Her Guys [Blessed 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 4
Lunn’s voice cut him off. “Are you in love with her?”
Stunned into silence, he pondered the question. Surely not. He couldn’t be. He didn’t do love. It rarely ended well. “No. She’s my employee, and I need to know when things happen to them.”
“So what you are saying is that if I want to bring her to my house and play with her, you wouldn’t have a problem with it.”
His heart thudded heavily. “You can’t play with her—ever. She’s my employee. You know I don’t have sex with the people who work for me.”
“First off, I’m not you. Second, forever is a long time. Third, you could fire her if the temptation turns out to be too great.”
“Hell, no. She’s damn good at her job. Do you know how hard it is to find a good manager? Let alone one as smart as she is. If I can’t have her, neither can you. That’s only fair because we both want her.” He felt heat flush his body. He would never be able to fire her. He was doomed to looking but not touching.
“If you don’t have any feelings for her, then why can’t I have her?” Humor laced his friend’s words.
Lunn’s question caused him to pause for a moment. He was acting like a fool over her, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. “Because I said. Now quit grilling me. I could use your help.”
After snorting loudly, Lunn asked, “What can I do?”
“She needs a new place to stay. A gated apartment complex would be nice. Close to the pub would be sweet. What do you suggest?”
“Two come to mind. I might be able to pull a few strings. Have you talked to her yet?”
“No. I figured I’d head over to the crappy hotel she’s staying in and check on her in person. I just wanted to get a start on the apartment first. No way am I letting her stay there alone another night.”
“Well if you get over there and find out she’s made other plans, call and let me know. Otherwise I’ll wait about an hour then see what I can do,” Lunn replied.
He only felt a small amount of guilt when he heard Lunn yawn right before the phone went dead.
* * * *
Katarina startled awake at the sound of a loud, annoying banging noise. Her heartbeat raced when the events of the night before replayed in her head. Was the thief back? No, thieves didn’t pound on your door. Besides, her thief hadn’t even wanted her computer. She groaned then rolled over to look at the clock, which said seven thirty in the morning. Whoever it was could go away. Her eyelids drooped when the banging stopped.
The sound of her door opening had her bolting upright. Gaven stood just inside her room. This time her heartbeat raced for a totally different reason. Remembering Doug’s words, she tried to hide her feelings. “Gaven, you scared the crap out of me. How did you get a key to my room?”
He smiled engagingly. “I know how to talk to people, little sis.”
She groaned and let herself fall back onto the bed. “I should have known. What are you doing here?” A frown wrinkled her brow. “And how did you find me by this ungodly time of day?”
His rich laughter floated over to her and sank into her heart. “It’s plain to see you’re not a morning person.” He walked over and sat on the bed then took her hand is his. “I’m here to check on you. I was told your room was broken into yesterday. I had to come by and see for myself that you were all right.”
The feel of his hand engulfing hers was worth his early morning visit. “I’m fine. I take it the police department called you this morning.” At his nod she added, “I’m sorry they called you so early. I don’t think anything was taken. It was probably just a bored kid that broke in and trashed the place for fun.”
“Maybe it was a kid, but it could have been Scott. I gave them enough information to find him.” He looked around the room. “You can’t stay here. Do you have another place to go?”
“No. I’m going apartment hunting this morning.” He lightly stroked the palm of her hand. Heat raced to her pelvis. Did he know the effect he had on her? She wished he’d lie down beside her.
“That’s what I needed to know. Lunn is going to call a couple of people he knows and see if we can get you moved today. I don’t want you here.” He gently released her hand and stood. She sat up and drank in the sight of him. “I’ll go get us some breakfast while you get dressed. Do you like muffins and coffee? Lulu makes the best ones, and her shop isn’t far from here.”
That answered her question. He didn’t know how he made her heart sing at the mere sight of him. She sighed then looked into his mesmerizing brown eyes. “That sounds great. Thanks.”
“Be back in a bit.”
The second he closed the door she jumped up and started hunting for the least wrinkled of her clothes. A quick sniff under her arm had her dashing for the shower.
Three hours later she was being handed a set of keys to her new apartment.
When they were outside the manager’s office, she stopped them both. Turning to Gaven, she slid her arms around his waist and gave him a quick hug. She didn’t linger long, the feel of his muscled back and trim waist was a little too tempting. Turning to Lunn, she hoped she didn’t like the feel of him. Circling his waist, she quickly hugged him. Damn, his hard belly and strong muscles made her pelvis clench with desire. Her wanton body wanted both of them at the same time. Heat rushed to her face as she released him. Thank goodness they can’t read my mind.
Embarrassed over her wicked thoughts, she kept her gaze on the ground. “Thanks for helping me out. I know without your help it would have taken me at least a month to get an apartment.”
Both men stepped closer to her. She looked up and sucked in a breath of air. Were their eyes darker? A shiver danced up her spine as she imagined the darkness was from love and desire for her. That may be a crock of lies, but she’d hold tightly to them anyway.
Gaven took her hand and lightly squeezed it before releasing it. “We’d do anything for you. If you have any more trouble, I want to know immediately, understood?”
The intensity in his eyes and voice sharpened her arousal for him. “You’ll be the first one I call if anything else happens.” She looked around her new place. The coded front gate and many security lights made her feel much safer. “I don’t think I’ll have any problems here. Thanks again for all your help.” She wanted to offer her body as a reward, but that would be unprofessional, and with Gaven being her boss he could charge her with sexual harassment. That would look great on her resume.
Lunn took a step back. “You are very welcome. If you need me in the future just let me know.” He looked toward their vehicles. “Let’s go get your stuff unloaded.”
As she followed them she couldn’t stop her wicked mind from wondering how far they were willing to go to help her in the future. Would they show her the many sexual delights she’d read about? She sighed silently. Only time would tell. Gaven’s rules were daunting. How was she going to get him to toss them aside? On the upside, Lunn didn’t seem to have a reason for not teaching her what she wanted to know.
Refocusing her thoughts on the now, she slid into her car and followed their trucks to her new home. If fate were kind to her, one day she’d live with the two of them as her destined lovers.
Chapter Five
Gaven watched as Katarina smoothly went about her job. Not too much of anything ruffled her feathers. Not even moving out of necessity. The day after they helped her move into her new apartment, she came to work as scheduled. He’d told her she could take the day off, but she wouldn’t have any of that. She’d been in her new place for a good two weeks and seemed to be getting on well there.
A smile crossed her face, and even from across the room he felt the power of it. Damn, he was drawn to her. He’d been doing his best to hide his feelings, but didn’t know how much longer he could keep it up. She’s your employee, bonehead. His inner voice was annoying. What he wouldn’t give to keep her as his manager and still have her warm his bed for a couple of nights. His cock jerked awake. After shifting in his chair he knew he�
�d eventually have to find a way around his normally strict no-bedding-the-employees rule.
Glancing over at Lunn, he noted that he, too, was watching her. Oh yeah, the two of them could rock her world and make her forget all her previous lovers.
Lunn looked at him and grinned then leaned in close. “Forget your rules, man. Sometime soon we have got to work on getting her out of our systems. I think I’m getting blue balls.”
He snorted then replied, “I’ll think about it.” Hell, that’s all he could think about.
“Good. Be right back,” Lunn stated and then headed for the restroom.
His eyes roamed over his friends. Troy and Trey had Branda sitting between them, and from the look on her face they must be touching her under the table. Looked like they’d be getting some tonight, lucky bastards. Trent had his arm around the back of Rain’s chair and was whispering something to her that made her smile. They’d gotten married a couple of months before their little boy was born. Cute kid.
Trent looked around the table. “Looks like we’re all finished eating. Let’s get the game started. I call Gaven.”
Rain was quick to say, “I call Branda.”
Troy sighed dramatically. “I call Trey.”
Trey punched Troy on the shoulder. “You don’t have to sound so sad about it. I’ve gotten better.”
Lunn walked up as they left the table.
Gaven frowned then looked around the pub. “We all paired up while you were gone. We need to find you a partner.”
A slow grin crossed Lunn’s lips. “I call Katarina.”
“She’s working,” he replied but was quickly warming to the idea.
“So? I’m a customer and I need her help. Don’t you know the customer is always right? It’s a simple fact in business.”
He glared at Lunn, but that didn’t wipe the smug look off Lunn’s face. After catching Katarina’s attention, he called her over.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
Her flowery scent swirled in the air around him, making him ache to touch and taste her. “I need you to play with Lunn.” Her cheeks pinked beautifully. That was interesting. “He needs a partner in the dart game we are about to start. Will you help him out?”
She straightened then cut her eyes to Lunn and then quickly back to him. “Of course, boss. Anything you need.”
“Anything” sounds very promising. Damn Lunn for encouraging him to break his rules. “Thanks.”
He turned to Lunn and had to hold back a grin. Lunn was smiling triumphantly, and he’d just winked at Katarina. “Looks like you’ve got a partner.”
“Looks like I do.” Lunn swung his gaze back to Katarina. “Thanks for helping me out.”
“No problem. I need to go fill the staff in on what I’m going to be doing. I’ll be back in a moment.” She gracefully turned and left. He loved watching her hips swing. A glance told him Lunn was enjoying the view as well.
“We are going to the ladies’ room,” Rain stated. Their men watched them go with lust and love in their eyes.
He wished love could have been in the cards for him, but a guy like him didn’t do the happily ever after thing. A current of some sort whipped around him, causing goose bumps to spread across his arms. Pressure built in his chest. It felt like someone was literally touching his heart. What the hell! “Did you guys feel that?”
Lunn rubbed his chest. “Yeah! What was it?”
Trent looked at his brothers. “Concetta?”
“Do you guys feel what I feel?” Troy asked his brothers.
They both nodded, and all three moved so that they could each place a hand on Gaven and Lunn. As soon as they were all connected, he felt heat burst from his heart to every cell in his body. He cut his gaze to Lunn and was pretty sure he’d felt the same thing. Were the Cortino brothers being influenced by the good witch that blessed their family? Trent had said her name right before they’d touched him and Lunn, and right before the second set of powerful feelings invaded his body.
Concetta was in the pub! That was a little disturbing, but not terribly so because he knew her to be good.
All three brothers stepped back at the same time, their eyes big as moons.
“What happened?” Trent asked.
“I don’t know, but I think Concetta just blessed Gaven and Lunn,” Trey shot back.
Looking from Lunn to the Cortino brothers, Gaven said, “We’re not family.”
“No duh, but Concetta can do what she wants,” Trent stated.
“Maybe she thought you and Lunn needed a hand,” Troy said.
“A hand in what?” Lunn asked before he could.
Troy shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know. Only time will tell.”
“The girls are coming back. Let’s save this discussion for another time. I don’t want Katarina to think we’re all crazy,” he whispered as he watched all three women get closer to them.
The men all nodded their agreement.
“You guys ready to play?” Rain asked cheerily.
“Yep,” Troy and Trey said at the same time. The identical twins were eerily indistinguishable at times.
The group moved to the dart area, and he pulled Katarina close to him. “Hey guys, this is Katarina, my new manager. She has kindly agreed to be Lunn’s partner.” He pointed them out as he introduced them. “This is Troy, Trey, and their wife, Branda. You will be working with her sometimes. She does cookie and fruit arrangement for most of our parties. Next we have Trent and his wife, Rain. Yes, Trent is the brother of Troy and Trey. Now let’s get this started. I feel a winning streak coming on.”
Troy and Trey groaned in unison.
* * * *
Katarina couldn’t believe Gaven had asked her to play with Lunn. Her wicked mind conjured up a picture of her playing with both of them in an extra-large bed, but Gaven hadn’t shown any sexual interest in her. At least he was letting her into his circle of friends. That had to mean something, right? A current danced around her body, causing goose bumps to alight on her arms. It felt like a strong presence was circling her. As she looked around and tried to focus on the invisible force in the room, a voice whispered in her mind. You have been found worthy. Help will be coming soon. She stood dumfounded as the presence faded away.
What the hell was happening? She took a calming breath and turned her attention to the others around her. Nobody else seemed to have been affected by the presence. She longed to share what had just happened, but she didn’t want them to think she was a freak. In her lonely hotel room, she’d mull over what happened, but not now.
Branda and Rain walked up to her.
Rain spoke first. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you. My brother-in-law, Marshall, was the last manager of this pub. We stole him for one of our family businesses.”
She laughed and briefly touched Rain’s arm. “I guess I should be thanking you for opening the position up for me.”
“You’re welcome. Gaven says you are doing a great job,” Rain responded.
Branda spouted, “Yeah, maybe even better than Marshall.”
Rain whipped her attention to Branda and raised a brow. “You do remember that I’m your partner, don’t you?”
“Gaven inferred it. I think you should kick his butt in darts as payback.” Branda shrugged and grinned mischievously.
Gaven rushed to say, “Troy, get your wife under control. She’s trying to start a fight.” He swung his gaze to Rain. “What I said was that Katarina is doing just as good as Marshall did.” He pointed at his eyes then pointed at Branda. “I’m watching you.”
Trent nudged Gaven. “Don’t let Branda get to you. She’s just trying to rattle you so you won’t win tonight.”
Gaven raised his shoulders and then let them drop. He repeated the motion several times. “Thanks. You’re probably right, man. It’s game on.”
She watched as they discussed what order to go in. The all-girl team would go first, then Lunn and herself would go, then the twins, and last, Gaven and Trent.
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Lunn stepped close to her. “Gaven likes to go last. We’ll have to watch him. He sneaks up and wins almost every time. How good are you at darts?”
Making a face, she answered, “Not very. How about you?” She hoped winning this game didn’t mean much to him. From being around him at her papa’s club, she knew he was used to winning fights, at least.
“Medium,” he responded.
She grinned. “So what you’re telling me is that we are about to lose.”
“That about sums it up. Now you know not to take Gaven up on any cash bets,” Lunn spoke low and into her ear.
She shivered at the sound of his voice in her ear. Breathing in his scent made her want him even more. Lunn and Gaven had different scents, and they both drove her crazy with desire.
Gaven walked over before she could respond to Lunn. “What are you two talking about?”
Lunn shrugged his shoulders. “Just about the game.”
“Hmmm. Did you tell her the goal is to hit the center ring?” Gaven turned to her before Lunn could answer. “We like to keep it simple. You want to place twenty dollars on your team to win?”
Katarina stifled a laugh and cut her gaze over to Lunn then back to Gaven. “No, I better not. Maybe next time.”
Gaven’s head whipped over, and he stared at Lunn. “What did you tell her?”
“Nothing. We were just talking about how much experience she has.” Her handsome partner innocently rocked back on his heels and smiled.
Gaven didn’t look like he bought it. “Troy took the bet. How about you?”
Lunn glanced over at Trent. “I don’t think so.