Things That Go Bump In the Night 2004

by Ashleigh Raine

  Jill shattered, her eyes slamming shut, her cries mingling with Arden’s moans. She threw out her arm, reaching for Leo.

  But when she opened her eyes, he was gone.

  Chapter Five

  Leo pushed open the door of Jill’s Bloomers, silencing the welcome bells with his palm before they could chime.

  Behind the counter, Jill was hard at work, her fingers wrestling with wire and green tape, a floral masterpiece in progress. She hummed along with the radio, her hips swinging from side to side. With her back to him, he was able to watch unnoticed as she continued to dance, occasionally singing along with the music.

  So she was in a good mood after her late night with Arden. No surprises there. The two of them had fucked until the early hours of the morning.

  Leo had watched then without her knowing, too. Well, she’d noticed once, her eyes focusing on him only while Arden rutted away inside of her. But Leo’d made sure to be out of view when her eyes opened post-climax.

  Call him a detached bastard, but adding emotion into the mix right now would only fuck things up. Arden was already so wrapped up in Jill, Leo had no choice but to be the balance. The charming seducer, the guilt-free pleasure, the clinical half who could show Jill that it wasn’t a competition, but a cooperative venture.

  And if he gave up now, there wasn’t a chance in hell of survival.

  He gave the bells on the door a gentle swing, ready to announce his arrival.

  Without turning, Jill called out, “I’ll be right with you.” She held up the stem wire she’d just attached an artsy twig to, nodded and laid it down next to a pile of purple chrysanthemums, then spun around, a welcoming smile wide on her face.

  “Leo…” Her smile wavered, and she averted her gaze, a blush covering her face. “Um…so…so what brings you here?”

  “I’m not exactly sure what I need. No, check that. I know what I need. Flowers.” He gestured around the store, giving her an open smile. “And your advice on everything about them.”

  Wiping her hands on her apron, she lifted her gaze back to his face. “Everything?” Her lips curled upward teasingly, the blush fading to a rosy glow on each cheek. “You might want to be a bit more specific or we could be here for a while.”

  “I don’t have any plans.” He chuckled when she smirked. “Okay, okay. Well, I want to impress a lady. Show my honest sincerity with the right flowers and an apology.”

  “An apology? What did you do?” Jill stepped from behind the counter, but as though realizing she no longer had a barrier between them, she drew to a halt several feet away from him.

  He smiled, trying to find the best angle of approach. “Hmmm… Let’s just say I may have gone too far, too fast.”

  “All right then.” Her eyes narrowed. Had she figured out the real reason behind his visit, or was she being the good salesperson and trying to decide which flowers would do the trick?

  In any case, he knew he couldn’t screw this up. “I know you probably get this question all the time from guys like me, but what kind of flowers would you want someone to get for you?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “That depends who’s giving them.”

  “Really?”

  “Well, yeah. Any guy who buys me flowers knows going in that I own a flower shop. How can he get me something that I haven’t seen before? I don’t get flowers. I get chocolates.” She laughed. “But we’re not talking about me, are we?” She unabashedly looked him straight in the eye.

  Damn, she was quite a challenge, keeping him on his toes. “But would that mean you’d want the most beautiful blossom in the store or…”

  “A pot of dirt? A wilted lilac?” she quipped.

  “You’re not helping,” he sang.

  “And make your job easier? Now why would I do that?” She cocked an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

  “Because that’s your job.” He lifted his eyebrow and matched her stance.

  “Okay, okay.” She laughed. “Does this…mystery lady…like you?”

  “Well, that remains to be seen.”

  She nodded. “Okay…does she think whatever you did was so awful?”

  “I hope not.” In spite of himself, he moved closer, nearly towering over her. He stepped back. Crowding her now would be a big mistake.

  In a surprising turn, she regained the space he’d put between them and placed one finger dead center of his chest. “Then I think you should pick out the flower or flowers that most remind you of her. Women like that kind of stuff, you know.”

  “Wow. Tall order.” Leo swallowed and his mind raced for a winning response. “I think I’m going to have to buy the whole store because in each flower, I can find something that reminds me of her.”

  Jill made a muffled snort, and started to pull away. “You’re so full of…”

  He pinned her retreating hand between both of his. “Okay, you want the truth? There isn’t a flower here that touches on what I feel for this woman. I’m completely in awe. She’s got me mesmerized by the look in her eyes when she laughs, the way she turns pink from head to toe when she’s embarrassed. I’m absolutely addicted.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before continuing in a whisper, “She’s so damn special and if I don’t get a chance to make things right, I’ll lose my mind.”

  “I think you just did,” she whispered, her fingers curling around his hand.

  “So am I forgiven for overstaying my welcome last night?”

  The door behind him jingled and he swallowed a curse as Jill jumped away from him. So damn close! He turned to see a woman with pink and purple spiked hair striding into the shop, her eyes widening as she looked between the two of them.

  “Carrie!” Jill exclaimed. “Umm…done with the early deliveries already?”

  “Sure am, boss lady,” the multicolored Carrie replied. “I’m ready for the afternoon run. That is if I’m not interrupting any—”

  “Nope. Everything’s ready,” Jill said overly cheery, dashing behind the counter, handing Carrie a stack of papers.

  While Jill was occupied, Leo glanced around the shop, compelled to locate the perfect flower. A single peach daisy—the only one of its kind he could see—called out to him. He plucked it from its display vase and stepped up to the register where Jill and Carrie were going through orders.

  Carrie looked up at his approach. “Well, I’ll just be in the back room…taking my time…getting the flowers…doing my job…not bothering you…” Grinning, she disappeared through a swinging door.

  Jill turned back to Leo and paused when she saw the flower in his hand. He pulled out his wallet, and as she wrapped up the flower and rang him up he said casually, “You know, I think this might be the one. At first glance, you’re struck by its simple beauty. Then the more you hold it, you realize that it’s exactly what you’re looking for.”

  She handed the flower to him with a gentle smile. “I hope it is, too.”

  He took the flower. “Seeing as how I somewhat overstayed my welcome last night…and I’m sorry about that.” He handed the flower right back to her. “I’m hoping it won’t keep you from coming over tonight.”

  In an unconscious gesture, she lifted the flower to her face and inhaled. Her eyes met his calculatingly over the peach bloom. “Okay, I’ll be there. But I’m bringing dinner this time.”

  “Ouch!” He grabbed at his heart. “You didn’t like our cooking?”

  She laughed, her carefree attitude returning. “You know I loved it. But tonight it’s my turn.”

  “If you insist.”

  “I do.”

  “Then I’ll be waiting anxiously.” Caught up in the moment, he leaned down to kiss her, but just before their lips met he changed his mind, not wanting to scare her away. When she didn’t retreat, the urge to kiss her grew stronger, but he held back, knowing the anticipation would make tonight more memorable. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” She breathed the words against his mouth before pulling away
. “I’ll see you tonight.”

  He nodded and headed out of the store, a grin creeping over his face. Hot damn, that had been a bigger thrill than he’d expected. There was more to Jill than appearances implied. Shutting him down, making him really work to win her over…the chase was always better when they put up a fight. The blood raced through his veins at the challenge that awaited him tonight.

  Leo glanced up at the eagle flying overhead. One step closer…

  * * * * *

  The moment Leo walked out the front door, Carrie erupted from the backroom. Not that this was unusual for her. Carrie was a walking entertainment center—approaching everything in life with a through-the-roof level of energy and enthusiasm. She hiked herself onto the counter, next to where Jill stood. “Hello! He was good. Smooth as buttah! And not that crappy diet stuff I’ve been eatin’ lately. I mean, I was gonna get up on him, all flowers and apology hottie, if you didn’t—and you know I don’t do dick.” Turning her head sideways and using her hand, she mimed a blowjob. “So I take it Mr. Blond and Beautiful is the reason you’ve been bouncing around here the last couple days?”

  Jill nodded absentmindedly, watching as Leo paused outside her door and looked into the sky. He tipped his head, his white blond hair shining like spun gold in the sunlight. Then he was gone, disappearing around the corner.

  “That’s it. My boss has finally found a man who makes her cream. Fuck yeah! You get him, girl. Make him show you a real good time. I’ll just go home to my vibrator…alone…and jealous.” Carrie hopped off the counter and swept Jill into the air, smashing her in a bear hug. “I’ll be out doing deliveries, but if you decide you want to leave early to do the horizontal mambo, I’ll cover for ya.” Carrie danced into the backroom, preparing to load the delivery van.

  Jill took a shaky breath, inhaling the light scent of the Gerbera daisy. There could be no misconstruing what she’d just agreed to. She wasn’t only dating Arden anymore—she was dating both brothers.

  Obviously she’d lost her mind sometime in the last ten minutes. Why would she agree to a situation so far beyond the boundaries of a normal relationship?

  Five hours later as she walked up to their house, Jill still didn’t have an answer to that question. But being around Arden and Leo made her happy. Since they’d never once tried to force her into something she didn’t want, she felt safe to explore this twofold relationship.

  Arms full of three large sodas and Chinese food, Jill leaned over precariously and rang the doorbell. The door swung open, Leo coming to her rescue.

  “Whoa! Jill, you under there somewhere? Let me get that for you.” He chuckled as he gathered the bags from her.

  “Hey, when I say I’m bringing food, I bring food. No one goes hungry under my watch.” She closed the door and followed Leo into the kitchen. He looked incredible tonight, wearing a long-sleeve button-down maroon shirt that emphasized his beautiful blond hair and blue jeans that had a comfortable worn appeal to them. He was barefoot, and for some bizarre reason Jill found that incredibly endearing—maybe Leo would finally stop putting on airs trying to impress her.

  He set the bags down and dug through them. “Which army are we feeding? Or did you just bring a ton of food so you never have to leave?”

  Jill grinned sheepishly. “Okay, the truth is when I ordered the family-size meal, I had no idea it would feed a family of twenty.”

  “Dammit. I was hoping you were staying indefinitely.” Leo pouted.

  Laughing, she glanced around the room. “Where’s Arden?”

  “M.I.A.” At her quick look, he shrugged. “It’s coming down to the wire on an important project.”

  “Oh.” Which would explain why Arden hadn’t been the one to make the date with her tonight. It felt strange though, like she was cheating on him. Did he even know she was here?

  “Hey, there.” Leo swiped his thumb across her lip, and she realized she’d been nervously biting it. “He has to come home sometime.”

  His thumb continued to smooth over her lip, back and forth, back and forth. It was hypnotic, the glide of flesh over flesh. She swallowed hard, trying to regain some control over the situation. It didn’t work. The heat from his gaze, his touch, blazed a path of reckless need through her body, making her breasts tingle. How could she fight these traitorous desires? She didn’t need to look down to know that her nipples were straining to break through her turtleneck. Geesh! She hadn’t even been in the house for two minutes and she was already horny.

  Forcing an unaffected smile, she said, “I hope he’ll be hungry.”

  Leo’s amber eyes darkened. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.” He withdrew his hand, and his behavior returned to that of the gracious host. “I thought we could eat outside, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sounds fantastic.” Jill grabbed the sodas while Leo picked up the bag of food and they exited to the backyard.

  A table was already set up, a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket, a dozen candles under glass hurricane shades lighting up the darkness. There were three place settings. Relief skittered down her spine. Obviously, Leo expected Arden to be home any minute.

  They dug into their food, the earlier awkwardness disappearing. Leo was the charmer she knew he could be, but she still couldn’t help but miss Arden. Last night had been so memorable—the unbelievable dinner combined with the brothers’ flirting and antics—tonight seemed almost solemn in comparison. It made her appreciate how well the brothers worked together.

  “This food is delicious. Good choice, Jill.” Leo raised his soda in a mock toast. “Too bad my brother’s missing it.”

  “Yeah, it is too bad, isn’t it? Tons of food and this incredible wine. Is he working with a client on a website?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure on all the details. This one’s his pet. Usually, I reel people in and get them started and then Arden irons out the details and we start doing whatever’s necessary. This time, I’m on the outside anxiously looking in. It’s a big project and I don’t want to sabotage all the work he’s put into it.”

  “Does he work late a lot?”

  “We both do.”

  “On the same projects?”

  “Sometimes. We tend to switch jobs from creative to technical all the time.” Leo poured himself another glass of wine. “But I usually do the ads and he does the web stuff.”

  “That’s good. Maybe I could hire him to redo my website. It’s pretty boring. He could probably add some real life to it.”

  “I’m sure he could.” Leo took a long drink of his wine. “I’d be happy to help, too.” He grinned. “Maybe we could trade. You teach me more about flowers, I’ll help you with your website.”

  “I don’t know,” she teased. “Sounds like I’m getting a raw deal. You don’t seem like someone who could easily be taught. Arden, however—”

  “Ouch! You wound me!” He shook his head, a self-deprecating smirk on his face.

  “Sorry.” She bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud and raised her wineglass. “To friends and flowers.”

  Leo clinked his glass against hers and they both took a drink.

  When the phone inside the house rang, Jill was stunned to see that an hour had passed since they’d started eating. She could’ve spent all night talking to Leo. He’d captivated her, made her laugh and even surprised her. There was a lot more to him than just a pretty face, broad shoulders and a tight ass. A lot more…and she was infatuated with the whole package.

  Leo pushed out of his chair. “Maybe that’s my brother.” He strode into the house, returning seconds later with the phone, holding it out to her. “Arden, wanting to beg your forgiveness, I’m sure.” When she took the phone, Leo began clearing the table.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Arden said. “Turns out I’m missing a really good time, huh?”

  “Hey yourself.” Jill smiled. “‘Bout time we heard from you. I thought maybe I’d scared you away.”

  “Never,” he stated emphatically. “Never. I m
ean that. You have no idea how badly I want to be there with you right now. This damn…” He paused and Jill could envision him running his hand through his hair. “Is Leo being good to you?”

  Jill met Leo’s eyes and smiled. “Perfect host.”

  “He’ll take care of you. I promise. You can trust him…with everything.”

  Jill shivered involuntarily. Interesting word choice. “So will I see you tonight?” she asked.

  “Tell me you’ll be there waiting and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll be here,” she whispered and Leo nodded his approval.

  “Good,” Arden replied, sounding relieved. “Until then, have fun with my brother.”

  “Yeah…okay. See you soon.” Awareness rippled over her flesh as they said their goodbyes.

  “Everything okay?” Leo covered her hand with his as he took the phone.

  She studied him in the soft glow of the candlelight. Something in his demeanor had changed in the last hour. His expression was open and honest…and a little bit resigned. Like he’d finally let down his guard and was willing to let her see the real Leo. Without his charmer façade, he bewitched her mind, body and soul.

  “Yeah. Everything’s great.” She smiled up at him. “Ready to go inside?”

  He grinned, offering his arm. “Sounds like a plan.”

  She threaded her arm through his. Clutching his forearm, she stood up, walking with him into the house.

  Chapter Six

  Now Leo knew what it was like to be a death row prisoner starting his walk to the execution chamber. Helpless. Hopeless. Resigned to his fate.

  Even though he’d hoped for a stay of execution, time was drawing to a close, and he had yet to win Jill over.

  He’d thought it would be easy, charm her like he’d charmed all the others. Hell, none of those women had come through in the end either—so who was to say it hadn’t been his fault all along? He’d always found women willing to offer their bodies. Now he and Arden had found one who would offer her heart—but only to one of them. Second place had never felt so fucking horrible.