I nod, shaking off the memory of his hard, chiseled body pressed against mine. To my surprise, when he was up against me, I’d felt something thick and hard pressed against my thigh. Either he had a flashlight in his pocket, or he had a raging hard-on. And it had taken a lot of self control not to find out for myself.
“Each and every one,” I answer, swallowing hard.
My face flames as if he could read my filthy thoughts, and I force myself to continue.
“Some of the stones were pre-cut, but there are a lot of them that I even did the cutting and facet work on.”
“Whoa, really?” Flynn asks, lifting his eyebrows, “That’s actually really cool.”
“Th-thank you,” I say, a little taken aback.
The compliment actually cuts through my horny, hazy mind and I take advantage of the focus to walk them through the shop, showing them everything, and then leading them behind the counter to my workbench.
Kal hops up, chirping for their attention, and Noah grins and scratches behind the cat’s ears.
“Who’s this?” he asks cheerfully.
“Oh, he’s mine. Sorry, he’s an attention whore,” I say, with a laugh.
“What’s his name?” Flynn asks as he offers Kal a hand to sniff.
“Kal-El,” I admit sheepishly.
Yeah, my cat’s full name is the birth name of Superman.
Neil looks at me and smiles.
“Well, that explains a lot,” he says, clearly remembering our Batman versus Superman argument.
“I’ve always loved Superman,” I confess. “I actually have a pretty decent collection of his comics.”
“That’s actually kind of hot,” Noah blurts out.
My face flames.
“Thanks,” I laugh.
I decide to change the subject and show them my work by example.
I get back to work on the bracelet, setting stones into the elaborately patterned silver. I explain that the shimmering stones I’m putting in are all different colors of sapphire.
“Really? I thought sapphires were just the blue ones,” Noah says.
I shake my head.
“A lot of people do, but that’s not the case. Sapphires come in just about any color except red. A red one is a ruby.”
“Wait, so rubies and sapphires are the same thing?” Conor asks.
“Basically. They’re both corundum, the only difference is color,” I say, with a nod.
“That’s so weird, why is red the only one that they don’t consider a sapphire?” Neil wonders.
“To be completely honest with you, I’ve wondered the same thing for years,” I say, with a laugh, “but I really don’t know.”
It feels kind of nice that they seem so genuinely interested, and they watch with fascination as I set stones and finish the piece.
When it’s done, I hand it to Neil to take a closer look. His gaze pores over every inch of it.
“This is beautiful,” he says, and my heart swells.
He passes it to his twin and Noah looks it over just as intently.
“Wow,” he breathes, “That’s so intricate, how did you do that?”
I smile.
“Showing you that would take a lot longer,” I chuckle. “The metalwork on this one was a bit much.”
The bracelet gets passed on to Flynn, who examines it appreciatively.
“I didn’t know jewelry could be so...interesting,” he admits, making me laugh.
He hands it over to Conor, my harshest critic, the brother I butt heads with most often, and I tense, expecting the worst. But to my surprise, he admires the bracelet just as appreciatively as his brothers, before looking me in the eyes and handing it back to be.
“It’s stunning,” he says, his voice low, “You’re really an artist.”
The comment bowls me over.
“Thank you,” I say quietly, setting the bracelet carefully into a case and snapping it closed.
I take off the glasses I wear for the close-up work and set them down, rubbing my eyes and reaching for the drops I keep on my desk to combat the eye strain from my tiny, detailed work.
“I stand corrected, Gina,” Conor says as I’m carefully blinking the drops in. “The work you do here might not be the kind of physical labor we’ve been doing, but it’s still hard work. I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick.”
“Thanks, Conor,” I say softly, touched by his admission.
It’s never easy to admit when you’re wrong, and I never would have expected it out of his stubborn mouth.
“I’ll admit, it’s actually kind of a relief to be off my feet and not lifting shit today,” I confess, rubbing my bicep.
All four of them laugh, and it’s like a dark cloud has cleared away. And there’s a little twinge of some unfamiliar feeling in my chest when Conor turns his megawatt smile on me.
For the first time, I feel a spark of attraction that goes deeper than just the physical pull.
I like that smile, and I want to draw it out more often.
I like the sounds of their laughter, the comfort of their company when we all drop the bullshit.
It feels like a crack in the walls I’ve made around my heart all these years.
And it scares me to death.
Chapter Eight
Noah
When we all show up to the construction site on Monday, our spirits are high. It feels like things are less tense, like we’re finally not at war with Gina. We’re all relaxed, and the progress we’ve made has us feeling pretty optimistic.
But I’m distracted. I had this filthy dream about Gina, and now all I can think about is whether or not I imagined her body correctly.
How far down do those little freckles on her cleavage go?
And when she bends over, her t-shirt rides up and I catch a glimpse of color on her skin above the waistband of her shorts.
My eyebrows shoot up. While I may have seen the more laid-back side of this girl, I still never would have pegged her for the tramp-stamp type. I wonder what the rest of the tattoo is and I’m leaning over slightly to get a better look when she straightens and I have to shoot back into my place.
Unfortunately, the pleasant morning is quickly soured by the arrival of the two assholes, Earl and Virgil, building the competing dude ranch that.Upon some further investigation, we’d managed to hunt down their last name, Sanders, and we’d found the location of the dude ranch they’re building.
According to Delia, they’ve hired one of the cheapest, shoddiest contractors in the entire state, and when we ventured by to take a look for ourselves last night, it shows. Which explains why they feel so threatened by us, I guess.
But the fact is, we’ve been planning and building for months. For them to suddenly show up and start throwing together something this shitty shows that they really are just trying to rip off our idea. And they’re trying to scare us off by puffing their chests out, but I don’t think any of us really see them as anything more than an annoyance.
And I’m definitely annoyed as they approach, and I can tell from the looks on everyone’s faces that I’m not the only one.
In fact, Flynn in particular looks ready to fight. He takes a few strides toward the Sanders brothers.
“What the hell do you guys want now?” he snaps.
Neil makes his way over quickly and grips Flynn’s shoulder.
“Looks like y’all are making some good progress,” Earl says, ignoring Flynn’s question, “You guys planning your opening already?”
“Can we help you with something, gentlemen?” Keenan asks coolly.
“Nothin’ wrong with scoping out the competition, is there?” Virgil asks. “Not that you’re gonna be much competition, not for long.”
“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” Gina pipes up.
“Calm down over there, sweetheart, no need to get ruffled,” Earl drawls, smiling sweetly at Gina.
I can see Conor balling his fists out of the corner of my eye, and Neil’s grip on Flynn
tightens as Flynn starts to step forward.
“This is private property, and we’re only going to ask you one more time to leave,” Neil spits out.
The jovial facade dissipates and Earl’s face twists into an ugly scowl.
“Look, you stupid foreign pricks, we tried to do this the easy way. Pack up your shit and move on, or we’re going to have a problem here.”
“Are you fucking threatening us?” Flynn asks, testing Neil’s grip as he takes another step toward the men.
Earl rolls his eyes and gets into Flynn’s face.
“You’re stupider than I thought if you have to ask,” he taunts. “So let me really spell it out for you: Give up, get out of town, or else.”
Neil grabs Flynn by the arms and tries to wrestle him to the ground. Barry and Cillian both tackle Conor, and the cacophony is deafening as they all shout at each other. For my part, I’m seething, but still under control. I’m about to yell over the sound and tell them to get out, when an ear-piercing whistle shatters the chaos.
Everyone stills and quiets, turning to look at the source of the sound.
Gina stands with her arms folded over her chest, eyes blazing.
“Gentlemen,” she says, addressing the Sanders brothers. “As someone who owns a shop with lots of expensive, commonly stolen items for sale, I’ve spent a lot of time becomin’ real friendly with the local police force. So I highly suggest y’all tuck your tails, and get out of here before I have to bring my friends here.”
She delivers the words with a heaping helping of Southern sweetness, but you’d have to be a fool not to sense the poison in all that sugar. And seeing her take charge like that further cements my newfound appreciation for her.
Virgil scoffs.
“You think we’re afraid of some mouthy little slut?”
This tips Neil over the breaking point and he releases Flynn, ready to bolt and swing himself. Keenan makes a grab for Flynn, who’s closest to the Sanders, while Cillian keeps Conor pinned. Barry catches Neil by the ankles and drags him down, and when he sees me sprinting his way, he swings a leg out to try and trip me.
The Sanders brothers scramble to their car, and I can hear them huffing and puffing all the way. They get into their car just as I get to them, and with a smug smirk, they peel off, spitting dirt and rocks in their wake. I pick up a larger rock and hurl it, knowing there’s not a chance in hell I’ll hit them, but needing to release a little frustration anyway.
The anticlimactic moment has us all still fizzling with anger for a long time afterwards. We throw ourselves back into work, silence smothering us all like wet wool. After a long time, Barry sighs.
“Guys, I think we should call it an early day,” he says.
Keenan and Cillian nod in agreement.
“We’re all pissed off and maybe we could all use a day to chill out.”
“Sure, you guys head on out,” I tell them. “We’ll take off in a few more minutes, I just want to finish this,” I gesture to the task in front of me.
The three of them take off, and Neil and Flynn start putting away their tools. Conor keeps working on his own task, and to my surprise, Gina does, too.
“Tying to get to a good stopping point?” I ask her conversationally.
She shrugs.
“With the shop closed so I can be here, I wouldn’t really know what to do with myself all day,” she admits.
The words tumble out of me before I can stop them.
“So you’d rather stay here and keep staring at us all day?”
Her cheeks turn bright red.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, too quickly.
“Oh, please. You’ve been eyeing us all like a starving animal all day,” Flynn pipes up behind her, his lips near her ear.
She turns and steps back, backing into me and falling into my chest. Her breath catches and she spins again.
“Just admit it,” I murmur, my arms keeping her tight against me. “You see something you like.”
She looks up at me with a mixture of defiance and desire in her face, but it melts away to submission and she sighs.
“And what if I do?” she asks, putting on a slightly sassy expression that makes me want to spank her.
She gives me a long, lingering up-and-down look, but then her gaze slips over each of my brothers, and I catch her drift. She wants us all. Or so she’s hinting.
I don’t think I believe her, though. After all of this back and forth, maybe she can tolerate us all now, but I can’t imagine Miss Priss really taking on four cocks at once.
But I don’t care. I’m the one holding her right now, so if anyone’s going to have her, I’m going to make fucking sure it’s me.
I take her chin in my hand and tip her face up towards mine before leaning in and pressing a kiss to those full, plush lips. I feel Gina stiffen for a moment before, to my utter shock, she melts into me, opening to me like a rose.
Now this feels like heaven.
Chapter Nine
Gina
What the fuck am I doing?
Noah’s lips on mine are smoldering, the kiss searing into me like a brand. The heat ripples through me, pooling between my legs and leaving me dripping wet. When he finally peels away from me, I’m breathless and shaking.
But my pride won’t let me show them the swooning damsel, so I force myself to take a deep breath and steady myself before turning to the others and raising an eyebrow.
“So,” I ask, more bravado in my tone than I actually feel, “Who’s next?”
I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly isn’t for Flynn to spin me around and press his lips to mine. He pulls me against him and I feel every hard inch of his body. And based on what I feel, every inch of him is definitely hard.
And I ache to feel him inside me. I can’t believe myself, but I can’t hold back anymore. The primal, carnal energy drawing me to them is too powerful for me to fight, and I don’t want to fight anymore. I want to give in to the screaming need of my body.
After what feels like an eternity of Flynn’s mouth on mine, I feel myself being tugged away. I look up into Conor’s face and barely have a moment to take a breath before he crashes his lips into mine.
The sensations washing over me are dizzying and overwhelming, and I clutch at him desperately, the fire in me rising.
I feel like every nerve in my body is alight with need. Conor’s hands slip down my waist and he cups my ass, making a little moan slip out of me. The thick ridge of his erection is pressed against my thigh and I timidly reach down to stroke it.
He groans and I feel the slight jerk of his hips, and it gives me a little rush of power. I start to unbutton his pants when suddenly I’m pulled away.
“What, I don’t get a turn?” Neil teases.
I smile sheepishly before standing on tiptoe and coiling my arms around his neck, kissing him and drawing his body close to mine. His kiss is the sweetest of the four, gentle, but with the same heat, keeping the fire inside me stoked and aching for them. His hands slip under the hem of my shirt, sliding in burning paths along my sides.
He pushes my shirt over my head before pressing his lips to my neck and I feel one of the others unhook my bra. A sudden pang of nervousness shoots through me as my clothes fall away, piece by piece.
I’m hyper-aware of every flaw and fear of rejection bubbles up in my throat. This is the first time in years anyone has seen me naked, and now suddenly I’m exposed four times over.
I open my eyes slowly, my heart pounding from a tumultuous mix of anxiety and desire, and my body is flooded with heat and relief when I see the ravenous lust on all four of their faces as they take in my curves.
Neil is the first to break, though, leaning back in and trailing his mouth along my collarbone. My breath catches and cautiously, I reach out and start to unbutton his shirt.
Around me, I hear the sounds of belt buckles clinking to the ground and the whoosh of fabric being shed. While Noah, Flynn, and Conor
strip, I peel off Neil’s clothes, the sculpted marble of his body under my hands making me tremble.
When I draw his massive cock out of his boxers, I suddenly wonder if I’m in over my head. A quick glance around reveals that his brothers are just as hung, and I’m more than a little intimidated.
But it’s hard to concentrate on my unease when Neil’s lips reach my breast and Conor’s hands cup my ass.
I reach down and grip as much of Neil’s prick in my hand as I can, but he’s definitely more than a handful. When Flynn passes me a condom, I wonder briefly if it’ll fit. I tear open the packet and roll the rubber down Neil’s shaft carefully. I can hear the tearing of packets around me and my excitement rises.
Conor slips his hand between my legs from behind me, his lips on the back of my neck, and his nimble fingers part my folds, exploring the damp and sensitive flesh.
A whimper escapes me and I reach out blindly to grip the wall, my legs beginning to tremble.
“You’re so fucking wet,” he murmurs, his fingers still teasing me in slow, lazy circles. “You can’t wait to be packed full of our cocks, can you?”
I shake my head.
“No, I can’t wait, I can’t, I want it now,” I stammer breathlessly, gasping when his fingers brush over my clit.
He pulls his hand away slowly.
“Kneel down for me,” he demands.
I sink down to my knees, my legs shaking, and realize that I’m eye-level with Neil’s needy and waiting erection. I can’t help myself, I lean forward and wrap my lips around the head, giving him a hard suck and drawing a surprised groan from him.
“Fuck,” he runs his fingers through my hair and, emboldened, I slowly begin to take more of his dick into my mouth.
While I initially thought that I’d have to unhinge my jaw like a snake to accommodate his girth, I find I can take him deeper than I thought, sinking down nearly to the base of his cock before I have to let up.
I can feel the tension coiled in his body, the twitching of his hips, and I know he’s aching for more, but I can tell he’s forcing himself to be as still as possible. And that sweet little gesture, that patience, sets off this little twinge in my heart.
Four Times the Luck: Irish Reverse Harem Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 4