by Lee Kilraine
“We’re all brothers.” The blond biker crossed his arms with a frown while pretty boy snickered. The Jude clone shot the blond a concerned glance.
The corner of Steph’s lips curved down and her eyebrows went up. If I looked up the word doubt in the dictionary, the face Steph was making would be there. Nice. Nothing like hinting that a man was a liar and a bastard to impress them into giving me money.
“You’ve obviously got super-genes in your lineage. Would the three of you be willing to donate sp—ow!”
I pinched the back of my sister’s arm as hard as I could. Good lord she’d been in the middle of asking three total strangers—strangers I told her I needed to impress—for a sperm donation for her genetic studies.
“How can we help you? Are you interested in an estimate for a renovation?” The pretty one asked, steering the conversation away from Weird Avenue.
I shook my head and glanced at Steph, who stood rubbing her arm and staring daggers at me. Smiling at the men behind the booth, I texted Steph as fast as I could.
She narrowed her eyes at me and then checked her phone. “My sister would like to fill out the ‘Pay it Forward’ application for new start-ups.”
Darn it, of course they looked confused. She was supposed to explain why I couldn’t talk. I whipped off another text.
“Excuse me,” Steph said, holding up a finger to read the text. “Oh, right. This is my sister, Rhia Hollis, and she’s got a startup event planning company. She can’t speak right now on account of a bad case of lajfoeuja.”
WTF? The three men stood staring at us, heads tilted and frowns on their faces. They looked like they wanted to take a giant step back from the crazy we were exuding. F sisterly love. I should have pushed her off the swings when we were little.
I shook my head a bit frantically and pointed to my throat, quickly sending Steph another text.
“Oh, sorry. I meant to say Rhia has laryngitis.” And then because my sister always had to be right, she hissed, “Well, you spelled it wrong.”
My face heated like a tide rolling in, over my cheeks and all the way up my forehead and across my scalp. With my red hair and pale skin I was sure I was a sight. Then again, maybe my bright blush helped disguise the hives.
“Great. I’m Gray Thorne. These are my brothers Eli and Wyatt. Wyatt, will you grab Ms. Hollis an application?” Gray nodded over but his brother was a step ahead of him and had already circled to the front of the booth with the forms and a pen. He led me to a small standing table off to the side, sliding the forms across to me.
I didn’t think I’d ever met a person exuding such calmness as this man did. He was like a crystal clear lake with nary a ripple of tension. His eyes, a deep, gorgeous blue, distracted me until I recalled I needed this grant if I wanted to run my own company and eat.
“Allergic reaction?” His voice, deep and rich, rolled over me in the most sensuous way.
“Hmm?” Looking back up into his eyes, I blinked, lost floating in the deep blue lake. I’d been so busy hearing—feeling really—his voice, I hadn’t listened to the actual words he’d said.
“Your hives,” he said. His gaze ran over my cheeks and forearms. “They look uncomfortable. Let me walk you through the application so you can get out of here quicker.”
And that’s what he did. I filled out the application while Wyatt Thorne stood next to me, explaining anything I looked unsure about.
I nodded and curved my lips up in thanks, turning to address the forms only he was close enough to smell and he smelled good. Real good. I had to blink a few times at the paper in front of me to pull my focus back. I felt downright fuzzyheaded and wasn’t sure if it was from the dose of Benadryl…
Or due to Wyatt Thorn’s clean scent and blue eyes.
Darn it. Then again, what were the odds that Steph’s sports drink formula she’d tested on me had messed up my pheromone receptors?
About the Author
Lee Kilraine lives with her husband and children in the pine woods of North Carolina. When she isn’t typing away on her computer with her golden retriever, Harley, at her feet, you might find her on her front porch swing plotting her next book while guarding her hydrangea bushes from the local gang of deer. Lee is a 2014 Golden Heart Finalist. She loves writing and reading stories with a Happily Ever After and if they make her laugh...well, that’s perfect. Visit her at www.leekilraine.com
