by Ophelia Bell
After setting out the main dishes, she went back to the kitchen for some extra servings of protein. Both men were in rare form this summer, already well on their way to wearing out the single female population of the region on their annual off-season bet. She imagined said females were not complaining, though.
“Come sit with us!” Bryer called.
“No thanks, honey. You both still smell like sex. Do me a favor and shower before lunch?”
“I do not . . .” Bryer said, dipping his head to take a whiff of himself. Then he leaned over and inhaled close to Ignazio’s shoulder. “Hmm, foxy. Did we both wind up with the same girl last night?”
Ignazio shook his head. “Twins,” he muttered around a mouthful of food.
Nessa just shook her head indulgently and headed up the outdoor steps to the rear of the house, ready to work on the garden for a little while before lunch. Her stomach knotted when she saw the doors to the interior propped open and heard the sounds of power tools coming from within. As she drew close, the warm scent of cut wood hit her nostrils. She had walked through the empty space on her way down to the kitchen at dawn that morning, and it’d been peaceful and dead quiet.
But now the place was completely different, with the beginnings of cabinets and countertops lining the walls and the floors marked with crisscrossing lines of red and blue chalk marking out the areas where she’d described wanting the different pieces to go.
She wandered through while Gaius was busy cutting and stopped at one conspicuously empty section by the wall with a heavy, rough board nailed over it. It looked messy and unprofessional, to say the least, unlike the rest of the neatly arranged beginnings of the buildout.
“What the hell?” she muttered, then turned to look at Gaius. He turned off the saw and hoisted a big length of wood up over one shoulder, carrying it toward the far wall where he held it in place at about hip-height. He apparently hadn’t seen or heard her, so she waited in irritation, torn between griping at him about the messy wall treatment and not interrupting what looked to be a rather intricate construction he was working on. His big biceps bunched under the strain of holding up the piece of wood as he carefully fitted each end into notches she realized were already in place in the existing frame. Maybe they were meant to be cabinets at some point.
Nessa cleared her throat. “I’ve got a question!” she called to his back.
Gaius tensed, but didn’t turn. He only twitched a shoulder and bent to start hammering at the wood in front of him. Nessa tilted her head, distracted by the ripple of the muscles beneath his shirt and the way his big thigh flexed as he half-knelt over where the wood was joined. After a moment, he stopped and turned, only giving her a cursory glance before his gaze darted to the wall that she was emphatically pointing at.
“What’s this?”
“Old dumbwaiter. That’s just temporary until I can rip the damn thing out. Figured I wouldn’t interrupt your cooking to do it. I’ll get it first thing tomorrow, if that’s all right with you. Unless you intended to deliver me food while I work.”
“Oh. I guess . . .” she said, feeling about as dumb as the dumbwaiter.
“Forget it. Ig didn’t hire you to feed me.” He gave her a sardonic look before turning back to the saw to begin cutting another piece.
“So, it’s looking . . .” She tried to find something nice to say, but the place wasn’t much to look at despite the obvious signs he’d made significant progress that morning.
Gaius cut her off. “If you don’t mind, I’ve got countertops scheduled to be delivered in the morning. Want to get these cabinets installed today. Unless you have any changes?”
He crossed his arms and glared at her as though daring her to mess with his plans again. All Nessa could see was how huge his chest and arms looked whenever he stood that way.
She let out a little huff and shook her head, mostly to clear it of the strange warmth that had risen up from deep inside. “Not at all. You just go on about your cabinetmaking. I’m going to work out in the garden for a few. If you want my input on anything, you know where to find me.”
“That I do,” he said, sounding for all the world like he had zero intention of asking for her input if he could help it.
Nessa stalked through the door, strangely irked by his dismissal. She headed to the cottage at the far end of the garden, where she changed into shorts and a loose-fitting halter top that both supported her generous bosom and let her skin breathe in the heat. She re-pinned her hair more securely and grabbed her work gloves, then stalked back into the garden, ready to rip out some useless vines while imagining ripping the surly carpenter a new one.
She’d just started tearing at the foliage along the back wall when she heard a voice calling her name. Preparing to launch her mentally rehearsed tirade at the big bear, she turned and had to bite her tongue.
“Man, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” A tall, lanky shifter Nessa hadn’t seen in years loped over to her and lifted her in a welcome hug.
“Levi! Wow! You got . . . big,” she said, laughing when he released her. The young cheetah shifter had been barely more than a cub the last time she’d seen him. She stood back to take him in and shook her head. “Already a lady-killer, look at you! What are you doing here?”
“I work here now. Ig and Bry hired me as their assistant. That means doing whatever you need me to do today, according to Ig.” He stuck his thumbs in his pockets and surveyed her destruction with a frown. “So, angry weeding, is it?”
Nessa snorted. “Not angry, just enthusiastic. I want to turn this section into the nightshade vines. They’ll flower nice in springtime and be filled with fruit in the summer and fall. Figured I’d work my way in from the garden walls. The paths will be lined with Precious flowers, and I’ll put raised herb beds outside the kitchen doors with benches along one side.”
Levi listened, enraptured, and followed her around the garden while she gave him a tour, all the while describing her plans for the various fruit trees and vegetable patches she planned. In her mind, the garden was already a magical labyrinth of culinary wonders, and all hers. She even managed to mostly forget about the arousing sight of the big bear who was still hammering away inside her kitchen.
Five
Gaius lost track of his senses when the curvy young woman came back out of her little cottage wearing half the amount of clothing she worn moments ago. He’d been standing at his saw and glanced up in time for her to bend over and start yanking at some offending plant or other. The sight of her ripe, round backside wiggling to and fro made his mouth go dry and his cock stand stiff inside his jeans. He barely had the presence of mind to turn off the power to the saw before losing a finger.
Cursing under his breath, he turned and set the next crosspiece in place, hammering harder than necessary to get it seated. All he could think about was her adorably irritated face when she thought he’d ruined her kitchen with the stupid board over the dumbwaiter. It seemed like she got more beautiful the more emotional she was, and that gorgeous, round ass of hers was stirring some pretty intense feelings in him too.
He scraped his fingernails up and down the back of his head and shook it, trying to dispel that vision. But he couldn’t help it. He had to look again, just to see if she was real, even if she drove him mad with her ability to read his mind.
But when he glanced out the door again, his blood ran hot. Some unfamiliar male had his goddamned arms around her.
“Oh, hell no,” he growled and started for the door. He was about to step out and pummel the interloper when logic kicked in. “She is not your fucking mate, dude,” he whispered to himself. “Get a grip.”
She was probably the last woman he needed for a mate. As bossy as she was, they’d tear each other to pieces if left alone together for five minutes, he was sure of it. Yet he kept watching from the shadows while she gave the guy a tour, chattering animatedly the entire time. The man eventually produced a pair of work gloves and settled in beside her, tearing out vi
nes and happily complying with her every direction.
Eventually, the uncomfortable sense of intrusion subsided. She’d been no more than casually friendly to the guy and was clearly comfortable bossing him around. Oddly, that didn’t make Gaius feel any better. Was she bossy like that to every man she knew?
He went back to his work with a strange, tightness in his chest. For the next few hours, he went about the project on autopilot, unable to shake the overwhelming need to walk out into the garden and stake his claim on her.
He was busy framing out the corner where the new pantry would go when someone rapped on the door behind him. His heart lurched and his cock twitched in his pants at the possibility of her presence, but the scent that reached him a second later was distinctly not hers. Male cat was his impression, and he let out an involuntary growl as he turned.
“Whoa,” said the tall, scruffy shifter who’d had his arms around Nessa. “Ig didn’t warn me you were so territorial. I just wanted to see if you needed anything. I’m Levi . . . Ig and Bry’s assistant.”
Gaius half-raised the hammer in his fist. Levi eyed the tool with a worried frown.
“And what’re you to her?” Gaius asked, not even sure where the question came from.
Levi’s eyes widened. He glanced out the window where Nessa was standing with the garden hose raised over her head, her head tilted back as the water cascaded into her mouth and over her sweet curves. She was turned away, and what Gaius wouldn’t give to see the front of her top all soaked through.
“Nessa’s an old friend. That’s all. Like . . . like a big sister. Seriously, you don’t have to worry about me. I didn’t even know she had a mate.”
The statement hit Gaius like a cold slap. “I’m not her mate,” he snapped.
Levi tilted his head. “Whatever you say, man. I just came in to check whether you need anything. I can help with the labor, make calls, anything.”
Gaius eyed him warily, gradually realizing he must look like a fucking crazy person holding his hammer up like he was ready to pummel the guy with it. He forced himself to relax.
“You should keep helping her,” he muttered.
“Well, I plan to again tomorrow. She’s stopping for the day, though. It’s too damn hot out there, for one thing, and she’s got to go get lunch started for the guys.”
Gaius nodded and glanced back out the window. Nessa had the hose aimed straight up her shirt now and was angled slightly toward the window, apparently oblivious that there might be observers on the other side of the glass.
He cleared his throat and shook his head to clear it of her perfect profile, dripping wet and more luscious than he could stand. “Ah, do you mind asking her if I can tear out the dumbwaiter this afternoon? I know it’s a bit soon . . .”
“Sure thing!” Levi darted back out the door quicker than Gaius could track. Nessa jumped when Levi said her name, and turned to fully face the bank of windows.
Gaius’ pulse quickened. Her top was snug around her big, perfect breasts, a layer of its fabric flowing over her belly, and it was soaked through so thoroughly that she may as well have been dressed in tissue paper. Her brown nipples were visible through the waterlogged fabric, and the rest of it clung to her abdomen darkly, aside from a lighter section where it spanned the indentation of her navel.
Water dripped off her chin and she turned her gaze to the interior, blinking wet lashes. For a moment, Gaius froze, sure he’d been caught staring, but she didn’t seem to register his presence. Regardless, he forced himself to turn around, deciding to preemptively yank the cover off the dumbwaiter hoping she’d say yes.
He’d pried the wood off and tossed it aside when Levi’s footsteps returned. “She asked if you wouldn’t mind waiting. If it’s going to cause a mess, she’d rather you do it when she’s not about to go down to cook, and man, you really don’t want to interfere with her cooking . . . have you tasted the things she can make?”
“Haven’t had the pleasure,” Gaius said, forcing his disappointment aside. Working on removing this thing would require him to spend time in the old kitchen, and for some reason, he had the strongest urge to be closer to her.
“Ah, that is just too bad. Maybe if you’re sweet to her, she’ll give you a taste sometime. It’s worth it.”
Levi had delivered the remark with complete innocence, but it still made Gaius heat again with territorial rage.
Levi’s eyes widened for the second time. “Chill out, bro! I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Are you sure?” Gaius sneered. “How can you not see how perfect she is? She was on full display to you just now. Don’t tell me that didn’t affect you.” He stabbed his finger at the window, but Nessa had disappeared.
Levi’s throat rippled with a nervous swallow. “Ah . . . you mean with the water? I’ve known Nessa since I was a kid. We played naked together. Shifting and swimming in the lake . . . Don’t hit me! I mean, I appreciate how gorgeous she is, but I really have zero interest in her that way! I’ve always believed I’d know my mate when I saw her. When I look at Nessa, it’s just . . . ” He shrugged. “Friendly. I love her, but not that way.”
“Like a sister,” Giaus said, relaxing for the first time in a while.
“Yeah, and for the record, I guarantee that’s how Ig and Bry feel too.”
With a frustrated chuff, Gaius sagged back against the half-built cabinetry behind him. He raked his hands through his hair and shook his head. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”
Levi took a cautious step closer. “Seems like you like her more. A lot more. Is that a bad thing?”
“I just fucking met her and she’s . . .”
“Under your skin?” Levi offered.
“Driving me batshit with her . . . bossiness.”
Levi laughed. “Yeah, that’s Nessa. She’s always known what she wants and doesn’t hesitate to tell whoever will listen. It grows on you, trust me.”
“Don’t know if I can deal,” Gaius said, giving the kid a helpless look.
Levi regarded him solemnly. “Well, if you don’t want to wind up in love with her, I don’t recommend tasting her food. Me and Ig and Bry are all half in love just from that. You can bet if we believed she was our mate, the claws would come out.”
Gaius chuckled ruefully. “I don’t get the sense she likes me much. I think I’ll just keep my head down and focus on the project, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Fair enough,” Levi said. “Anything else I can do for you? Nessa related or not . . .”
“Actually you could make some calls, if you don’t mind. It’d save me a hassle later if all I have to worry about is the construction here. And later this week, I’m laying tile. If you’re up for manual labor, I could use a hand. It’ll save my old knees the strain.”
Levi eagerly agreed and whipped a small tablet out of his pocket to take down the instructions. The kid was quick; Gaius had to give him that. Even if his gut still churned over his unexpected reaction to Nessa, some of his tension eased to have an assistant handle the calls he needed to make, and some of the grunt work that no longer agreed with his old injuries. According to the weather report, the pain in his knees was only going to get worse as the week went on.
Levi was about to leave when Gaius called out, “Hey, kid. One more thing.”
Levi looked at him with such openness Gaius wondered how he’d ever felt threatened by him. “Whatever you need!”
“Do me a favor and don’t tell Ig or Bry about . . . this. They’d never let me hear the end of it.”
Levi laughed. “Secret’s safe with me. Just be careful. She’s important to us.”
“Who’s important to you?” a chirpy voice said from the door. Gaius tensed like he’d been electrocuted, and it took an effort of will to force himself to relax when Nessa sauntered through his workspace and paused at the door beside Levi.
“Why, you are, of course,” Levi said, nonchalantly. “Why else would Ig let you torture one of his best friends so you could h
ave the kitchen of your dreams?”
“Oh, come on,” Nessa said, smacking Levi on the arm and rolling her eyes at Gaius. “They just love me for my sticky buns.”
Gaius snorted and shook his head, resolving to refocus for the rest of the afternoon so he didn’t get too far behind schedule. She’d already distracted him enough for one day.
The lanky shifter loped off, but Nessa remained behind, watching him. His skin prickled under her scrutiny.
He glanced at her with a soft grunt of inquiry.
“Tortured, huh?” She crossed her arms, obscuring his view of the most delicious pair of breasts he’d seen in ages. “I mean, if you’re really that eager to get rid of the stupid dumbwaiter, I can try to work around the interference.”
The bite to her voice told Gaius she was less than eager to accommodate him. That stung worse than it should have.
“Don’t do me any damn favors. I promise it’ll be taken care of when I can get to it and it won’t interfere with your precious cooking.”
“Fine. You don’t have to be so damn pissy about it.” She stalked off in a huff, and Gaius was glad he hadn’t framed out the wall and installed the door yet. She’d have probably slammed it if he had.
About half an hour later, the most delicious scents wafted up, courtesy of the dumbwaiter shaft. An hour after that, when his stomach was growling louder than his angry Uncle Buster on a bender, a clank echoed up the shaft, followed by a grinding sound as the dumbwaiter’s motor kicked into gear. He stared at it like it was some alien beast preparing to attack.
The small car screeched to a stop, the scent of some savory, freshly baked treat betraying the nature of whatever lurked on the other side of the rolling door.
Gaius’ mouth watered and his stomach rumbled so loud it echoed. He’d packed a lunch, but there was no way in hell what he’d made for himself would be as good as whatever she’d just sent up.
He took a cautious step toward the dumbwaiter and reached out. Grabbing the handle with thumb and forefinger, he peeked underneath. A slip of paper came into view that said, “Peace offering.”
