"Um, am I keeping you from whatever it was you were planning to do today? I'm sorry to be a bother. I'm sure there's a pharmacy or grocery store around. I'll just walk there and then back to the garage to see about my car."
Luke turned to me and the cab of his massive pick-up truck instantly felt suffocatingly small and intimate, his eyes taking in everything about me. "There is nothing more important to me than taking care of you." His voice contained just enough thickness to make my insides melt, and possibly all slide into my panties, which suddenly seemed damp.
Before I could respond, though I'm not sure what I would have said, he had exited the driver's side and came around to open my door. When he leaned across me to unbuckle my seatbelt, I smelled the aroma of fresh air and soap, and pure man.
Oh god.
His large hands easily spanned my waist, and he lifted me from the truck. I opened my mouth to protest the coddling, but the hard line of his jaw told me there'd be no point in arguing. He set me down on my feet, but kept his arm firmly around my waist, his hand so big the fingers brushed the underside of my breast.
I'm sure my face was flushed from embarrassment mixed with lust. The doctor would probably think I had a fever too. What had happened to me in the last hour? Was that really all the time it had been? It felt like I'd been dropped down the rabbit hole into some odd, parallel universe.
"I think I can walk just fine," I said, because I felt like I ought to.
"Let's not take any chances." Luke gave my waist a gentle squeeze and I almost purred with pleasure.
Entering the doctor's office only confirmed my belief that I was in a parallel universe. Rather than the usual sterile doctor's waiting area, it was like walking into a cozy living room. People sat on couches and comfortable chairs and, instead of everyone staring at their phones, there was a lively conversation going on. The room quieted when we entered, not an awkward silence, just a pause while people greeted Luke. Did everyone in town know each other?
Instead of taking a seat with the others or giving my name to the receptionist, Luke walked me straight back to the doctor's office. Not an exam room, his office, which was currently empty.
"What are you doing? We can't just barge in here."
"Don't worry. The doctor is my twin brother. Have a seat and I'll let him know we're here."
Luke's brother? There was another one just like him? No, it was too much. My brain and libido could not process that much testosterone in a confined space.
Besides, I was on the verge of a panic attack from being in a doctor's office at all. The private office is where the doctor takes you to talk about a serious diagnosis… like when your husband has a terminal disease that is going to slowly steal his life away in tiny increments until he's barely the man you married. And you look around at all the diplomas and awards and think surely someone with all those qualifications and can fix whatever is wrong, right? I mean, that's why we go to them and call them doctor and wait for hours to see them, because they're like the closest thing we have to God.
And then you find out he's not a god, he's a mere mortal and there are some things he just can't fix. And then you go home and wait for your husband to die.
I closed my eyes and did some yoga breathing in an effort to calm myself, grateful Luke had given me a few minutes alone. If there was any good news in all of this, I had at least found out my sex drive had moved out of neutral. Frankly, I'd thought it might even have been in reverse for the last few years.
It felt like a horrible betrayal to even mention it. Honestly, when your husband is struggling to even sit up by himself, and you're exhausted from caring for him and from the massive effort it takes to hold it together so he doesn't see how your heart is breaking, sex just isn't even on the register.
Well, it was registering now.
Aidan
* * *
When I came out of an exam room and almost ran smack into the chest of my brother, Luke, I was more than a little startled. Luke never just showed up at my office. Luke never just showed up anywhere. Spontaneity was not really his thing. I mean, he wasn't a control freak by any stretch. He was just… circumspect.
My first thought was that something had happened to one of our parents, but his expression was a little too animated for something serious. At least not medically serious. He tugged me into an empty exam room and shut the door.
"I found her," he said, like I was supposed to know who 'her' was.
"Who?"
"Her."
"Luke, you're going to have to be more specific. Is there someone missing that I didn't hear about?" I went to move past him. I had a lot of patients waiting for me, and I didn't really have time for his guessing games. I said as much to him.
"Her. The one for us. The one the Great Spirit has chosen to be our bride. Our princess."
In all our thirty-two years together, I had never seen Luke so agitated. Our mother said Luke was like a calm mountain lake, still and deep, while I was like a fast moving stream, rushing and babbling and maybe not so deep, though I did manage to graduate from medical school—and a year early at that. Part of the rushing, I suppose.
His intense gaze locked with mine and the full measure of what he'd said hit me. Hit me hard.
"Are you sure?" How did he find a princess for both of us when I wasn't even there? Somehow I'd figured we'd find her together. I suppose if I hadn't been buried in work I could have found her instead. Not that my brother and I are competitive or anything.
"I felt it. I felt the arrow." He slapped his palm against his heart. "Right here. Just like the legend said."
"Maybe it was something you ate." I'd grown up knowing about the legend. My parents had attested to its accuracy; my fathers had felt the arrow the instant they met my mother. The same with my grandparents. Actually, with all the families in Eagle Canyon. But for Luke and I, it had an even bigger impact since we were destined to lead our community one day and we needed a princess.
Still, it was hard to believe that on a regular old Wednesday my brother would randomly find the woman who was destined to be ours.
"Yes, I am sure." He grabbed my arm. "She's waiting in your office. She hurt her ankle and I brought her here to you. So you could meet her."
I eyed him warily. "You didn't tackle her did you?" Luke could be a little more aggressive than necessary when he wanted something.
To prove my point, he yanked the exam room door open and practically dragged me down the hall to my office. Through the doorway, I caught a glimpse of her in profile. Unruly strawberry blonde hair flowed past her shoulders and her alabaster skin was dotted with a smattering of freckles.
She must have heard us because she turned and smiled at me.
The arrow crashed into my heart.
Chapter 4
Cassie
* * *
"I'm Dr. Carson, but please call me Aidan."
I gaped at the man who introduced himself as the doctor. His name matched the diplomas hanging on the wall, but Luke had said the doctor was his twin brother. Other than their tall, muscular bodies with broad shoulders and narrow hips, these men not only did not look alike, they were polar opposites. Where Luke was angular and dark with piercing black eyes, Aidan had a round face with close cropped blond hair and light eyes. Equally piercing as his brother's, but icy blue instead of inky black.
I glanced from Aidan to Luke and back again. "I thought you said you were brothers, twin brothers."
A look passed between them that I couldn't exactly decipher.
"We are," Luke said, and Aidan nodded and said, "Fraternal twins. Not identical."
"You're not even close to looking like brothers."
"Don't be distracted by the difference in our coloring," Aidan said, shrugging out of his white doctor's coat. The two of them turned their backs to me.
Oh lord. Other than the color and length of their hair, they did look exactly alike. Two perfectly sculpted pairs of shoulders tapered down to trim waists and asses th
at just begged to be squeezed and bitten.
Bitten? What had happened to me?
They looked over their shoulders at me. I think a tiny squeak escaped my mouth. That strange feeling I'd had when I first met Luke came over me again, only this time with both barrels. I gripped the arms of my chair and gasped.
Instantly, they were next to me, kneeling on either side. Luke grabbed my hand and Aidan wrapped his fingers around the nape of my neck. "Are you okay?"
"What's wrong with her?" Luke glared at Aidan. "Is she okay? What happened?"
For all their testosterone and muscle, they were rather cute. "I think I just need some water."
"Get her water," Luke ordered his brother while he ran his fingers over my scalp and down to my throat. "Are you sure that is all that is the matter? How is your ankle? Aidan, you haven't even looked at her ankle yet."
Aidan retrieved a bottle of water from a mini fridge and handed it to me, glaring at his brother. "I do not take orders from you." His voice was calm, but it was clear he did not appreciate Luke's bossiness. I thought it was hot as hell, but I didn't think they wanted my opinion on the matter right then.
I took a sip from the water and gathered my thoughts. "Thank you, Aidan," I said. "I'm sorry to cause so much trouble. Really, I'm fine. If someone could just point me in the direction of the garage where my car is being repaired, I'll be on my way." I pushed up from the chair and the the brothers nearly pounced on me.
"No," they said in unison.
"I need to examine your ankle." Aidan grabbed my calf and I wondered if he was trying to keep me from leaving the room. Once his fingers made contact with my skin, I sat back down.
I know it had been a long time since a man had touched my bare skin, whether clinical or not, but the feel of Aidan’s flesh against mine was unlike anything I had ever experienced—even in a naughty fantasy. Heat radiated out from where his hand rested on my calf and ran up my leg to my pussy, like a high speed train slamming into the station.
"Does that hurt?" Aidan asked.
"Don't hurt her," Luke growled at his brother.
Aidan gave his twin a meaningful look. "If you do not let me do my job, I will send you out into the waiting room until I have finished."
Luke harrumphed, folded his arms over his broad chest and paced the room, but to his credit, he did not interrupt Aidan while he examined me.
I had forgotten about the tattoo I have on my ankle, but it seemed to be of great interest to Aidan, and when he pointed it out, Luke paid it particular attention too.
"Is there something wrong?" I felt a bit alarmed seeing both of them intensely focused on my ankle.
"Is that a hummingbird?" Aidan asked.
"Y-yes," I said, looking back and forth from Aidan’s blue eyes to Luke’s black ones. "Is there a problem?"
"No," Luke said. "Nothing at all." Somehow the hummingbird tattoo had gotten him pretty fired up. Were they tattoo haters? Bret had had some pretty strong opinions on me getting a tattoo, so I got it after he passed away. It wasn't a rebellious thing, more of a sign to myself that it was time for me to live my own life.
"In our culture," Aidan said, his finger tracing over my tattoo making it difficult for me to concentrate, "hummingbirds are a symbol of peace, love and happiness." His hand slid up and caressed my calf and I forced myself not to open my legs and beg him to go further.
Aidan
* * *
I had never seen Luke like this before. I tried not to laugh since I knew that would only make it worse, and the poor guy was already acting like a lovesick calf.
He'd changed his shirt three times. Now, Luke, like practically all the men in Eagle Canyon, had a pretty basic wardrobe: jeans, boots and a button down shirt in either blue, white, black or occasionally a plaid or checked pattern. That was it. Nothing fancy.
He actually asked if the white shirt made his eyes look darker. I had no idea what to say and almost busted a gut waiting for him to exit the room so I could go out on the back porch and laugh.
Cassie's arrival, and Luke's surety that she was meant to be our princess, had created a complete role reversal for the two of us.
Don't get me wrong. I'd been plenty freaked out when I saw Cassie and felt the arrow hit me in the heart, and then when I saw the hummingbird tattoo, I fell over. But if we both started acting like Luke, the poor girl would run away, convinced we were nuts. I wasn’t so sure that Luke’s behavior on its own might not be enough to frighten her off. It was scaring me a bit.
Luke, at least according to him, had managed to get Cassie a room at the only hotel in town and arranged for us to take her to dinner. Then he'd stopped at Gary's garage and told him in no uncertain terms that the parts for her car were going to take at least until the end of the week, right? Gary isn't always the sharpest blade in the drawer, but I'm confident Luke made his point very clear.
Finally, Luke was ready. I noticed he'd re-braided his hair and added a leather wrap to the bottom few inches.
The man was a goner.
Luke and I shared a house on the family compound that included houses for our parents and our brothers. We didn't have any sisters, and so far, none of our brothers were married either.
As we drove by, I saw our mother out tending her garden, so we stopped. I knew Luke was anxious to be with Cassie again and make sure she hadn't escaped, but I figured a little chat with Mama would calm us both.
"Aren't my oldest sons handsome!" The pride in her expression made me puff up like a little boy. "Looks like you two have something special going on. I hear Wednesday is the new Friday, hmmm?"
Luke and I both laughed. "We have a date tonight, Mama," I said.
"She's the one, Mama, our princess," Luke said. "I found her."
Mama tilted her head to the side and studied us both before narrowing her gaze on Luke. Until Cassie had come along, Mama was the only person who could cow Luke with just a look. "The Great Spirit brought her to you, Luke," she corrected. "You had the wisdom to listen to your heart," she added with a smile.
She turned to me. "Have you met this girl?"
"Yes, ma'am. Luke brought her to the clinic today and I examined her."
"Examined her? That's a bit bold."
"She hurt her ankle, Mama. I took her to Aidan so he could fix it."
Was it just me, or had Luke started not just acting like a caveman, but talking like one too?
"Is she okay?" Mama asked, concerned.
"Yes, just a little twist. I used a poultice on it and she's completely fine now. I think Luke was overreacting."
My brother scowled at me. "I wanted you to meet her. Besides, you look better in your doctor's coat. I want to her to know she'll get the whole package with the two of us. Your brain and my brawn," he said, flexing his bicep.
"Any girl would be truly blessed to have the two of you as her husbands." Mama gave us each a hug. "Your fathers and I will be expecting you to bring her to dinner tomorrow night."
Chapter 5
Cassie
* * *
I changed my shirt for the third time. I didn't know why I was fussing so much with how I looked. It's not like this was a date or anything.
I mean, I was just going to dinner with Luke and Aidan. If it was a date, there'd only be one guy, but since it was a group thing, that made it perfectly harmless and safe, right?
Yes, if I was going out with just one of them, it would be more than I could handle. They were both too damned sexy, if not for their own good, for mine. Luke with his dark and brooding ways and Aidan with his dancing blue eyes, I couldn't decide which one appealed to me more.
But, that didn't matter, did it, because this was not a date.
Then why did you shave your legs… all the way up?
I told that voice to shut up. It's not wrong to want to look my best, is it?
Besides, how would I know if it was a date or not? It had been more than a decade since my last first date, and it's not like I had a whole lot of experience wi
th dating before Bret.
Involuntarily, my gaze went to the coffee can sitting on the bureau. Luke had given me a strange look but said nothing when I insisted we retrieve it from my car, along with my suitcase and other essentials, before he dropped me off at the hotel.
After we left Aidan’s office, Luke had taken me on a short tour of the town of Eagle Canyon and we’d picked up lunch at a small cafe and then driven to a park to eat. Luke was sweet and attentive and I felt myself begin to relax a bit. It was hard not to be distracted by his intense good looks, and the flash of his smile. In addition to all of that, he had a dry sense of humor.
Sitting across from him at a picnic table, our knees brushed together and my relaxed state of being disappeared. Womanly awareness fluttered through my body and our eyes met across the table.
Luke opened his mouth like he wanted to say something and I was both eager and afraid to find out what was on his mind. What was I doing trotting around like a teenager having a picnic, of all things, anyway? I didn’t have time. I was on my way to find my new life.
Before Luke could speak, a soccer ball landed on the table and shattered the moment. A boy, about ten years old, ran over and Luke tossed the ball to him. “Sorry, Prince Luke,” the boy said before running back to his game.
I opened my mouth to ask about the whole ‘Prince Luke’ thing but Luke was quickly by my side and escorting me back to his truck, then we gathered up my belongings from the auto repair shop and Luke dropped me off at the hotel, carefully carrying the coffee can, though I would have felt better carrying it myself.
To his credit, he didn't argue or ask questions about why I needed an old coffee can in my hotel. He just wanted to make sure I had everything I needed.
Everything I needed. I didn't even know what that entailed. I had been in survival mode for so long, I had forgotten about myself. Finding out about myself, who I was now, was—at least in part—the reason for this trip. I forced myself to stop fussing with my hair, grabbed my purse and decided to wait outside for Luke and Aidan.
Claimed: Eagle Canyon Menage Book One Page 2