by Break a Leg
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Berengaria Brown
ISBN: 978-1-77130-363-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Melissa Hosack
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
Dedicated to the original Rose. Sorry about your leg, hon, but thanks for the awesome story idea!
BREAK A LEG AND FALL IN LOVE
Romance on the Go
Berengaria Brown
Copyright © 2013
Prologue
Rose eyed her huge, old, white refrigerator. She rested her mop in the bucket of sudsy water and pushed her glasses up her nose. “Well, I guess the only way to clean the floor is to move you out a bit, you big lump of metal!”
She braced both her arms against the refrigerator and pushed. It moved about an inch. “Being stubborn are you?” She leaned her hip against its solid white side as well as her arms and shoved again. This time it slid a foot or so out from the wall.
“Awesome,” she puffed, collecting her mop and sliding in behind the refrigerator. But she couldn’t get enough room to clean the floor properly, so squeezed her way out again.
“You may be big and tough, but you won’t defeat me,” she said, wagging her finger sternly. “You may as well give up and move so I can wash the floor.”
Rose leaned against the cold enamel and shoved with all the strength in her arms and hips. The refrigerator teetered and then toppled over. It knocked into her, taking her to the floor with it as it fell.
She landed on the tiles with a crash, the refrigerator coming to rest across her left leg with all the force of a stubborn chunk of metal six feet tall.
“Holy shit!” She tried to sit up, but the pain in her leg made her head swim, and for a moment she thought her breakfast was about to reappear.
Taking a big breath, she told herself, “Come on, it’s only a piece of equipment, get up!”
Gritting her teeth, she managed to sort-of sit up, leaning on an elbow, but the pain was intense and the refrigerator wasn’t moving off her leg. “Come on woman, use your brains!” she said, urging herself to find a solution to the problem.
Rose wiggled her upper body sideways until she could reach her mop, then she pushed the head of it under the piece of solid steel and heaved. Nothing happened.
“You’re an accountant. You know math. The mop is a lever. ‘If I had a long enough lever, I could move the world.’* Who said that? Someone famous.”
Rose’s head was getting fuzzy from the pain, but she managed to move a little farther from the refrigerator, making the mop a longer lever. Finally, she was able to pull her leg out.
Her purse was sitting on the kitchen bench, her cell phone inside it. It was only half a dozen feet away, but it seemed like a million miles. Half crawling, half dragging her leg, Rose reached the counter and her phone. Then she punched 9-1-1 for the paramedics.
Then she relaxed, lying on the floor, waiting for the sirens and help.
Chapter One
I bet that damn physiotherapist spends all day just thinking up new ways to torture me! Rose stomped up and down in the shallow end of the local swimming pool, dodging kids dive-bombing into the water while still keeping count of how many steps she had taken.
“Two thousand steps back and forward, one thousand sideways, and then star jumps. Jumps? Me? The man’s insane as well as evil.” She huffed aloud, wincing a little as she made the turn to start back again. Under her breath, she said, “Two hundred and twenty. Only one thousand eight hundred to go. As if.”
A small boy in bright green board shorts sailed through the air, landing with a huge splash right in front of her.
“Fucking hell!” Rose swore loudly. If that damn kid does that again, I’ll murder him. Right after I murder that sadistic bastard of a physio.
She swiped helplessly at her glasses, trying to clear the spray from the kid’s jump and took a deep breath. No need to be a bitch, Rose. Jeez, you’re in a shitty mood. Get a grip, woman. And it’s neither the physio’s nor the kid’s fault your eyesight is so bad you refuse to take your glasses off, even in the swimming pool.
Of course I’m in a shitty mood. My damn leg HURTS! But I guess that’s not the kid’s fault. Or even the physio’s. But—
Oh my God, look over there. Is that the hunk I saw at the rehab class? I’m sure it is. I’ve never seen such a nice chest, and his back ain’t bad, either. Such a shame he’s gay. The yummiest ones always are. She sighed.
Rose managed to keep an eye on the hunky man in very brief, deep blue swimwear as she resumed her tramp up and down the pool. He turned around, seeming to be looking behind himself, and she noticed his partner - another very nice piece of eye candy - carrying a pile of towels and clothing. The partner was also wearing brief bathers, his in a stunning deep purple shade. His abdominal muscles were defined, a truly delicious six-pack, as were his pecs.
Oh, man, he looks good enough to lick. Just as well I didn’t see him half naked at rehab, or I may have jumped them both.
Rose’s belly clenched with need and her heart beat faster as the two men approached the shallow end of the pool. What wouldn’t I do to have one of them in my bed. Or, better yet, both of them!
Her rehab buddy waved at her and smiled, then came over while his partner left their clothing on a bench.
Oh. My. God. He looks gooood!
“Hey, you’re Rose, right? We met at rehab. The Ghoul got you working out here, too, eh?”
Rose smiled at the nickname. “The physio? What a sadistic bastard he is!” She laughed.
“Oliver,” he said, “or you may know me better as Fractured Right Femur.”
“Mine was the left,” Rose replied. “Car accident?”
“Nah, soccer. Made the mistake of tackling a guy much bigger and faster than me.”
“Kieran.” A very deep, sexy voice joined the conversation. “And he won’t be playing soccer again this season. Or next, if I have any say in it.”
Rose struggled not to giggle, then moved hastily as a small body landed almost on top of her, causing a giant tidal wave.
Oliver grabbed her arm in one hand and Kieran’s in the other and pulled them all deeper into the swimming pool.
Talking happily, they began to pace up and down, and Rose didn’t even notice as two thousand steps became three thousand.
“Okay, that’s enough for today,” said Kieran, gently putting his arm around Oliver’s shoulder. “I think we should put you and Rose in the hot tub for a while to make sure your muscles don’t stiffen. That okay with you, Rose?”
“Yeah, sure, sounds like a plan,” she replied, grateful that Oliver’s rehab program didn’t seem to involve star jumps.
They all walked to the shallow end of the pool again to exit via the steps and handrail, as neither Rose nor Oliver was keen to climb the ladder. Then they grabbed their towels and moved to the hot tub.
Rose carefully ignored the sign saying clients should not stay in the hot tub longer than fifteen minutes when Kieran hopped out to restart the bubbles. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed talking to two men as much as she had today. And besides, he
r leg was hardly aching at all now, thanks to the warm, bubbling water.
****
Oliver watched Rose’s face as she and Kieran idly plotted ways to murder The Ghoul, or, as she called him, ‘that sadistic bastard of a physio’.
Laughter shone in her gray eyes, expressions flitted across her face, and she constantly waved her hands and arms as she sketched in the air the various possibilities of mantraps using exercise equipment.
Her shiny brown hair was tied up in a ponytail, her body was curved in all the right places, and he guessed her to be about five seven. Her feisty attitude enchanted him and her sharp intelligence was a bonus. He and Kieran were so tired of being chased by airheads convinced that one night of hot ménage sex would lead to a wedding ring. Rose was a multi-faceted woman who engaged his brain while making his cock twitch. And he knew she did the same for Kieran.
He and Kieran had been together long enough to know, almost by osmosis, how the other one felt about people, and he could tell Kieran was every bit as attracted to this prickly, yet warm and beautiful Rose as he was.
Oh, yeah, he wanted to get to know her better. Much better. And preferably naked. I just know she’ll be as passionate in bed as she is in her speech.
“There’s a nice restaurant just up the block from here,” said Oliver. “We would love you to join us for dinner. If you aren’t too tired?”
“No, I’m not tired,” said Rose. “And I’d love to join you.”
“Meet you out the front in, say, twenty minutes? Or do you need longer than that? Half an hour?”
“No, I hardly limp at all now,” Rose replied. “Twenty minutes is fine.”
****
In the shower, Rose tried to restrain herself, but God, those two were gorgeous to look at, entertaining to talk to, and seemed genuinely sweet. Not to mention the way just being with them made her heart pound, her panties dampen, and her belly clench with the need to be filled by a hot cock. Or two. And judging by the bulges she had noticed in their teeny tiny swimwear, they both had very large cocks.
“And, my God, they want to spend time with me. How awesome is that?” Logic reminded her they were gay men and partnered with each other, but logic could not stop her hoping they would turn out to be bisexual and interested in more than just dinner with her. She wasn’t stupid. She knew there couldn’t be anything permanent among them. But hell, even a one-night stand would be excellent.
She’d had a sort of on-again, off-again - well mostly off-again - relationship with a guy from work, but that had stopped when she broke her leg. It seemed the thought of having to visit her while her leg was in plaster and she wasn’t able to drive was just too hard for him. Two of her female co-workers had taken the time to phone her and tell her he’d been seen out at lunch several times with the CEO’s new personal assistant.
Well, whatever. She was certainly not heartbroken, and the sex had only ever been mediocre. But, God, she wished just once she could experience truly toe-curling sex and multiple orgasms.
And Oliver and Kieran didn’t just turn her on. So far, they were pressing every one of her buttons, and she hadn’t even had so much as a kiss.
Both Oliver and Kieran had brown hair like her, although Kieran’s was darker than Oliver’s. Kieran’s eyes were a dark chocolate brown while Oliver’s were hazel. Apart from that they both had broad shoulders, well defined muscles, and Kieran was an inch or two taller than Oliver, likely six one or so.
“Get a grip, woman,” she urged herself as she toweled dry. “No one has said anything about kissing, much less fucking like bunnies.” Although fucking these particular guys did seem awfully doable.
****
“Well, we’ve talked about movies, sport, and the weather already, as well as planning the perfect murder, so how about we play Twenty Questions while we wait for our meals?” suggested Kieran.
WTF? They want to play a kids’ car game? Shit, I’d be happy just sitting here drooling at their muscled chests under those tight T-shirts, not to mention their handsome faces. “Yeah, right, whatever. Is ‘Maybe’ allowed, or just ‘Yes’ and ‘No’?”
“Only ‘Yes’ and ‘No.’”
“Okay, go for it.”
“I’m ready. Start guessing, Rose,” said Kieran.
Rose wasn’t an accountant by fluke. She knew all about math and statistics, and the only way to win this game was to structure her questions so as to eliminate as many possibilities as she could with each try. Ideally, half of them. “Is it alive?”
“No.”
Hmm. Well, he could be thinking of Winston Churchill’s cigar like on that old radio program, but I’m betting it’s something more modern. “Is it a piece of technology?”
“No.
Aha. Maybe a place. “Is it a natural formation?”
“No.”
Not the Grand Canyon, then. “Is it in the northern hemisphere?”
“Yes.”
****
Kieran watched Rose’s face.
Her eyes were shining with intelligence behind her glasses, and her brow furrowed as she planned her next question.
He deliberately kept his face impassive to avoid giving clues. Years of playing poker with the guys at work were paying off now, but inside, his heart was beating faster at the way she was tackling the game.
He and Oliver loved playing games that involved strategy and planning. Not for them the shoot-’em-ups on the computer. They much preferred a game like chess.
And now it looked like Rose was a perfect match for them intellectually. Excellent!
“Is it in Europe?
“Yes.”
“Is it a capital city?”
“Yes.”
“Paris.”
“Yes!”
“And only seven questions, Rose. You’re good.”
“Well, I figured you’d go for one of the major capitals, but I did think maybe I should have asked if it was Eastern Europe next instead of guessing Paris so soon.”
“Why Paris?”
“The city of lovers. It seemed appropriate.” Rose blushed and pushed her glasses up her nose.
****
Two hours later, fucking like bunnies seemed a lot closer to happening. Rose’s insides were a tightly coiled ball of need. Every word, every look, every touch of these two guys was sending her tension spiraling higher and higher.
They even made eating a sex act. One would glance at her, maybe raise an eyebrow or lick a lip, and Rose’s heart would miss a beat. Her underwear was sopping wet. She was so ready for either or both of them.
Oliver was chattier, had lighter moods, was more likely to laugh. Kieran was more serious, a little dominating, but his smile was deadly, and the way he raised one eyebrow and just looked at her was devastating.
It was all she could do not to fling herself across the table into their arms and beg them to take her here and now in the restaurant. If they simply said goodbye and left her in the parking lot, she would die of unrelieved sexual tension for sure.
But just then both Oliver and Kieran reached out over the table and gripped one of her hands.
“Come home with us tonight?”
“We don’t want the evening to end just yet.”
“And I’m sure we can find some things to do that will not put stress on your leg or Oliver’s,” added Kieran with a naughty grin.
“Thank God! I-I-I mean, yes, of course,” stammered Rose, once again blushing fiery red when she saw the grins on both their faces. Nervously, she pushed her glasses up her nose again.
They walked back to the swimming pool parking lot with Rose tucked up hard between the guys. Oliver had his arm over her shoulders and Kieran’s hand was around her waist. They stopped at her car, and Kieran pulled her into his arms for a fierce kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth as his hips ground against hers, his cock a hard ridge against her belly, leaving her in no doubt at all about his plans for that evening.
Oliver tapped Kieran on the shoulder. “My turn now
,” he said and slipped his hands over Rose’s butt to pull her against him. Another hot, hard cock pressed into her as he kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her nose, oh so gently. “Tonight will be very, very good for you, I promise,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled away.
Rose collapsed into her car, her knees too wobbly to hold her up for another moment. She took a deep breath, then slid her key into the ignition. Tonight was shaping up to be something truly special. And she wanted it. She wanted them.
Chapter Two
Oliver and Kieran’s bedroom was large. It needed to be to accommodate the truly huge bed that was centered against the back wall. Kieran moved over to the dresser to light some scented candles, and the soft golden glow from them and their lemony fragrance added to the atmosphere of the room.
The bed had a dark blue, patterned comforter and plain royal blue sheets.
Rose nervously pushed her glasses higher on her nose. She was thirty-three years old and by no means a prude. She’d had a few one-night stands, but never with two men at once. In particular, two men who turned her on the way these two did. Hell, offhand she couldn’t even think of any one man who made her as hot with a single look as either of these guys could.
“Relax, Rose. Nothing is going to happen here that you don’t want,” said Oliver, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her chin up so he could stare into her eyes.
“I love the way your eyes change color. At the pool, they were gray but almost blue. At the restaurant, they looked very dark, almost gray-black. And now they have a greenish tint to them. That’s amazing. Very special. And you are very special, too.” He nuzzled her ear, dropping very soft kisses along her jaw line and behind her ear.