Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection

by Nikki Bolvair

  I insisted everyone go home when they finished with the kitchen chores. I wouldn’t take my nap until they agreed. While I appreciated their kindness and care, it was time for me to return to my regular life.

  Chapter Seven

  Two days later, a tap sounded at my door in the middle of rereading my smutty vampire romance novel. To answer it, I disentangled Satan from my lap. Wes stood in the hall holding a tablet in his hand, wearing another band t-shirt and jeans that looked sewn on. “Hey, Wes! Come in.” I belatedly realized I’d left the monitor off again.

  “I wanted to drop this off,” he said as he came into the living room. “I hoped you wouldn’t be in class.”

  “I took the day off. I’m still pretty sore.” I pointed to the object in his hands. “A tablet?”

  “Yeah, it’s got all my books on it.” He handed it to me.

  “Why would you bring me all your books?” I sat on the couch and tapped the home button. Wes sat beside me and reached over to touch a reading app that brought up his library. I watched him as he fiddled with the app. He tucked his hair behind his ear, but it kept falling out and brushing his cheekbone, not long enough to stay. I resisted the urge to neaten the rogue lock of hair.

  “I wanted to show you I’m like you. We aren’t that different. I only appear like I belong on a surfboard. In reality, I belong with my nose in a book.” My mind strayed to images of him reading a book on the beach. Stop that! You’re so dirty lately! Think about the gift!

  My voice left me. “I don’t know what to say. This is touching.”

  “Don’t get excited. I want it back in a few weeks—enough time for you to learn what I like and write down some titles you’d like to have. Everything I own is on there, even copies of my hardcover books. No matter where I am or what device I have with me, I can pull up any book I’ve read and read it again.” I needed to do the same with my own library.

  “That’s a good idea. I still prefer an actual book in hand, but the world is going digital. Plus, if there was a fire, at least I’d still have my entire library at my fingertips.” I smiled up at his pleased expression. Me perusing his library excited him. “So, how was your day?”

  “Great, actually. We’re starting a nasty case where the defendant has been framed. That’s all I can tell you, though. We’re working on proof that it was a frame-up.”

  “We can’t talk about my case either, can we?” There wasn’t much to talk about. I could only wait for my lawyers to get all their depositions and ducks in a row.

  “Not if we want to continue to be—friends. Ellie, I see myself definitely wanting more than friendship. I wanted to throw that out there.” Not knowing how to respond, I leaned my head against the couch to contemplate the information and ended up resting my head on Wes’s arm. His hard, warm, muscular arm. He placed it on the back of the couch without my realizing it. I jumped forward. “I’m sorry!”

  He chuckled sexily rather than comically. “It’s okay, Ellie. You’re always welcome to lay your head on me.” My blush answered his question. “Okay. I’ve embarrassed you enough for one day. I’ll go. I’m meeting the guys for dinner to discuss a case and the depositions we took today. I’ll text you later?”

  “That sounds good. Todd should be here soon. We will plan our coffee date soon?” I enjoyed myself every time I was with him. I wanted more time with him.

  “I’d love it.” He got up from the couch, and I made a move to follow. “No, don’t get up. I know the way out.” I nodded my head, and he let himself out. I squealed once I knew he couldn’t hear me. How romantic! He brought me every book he’d read to help me get to know him better. It was personal and a bold move.

  Before I started combing through the book list, I called Todd.

  “Todd, please tell me you have five minutes to act like a teenage girl with me.” He always enjoyed wigging out with me.

  “I always have time to act like a teenage girl with you, pumpkin. You know that.”

  “Perfect. Guess what Wes brought me?” He’d never guess such an unusual gift. The gift showed Wes put a lot of consideration into what I appreciated.

  “A kitten?”

  “No.” Dork.

  “A sub sandwich and a pint of vodka?”

  “No, and what the hell?” He was weird sometimes.

  “It’s what I’d like to have right now.”

  I threw myself onto the couch, phone clasped to my ear. “No! He brought me a tablet!”

  He gasped. “It’s full of dirty movies isn’t it?”

  “No! What’s wrong with you? I mean… I guess it could be. I haven’t checked. But, no! It’s full of every book he’s ever read.” How did he remember every book he’d ever read? I certainly couldn’t remember each book I’d read since childhood.

  “How many books is that?”

  “I only glanced at the list, but it’s incredibly long.”

  “Why would he bring you that?”

  “Because he wants me to get to know him better, and since I love to read, he thought this would be a great way.” He was right.

  “Well, that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. Jesus, these guys are too damn good to be true.”

  “Todd, how am I going to pick one of them? They’ve all three made it clear they’re interested.” I prayed they weren’t too good to be true.

  “Cross that bridge when you come to it. Get to know them. You’ll lean more toward one of them as you learn more about them.

  “You’re right. I know you’re right. You’re always right.” He was right a frustrating amount of the time.

  “Damn skippy. Now go pore over his books and learn more about this hunky lawyer.” He disconnected without letting me say goodbye. Typical Todd.

  The tablet was chock full of books. Long books, short books. From wholesome, family friendly books to books you could never let your grandma know you read. From classics to… well, not classics. He even had an entire section devoted to digital comics. I could get lost in his tablet for weeks.

  His variety impressed me. It said a lot about him as a person. He had to be open-minded, and his career was probably easier to come by for him than for others. After spending the evening browsing, I fell asleep with his tablet on my chest and a smile on my face.

  The next morning, I opened my front door to grab my newspaper and came face to face with Arch. He stood outside his apartment with a ravishingly beautiful woman. He wore a robe and slippers, but she was dressed like she was prepared to go to an exclusive night club. Standing next to her in my owl pajama pants and I Read for Pleasure t-shirt made me feel inadequate. But then, half the supermodels in the world would feel inadequate next to this woman.

  I pulled myself together enough to speak. “Good morning.” I scooped my paper up and scurried into my apartment, switching on my security monitor.

  If anyone watched me after I closed the door, they would’ve committed me. My hair was in a messy bun, mascara smeared under my eyes, and my hands pressed against the wall on either side of the monitor. I leaned in to try to take in every moment of their exchange.

  The woman kept trying to put her arms around Arch and cuddle up to him. He was clearly uncomfortable, and his gaze repeatedly drifted to my apartment door. She was an octopus—every time he’d remove her hand she’d find a way to touch him again. Finally, a muffled yelling came through my door. The monitor showed Arch jerking away from the woman, face angry and red. I assumed he’d taken all he could and snapped.

  Ms. Hot, Sexy, and Slutty eventually turned and stomped down the hall toward the elevators. As soon as she walked out of my camera’s view, Arch jumped to my door and banged his fist on it.

  He moved so fast it startled me. I leaped away from the monitor as if he could see me spying on him. The sharp knocks on the wood reverberated in my gut. Before I answered, I took a few deep breaths to compose myself. I didn’t want him to know I spied on him. As he walked in, I realized the monitor was still on. I hit the power button with my elbo
w as he rushed into the room.

  “Ellie, I’m so sorry.”

  “What do you have to be sorry about?” I feigned innocence, as if the beautiful woman didn’t make me feel like a fool for thinking Arch liked me. He seemed angry with her, giving me hope I misunderstood the exchange, and he hadn’t spent the night with her.

  “That woman. Monica.” He stepped toward me, arms out, apologetic.

  “What about her? I don’t understand what’s going on.” I turned to the kitchen before my lies showed on my face. “Would you like some tea?”

  “No, thank you. Listen. Monica didn’t spend the night. She showed up this morning, I guess hoping to catch me. I’ve managed to avoid her for weeks. We had a few dates a couple of months ago. She wasn’t for me, so I broke it off. She stopped by or called every few weeks since then.” He followed me into the kitchen.

  “Arch, you don’t have to explain yourself to me.” Inside, I begged him to keep explaining himself to me.

  “I want to. I do. I’ve been trying to be nice to her up until now. But when you saw that, I was afraid you’d think she had spent the night.”

  “Why?” Why would he care about my opinion? I yearned for him to care, given how I’d begun to care for him, but if he did, I needed him to spell it out for me.

  “Why what?” He blinked, bewildered. He didn’t understand how I could be confused by his actions.

  “Why were you worried about my reaction to Monica?” When it came down to it, what right did I have to be upset if she spent the night?

  Arch recoiled with a face like I’d slapped him. “I… I don’t know. I thought… I thought we had something. A connection. Was I wrong?”

  “No,” I murmured. “You weren’t wrong. I felt a connection.” My inner self did cartwheels. He wanted a deeper relationship with me.

  “Then, you understand why I got upset?”

  I sighed in resignation. “Of course, I do.” I decided to go for honesty. “I got upset, too. Then, I felt stupid because we aren’t a couple, and we’ve no ties to each other.” I threw my hands up in consternation. “We’ve been on one failed attempt at a date, and that’s it. I’ve been flirting with you, but I’ve also been flirting with your partners!” Why did I say that out loud? “So, I felt stupid assuming you weren’t dating anyone.” The cat definitely escaped the bag. I admitted I liked all of them.

  “So, you’ve been flirting with them.” He turned away, then back to me, his entire body tense.

  “Well… yeah.” The World’s Biggest Ass award was being engraved with my name as we spoke.

  “It’s okay.” His expression said it was not okay.

  “What do you want me to say? All three of you flirted with me, showed interest in me, and asked me out.” I began to panic, afraid to lose their friendship and potential relationships before they even happened. “You don’t know me, yet, but I don’t go on dates every weekend. I don’t play the field. I’m waiting for someone I have a real connection with.” I screwed up my nerve to continue. “I’ve felt a connection with all three of you.”

  “It’s okay! You’re right. You should get to know us before making any decisions.” He looked determined, like he would ensure I chose him. “So, I’m going to go get ready for work. And I’m going to pretend none of this happened.”

  I nodded my head as he walked away, baffled by the events of the morning. I couldn’t find any words to say, so I gaped at him. He turned around and lifted his chin, which I returned, slack-jawed.

  Still dumbfounded, I made my way to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for my day. I winced when I saw myself in the mirror—I was a mess. My hair was a total rat’s nest, and a huge zit popped up on my chin.

  With an important class first thing, I didn’t have time to mourn my disheveled state. I slapped on the minimal makeup Todd painstakingly taught me to apply without taking a lot of time or effort. I wasted no time on my hair, a quick wash and blow dry. I ended up looking nice, though not a knockout. I’d take it.

  My morning was uneventful until I walked out of my class. Gray stood outside the classroom with two coffees in hand. He wore another tight-fitting polo and slacks, his dark hair up in a bun. “Hello there,” I said, surprised to find him suddenly on campus.

  “Pardon the intrusion, but I checked, and you don’t have another class today.” He handed me a cup. “A certain best friend of yours might’ve given me his number after the wreck, you know, just in case, and I might’ve called him to find out how you take your coffee and what your day looks like today.” He handed me one of the cups. “Please don’t think I’m creepy. I had reason to be here.”

  The coffee tasted like rich hazelnut. “You even got the right creamer. Brownie points to Gray. The hazelnut cancels the creepiness a bit. Did you have a lecture?”

  He handed me a paper bag I hadn’t noticed. “No brownies, but I did get cinnamon breakfast cake. Todd might’ve mentioned that, too.” He grinned, pleased, teeth sparkling in the morning sunshine. “Yes, I just finished it. It was a speech of sorts, not a whole class.”

  I peered down into the bag. “He’s a gem, and so are you.” Cinnamon cake was my weakness, and I hadn’t taken the time to eat before class.

  After my morning with Arch, having Gray drop by for a visit made me wonder what I’d done to warrant such attention.

  His smile was hot enough to melt my heart, full of boyish charm with a hint of the strong man behind it. When one of his eyebrows rose, I shook myself out of my scrutiny. “There’s a nice seating area a few minutes’ walk from here. Would you like to go sit down?” I asked.

  “Sure. Lead the way.”

  We strolled along, sipping coffee. “Tell me about your family,” I asked as we reached the benches. We sat under a sprawling magnolia and enjoyed the warm autumn day.

  “I have a big family. They live in Atlanta, near Arch and Wes’s families. Nine brothers and sisters.”

  “Nine? My goodness. Your parents must be exhausted. Where are you in the pecking order?” I imagined how loud his home must’ve been.

  “I’m oldest. Yeah, my parental units…” He took a breath before continuing. “They’re a little odd, but loveable. My youngest brother is four. They swear they’re done having kids, but I wouldn’t be surprised if another one is born.”

  “That’s kind of awesome. They must really love each other and the kids.” A huge family held no real appeal to me. Kudos to those who wanted it, but no chance I’d push ten children out of my nether region.

  “There was a lot of love in my house, for sure. My parents didn’t want me to go into law. But for as long as I can remember that’s all Arch, Wes, and I talked about. It’s all we’ve ever wanted to do.”

  “Y’all grew up together?” They certainly acted like brothers.

  “Yeah, our parents were close friends. Tight knit. They still are, as a matter of fact.”

  “Arch made it seem like he wasn’t close to his parents, though.” Curiosity ate me up inside.

  “Yeah, he’s not. None of us are, really. Not anymore.”

  “Why?” I tried not to sound too eager for the answer. I sipped my coffee and stared out over the large, grand landscape. A century old, the age of the campus pressed against me. If I could listen well enough, I would be able to hear the stories it had to tell.

  “Like I said, they didn’t want me to be a lawyer. None of our parents did. They wanted us to go into the family business.”

  “Family business?” Like the mafia?

  “Farming. They own a large, successful farm on the outskirts of Atlanta. It’s become quite lucrative, and they wanted us to take over the farm when they got old enough to retire. The three families share the responsibilities and the success of the farm.”

  “Wow! I’d no idea you three were farmhands! You look like you were born in a courtroom; you’re so comfortable in your suits.” Their suits were incredibly sexy, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them in work clothes.

  Gray let out a booming l
augh. “We hate wearing suits. All three of us. That’s the one part of being lawyers we’ll all agree sucks. We’re more comfortable wearing jeans and flannels.” He sipped his coffee. “I take it back. Arch loves it, even though he denies it.”

  I chuckled. “What does your family farm?”

  “They have a section like a petting zoo, small garden, and so on. They do tours of the farm, host classrooms, have birthday parties, that sort of thing. And in the fall, they do pumpkin patches, hayrides, and a corn maze. It brings in some great revenue, but the real money is in the cotton. They have contracts with some huge clothiers and provide them with raw cotton.”

  “Impressive. I bet they have a lot of employees.” It sounded like a ton of work.

  He paused for a moment, considering his words carefully. “Not as many as you might assume, but their numbers are growing. It was pretty contained to family when we were growing up, but one of Wes’s sisters took a liking to the retail side of it. Now there is also a branch making soap from our goats’ milk and other artisan skin care using ingredients off the farm. She sells it online and is building it up quite nicely.” He finished his coffee and set it on the bench beside me. He reached over me to do it and got close enough I could smell his skin. He smelled like leather and a little bit like… bacon? I suppressed a shiver. It was both sexy and made me a little hungry.

  As he leaned back to his own side of the bench, his shirt shifted, and I spied the tip of a tattoo on his neck. How had I never noticed it before? I’d have to get the whole picture to decide if I found it attractive or not. Normally, I wasn’t a big fan of tattoos, but his intrigued me. Just reach over and pull his shirt down and look at it. I shook my head at myself, luckily while Gray looked away.

  “Tell me more about you, Ellie.”

  “You know a lot already.” Talking about myself made my skin crawl.