by Mari Carr
“Strange,” she said.
Diego lifted his beer again and she watched as he took a long swig, the action drawing her attention to his full, extremely kissable lips.
She shoved that thought away. Even though Diego had insisted this was a date, kissing was not on her agenda. Just the thought of it made her blood run cold. And hot.
Fuck. She was getting seriously tired of all the contradictions.
“Glad you came out?” Luc asked, with a teasing gleam in his hazel eyes. “Starting to wonder why you ever turned us down to begin with?”
“Regardless of whether I’m having fun or not, I still say it’s not normal for two guys to date the same woman at the same time.”
Luc had been about to take a drink, but instead put the bottle down. “Who gets to decide what’s normal?”
His question took her aback. Mainly because he sounded so serious. She was used to the easygoing banter between them. They were harmless guys who liked to tease. It wasn’t as if they really wanted to date her. They were just trying to help her break out of her rut. Or at least, that was what she’d thought before Diego had laid down the law at her house earlier.
“I don’t know who decides. Society?”
“Diego and I like going out with women together. To us and the women we date, it feels normal. So you’re saying we should do something that wouldn’t feel right, simply because what you view as polite society says we’re wrong?”
“There are still those in society who say gay marriage is wrong. That interracial marriage is wrong,” Diego added.
She raised her hand. “I don’t feel that way.”
“If you can accept those relationships, why can’t you understand our preference?” Luc asked.
She blew out an exasperated sigh. “You guys are waging one hell of an effective argument. I don’t like it.”
Diego chuckled. “Sore loser.”
It occurred to Jeannette that prior to this week, the three of them had never really had an opportunity to talk like this. Typically they were surrounded by lots of other people in the midst of the busy restaurant. “How long have you guys done this tag-team dating?”
Luc actually began to count. “Let’s see. We met when we were fifteen. We’re thirty now, so I’d say pretty much from the beginning.”
“Seriously?” She was surprised. “You’ve never gone out with a woman without Diego there?”
Luc shook his head. “No. Never. Diego’s always been with me.”
The men exchanged a glance. It was just a fleeting look, but Jeannette saw something flow between them she hadn’t seen before.
Genuine affection and…attraction?
She thought back to the gossip she’d heard about Luc and Diego’s dating habits. There were a lot of satisfied women in town only too happy to spill the juicy details about their evening with the sexy firefighters. All of the rumors ran along the same vein. It was always a magical night where the woman walked away satisfied and ruined for all other men forever.
Jeannette had rolled her eyes at those comments more than once and chalked up the remarks to exaggeration and bragging. Even so, the legend surrounding Luc and Diego had grown, and more women had gotten in line for the hayride.
However, no one had ever gotten a chance for seconds.
And no one had ever mentioned there being more to Diego and Luc’s relationship with each other. Perhaps she’d simply misinterpreted the look.
“Why do you prefer to go out with women together?”
Luc shrugged lightly. “It would probably take a few hundred hours on a shrink’s couch to figure that out.”
Jeannette and Diego laughed. She was surprised and touched when Luc still tried to give her an honest answer.
“We met in a foster home in Dallas.”
Jeannette’s gaze flew to Diego, but it appeared he wasn’t uneasy with Luc sharing the details of their past.
“I didn’t know that,” she said. “Your parents?”
“My mom died. Never knew my dad. Diego’s parents are in jail.”
“Sold heroin to a guy who OD’ed. They got twenty years for it. I haven’t seen them since. Don’t have any plans to ever see them again,” Diego added. “Believe me, the foster home was a big step up from where I’d been. Met Luc my first day there. He was pretty new to the place too. We just sort of clicked.”
“We should have been born brothers.” Luc smiled at Diego. “Destiny must have figured that out and found a way to get us into each other’s lives. Anyway, we’ve been thick as thieves since then. And given our lack of family, we just decided to become that. Our own family.”
“Brothers.” Diego smiled at Luc, and again Jeannette got that sensation that told her there was more between them than just a shared past. Then she realized how little she knew about them. A wave of sadness washed through her. Not only did she suck at relationships, she was a terrible friend, superficial at best.
She was moved by their story, by their close bond, and their willingness to share it with her. Suddenly their reasons for dating together made sense to her.
While she was close to her sister and cousins, there was no denying she was lonely. Terribly lonely. And though she’d tried to pretend otherwise, she knew her constant exhaustion lately was driven by depression. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d slipped into a dark place, but it had been long enough that she thought she’d found a way to control it.
Although…now that she thought about it…she wasn’t feeling tired or sad at the moment.
She picked up her beer and took a drink. She’d anticipated needing the alcohol to help her relax, but the truth was her dates were easy to be with. The nerves she’d experienced at her house prior to their arrival had vanished completely during the ride here.
Luc leaned his elbows on the table. “I have to say you don’t seem to be lacking for family. I have a hard time keeping all you Sparks kids straight. How many of you are there?”
Jeannette grinned. It was never a hardship for her to talk about her family. She loved them all. “There were five Sparks brothers, my dad and four uncles. They all grew up in Maris, working in Pop’s diner, which was sort of the predecessor to Sparks Barbeque. Did you know the restaurant is one of the longest running and most successful barbeque joints in Texas? We’ve been featured on the Food Network twice.”
Diego chuckled. “Yeah. I think we were only in town about three minutes before we heard all about Sparks Barbeque. And Sparks Bakery. And Sparks Hardware. Y’all sort of own the town, don’t you?”
Jeannette laughed. “I guess we’re obnoxiously devoted to and proud of Maris. No one in the family has moved away with the exceptions of Tyson and Paige, who went off to college. But even they came right back after graduation. All four of my uncles still live within ten miles of the home they grew up in.”
Luc leaned closer. “You know, I never thought to ask, but where’s your dad?”
Jeannette had anticipated the question. It was one she hadn’t had to answer in a very long time. Most of the folks who lived in Maris had been there since God was a baby. They’d all been around when Jeannette lost her parents. “He and my mom were killed in a car crash.”
Luc reached out and took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. “Oh, Jeannette. I’m sorry.”
It was a common response, but looking into Luc’s eyes, she saw true understanding. He’d lost his mom. He knew what it meant to ache for that connection long after it was gone. “Thanks.”
“How old were you?” Diego asked.
“I was sixteen and my baby sister, Gia, was only ten. It was okay. Like you said, I have lots of relatives. We went to live with my Uncle George and Aunt Stella.”
Luc nodded slowly. “I’m familiar with your Uncle George. Judge Sparks, right? Serious guy. Does he ever smile?”
Jeannette laughed softly. “Actually, he does. I know he’s kind of scary when he’s sitting on the bench, but he’s a teddy bear at home. He was really good to Gia and me after
our folks died. He never blinked twice. Just took us in and raised us as his own alongside his two kids.”
“He and Stella are Tyson’s parents, right?”
Jeannette nodded. “Yep. They also had Paige.”
Diego shook his head. “That’s a hell of a lot of girls in one house.”
“Tell me about it. Besides that crew, there’s my cousin Sydney, who is Uncle Lynn’s daughter. She’s an only child, lucky bitch. Uncle Ronnie had Evan and Lacy, and Uncle TJ had Macie and Adele. Hope you were paying attention. There’s a quiz later.”
Luc leaned back as she wrapped up her recitation of the family tree. “I like Evan. He’s a cool guy.”
“Oh,” Jeannette said. “Yeah, I guess you two probably see him a lot.” Evan was a deputy on the Maris police force.
Luc nodded. “Yep. We usually run into him at car accidents and fires. He was with us today, along with Chuck, the district fire marshal. They were investigating the scene, looking for evidence of who might be starting the fires.”
“Starting them?” she asked.
Diego drained his beer and sighed. “Yeah. It looks like we have an arsonist in town. All three of the fires were purposely set, not accidental.”
Jeannette considered that information. “Do you think it’s someone’s way of cleaning up the area? All three of the places that burned were sort of rundown, decrepit buildings. No one has lived in that shack for nearly thirty years.”
Diego shrugged. “I don’t know. But regardless of the usefulness of the buildings, setting fires is a crime.”
“I’m sorry,” Jeannette hastened to add. “I wasn’t condoning it. Just wondering if someone had gotten tired of the eyesores and decided to take matters into their own hands. I know there have been some complaints about the shack over the years.”
Luc drummed his fingers on the table as he chewed over what she’d said. “I hadn’t considered that. And while that’s true for the shack and that god-awful outbuilding of Buster’s, that doesn’t explain the fire at Roy’s. The building that burned on his place was well off the road and at the edge of his property. I’m not sure anyone but Roy even remembered it was there.”
Jeannette nodded slowly. “If not for the fire at the shack, I’d say it was a Hatfield-and-McCoy thing.”
Luc gave her a questioning glance. “What do you mean?”
“You know how Buster and Roy are. They hate each other, and have for nearly forty years. Evan said the stack of complaints filed by those two against each other could fill its own drawer at the police station. If it was just Buster’s and Roy’s properties that burned, it would be a pretty simple case of somebody starting something and someone retaliating.”
“Yeah. I’d agree with that. But now we’ve got this fire at the shack. Whoever is setting the fires is getting bolder, going for larger targets.” Jeannette saw the genuine concern in Diego’s eyes.
“You think they’ll keep going?”
Diego rubbed his jaw, drawing her gaze to his freshly shaven face. Usually he was sporting a five o’clock shadow by this time of the day. He’d clearly taken some pains of his own in regards to his appearance for their date. “Yeah. If it’s a serial arsonist, I’m afraid this is going to get worse before it gets better.”
Jeannette started to respond, but she was distracted when she caught sight of Scott across the room. He was staring at her, scowling. She started to look away, but Diego and Luc noticed her attention had wavered.
“I don’t like that guy,” Luc said.
Jeannette agreed with his assessment. “He was never very nice. Always a bit of a bully.”
“Damn,” Diego muttered. She glanced over at him, and then realized he wasn’t looking at Scott. Rather, something by the door had caught his eye. She followed his line of vision and understood the curse.
Billy was making his way to his brother’s table. Scott wasn’t happy to see him. They appeared to have words, and then Billy held out his hand. Scott slapped his keys into his brother’s palm, staggering as he tried to rise.
Jeannette felt a false sense of hope when it appeared the two of them were leaving.
Then Scott lifted his hand and pointed at her.
Billy looked over, his face somber, his eyes unreadable as he saw her sitting with the two firefighters.
Her skin went cold and she resisted the urge to shiver. Nervously, her leg began bouncing beneath the table and she was overcome by the desire to go home. She’d stuck her neck out too far. Ordinarily, Jeannette would pull it back into her shell and hide. But this time, the idea of doing that rubbed her wrong.
She’d been having fun. For the first time in her life, she’d almost felt like a normal person. She resented Billy coming in here and taking that from her.
Diego’s hand slipped beneath the table and rested on her knee, stilling the anxious bobbing. The action drew her gaze back to his face. “Are you okay?”
She blinked a couple times, trying to reorient herself. She couldn’t keep doing shit like this every time Billy appeared. “Yeah.”
“They’re leaving.”
Jeannette looked across the room at Luc’s announcement and watched Billy help his drunken brother out of the bar. The second the door closed behind them, she felt the pressure in her chest ease.
Diego’s hand still rested on her leg, but Jeannette didn’t mind. Typically, she recoiled from anyone touching her, but there was something very soothing about the way Diego’s fingers were lightly stroking her knee.
“Why don’t you like Billy Mathers?”
Jeannette worked overtime to school her features. When the silence drifted a second too long into the awkward range, she forced herself to speak. “Who said I don’t like him?”
“I saw how you responded to him in the restaurant. You couldn’t get away from that guy quick enough. And tonight…” Diego squeezed her knee to make his point.
She searched for some answer that might appease him, that might make sense. “I was just surprised to see him. It’s been a long time.”
It obviously hadn’t been long enough. The response didn’t convince either man. “Was it a bad breakup?” Luc asked.
She shook her head, laughing lightly. She hoped it sounded carefree and amused, rather than what it really was—desperation and panic. “It was high school. Aren’t all breakups devastating when you’re sixteen?”
Luc didn’t smile. “Yeah. I guess so.”
A new song came on. Apparently it was a popular one, as there was a roar of hoots from the surrounding tables and a bunch of people swarmed to the dance floor.
Luc must have been a fan as well because he grinned and stood. “Come on, Jeannette. We’re dancing.”
He took her hand, but she resisted. “I don’t know how to dance to this.”
“Lucky for you, I’m a good teacher.”
Jeannette glanced at Diego, who made no move to join them. “I’ll keep an eye on the table.” She started to follow Luc, but Diego grabbed her free hand and tugged her back. “But I’m claiming the first slow dance.” He sealed that pronouncement with a quick kiss on her cheek that sent flames to her face. This damn continual blushing made her feel like a schoolgirl instead of the woman of thirty-one she was.
Luc found a spot for them on the floor and that was the last cognizant thought she had as he took her in his arms and led her through a fast-paced, whirlwind of a dance. It was dizzying and a little bit terrifying as Luc spun her this way and that. She didn’t have time to think about what she was doing, but she didn’t need to. Luc hadn’t lied. He was an amazing teacher. He led her through the motions with a strong hand on her back and easy instructions.
“Going for the spin, you ready?” he asked.
She nodded, loud laughter escaping her lips as he twirled her out, nothing but their hands keeping them connected for a split second. Then he drew her to him, his arm wrapped around her waist, her back snug against his chest. Twisting her to face him, he placed a strong hand just above her ass as he cu
pped her cheek with the other.
“You lied,” he said as she continued to grin, breathless and sweaty, exhilarated and overwhelmed. “You’re a great dancer.”
“All I’m doing is holding on for dear life,” she joked, delighted when Luc’s loud, infectious laughter mingled with her own.
“Now are you ready to admit you’re having a good time?”
She rolled her eyes, but gave him the compliment anyway. He deserved it. “I’m having a lot of fun.”
“Enough to entice you to go out with us again?”
“You have enough women dangling on your hook. You don’t need me.”
Luc’s face sobered. “You’re the only one who matters.”
She didn’t know how to respond to such a serious—wonderful—comment.
Apparently he didn’t expect an answer. “You’re beautiful, Jeannette.”
She tried to look away to hide the blush that accompanied his compliment, but he wouldn’t let her escape.
“Don’t,” he murmured, tugging her even closer. The music was pulsing at a frantic pace, but Luc was chiseling out his own rhythm. They swayed as people twirled around them. For a moment, it felt as if the rest of the world was playing on fast-forward as she and Luc moved in slow motion.
“Don’t what?” she asked.
“Don’t look away.”
She couldn’t have averted her eyes if her life depended on it. Luc lowered his lips to hers—and just like that, she was spinning again.
Jeannette hadn’t been kissed much in her life, but she didn’t need any past frame of reference to tell her this was one fucking incredible kiss. Luc cupped her face, the tips of his fingers stroking her cheeks gently as his lips brushed hers. It was a light touch at first, but when she didn’t offer any resistance, he pressed harder.
Unfortunately, as quickly as the kiss began, it ended.
Luc gave her a crooked grin. “Been wanting to do that for a long damn time.”
For years, she’d genuinely believed his and Diego’s flirting was harmless teasing. Tonight they’d set her world on its ear, issuing compliments and sharing long-hidden desires as if it were the most natural thing in the world.