by Erin Raegan
Ten minutes later, Jeremy came back inside with a distracted look on his face.
“You meet them?” I asked absently, flipping through receipts.
He walked through the front door, waving. “Yeah, I’m gonna let them borrow my truck to transport some stuff.”
My eyebrows shot up my forehead. Jeremy didn’t let anyone borrow his truck. No one.
But the thought flitted away the second it entered and I went back to finishing my work for the day.
I was in the kitchen, helping Aunt Bets set the table, when everyone came in for dinner. The sun was just going down and I had already showered and dressed for the bar in a fresh pair of jeans, heeled black boots, and a soft lavender sweater. Without much time to get ready, I had just thrown my sandy blond hair up in a bun and smacked on some mascara.
Aunt Bets had taken nearly ten times as long to get ready, which wasn’t abnormal for her. But with an outfit overhaul this late in the day, I knew she was trying to impress our new guests. Her bright purple eyeshadow and the floral perfume Sal bought her for their anniversary was more proof that at some point, she had caught sight of the three handsome visitors.
The door opened as we finished setting the table with her fanciest china. The scents of greasy seasoned beef and spicy beans permeated the air and my mouth watered. Her tacos would no doubt taste fantastic—as everything she cooked did—but I wouldn’t risk the fallout. I had learned at an early age that I had a very sensitive stomach and Aunt Bets had a heavy hand in the kitchen.
Aunt Bets always accommodated me though. I’d already scarfed down the toasted pita and hummus she’d had waiting for me and was waiting for my grilled chicken wrap when Sal escorted everyone into the dining room.
“Bets!” He called.
My aunt darted from the kitchen with an overly bright smile. “Hi there!”
Her voice was high and excited. She fiddled with the stiff beehive on her head, looking for loose curls as she walked to the three large men standing behind Uncle Sal.
My uncle, always focused on food, walked around her to the dining room table. He sat at the head of the table with a groan, already reaching for the toasted taco shells. “Bets, this is Killian, Leo, and Oren.”
Leo was the beefy blond guy, and Oren the tall, lean, angry-looking guy in the beach wear and scarf. Having names to pair with their strange attire seemed to delight my aunt. She blushed and complimented Oren’s sparkly footwear, not even blinking at the sight of them. Then again, her own obsession with sparkle and neon probably endeared him to her.
Oren looked at his feet as she pointed at them in delight then—strangely—scowled deeply at Killian, who grinned and swallowed a rough chuckle.
“Please, please have a seat!” Bets crowed excitedly. “It’s taco night!”
The three men sat and looked at the spread of food with a mix of wariness and curiosity. Then Holden and Jeremy ran into the house and sat at the table, grabbing several taco shells and filling them before greeting anyone.
“What’s the rush?” Aunt Bets asked as she and I passed around the taco dressings.
I rolled my eyes when they looked at her with full mouths and guilty eyes. “We’re supposed to go out.”
Aunt Bets shot me a scathing look and I winced, sitting at my place next to Killian. “You were going to leave before supper?”
Jeremy gave me a smug, food-filled grin, and I grimaced. “No, ma’am.”
She huffed at me and sat at the end of the table, facing Uncle Sal. After flicking her yellow linen napkin out onto her lap, she filled a taco shell and looked around the table. “So what are you boys doing in our small town?”
I watched Killian through my peripheral vision as he tore hesitant eyes from the untouched tacos on his plate. “Visiting familial connections.”
“Oh? Family? Here?”
All of us shared a look. I couldn’t think of a single person these three looked even remotely related to. But then, we didn’t know everyone in town. Just almost everyone.
“Yes, ma’am.” His husky voice stumbled over the moniker but he smiled softly at Aunt Bets.
She hummed, likely not wanting to pry.
“How are they?” she asked in the awkward silence, looking at all three of their untouched tacos.
Killian’s smile wavered and he looked back at the tacos before hesitantly picking up one. Oren snorted softly, but Leo took a giant bite, grimacing but still wolfing his down in seconds. He grunted and grimaced again, picking up another. Killian watched Leo curiously and then took a hesitant bite.
You’d think these guys had never had a taco in their lives. Particularly because Oren was glaring at his in unconcealed disgust. Killian chewed slowly, his face slightly flushing.
I smirked at his profile. “Good?”
Killian choked back his bite and looked at me with wide eyes. “They are very…” He smacked his lips. “Wet.”
I chuckled softly, grinning. “She likes her food greasy.”
“We all do,” Holden murmured around a bite. “You’re just weird, Theo.”
“You do not enjoy this fare?”
My smile quirked. “Fare? You talk kind of funny.”
Aunt Bets gasped. “Theo!”
“What?” I asked in annoyance.
“He does,” Holden backed me up—as he usually did, despite his faults. “All regal and shit.”
“Holden Layton, no cursing at my table,” Bets snapped.
He grinned sheepishly.
“Now apologize to our guest.”
I flushed as Bets glared at me. I hadn’t meant it rudely. But he had an interesting accent. I kind of liked it, if I was honest.
Killian watched me almost knowingly with a humored glint in his eyes. “No apologies necessary, Theo.”
I looked away from those sparkling eyes, wariness dogging me.
I seemed to lose focus when they were aimed my way.
“How long are you visiting for?” Bets asked, but her head tilted and her eyes seemed to scrunch in confusion. “Wait, didn’t you say you were visiting family? They won’t allow you to stay with them?”
I watched Killian as his smile slowly died. Why were they staying with us again? Surely a hotel would have been the better option.
Oren and Leo looked at Killian, and I studied them. Had they ever actually spoken to us? I couldn’t think of a single time.
Warily, I looked back at Killian. His eyes were already on me, searching, and a little flash of guilt seemed to fill them. It was only there a second, but then it was gone and they grew remote and cold.
My head filled with a strange buzzing and my eyes grew watery. They fluttered closed before I looked at my plate, wordlessly picking up my chicken wrap, taking a bite though minutes ago I hadn’t been hungry. Bets did the same.
The table continued their meal in silence. Everyone was too engrossed in their food for any more conversation.
Sal finished first, sitting back with a sigh. He wiped his mouth and looked at Bets. “What is it you were saying?”
Aunt Bets took a sip of water, looking at him in confusion. “I didn’t say anything.”
Sal frowned. “I thought you asked a question?” He didn’t seem sure.
I found myself frowning at my wrap, equally confused.
Killian cleared his throat. “The meal was lovely, Bets.”
She flushed and smiled. “Oh, why thank you, dear.”
Jeremy and Holden were the first out of their seats to clear their plates. Leo finished polishing what must have been his eighth taco and watched them take their dishes to the kitchen sink before following them. Killian handed his plate to Oren, and the dark-haired man snorted and snatched it.
“Theo,” Bets called as she stood with her plate, “why don’t you take these young men out with you tonight? I doubt they want to hang around for Jeopardy.”
I looked from her to Killian. Oren stuttered to a stop and looked at Killian strangely. They exchanged some weird silent conversation bef
ore Killian cleared his throat.
“Thank you for the offer,” Killian told me, though I hadn’t offered nor agreed to it. He flashed a sly smile. “But if you don’t mind, we haven’t rested in some time.”
Bets frowned. “Oh, of course. You must be tired after the day you’ve had.” Her eyes went unfocused before she shook herself and went into the kitchen.
Killian looked from her retreating back as Sal stood and went into the living room, as was his routine, already turning on the television.
“Bets set up the air mattress in the basement,” I told Killian, standing. “There’s also a couch down there. But two of you will have to share.”
I looked at their bulky frames as all three followed me down the basement stairs. When they saw the small couch and even smaller air mattress, Oren snorted. I was beginning to think that was all he was capable of.
Leo walked to the couch and threw his large body into it. The couch groaned, his big build taking up nearly the entire thing. Oren looked at the mattress then at Killian and hissed something under his breath. Guess he was capable of speech.
Killian chuckled roguishly before turning to me. “Thank you.”
I nervously tugged on a loose curl of hair. “Sure. It gets kind of chilly down here, but the closet in the hall upstairs has more blankets if you need them.”
“I run hot,” Killian purred in my ear.
A shiver moved down my spine and I had trouble staying still. The man was potent.
He chuckled again and looked at Leo, who was already snoring like a motor. “Leo will cuddle with Oren.”
Oren sent Killian a scathing glare and kicked Leo’s sneaker onto the floor to wake him.
I looked at Killian in surprise. He’d had a wealth of unsaid humor in his eyes since I’d met him, but he had yet to voice any of it. My smile quirked at his teasing, and he took a small step closer to me. I shifted anxiously. His eyes were a deep grey with flecks of gold, almost bottomless.
He had really pretty eyes.
“Thank you,” he murmured softly.
I flushed, my ears hot. I hadn’t realized I’d spoken that thought. My cheek was sore from my teeth and I unclenched my jaw. Actually I was sure I hadn’t said anything.
My headache spiked again.
“You do as well,” he told me softly. His finger traced the corner of my left eye.
Oren cleared his throat obnoxiously, and I jumped, flushing deeper. “Right, just shout if you need anything. Bets and Sal stay up late.”
Killian smirked and slowly dropped his reaching finger, curling it into his fist. I backed away to the stairs, nearly running into a basket of folded clothes.
“See ya,” I squeaked and ran up the stairs.
I reached the door as low voices cluttered together in angry hisses from below. I looked back down, mesmerized by Killian’s low chuckle. Blinking into the muted light, I listened as he spoke quietly.
“—quit playing with the hum—” low mumbles, then “—too much attention.”
A hand landed on the bottom banister. Then Killian was there, looking at me from the bottom of the stairs with laughter on his face. “It’s rude to spy, sweets.”
My ears flamed hot. I glared and slammed the door, darting back to the dining room with his muted laughter following me.
The Beginning Of A Dangerous Infatuation
Kil
“We are not here to toy with the humans,” Oren muttered in the human language. His words were stilted as he struggled with the strange language.
Leovin didn’t bother at all to speak around the rounded language. He sighed, closing his eyes and spoke in Xixin. “Did you truly expect anything less of him?”
Oren looked at Leovin in exasperation. “She could still be listening.”
“She’s not,” I told them, unable to look away from the closed door and the captivating creature hidden behind it.
“They are too strong-willed,” Oren scolded me. “If you continue to manipulate their minds, you will either break them or lose control completely.”
I sent him a scathing glance. Yet I knew the truth behind his warning.
Still, I knew I could not help myself.
They were too easy prey and far too entertaining.
And then there was her. What an interesting development.
Humans were fascinating and strangely beautiful. Her far more than any I had ever seen. How could I possibly stay away?
Simple. I couldn’t.
One Too Many Tipsy
Theo
Jeremy shifted anxiously as the night’s entertainment stumbled over their song’s chorus. Jeremy wanted to be up there playing, but Jasmine, the bar’s owner, hadn’t let him or Holden back on stage after the fight Holden instigated with Tim Greer and his goonies last month. She would get over her anger in another week or two, but for now, the brothers had to suffer her silent treatment.
I looked at her slinging drinks behind the bar as the band’s guitarist hit a wrong note, startling the patrons. Jasmine rolled her eyes, muttering angrily before glaring at our table. Specifically Jeremy and Holden.
“She won’t last another week,” Abby said to Holden.
Holden grinned, smacking a kiss on her cheek, and I looked away, angry. He’d been all over her since we met her at Jasmine’s two hours ago. It was a stark difference from his lack of interest last weekend.
They yo-yoed so often, I didn’t know how Abby hadn’t developed vertigo.
Abby smiled brightly and turned to me, her eyes likely as glassy as mine. “So tell me more about these mysterious men.”
I grimaced, finishing off my beer to cool the blush taking over my face.
Her eyes widened. “Theo, spill your guts right now.”
Jeremy snorted as he took in my embarrassment.
I quickly filled her in on the strange threesome. Her eyes grew large when I described Oren and Leo’s attire and intrigued when I got to Killian.
“You are crushing on this guy,” she said in wonder.
“No,” I said quietly. “I am not.”
Jeremy snorted again and stood to go to the bar. Hopefully he would soften Jasmine some and we wouldn’t have to listen to this band next weekend. Eyes all over the bar tracked him anxiously—just as eager to have him and Holden back on stage—as he stopped at the bar and leaned into Jasmine with a charming smile.
The entire town was invested in the outcome of their conversation. Jeremy was the best singer in the entire county, and I knew one day, some talent scout would stumble into this bar and whisk him and Holden away for fame and riches.
I hoped Abby was prepared for that day. She may be moving to Ohio, knowing full well Holden had no intention of supporting a long distance relationship, but knowing and seeing were different. I didn’t want to see her heartbroken every time she stalked him in tabloids and gossip sites.
“Theo?” Abby snapped her fingers in my face. “Spill.”
“He’s hot, so what?”
She gaped at me. “So what?” Her voice rose, and I cringed. “You are the pickiest girl I’ve ever known! If you think this guy is hot, he’s got to be off the charts.”
“Quiet,” I warned her.
She snickered, looking more excited than she had in a long time. “I can’t believe Sal’s letting them crash with you.”
I sighed. She sounded like Jeremy earlier. But Sal wasn’t that bad. I didn’t know how he’d gotten that reputation. I was an adult and did date. Granted, it was rare and Sal did ask one too many questions, but he never stepped too far over that line. He cared, and I loved that about him.
Jeremy and Holden had never been allowed to crash at our place after game nights or just to hang out because when they’d asked, I had been underage and Sal was protective. When I turned eighteen, they had been so used to being turned down they hadn’t even bothered to try.
“It’s not like I’m sharing my room,” I muttered, embarrassed.
She chuckled. “Girl, when are you going to get
your own place?”
I shifted uncomfortably. That was the big question, wasn’t it? I was twenty-two and still living with my guardians. But I loved living there and they loved me living there.
Sure, I wanted my own place. My own space. But they allowed me my freedom. I didn’t have a curfew or anything, and they rarely intervened in my life when I didn’t specifically seek their advice.
I knew most people didn’t understand why I still lived with them. I heard it from more than just my friends. My aunt even teased me about it sometimes, though I knew she didn’t want me to go.
I didn’t really have an answer for anyone.
I had been abandoned too many times in my life, I guessed. Now I lived with two people that I loved so much, I would do anything for them, and that affection was returned two-fold. Why on earth would I ever want to leave that cocoon of love and comfort? It was why I kept putting off my travel plans.
Who would help Aunt Bets at the tea shop?
Who would file all that paperwork for Uncle Sal?
He was terrible at keeping track of his receipts. Aunt Bets struggled with the garden’s chores, and Sal couldn’t operate the lawn mower in the heat after his surgery. He had acres and acres of grass to mow in the spring and summer. How long did he have before he had to pull back from work? Frank couldn’t take over for him, and though Jeremy wouldn’t admit it, I knew he and Holden didn’t want to work at the salvage yard the rest of their lives. Their passion was music.
I was all my aunt and uncle had. I couldn’t abandon them.
Abby smiled apologetically as I got quiet. I had already conveyed all of this to her. She knew my reservations. She just wanted my happiness, and she often reminded me that I was never going to experience all life had to offer if I stayed trapped in this small town. But I never had felt trapped.
Just anxious.
I would get there. One day.
Just not today.
Our conversation turned to her plans for Ohio and the Halloween Fest coming up.
