Landing the Big Ones [Hedon Falls] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Michelle Graham

  “Can we get another one?” Sam asked.

  “It’s probably too soon,” Liam told him.

  “Please! Please!” Sam’s lower lip jutted out in a pout Serena was well-acquainted with. But the men didn’t have as much experience resisting his cuteness and they gave in pretty quickly. They helped him pick out a guppy while Serena watched. She had to admit, they were both pretty good with him.

  “You can bring a sample of your water in and we can test it for you to make sure it’s got all the right levels,” Liam said.

  “Can’t you test that water?” Serena asked, pointing to the dish.

  “Not since it’s had a dead fish in it,” Lance replied.

  “Can we get something to test it at home?” Serena asked desperately. She didn’t want to come back any more than necessary.

  “We’d be happy to come,” he said with a small smile.

  Serena’s face reddened again. She didn’t know why they were tormenting her like this.

  “No,” she said. “You won’t be coming.” She glared at him, daring him to contradict her.

  He looked at her for a moment then held up his hands in surrender and said, “Fine. Have it your way. You can get test strips to use.” He led her to a shelf and picked up a box. He explained how to use it and circled the ideal readings.

  “Great,” she said. She followed him to the till and paid then turned around to call for Sam. He bounded over, the new guppy safely ensconced in its plastic bag, and they left.

  It was easy to think clearly once she was away from the twins.

  Twins!

  “Sam, did you know Lance had a twin brother?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Duh!”

  “Don’t be smart,” she said.

  “But I thought you wanted me to be smart?” he said.

  “Let me clarify,” she said. “Don’t be a smart-ass.” Sam giggled as they climbed into the car.

  “I saw them both when you fell the other day.”

  “Right,” said Serena. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I thought you knew,” he said.

  “Hmm.” When she thought back, she did remember Lance mentioning a brother. She never dreamed he had a twin, though. Well, maybe in her wildest dreams.

  At home, Serena and Sam added the new fish, which Sam christened Flippy, according to Lance’s instructions from the previous day. Then she took out one of the test strips and dipped it in the water. She looked at the little coloured squares and then compared them to the chart Lance had given her. The colours on the test strip didn’t match any of the ones on the chart exactly, though they seemed pretty close. So did that mean the levels were correct? Shrugging her shoulders, she tossed the strip in the trash and went to make dinner.

  * * * *

  Liam sat with his brother in the office after the store had closed, going over the day’s receipts and writing up an order. He was having trouble concentrating, though. His mind kept wandering back to Serena.

  “She wanted me,” he said. “I know she did. I could see her nipples get all hard under her shirt.”

  “Oh, not this again!” Lance exclaimed.

  “Sorry,” Liam replied. “I just really want her, and I wish I knew why she was acting this way.”

  “I told you, she said she wasn’t ready.”

  “I figured she just turned you down because of the hospital thing.”

  Lance laughed. “No. She wanted me, too. I think she would have kissed me if Sam hadn’t walked in. But he seemed to remind her where she was, and she sort of snapped out of it.”

  Liam nodded. “I think she needs to know that I want more than just a fling,” he said. “There’s just something about her. And I keep messing it up by coming on too strong.”

  “We’re both guilty of that,” Lance agreed. “But I’m not sorry that she shot you down, too. I don’t think I could handle it if she picked you over me.”

  Liam thought about that. He knew the same would be true if she picked Lance. They both wanted her, but if one of them got her, it might ruin the relationship he had with his brother. He wouldn’t let a woman come between them.

  Unless…

  “Hey, Lance, remember that night in university, after we won the homecoming game?

  Lance looked up at him sharply. “You mean when we both fucked that cheerleader?”

  “That’s the one,” Liam said. He had been quarterback, Lance a linebacker, and one of the cheerleaders had been only too eager to help them celebrate. “What if Serena chose both of us?”

  Lance blinked. “You mean if she had a relationship with both of us? Like a serious relationship? How would that even work?”

  “I’ve heard about it before,” Liam said. “There are lots of people who are polyamorous. They have more than one person that they love.”

  Lance sat quietly for a few minutes. “I’d be open to that. Do you think we could convince her?”

  “She responds to both of us,” Liam said. “I think if we used the right…persuasion, she may consider the idea.”

  “But we can’t come on too strong, or she’ll run away.”

  “I know. I think we need to be persistent, though.”

  Lance smiled at him. “I think that’s a brilliant idea, bro.”

  Chapter 5

  On Wednesday morning when Sam fed the fish, he said, “Mom, this one’s swimming upside down.”

  Serena went over and looked in the tank, fearing another dead fish. But to her surprise, she saw the silver guppy swimming from one side of the tank to the other on its back. It didn’t seem able to right itself.

  “That’s really weird,” she said.

  “Do you think it’s sick?” Sam asked.

  “I hope not, sweetie. We’ll see how it is when you get home.”

  After Sam had left for school, Serena picked up the phone and called Dalton’s.

  “Dalton’s Aquariums and More! This is Liam speaking.”

  “Umm…hi, Liam…it’s…it’s Serena,” she managed to stammer.

  “Serena, it’s good to hear from you,” he said warmly. “What’s up?”

  She breathed a small sigh of relief that he didn’t make any suggestive comments. “One of our guppies is swimming upside down.”

  “Does it seem to have trouble getting upright?” he asked, all business.

  “Yes,” she said. “It’s almost like he’s drunk or something.”

  “That’s not good,” Liam said. “When that happens there’s usually something wrong with the swim bladder. It probably won’t last much longer. You should take it out and euthanize it.”

  “What?” Serena gasped. “How do you euthanize a fish?”

  “Trauma to the head works nicely,” Liam said.

  Serena was horrified. “I couldn’t hit the fish! How would I explain that to Sam?”

  “He would understand if you said it was suffering. Which it is.”

  Serena stayed silent for a moment. This was not what she wanted to hear. She couldn’t imagine taking the fish out and bashing it on the head. But she hated to let it suffer.

  “I just don’t know what to do, Liam,” she said.

  He sighed. “Do you want me to come over and do it?”

  Now Serena was really torn. If she were being completely honest, she wanted to see Liam again. But she was afraid. She didn’t want to get hurt. And she was confused, because she wanted to see Lance again, too. That was probably just because they looked exactly alike. What were the odds of being attracted to two men at once? She was no closer to a decision.

  “Serena?” Liam asked. “Are you still there?”

  “Come over,” she said quickly, before she could stop herself. She’d just have to be strong.

  “Okay,” Liam said. “Give me half an hour or so.”

  Serena hung up and flew into the bathroom to shower. She didn’t blow dry her hair this time. She pulled out another pair of jeans and a tight-fitting T-shirt. She had just finished applying mascara when there was a knock
at the door.

  She opened it to find both the twins standing there. This was definitely not what she had been expecting.

  “Hi,” she said, holding the door open. They mumbled greetings as they came inside, took off their shoes, and headed into the living room. She was a bit disappointed. They didn’t seem to have noticed her at all. It’s for the best, she reminded herself as she followed them into the living room. Liam, or Lance, she couldn’t tell which, was bent over, examining the tank. She took a few moments to examine his tight ass. Then she shook her head and walked over to the tank.

  “It’s not doing well,” said the twin who was bent over. “See how its gills are moving so rapidly? It’s having trouble breathing. Do you have a net and bucket?”

  “It’s under the table,” said the other twin. That must be Lance, Serena thought, since Liam hadn’t been there before. She studied them closely, trying to see any differences now that she knew who was who. She noticed that Liam’s hair was a bit longer and kept in casual disarray. Serena could just imagine burying her hands in that hair while he pressed his mouth to hers. With a shiver, she looked at Lance. His hair was more carefully styled and cut closer to his head. He had a small dimple in his cheek that Liam lacked. She thought his lips looked a little fuller as well and she imagined what kissing them would feel like. Snap out of it! she exclaimed to herself. You can’t fantasize about them both.

  “Did you say there were baby fish?” Liam asked. “I didn’t see them.”

  Serena looked into the tank. “There was at least one yesterday,” she said. “But I don’t see it today.”

  “You’ll need to do a water change tonight,” he said. “Suction out the bottom really well. If the baby fish died and are left in there, it will elevate the nitrate levels and that will make the water more dangerous for the other fish.”

  Lance took the bucket and net. He lifted off the hood of the aquarium and scooped a bit of water into the bucket. Then he snagged the fish in the net and dropped it into the bucket. “Which way to the bathroom?” he asked.

  Serena pointed down the hall and as she watched, she felt suddenly overwhelmed by sadness for a fish that had only been here for two days. She couldn’t explain it, but she couldn’t seem to stop the swell of emotion, and tears sprang to her eyes. She turned so Liam wouldn’t be able to see her, and a small sob escaped.

  “Hey,” he said gently, placing his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. The little guy was suffering, and this is the most humane thing.”

  “I know.” Serena sniffed. “I don’t know why I’m so emotional.”

  From the bathroom, she heard a dull thud followed by a toilet flushing. Her tears fell faster. Liam pulled her into his arms and cradled her head against his chest, softly stroking her hair. Serena slid her arms around his waist and leaned into him as she cried. After a few moments, she started to calm down a bit, and became aware of how good Liam’s arms felt, how good he smelled. She couldn’t identify the cologne, but it was subtle and slightly citrusy and it was making her stomach tighten. She felt him kiss the top of her head. She pulled back slightly to look up at him and their gazes locked.

  She didn’t do anything to stop it as Liam bent his head down. His lips touched hers, lightly at first, but growing more insistent as she melted against him. He parted her lips and thrust his tongue into her mouth and she parried his thrusts with her own. She lifted her arms so she could sink her fingers into his hair and hold his head in place. It felt just as glorious as she had imagined. She didn’t want this to stop. Heat coursed through her body and she felt like she were tipsy, drunk on the taste of him. She felt hands on her waist, travelling slowly up her sides until they were very close to her chest. She turned herself slightly and arched her back, forcing her breast into his hand. She heard a small groan as the other hand worked on the other breast, rubbing and lightly pinching the nipples through her shirt. She moaned against Liam’s mouth and felt lips and a tongue moving down her neck and an erection pressing into the small of her back as well as her stomach.

  Serena froze. How could she have one cock in her butt and another pushing on her belly? She pulled her lips from Liam’s and turned her head to see Lance behind her. She pushed Liam away from her and moved out of reach of either of them.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” she exclaimed.

  “Serena,” Lance began, “we’re both incredibly attracted to you.”

  “So what?” she yelled.

  “We just—” Liam began.

  “Get out,” Serena said in a low voice and pointed to the door.

  “Serena—”

  “I said get out! Just leave me alone!”

  Liam and Lance exchanged a glance and, without another word, walked out the door.

  * * * *

  “Fuck!” Liam exclaimed as he slammed his hand against the elevator door.

  Lance said nothing. His disappointment was intense, but he bore it silently. When he had walked into the room to find Liam kissing Serena, he’d watched for a moment, incredibly turned on by the sight. He got carried away and went to them, eager to touch her and kiss her the way she was kissing his brother. At first it seemed okay, but in retrospect, she probably just hadn’t realized he was there. Now he was mentally kicking himself. Maybe if he’d been able to control himself, she would have at least given them a chance.

  “Sorry,” Lance said. “We said we wouldn’t come on too strong and I did.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Lance,” Liam said. “I’m sure she would have stopped me eventually anyway.” The elevator doors opened and they walked out to the lobby.

  “How did you end up kissing her in the first place?” Lance asked as they exited the lobby and headed out to their car.

  “She was upset about the fish and started crying,” Liam said. “I hugged her and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at me with those big, brown eyes, and I just had to kiss her. And she was kissing me back. I think it’s been a long time since she’s been with a man.”

  “Maybe we need to just learn more about her.”

  “How are we going to do that if she keeps sending us away?” Liam asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  They rode in silence, then, until they reached the store again. Lance called the florist to order roses for Serena. “Just write ‘Sorry’ on the card,” he told her. “She’ll know who it’s from.” He knew the flowers wouldn’t make up for his blunder, but he hoped they might smooth things over a little.

  * * * *

  Serena lay on her bed, replaying the scene over and over. She had been a fool to kiss Liam in the first place. She had already told them she wasn’t ready for a relationship. But for Lance to just…join in? Part of her was appalled. But it was just a small part. She was loath to admit it, but she had found it incredibly hot to have them both touching her. She was just so shocked that she did the first thing she could think of to clear her head. Sending them away helped her think a little more clearly. She needed to get back to work. Then she would have other things to occupy her, and she could try to get her mind off the Dalton brothers.

  The ringing of the phone interrupted her. She looked at the display. It was the lobby phone. Clicking on the television so she could see the closed circuit camera, she saw a short man standing there with a large bundle of flowers.

  “Hello?” she said into the phone.

  “Delivery from Lauren’s Flowers,” the man said into the intercom.

  Serena pressed the star key to open the door and then went to her own door to meet the delivery man. She thanked him and took the flowers into the kitchen. She opened the paper wrapping to find a dozen red roses. She withdrew the card from the envelope. It said, simply, “Sorry.” She smiled and got to work putting the flowers in a vase.

  When Sam arrived home, he ran straight to the fish tank. As he studied it, his shoulders slumped. “Where’s Fin?”

  Serena hugged him and said, “I’m sorry sweetie. I called Liam about it and they came ove
r to check. Fin was really sick and they put him down so he wouldn’t suffer anymore.” And then the two of them came on to me and I liked it, but I made them leave.

  “Can we get another one?” Sam asked.

  “We should wait a few days at least,” Serena said.

  Sam pouted, but Serena was adamant. She wasn’t going near that store just yet, if ever again. While Sam did his homework, Serena puttered around the kitchen, preparing supper and trying to keep her mind off the handsome twins and their unique approach. But she couldn’t stop thinking about how good Liam’s lips had felt against hers or Lance’s hands on her breasts. She hated to admit that it felt extremely arousing to be pressed between them. She had read about things like that in her spicier romance books, but she never dreamed it could actually happen, especially not to her. Could she have a relationship with them both?

  The truth was that she wanted that badly, and it scared her. The last relationship she’d had was with Sam’s father, Jack. They had started dating in their last year of university. At twenty-two, Serena had never had a serious boyfriend, and she had fallen fast and hard for Jack. He had been handsome, smart, and suave. He knew all the right things to say and do. After graduation, she landed a job with an advertising firm in Toronto, and she and Jack moved in together. While she was working, he was supposed to have been looking for his own job, but as the months wore on, he had fewer and fewer interviews. Serena would get home from work to find the apartment a disaster and the history on the internet browser full of porn sites.

  The rent on their bachelor apartment was astronomical, and when Serena and Jack had to start paying back their student loans six months after graduation, money got incredibly tight. Her salary alone was not enough. She took a second job at a Tim Horton’s five nights a week to try to make up the difference. She was exhausted, working sixteen hours most days, and she forgot to take her birth control pills a couple of times. She was still amazed she had gotten pregnant at all, considering she was usually too tired for sex.