
Jacob
held my hand as we walked up the front entrance, and I never wanted him to let me go.
“Welcome to our home away from home,” Jon said as he opened the door.
Walking in was like stepping into a romantic cabin paradise. The lights were dimmed and red and pink flowers were everywhere.
“We went with everything but roses,” Jacob said. “Only something unique and special for our woman on Valentine’s Day.”
“You didn’t have to do all of this for me,” I said completely stunned as I picked up a flower and smelled it. The floral aroma filled my lungs, and I let out a content sigh.
“We wanted to do it,” Jon said. “You deserve this and so much more, which is why you need to follow the trail.”
It was then that I noticed the trail of petals on the floor. I couldn’t stop grinning. “And where does that lead to?”
“Only one way to find out,” Jon said.
“We’ll follow you,” Jacob said. His tone sent sweet shivers through me, and I longed to know what awaited me at the end of the path.
I followed it and felt them close behind me. It went up the stairs and through the hallway. It led to a room at the end of the hall.
It was a bedroom, and the scattered petals ended in a heart shaped in them on the bed with a note in the center of the heart.
I picked up the note, which only had three words written on it: Look behind you.
I turned to see both Jacob and Jon holding long, red velvet boxes.
“We want to ensure that you understand how serious we are about not letting you go,” Jacob said.
“We fell for you the moment we saw you, Sandy, so we had these made to guarantee you’ll never forget,” Jon added.
They opened the boxes to reveal a bracelet in each one. I moved closer to them and noticed that they were similar except for one difference. One had Jacob’s name engraved on a nameplate, while the other’s had Jonathan’s: Jake and Jon. Two men I’d wanted for so long and who were making me fall more in love with them each day.
Jacob took my wrist and placed his bracelet there, while Jon did the same to my other hand.
