by Mari Carr
“So we’re ready for phase two,” Luc declared.
She frowned. “Phase two?”
Luc winked at her. “We’re going to put Nervous Nettie to rest once and for all. Today, you’re Jeannette again.”
“I’d like that. Does it involve more dancing or…kissing?”
Diego looked at Luc. “I think we’ve created a monster.”
Luc didn’t appear concerned and, for a moment, Jeannette thought she saw something pass between them, some unspoken desire.
“Maybe we should go for broke,” Luc suggested.
Diego didn’t respond immediately and when he did, Jeannette was certain he was answering a question she hadn’t heard. “Yeah. Maybe we should.”
Diego didn’t give her a chance to ask what that meant. He bent his head and kissed her. This was no friendly, hey-how-you-doin’ kiss. It was a big one. Lips, teeth, tongue, hands in her hair. It was so delicious—Diego’s breath tasted like bacon and maple syrup—she didn’t have time to consider the fact that most of her family was there witnessing it.
Finally, twelve years later, Diego released her. “I’m not sure that will hold me until Wednesday. Might have to stop in for a helping of that every day until then.”
“I…” Jeannette couldn’t have formed another word if someone was offering her a million dollars for it.
Diego rose from the booth and reached down to help her slide out. Luc was standing next to him. God, if he kissed her like that right now, she’d expire on the spot.
Mercifully, he gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. She’d thought herself spared, but Luc gripped the nape of her neck as he whispered in her ear, “I’ll be by later to collect mine when there are fewer people around.”
She nodded her assent, unable to deny something she would spend the next few hours anxiously anticipating. “Okay.”
Jeannette headed back to the kitchen, perfectly aware that everyone in the restaurant was looking at her. In the past, she would have hated every single step until she was out of view. Today, she simply threw her head back and forged straight ahead.
Her confidence didn’t begin to waver until she reached the kitchen door.
Billy was staring straight at her, his expression unreadable.
She scowled at him, and then pushed through the swinging doors, refusing to think about him or what he thought. She wasn’t the girl she used to be. He’d made sure of that. So he sure as hell didn’t get to have an opinion about what she was doing to reinvent herself.
Once she was safely tucked away in the kitchen, she released a long breath and closed her eyes. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so she couldn’t reasonably expect that she’d become someone new overnight.
“You okay?” Sydney asked.
She wasn’t. Not yet. But she was definitely getting there.
“Yeah. I am.”
And for the first time in years, that answer didn’t feel like a lie.
Chapter Four
Jeannette glanced out the front window for the tenth time in as many minutes. Luc had called a couple hours earlier to say they would be late. There had been a car accident on Merryman’s Lane and they’d needed to respond.
She had offered to reschedule, almost grateful for the reprieve. She’d had too much time to think about tonight and her nerves were completely frazzled.
Luc had refused. Telling her they would be there as soon as they could.
Jeannette had been dressed and ready to go when they’d called, even though it was an hour before they’d originally intended to arrive. She suspected Gia would have teased her for that if she’d been around. Only a nerd was ready for a date an hour ahead of time.
She glanced down at her dress, hoping they liked it. She had walked around the department store for ages before picking it out. Prior to this week, she never would’ve worn a dress like this in a million years. It was red—the color reminding her of the guys’ truck—and short. The flared skirt ended a few inches above her knees. The top part had a deep vee, showing off more cleavage than she’d ever bared in her life.
Jeannette had paced the floor for all of twenty minutes after Luc’s call, then decided fuck it. She’d gone into the kitchen and started whipping up lasagna. Cooking helped soothe her and was a welcome distraction. Once she had the lasagna in the oven, she went to work on mixing a Caesar salad, taking the time to make homemade croutons.
When Diego had called ten minutes earlier to tell her they were on the way, she asked him how they would feel about staying in for dinner. He had been delighted. He’d sounded tired, so she was glad she’d made the decision to cook.
When she saw their headlights flash against the wall, she put the garlic bread in the oven, took off her apron and went to open the front door.
Luc lifted a bottle of red wine. “We made a quick pit stop when we found out we were staying in for dinner.”
She accepted the bottle. “Thanks.”
Both men inhaled upon clearing the threshold.
“Oh my God, that smells good,” Luc declared.
She shut the door and led them to the dining room. “Hope you don’t mind me changing the plans.”
Diego took the bottle of wine from her hands and set it on the table before tugging her close to him. “I don’t mind at all. This way we still owe you a dinner.”
“Another date? You sure you don’t want to see if this one ends as disastrously as the first before you tie yourself to that?” She’d meant her words as a joke, but they’d fallen very short. Jeannette had spent too much time this week worrying about her behavior at the bar.
Diego scowled, clearly displeased. He’d made it perfectly clear he didn’t like it when she put herself down. Problem was that was something she’d become very adept at over the years. “I’m sure.”
The timer beeped in the kitchen.
“Saved by the bell,” Luc muttered.
She grinned ruefully. “You can say that again. There’s a bottle opener in that drawer,” she pointed to her corner cabinet, “and glasses in the hutch above. I’ll grab the food if you pour the wine.”
She returned with the salad and basket of bread, then the lasagna. Diego had poured them each a glass of wine while Luc lit the candles in the center of the table.
He noticed her looking at them when she returned. “Hope you don’t mind.”
Jeannette shook her head, not saying what she really thought. She’d lived in her little house seven years and she’d never, not once, lit those candles. Her practical, somewhat boring dining room actually looked romantic in the soft light.
They all took their seats as Jeannette scooped both men a healthy serving of lasagna. “Hope you’re hungry.”
Diego picked up his fork. “Starving.”
She laughed. “One of you guys needs to learn how to cook. Or at least get a girlfriend who doesn’t mind feeding you.”
Luc winked at her. “I thought that’s what you were.”
She blushed, but didn’t bother to correct him. The more time she spent with these men, the more she realized she wouldn’t mind applying for that position.
Jeannette took a sip of her wine, hoping the alcohol would calm her nerves a bit. She hadn’t really thought through her change of plans. Sitting with Diego and Luc in the quiet, romantic room, without the buffer of other people around, wasn’t something she had considered. “So you said there was a car accident?”
Diego reached for a large slice of bread. “Yeah. One vehicle. It was Billy’s brother, Scott.”
“Oh,” she said. “Is he okay?”
Diego nodded, scowling. “He was wasted. Took out a guardrail. Evan carted him off to the drunk tank. He could have killed somebody.”
Jeannette understood Diego’s anger. “He obviously has a drinking problem.”
“The guy’s an asshole,” Luc said. “He raised holy hell when Evan tried to put him in the squad car. Seemed to think Evan should let him go with a warning. Not sure how he thought he was going to get home. Front axle
of his car was bent in half.”
“At least he’ll lose his license for a while,” she said.
Diego shrugged. “Hope so, but usually guys like that don’t stop driving just because they don’t have a license. Was he always a jerk?”
“Yeah.” Jeannette nibbled on a small piece of bread as she tried to recall what she could of Scott Mathers. “He was the typical bully, but his brand of mean only worked on the smaller, weaker kids, you know. The guys who were his size or bigger never wanted much to do with him, so he was usually alone. Only person I ever knew who saw something good in him was Billy. Scott is his older brother and Billy always swore he was a decent guy.”
Diego frowned. “Wonder if Billy still feels that way?”
Jeannette shrugged. She’d felt sorry for both Mathers boys back in school. Their mom was prone to quick marriages followed by even quicker divorces. As a result, they moved around a lot. Neither boy was particularly good at making friends, or perhaps they just didn’t see any use in bothering.
“I’ve only seen Billy a few times since he’s come home and we haven’t really spoken.” Her answer was short, succinct, and as much as she was able to say without betraying feelings she didn’t want to come to light. She resented that, once again, Billy Mathers had found a way to intrude on her time with these men.
“So what else is new?” she asked, desperate for a change of topic.
Luc grinned and it became apparent he had news to share. “We passed.”
“Passed?” she asked, confused for only a moment before the light went on. Her eyes widened. “Ohmigosh. That’s great!”
Since Diego and Luc had arrived in town, they’d become an integral part of the tight-knit Maris community. She supposed one of the reasons the locals turned a blind eye to their wild side was because they were hard workers constantly giving back, answering fire calls, filling swimming pools, chipping in whenever someone needed a hand. They’d spent the past six months raising money for a rescue squad and studying for their Emergency Medical Technician test, so they’d be qualified to transport patients to the hospital in a neighboring town.
Luc reached down to pet Penny, who was rubbing against his leg. “Long overdue. Makes me sick to think Mrs. Stevens most likely would have survived her heart attack last year if the squad could have gotten there sooner.”
Diego grimaced. “Nearest rescue squad is all the way over in Douglas. Sometimes takes them forty, forty-five minutes to get to Maris. That’s too damn long.”
“You’re right. It is.” Jeannette was impressed by their convictions. “But now we’ll have you guys.”
Luc lifted the wine bottle and topped up each of their glasses. “We can cut that time in half, even more depending on the address.”
She thanked him for the wine, though she debated the wisdom in drinking it. She rarely drank, so she was already feeling the effects of the first glass. “It’s a wonderful thing you’re doing for Maris.”
They continued to chat as they ate. Despite her better judgment, Jeannette finished the second glass and got started on a third.
“That was the best dinner I’ve had in a long time,” Luc said as he scraped the last bit of pasta from his plate.
“I owed you a dinner. I never properly thanked you for saving Penny. Figure the least I could do was give you some lousy lasagna.”
“That was light years away from lousy,” Diego said.
Luc laughed. “You know, Penny would have gotten hungry and come down from that tree eventually on her own.”
“I know, but I’d only had her a few weeks and she was still pretty skittish. I can’t believe anyone would dump such a sweet cat on the side of the highway.”
“That’s right,” Diego said. “Evan found her, didn’t he?”
Jeannette nodded. “He pulled his squad car over when she sprinted across the road in front of him. The second he opened the door, she walked up to him and rubbed against his ankles.” Jeannette bent over and picked up her dear cat, petting her head as Penny purred. “She was skin and bones and full of worms. Evan asked me to adopt her because his wife, Annie, is allergic to cats. I hadn’t planned on taking in a pet, but I took one look at this pretty girl and fell hard.”
“Better be careful, Jeannette, or people will start calling you a crazy cat lady,” Luc teased.
“You have to own three cats for that designation. I only have Penny.”
“Didn’t realize there was a rule about that. Good to know.” Diego rose from the table and picked up his plate. Luc followed suit. She watched as they carried them to the kitchen.
She trailed behind, touched when they started loading the dishwasher. “You don’t have to do that.”
Luc swished the plate under the water. “Got a rule in our apartment. If you cook, you don’t clean. Of course, it’s never a very fair deal, considering D sucks in the kitchen. Somehow he manages to go through every pan and invariably he burns the shit out of something. I end up spending half the night scrubbing scorch marks off aluminum.”
Diego walked over to the sink where Luc stood. “You’re hilarious.”
Luc grinned then bumped his hip against Diego’s. It was a casual touch, more playful than affectionate, but it triggered that same suspicion.
No one had ever suggested Diego and Luc were anything more than roommates and best friends. Clearly Jeannette was seeing something that wasn’t there. She chalked it up to nerves and wine. “I have one of those types in my family too,” she said. “I spent the better part of two hours last weekend cleaning Macie’s kitchen and living room with her. Didn’t have time to tackle the bedroom.”
“Why were you cleaning her apartment?” Diego asked.
Jeannette shrugged. “I have no idea, other than she called and asked for my help. I was so excited she actually wanted to clean, I got in my car and headed to her place before she could change her mind.”
Luc winked at her. “You know, I could use a hand cleaning my bedroom.”
She narrowed her gaze, though her grin gave her away. “I’m far too smart to fall into a trap like that.”
Once the dishwasher was loaded and running, Jeannette put on a pot of coffee and reached for a box of fresh-baked cookies she’d brought home from the bakery. “You guys want to hang out in the living room for a little while?” She hadn’t planned anything beyond dinner.
Diego placed his hand at the base of her spine, the touch evoking a shiver she was helpless to stem. “Hanging out sounds good.” From the tone of his voice and the soft stroke of his fingers against her back, she didn’t need to worry about what happened next. It appeared Diego had a plan.
“I really like your dress,” he murmured as they walked to the living room. “Meant to tell you that as soon as you opened the door, but the smell of dinner distracted me.”
She giggled nervously. “Guess it’s true what they say about the way to a man’s heart.”
“Food is definitely one way,” Diego said as he claimed the spot next to her on the couch. She was somewhat surprised when Luc opted for a chair across the room. She’d become accustomed to being surrounded by them, their close proximity no longer spooking her.
“Just one way?” she asked Diego, trying to keep the conversation going. If they stopped talking, she suspected they’d start kissing, and she wasn’t sure she would manage to keep the demons at bay once that started.
“You would have found your way into my heart even if you couldn’t boil water.”
As always, his compliment left her blushing, speechless.
“I want to kiss you, Jeannette.”
Diego didn’t move toward her. He was giving her space to say yes or no. He hadn’t forgotten her behavior at Cruisers. She hated the way she’d reacted, wanting desperately to regain some of the ground she’d lost.
The wine gave her more courage than she usually possessed. Regardless, she found it impossible to reply, her throat tight. So she merely nodded.
Diego didn’t give her time to reconsider
. Thank God.
He reached over to pull her glasses off, placing them carefully on the end table. Then he leaned forward, gripped the back of her neck with one firm, strong hand, and tugged her toward him. Their lips met somewhere in the middle, and just like the other night on the dance floor, Diego kissed her like she meant something to him.
She had no idea so much desire could be expressed through the simple melding of mouths. His lips were soft but firm, his grip on her neck caressing while unyielding. He’d release her if she asked, but until then, he clearly didn’t plan on letting her go.
She felt wonderfully possessed as he pressed her lips apart, his tongue stroking hers.
Through it all, she felt Luc’s gaze on them. The idea of being watched didn’t feel the slightest bit strange; rather it was a pretty major turn-on.
Diego released her after several minutes, their hot, panting breaths the only sound in the room as he pressed his forehead to hers. “Jeannette,” he murmured, so reverently tears burned the back of her eyes.
Luc rose from the chair, but made no move to approach them on the couch. Like Diego, he was awaiting permission, an invitation.
She turned to face him and smiled. “Come sit with us.”
It was rare to see Luc without his usual affable, goofy grin, but as he approached, his face remained serious. Like Diego, he wasn’t treating this moment as a joke or a lark. His expression revealed passion and something that looked a lot like pent-up desire. They’d told her they had wanted her for a long time. She no longer questioned the veracity of that statement.
Luc joined them on the couch and she turned, moving into his embrace as if it were the most natural thing on earth. Unlike Diego, Luc didn’t go straight for the kill. He was better able to curb his baser desires, intent on seducing her slowly.
He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. She pressed her face against his neck, soaking in his scent—soap, wine, a hint of garlic and some light cologne that smelled wonderful.