Hearts on Fire 7: Claiming Catalina (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “My God, that must have been rough on him, leaving his family, his brothers, and having to pretend to be someone else for so long.”

  “I guess so. I mean, I understand his job was intense and required him to be secretive, but the four of us have always done things together. We had a plan, and we all chose to stay within New York and around our parents, and then he gets into his profession and is asked to go deep undercover. It was like one day he was there, and the next, we get one five-minute phone call telling all of us to pretend he’s dead and not to look him up or try to find him because of his job. He thought it might take a year, but then one year passed, then another, and one day he calls up and needs our help.”

  “And you were there for him. So that bond you have is obviously strong. Three years apart, and one phone call for help and you all leaped into action. That’s damn special.” She felt her heart grow heavy. The tears reached her eyes, and she looked away. She had a sister, and they barely talked to one another.

  “Hey, you okay? I didn’t mean to get you all depressed with my frigged-up family shit.”

  “Are you kidding me? Your family doesn’t sound frigged up. They sound strong and supportive. My family, on the other hand, is frigged up.” She smirked, and he chuckled.

  “That bad?” he asked.

  “I have a sister I haven’t even spoken to in over six years.” She played with the stem of her empty wine glass.

  “A falling-out?” he asked, and when she went to answer, C.C. came over.

  “Can I get you two something to drink from the bar?” the waitress asked.

  “Sure thing. Catalina, another white wine?” he asked, and she nodded, and then he ordered a Bud. Catalina smiled at C.C., the new waitress at the Station. She was very sweet and kept to herself.

  She watched Cooper say hello and shake some guy’s hand who walked by. He gave him a nod, looked at Catalina, and then winked at Cooper.

  “Hey, it’s Catalina, right?” the guy said to her. She nodded.

  “You took care of me about six months back when I wound up in the ER with a ruptured spleen from a fall during a fire.”

  “Oh, yes, I remember you. How are you feeling? Wait, you also had appendicitis, too, right?” she asked.

  He smiled and placed a hand on the back of her chair. She thought she saw Cooper’s expression change. He appeared angry, but then the guy squatted down lower. He held her gaze.

  “It’s Michael, and yes, you figured that out pretty damn quick or I could have died. There were, like, six burn victims in the ER at the time and chaos everywhere, but you stayed with me. I never got the chance to thank you, honey. You were amazing.” He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. She felt a bit embarrassed, but then Cooper cleared his throat.

  “Well, you said your thank-you, but Catalina and I were in the middle of a conversation, so if you don’t mind?” Cooper told him.

  Michael stood back up and nodded. “See ya around, Catalina. I’ll see you tomorrow, Cooper.” He then took off.

  “That was weird,” she said to Cooper, who took a slug from the beer CC had just dropped off along with the glass of white wine for Catalina.

  Cooper looked her over. “Ever date any of the people you helped to save?” He sounded kind of annoyed or something.

  “No, how about you?” she countered, giving it right back to him.

  He leaned closer and held her gaze. She felt her belly twist and tighten. Even her nipples hardened he was so close, his breath warm, his gaze sexy.

  “No.”

  She raised one of her eyebrows up at him. “Really? You expect me to believe that you’ve never hooked up with someone you helped save from a fire or from danger?”

  “The question was date, not hook up with.”

  “Oh, so there’s a big difference there, huh?”

  “Well, hooking up is quick and easy. Dating involves a bit more commitment.”

  “That’s true.” She gave a small smirk before she took a sip from her wine. He just stared at her.

  “Ever date or hook up with a soldier or a firefighter?” he asked.

  “Nope.”

  They were silent a few moments, and she couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Then he smirked.

  “Aren’t you going to ask me if I’ve ever hooked up with or dated a nurse?”

  She was taken back at his flirty forwardness, and her cheeks felt warm. She was suddenly so embarrassed. She shook her head.

  He reached out and ran his finger along her jaw then clutched her chin.

  “Well, I never did. Never knew someone for such a short time and felt so instantly attracted to her.”

  “Hmmm, use that line a lot?” she asked, but it came out sounding breathless instead of strong and confident.

  “It’s not a line. I’ve never said anything like that before. Does my honesty scare you, Catalina?” he asked, moving his lips closer.

  “You don’t scare me at all, Cooper.” But as she said his name, he kissed her, and she was intrigued that it was so good she forgot they were in the middle of a crowded room, and at the Station, no less. He ran his hand along her shoulder and neck, deepening the kiss and then slowly pulling back as she began to pull back.

  Speechless, they stared at one another, and then they both smiled.

  “Damn, baby, I wanted to do that months ago when I first laid eyes on you in the ER waiting room.”

  She pulled back and then looked around, wondering if anyone saw them kiss. Sure enough, her friends had, and they were high-fiving one another then toasting her as they waved and winked. Cooper took that second to turn and look, and they all waved and hollered.

  “Oh God, they’re so embarrassing.”

  Cooper chuckled, but then covered her hand and caressed it.

  “Maybe I get their approval.”

  “Or they’re just a bunch of goofballs that had a few too many shots.”

  “I’m leaning toward the approval thing.”

  She chuckled. “Confident, huh?”

  “Not confident enough to believe you’d make my fantasies come true and you’d come home with me tonight.”

  She was shocked, not only about him saying that to her but how easily her mind and body said yes.

  “Oh, trying to fulfill the whole hooking-up-with-a-nurse thing so you have that covered, too?” she asked, and his eyes widened, and then he got very serious.

  “Shit. That did sound like that, didn’t it? Frig. I didn’t mean it that way. I was just teasing. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

  She chuckled and covered his forearm with her hand. “Hey, forget about it. We were teasing one another.”

  “Cooper, there you are. I was looking all over the place for you.”

  Cooper looked up and smiled as Catalina turned around to see who it was. Her heart hammered, and she couldn’t help but to stare in awe at Don, Cooper’s brother. They looked like twins. His eyes widened, and then he smiled.

  “Holy crap, you found Catalina.”

  He leaned down and gave her a kiss hello. “How are you, honey? Damn, you look good. No wonder he never came back to the table with the beers.”

  Don took the seat next to her, and Cooper smiled.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Don asked.

  “Oh, I was just asking Catalina to make my fantasies come true and come home with me tonight, but she’s not biting.” He winked.

  She gave Cooper a smack. “Cooper!” she reprimanded, and Don gave her arm a little nudge, bringing her attention to him.

  “Make all our fantasies come true and come home with us.”

  “Oh, brother, you guys are crazy. Stop teasing me.” She chuckled and then took a sip of her wine, but as she lowered the glass, both men were staring at her. Cooper placed his hand on her knee and caressed it and a little higher while Don covered her hand that lay on the table.

  “Who said we were teasing?” Don asked, rendering her, speechless.

  * * * *

>   Cooper couldn’t believe their luck, to actually bump into Catalina, the one woman who’d grabbed him and his brothers’ attention months ago. It had been bad timing. Hell, even now was bad timing, and they lived over an hour away right now, but things were changing. They were all trying to work out spending more time together. They’d had a few years apart from Jeremy, and it had weighed on their relationship and bond, but the last few months, they’d made progress. There wasn’t that strange sensation anymore of not really knowing who Jeremy was and whether he still was interested in sharing a life with them and even settling down.

  But there were things to work out, and until he opened up entirely to them and let them in on his fears, his quiet thoughts, they wouldn’t be able to move on together.

  Sitting here so close to Catalina, a gorgeous woman with her long, blonde hair and deep blue eyes, and feeling possessive, Cooper found was becoming hard to resist.

  He held her gaze. His brother was feeling it, too. Don was pressed up against her chair, his arm over hers, his hand covering Catalina’s dainty one.

  “Does this scare you? Meeting us here like this after not seeing us for a few months?”

  “And then us asking you to come home with us?” Don added.

  She looked from Cooper to Don and then swallowed hard. She lowered her eyes, and he could see she was struggling, too.

  “It’s not as scary as you may think. I don’t know why, but when you asked, the word yes was on the tip of my tongue.”

  He smiled softly. His heart pounded.

  “But…” she said, and he felt his excitement deflate, “I’m not that kind of woman. I don’t know either of you. We haven’t seen one another in months. You disappeared, and you live over an hour away. It just wouldn’t work, and I don’t do one-night stands.” She slowly pulled her hand from Don’s, turned her legs so Cooper’s hand fell from her knee, and then she smiled.

  “Well, I think the smart thing to do right now is to go back to my friends and hang out with them. I have to get up early for work tomorrow anyway, but it was nice seeing you both again,” she said, sounding so sad and looking hurt.

  Cooper couldn’t let her leave. “Wait.” He stood up as she did. So did Don.

  “We’re working in town for the next few weeks. Maybe we could spend some time together. Maybe do lunch or dinner?” he suggested.

  “I’m on nights for the next several days. I need to sleep during the day,” she told him.

  Don moved around to stand in front of her, too. She was short compared to them. She was five foot four tops, and next to their six-foot-three frames, she was small, and he felt protective.

  “You have to eat, though. We could meet you at any time. In fact, the evenings before you head to the hospital would be great since we’re running the training facility this week,” Cooper added.

  “I’ll see.”

  Cooper pulled out his cell phone. “What’s your cell number? I’ll send you a text with our numbers, and we can try to coordinate.”

  She exhaled, and he knew his persistence had won her over as she rambled off her number. He texted her right away, and she reached into her purse and pulled out her cell phone. He smiled.

  “We’ll call you this week.”

  “Bye,” she whispered and looked at them both, but before she could walk away, Cooper placed a hand on her waist to stop her. She paused, and he wrapped his arm around her waist and slowly pulled her toward him, wondering if she would shove him away and hoping she would allow him to kiss her again.

  As he pulled her close, he pressed his lips to her temple and then her ear.

  “I look forward to seeing you again, Catalina. Please give this a try.” As he slowly pulled back, he brushed his lips over hers. Then he gave her a wink and a smile.

  “Goodnight.” She then glanced at Don, who took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the top of it.

  “See you soon,” Don said, and they both watched her walk away toward the bar and her friends.

  The way her round ass swayed, so sexy in that skirt, had his cock super hard and his mind imagining what she looked like naked. The attraction he felt was so instant and powerful. He couldn’t ignore this feeling, and one look at Don and he knew his brother wanted her, too. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, and a serious expression fell over his face. One look over his shoulder and Cooper saw the guys talking to Catalina and her friends. Two of the men were awfully close to Catalina.

  “Damn, she’s special. I can’t believe you kissed her. I wish she’d said yes to coming home with us, but I guess knowing she isn’t into one-night stands just makes her more appealing.”

  “She sure is. We all felt an attraction to her that day at the hospital months ago. Maybe this is our chance, Don. Maybe Catalina could be the woman we all share who completes our family.”

  Don placed his hand on Cooper’s shoulder. “I don’t think we should jump the gun. It might be just the two of us with her and not the others. Jeremy is still holding back and not quite adjusting to being out of the agency, and Cody has been a beast lately with the terrorist threats and the case he’s working on.”

  “But if we don’t make the time for a woman, for Catalina, then we could lose her entirely. We’re at different points in our lives than our brothers. They’re more than ready to make the changes and settle down, but they just can’t seem to give up that control and need to stay on top of their game.”

  Jeremy had lost his position in the agency because his identity was revealed, but he was able to keep his job as an agent, even though he wasn’t happy. Until he found something to replace his old job, he would be difficult to live with.

  Cody was getting burned out in his position. With all the new regulations and rules, it seemed like terrorists actually had rights, and by the time they all followed procedure, the element of surprise was lost and so was the opportunity to arrest the evildoers. It was a vicious cycle, and the stress of it all showed lately on Cody’s face and in his attitude. The more Cooper thought about things, the more he felt as though maybe sharing a woman together might not ever happen. So why shouldn’t he and Don entertain their attraction to Catalina? That was if they could get her to see them again. Maybe they’d pushed too hard considering they hadn’t seen her in months.

  “Hey, what’s the pissed-off expression for?” Don asked.

  “Just thinking that maybe we shouldn’t have said anything about taking her home with us. In fact, I can’t believe I actually said that to her. I didn’t even think. I just followed what was going on in my head and how excited I was to see her again. I acted like a fucking horny high school kid.”

  Don chuckled then took a slug from his beer. “I said it to her, too, and I didn’t even kiss her.”

  Cooper looked around for her and spotted her in the same place, but her eyes locked onto his before she quickly turned away.

  “God, I hope she answers our call when we ask her out.”

  “I hope so, too. There’s just something about her.”

  “Hey, what happened? You two crash and burn with Catalina?” Ice asked as he showed up behind them. Cooper gave him a sideways expression, and Ice chuckled.

  “Don’t feel defeated. She doesn’t take up any guys on any offers. Gets really annoyed when guys act like she’ll go home with them just because she was friendly.”

  Cooper felt like such an asshole.

  “What’s her deal?” Don asked. “I mean, you sound like you know her well.”

  “She’s one of Serefina’s best friends. She and her crew hang out a lot, although not much lately. Catalina works a lot.”

  “No boyfriend, then?” Don asked, and Ice smirked.

  “You guys interested, huh?”

  “Maybe,” Cooper said to him, and Ice chuckled.

  “Well, that might not work, considering you live over an hour away, unless the two of you are considering the job offer from the Board. I know it’s nowhere as intense as New York City, but you’re getting o
lder. Maybe slowing it down and moving to a nice, peaceful town like Treasure Town would be filled with positive opportunities.” Ice took a slug from his beer bottle.

  “We haven’t had too much time to discuss the job offer or look into the details. Plus, we have Cody and Jeremy to think about. They’re not sure what they want to do with their jobs,” Don said.

  “Well, when an opportunity presents itself, you should at least consider it, talk it over with them, and perhaps see if now is a good time to move. You know you already have a lot of friends here, never mind professional connections and relationships. You’d all fit in just fine.”

  “Well, it’s something to consider, and I guess Don and I have some things to discuss since the job offer was for both of us. We’ll let you know,” Cooper told Ice.

  Ice raised his beer bottle. “To hoping you’ll join the family here in Treasure Town.”

  They clicked bottles and smiled as Cooper wondered if maybe it truly was the right time to move out of New York, slow down the pace a bit. But as he glanced back toward Catalina, he wondered if he was just dreaming, being hopeful, maybe even desperate to achieve their dreams of being one family. He hardly even knew the woman, but she was the first one he’d met that ever made his mind fast-forward to a serious commitment. That in itself was definitely something he needed to explore further.

  As he felt a hand slap on his back and a group of young firefighters join them, offering beers, he had to put all thoughts on hold and talk shop with the locals. Tomorrow would be a different story.

  Chapter 1

  “So, spill the beans, missy. What the heck happened between you, Don, and Cooper last night at the Station?” Serefina asked as Catalina sat in the break room, trying to drink a cup of coffee as she spoke on the phone.

  “What are you talking about? There are no beans to spill.” Catalina rubbed her temple on her right side, as she used her shoulder to hold the phone, since her other hand held the cup of coffee. Instantly, her neck ached.

  “Come on, really? I’ve known you forever. You were immediately attracted to the four of them.”