by L. J. Fine
Snagging a spot close to the front of the store, Emma parked and got out of the car. A crisp breeze ruffled her hair away from her face and she tugged the lapels of her jacket tighter together. A couple walked along the sidewalk that connected the cafe to the bookstore. More concerned with getting out of the wind than any pedestrians that happened by, Emma paid them no mind. At least until one of them called her name.
“Are you Emma?” The feminine voice slowed Emma’s pace as she turned to face the couple. The petite brunette wasn’t someone she recognized Still, out of politeness and curiosity she answered.
“Yes, that’s my name.” Emma smiled but felt her eyebrow arch in spite of herself. “Have we met?”
The woman blushed and gave a soft chuckle. “I’m sorry. I’m Mina. I work here and am a friend of Chloe’s. I recognize you from some of the pictures she’s shown me. This is my boyfriend, Tyler,” she said gesturing to the handsome, muscular man beside her.
Emma’s gaze moved to Tyler and he smiled, extending his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Emma.”
“Finally?” She asked with a laugh, shaking Tyler’s hand. “I guess Chloe’s been talking about me a lot.”
“All good things,” Tyler said with a wink.
“Oh I’m sure.” Emma rolled her eyes but smiled.
Mina laughed and started moving their little group closer to the entrance of the store. “Chloe’s been talking about you nonstop since you called and said you were coming to visit. I haven’t seen her so excited about anything in a long time. She’s going to be thrilled that you’re finally here.”
Tyler reached for the door and as the little bell jingled, he motioned for the women to enter the store before him. Once inside, it wasn’t long before Emma spotted Chloe’s blonde head ducked beneath the counter over by the registers.
Eagerness tilting her lips into a smile, Emma walked over and propped her elbows up on the counter, waiting for Chloe to resurface. After a half a minute she finally stood up and gave a startled jump when she say Emma. A broad smile broke out onto her face.
“Emma!” Squealing happily, Chloe ran out from behind the counter to wrap her friend in a bear hug. “I thought you weren’t supposed to get into town for another hour or so.”
Emma squeezed Chloe tightly before pulling back to look at her. “Eh, traffic was light and the drive didn’t take as long as I thought it would. I knew you’d still be at work so I thought I would come and surprise you.”
“I’m glad you did.” Chloe’s blue eyes danced as she smiled. Her gaze shifted over Emma’s shoulder to Tyler and Mina. “Oh hey guys. I take it you met my friend, Emma.”
“Yes, we bumped into her outside,” Mina said shrugging her jacket off and putting it behind the counter.
“It seems my reputation preceded me,” Emma said giving Chloe a pointed look.
Chloe rolled her eyes. “Excuse me if I was excited. Did you find the place okay?”
Squinting, Emma cocked her head to the side. “Well, seeing as how this is the only bookstore within a ten-mile radius of town, no I didn’t have any problems.”
“Oh, you’re such a big city girl, smartass.” Chloe laughed and just like that Emma felt as if they were right back in college. She had missed their teasing banter and the good, familiar feeling brought a smile to her face.
Just as Emma opened her mouth to reply, the little bell over the front door once again jingled, announcing the arrival of two of the most ridiculously handsome men she had ever seen. The striking resemblance between the two newcomers and Tyler suggested that they were related, probably brothers. All three were tall and muscular with dark hair and eyes but these two had to be twins. The only visible difference between them was that one of them had long hair that fell to his shoulders.
“Here come Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum,’ Tyler said. “Emma, I’d like you to meet my brothers. Goldilocks over here is Adam and that douche-nozzle is Ben.”
“Wow. What an eloquent introduction, man. I’m so flattered,” Adam said tossing his brother a sardonic glare.
Not bothering with a response, Tyler turned to Mina and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her to him.
“Gotta go, baby. I’ll see you at home tonight,” he murmured before taking her mouth in a sweet kiss.
Emma didn’t know either of them, but something about the way he held Mina, the way she responded to his nearness, made an untouched part of Emma’s heart ache. That right there was the kind of thing that Emma had always dreamed of. It looked as if the whole world melted away until just the two of them remained.
Or at least that’s how it seemed until Adam interrupted with a long-suffering groan. “For fuck’s sake, Tyler. We’re in a public place with people around. Can’t you control yourself until you get her alone?”
Tyler pulled back from Mina’s embrace, shot his brother a lopsided grin and said simply, “Nope.”
“Seriously, Mina. Why do you put up with him groping you all the time?” Adam asked.
Before Mina could say anything, Tyler answered for her. “Sometimes she’s just as bad and you’re the ones who decided it would be a good idea to come pick me up when I told you I was going to visit my girl at work.”
“That’s because I needed to get out of that bar before Brandon and his girl drove me up the wall. I don’t know what his excuse is.” Adam jerked a thumb in Ben’s direction.
Ben had been quiet up until that point and when Emma turned to look at him, she found him staring at her. His dark gaze held substance, his focus intense. The unexpected heat in his eyes felt weighted and sent tingles down her nerve endings in a way that she couldn’t define.
The chatter around them stopped. Everyone looked at the two of them as though expecting a response. Ben licked his lips then looked at his twin before muttering, “What?”
Adam cleared his throat and turned back to Emma. “Anyway, all this bickering probably isn’t a great first impression. Sorry about that.”
Emma’s gaze shifted to Ben, who now no longer paid attention to any of them. Instead, he scrolled through his cell phone with a frown. She felt her own mouth tilt downward until she remembered that Adam had spoken to her. Shaking herself out of it, she refocused on the sociable twin. “No worries. Actually, your bickering makes me a little homesick. Reminds me of my own brother.”
“Ah, so you know what it’s like to have a live-in pain in the ass then,” Tyler said earning a scowl from Adam. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Ben gave no reaction, just continued to ignore them all.
“Ha, you could definitely say that my little brother is a pain in the ass.” She looked at Adam and smiled. “Though loveable.”
A broad grin stretched across Adam’s handsome face. Damn. No doubt a look like that from him had caused more than a few pairs of panties to melt. A girl could bask in the glow of his smile for hours, but somehow it didn’t have the same effect on her as Ben’s intense stare. Not that she had enjoyed it or anything. Because she hadn’t.
“So, you’re visiting from out of town?” Adam asked. “Note the subject change. And I’m the older brother, just FYI.”
Tyler flipped him off.
Emma decided right then that this trip had been a good idea. If nothing else happened, at least she got to meet a few interesting people and she had to laugh at their antics. Once the sound left her lips, she felt that heavy, weighted stare again and knew it originated from Ben’s direction. This time she didn’t turn to acknowledge it.
“Yes, I came to visit Chloe for a few weeks, get out of the city for a while. I just hit town about an hour ago.”
“Sweet. Did you tell her about the bonfire?” Adam asked Chloe.
Chloe bit her lip. “No, I’m sorry. I forgot to mention it on the phone. Tyler and Mina are having a bonfire tonight at their house and Brian and I are invited.”
“I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight, Emma, but you’re more than welcome to come,” Mina said.
“Thanks.”
Emma smiled. “Sounds like fun.”
“Oh, it will be.” Adam ran his tongue over his bottom lip, a mischievous light shimmering through his dark eyes. “I make awesome s’mores.”
“Yeah, it’ll be a good time as long as you don’t bring Captain Weenie with you,” Tyler interjected. “The last time you brought him over he pissed all over my carpet.”
Captain Weenie?
“Hey, leave my dog out of this. I can’t help it if he’s deaf and stupid. It’s what’s inside that counts.”
“And on that note, we’re leaving,” Tyler said ushering his brothers toward the door. “It was nice to meet you, Emma.”
“Yes, very nice to meet you.” Adam flashed her that charming smile once again.
“Likewise, boys,” Emma replied with a grin of her own.
As they filed out of the store, Ben surprised her by turning toward her and giving her one of the sexiest smirks she’d ever seen, though it barely passed for a smile. “See you later, Emma.”
And with those four words he sauntered out of the store leaving a breathless Emma in his wake. What was wrong with her? His twin had been the flirtatious one. So why did it only take a slow twist of his lips followed by a simple sentence to get her panties wet?
A thrill of excitement flew up her spine at the thought of seeing him later. Maybe she could get him to speak a few sentences together. Watch out, because Lord knows what will happen then, she thought with a roll of her eyes.
Under normal circumstances she would have found his behavior rude. He’d made no effort to engage her in conversation after they had been introduced. Even a simple “hi” would have sufficed. But no. All she had gotten was a heated look that burned for .5 seconds before he completely dismissed her to find something more attention grabbing on his phone.
If anything, she should be put off by him, the hell with how hot he was. A guy like that didn’t even rate on her list and…
“Hello, Emma.” Chloe gentle knocked on the top of her head. “Anyone in there?”
“Sorry.” She felt her cheeks heating. “I was lost in my head for a minute. You know how I get.”
Chloe laughed. “Yeah, the Serano brothers will do that to you. I remember the first time I saw them all grown up.” She let out a low whistle. “That much sexy testosterone in one room is enough to scramble any woman’s brains. Am I right?”
Mina let out a dreamy sight. “Oh yeah. That is a fact, my friend.” She shook her head and straightened her spine. “But anyway, I have to get some things sorted out in the backroom before we close. It was nice to meet you, Emma. I’ll see you tonight.”
“I can’t wait,” Emma said with a warm smile then waited until Mina moved out of earshot before she turned to Chloe.
“That’s not where my mind was,” Emma snapped. She didn’t want Chloe to think that the brothers affected her like that. Even though they clearly had. Well, not all of them. Just Ben.
“Mmhmm.” Chloe folder her arms across her chest, brushing her fingers against her chin on the way. “You might want to wipe that little bit of drool off the corner of your mouth, there.”
Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Can we please talk about something else? Like, I dunno, maybe the fact that I haven’t seen you in a thousand years?”
“See, that would eventually bring us back to why you came to visit, which would bring us right back around to the Serano brothers anyway. Same subject,” Chloe tossed over her shoulder as she ducked back behind the counter.
Inwardly, Emma groaned. It had probably been a mistake to tell Chloe her exact reasons for needing a vacation. But at the time she had been thinking that Chloe could help, not shove her in the wrong direction. “What do they have to do with why I’m here?”
“Oh please.” Chloe gave her a level look. “They have everything to do with why you’re here and tonight is the perfect opportunity to get started on your mission.”
“You mean with Adam?” The other option just wasn’t, well, an option.
The grin that graced Chloe’s face then could only be described as evil. Pure and simple. “I was thinking more along the lines of the quiet one.”
Emma felt her stomach bottom out at the concept alone.
“No, absolutely not.” When all the response she got was a shit eating grin, she added. “ Chloe, he doesn’t fit anywhere on my list. And he wasn’t exactly clamoring for my attention.”
Rolling her eyes, Chloe waved Emma’s words away. “You and that stupid-ass list. You aren’t going to marry him. You’re going to fuck him. And you forget, I know him better than you do and I can tell when he’s interested. You just leave it to me.”
This time, Emma didn’t even bother to hide her groan. “I can’t talk you out of this, can I?” She knew Chloe. When the woman had her mind set on something, there was no changing it. And she loved to play the matchmaker.
When Chloe smiled sweetly and said, “Nope,” she knew arguing was moot.
“Just don’t embarrass me, please? And when he turns you down, don’t badger him or try to trick him.”
“Don’t worry, he won’t turn me down. And really.” Chloe shot her and exasperated look. “When have I ever embarrassed you?”
Chapter Three
Emma didn’t have to look down at the paper Mina had given her, the myriad cars parked in the driveway and along the road told her that she had the correct place. How many people had been invited to this “small” gathering, anyway? Nervous jitters clattered away in her stomach at all the possibilities that lay before her. Especially as she had no idea what Chloe had planned. With that girl it could be anything.
Finding a parking spot about halfway down the block, she got out, squared her shoulders and tried to calm her anxiety as she made her way up to the two-story house. It doesn’t matter what Chloe’s plans are, she thought defiantly, they aren’t going to come to fruition. She would pick her own man to work out her plan with, thank you very much. A man who would certainly be more interested in her than Ben Serano seemed to be.
Raising her fist to knock on the front door, it swung open before her knuckles met wood. A mountain of a man moved through the doorway and almost plowed her over. As it was, he bumped into her, knocking her slightly off balance. Large hands reached out to steady her and a shock close to static electricity, only with a warm aftereffect, burst over her skin at the point of contact.
“Sorry,” he rumbled, the low gravely tone playing havoc with her nervous system. Immediately, the hands dropped away and she looked up to find Ben staring down at her, curious bewilderment shining in his eyes.
Shaking herself out of her stupor, she managed a small smile. “It’s okay. Partly my fault, too.”
To that, it seemed, he had no response. He looked awkwardly toward the house then back to her.
“You going in?” he barked out impatiently.
As she stepped back from him she could feel her blood start to boil beneath the surface of her skin. “I was planning on it. Unless you have a reason I shouldn’t.”
“Emma!” Chloe’s enthusiastic shout from inside the house drew Emma’s reluctant attention away from Ben. “I wondered what had taken you so long. I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
The smile that blossomed on Emma’s face then felt genuine. Chloe always gave her a hard time for her perpetual lack of respect for punctuality. Most of the time, Emma was late on purpose just to goad her. “You know me, always like to be fashionable late.”
Chloe laughed. “Yeah, I don’t know about the fashionable part. C’mon, I want to introduce you to everybody.”
“Okay, give me a minute.” She turned back toward Ben only to find that he had already walked away, moving toward a truck parked at the end of the driveway.
Facing Chloe once more, Emma through her friend a pointed look. “I rest my case.”
Shaking her head, Chloe waved that away as she grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her into the house. “Don’t take that personally. He sucks with people. D
oesn’t mean I’m not right.”
She laughed, refusing to feel slighted by someone she didn’t know.
They hung a right immediately after the main hallway and found themselves in the kitchen. Bottled of alcohol lined the counter with bowls of chips and pretzels close by. Tyler stood by the sink talking to a blond man Emma didn’t recognize.
“Emma.” Tyler gave her a lopsided smile. “I’m glad you made it. Want a drink?”
“Thank you,” she said returning his smile. “Red wine?”
“Sure.” He nodded and moved to pull a glass from the cupboard.
“Ah, so you’re Emma,” the blond said with dancing eyes as he extended his hand. “Chloe’s told me a lot about you. I’m Brian.”
“Ah, so you’re Brian.” Emma mimicked him, laughing as she shook his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you as well.”
And some of it is downright seedy.
He chuckled.
“I can tell by your face what kinds of thins you’ve heard. Don’t worry, surprise is a common reaction.” He winked.
“Well, I have to say, I was sort of expecting a hulked out meathead with sleeve tattoos and maybe a scar on your cheek just for flavor.” While she exaggerated slightly, she hadn’t been expecting this personable, almost preppy-boy with his washed jeans and striped polo shirt.
“You know,” he said clicking his tongue, “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the exact same thing. Maybe I need to toughen up my image. What do you think, babe?” He looked at Chloe.
“I can help you with the scar part,” Tyler offered with a grin as he handed Emma her wine.
The feminine grow filling the room made Emma laugh.
“Don’t you dare, or I’ll give you one to match,” Chloe spat. “Then Mina would never speak to me again and it would be your fault.”
There was a pause as Tyler pretended to think about it. “Actually, that might make my life a little easier.”
Folding her arms over her chest, Chloe narrowed her eyes on Tyler then rolled them over to Emma. “You see what I’ve been putting up with since I saw you last?”