by Mallory Funk
I never did girlfriends before, but I couldn’t help the connection that I had felt with Paige from the first moment I had looked at her. The moment I had seen her, I knew that she was different from all the women before. Other women just wanted me for my cock, my body, or because my brothers and I owned businesses. My parents always told us that once we found the one that we would know. We would be automatically drawn to them and feel this connection. Over the years, I hadn’t particularly believed them, but I do now. I knew without a doubt that Paige was the woman meant for me. I just had to wait, and waiting was what I was going to do.
Paige
I kissed him! I can’t believe that I actually kissed him!
I mean, it was an amazing kiss. The best kiss I have ever had. But that’s what made it scarier. I felt more in that kiss than I had ever felt for anyone, even Shaun, and I was in love with him, wasn’t I? Did I not really know the difference between love and lust? All I know right now is that nothing like that can happen again. If this guy I had known for only three days could make me feel like this then I knew that I had to keep my distance. I couldn’t let myself be with, or trust someone again.
All I have to do is keep my distance. Even if they come over for morning coffee, I will just have to avoid being alone with him. That could work, couldn’t it?
A couple of days later, I see Trevor mowing the lawn and he offers to cut my grass too. Why not, right? It means I won’t have to do it myself. Except wrong! I have it all wrong! As soon as he comes over to mow the lawn, he takes off his shirt. Holy fucking shit! That guy is ripped. I find myself biting my lip while looking him up and down. I honestly have no shame right now. Once I bring my eyes to his face, I see the edges of his mouth lift into a smirk and he winks at me. Yeah, he knows what he does to me.
Tara bumps into me from behind on the front porch. “Now that’s a sight to wake up to.”
“Hey woman, eyes off!” Seriously, where did this jealously come from? I do not like the feeling I have when I see her looking at Trevor like he is a piece of meat.
She just laughs at me. “If he is mowing the lawn getting all sweaty and shirtless, he is just asking to be checked out!”
I roll my eyes, but I know that she’s right; however, I still can’t stop the feelings that come over me. I was never jealous of previous boyfriends. I didn’t care if women checked them out or flirted with them, but with Trevor I can’t seem to help myself. I don’t want anyone to look at him but me. He isn’t even mine and I feel this way. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if he was actually my man.
I was not prepared for these feelings that Trevor seems to be bringing out in me. I do not like this at all. I have to keep my distance.
Chapter Five
Paige – Two months later
Wrong! I was so wrong!!
These last two months have been torture! The brothers have been coming over every morning to sit on the porch and have coffee. That’s fine and everything except for the fact that I run out of the room like my pants are on fire every time that Trevor and I are in a room alone, causing him to cast an amused look my way. He knows what he does to me. I can tell by the look he sends my way that he knows that I have been avoiding him. Instead of him being angry or anything, he looks amused by my attempts to ignore him and the strong pull towards him. That still doesn’t stop him from trying to get me alone with him. He hasn’t given up and he hasn’t tried anymore with me, but the heated looks my way show that he wants to do more than just kiss me.
Nothing more than that kiss had happened because I made sure I was never alone with him. I knew that was the reason. He could see it on my face because I would barely look at him, and I would often find him and his brothers exchanging amused looks. I have gotten close to them due to our morning ritual. Tara has taken to it too although she grumbles from time to time telling us that we are crazy for waking up early to just sit around drinking coffee, especially when we all just sit there in silence. She hasn’t come down in her duck pajamas since that day she got caught in them. I have a feeling that the short shorts and tank top she now sports around in the morning are for someone else’s benefit. I don’t miss the looks that are exchanged between Derek and her although I don’t think that anything has happened. She is still newly on the market and I think that’s why they haven’t made a move.
We have also been taking turns between going to each other’s houses for dinner and cooking for each other. I find it nice because I have never had this many people close to me before. Everyone is so relaxed and easy going with each other that it’s hard to feel anything but the closeness I have found. I think of these people more and more as my family now instead of having my family consist of only Courtney and me.
Once a week, Courtney and I have been exchanging phone calls and I would tell her everything that has been going on. When I told her about the kiss, she was shocked that I was avoiding him. I had secretly taken pictures of the guys to show her. I knew they would do it if I asked them, but they would probably have to do some guy pose where they show off their “guns” by flexing their muscles.
She knew everything that I had went through with Shaun and how I haven’t been with, or even went on a date with, any man since him. No one has really interested me. Sure, I thought that some guys were hot, but there had been no one that I had actually taken any real notice of until Trevor. I am not ashamed to admit that I have played with myself thinking about him a time or two or maybe every night since, but I won’t go so far as to admit that.
This morning I was expecting Courtney in. She was driving all the way down. She has a terrible fear of planes, so she drives everywhere. I got used to doing it too and it made for some really awesome road trips, so I couldn’t really argue. We have had some great memories to last a lifetime.
It was just turning 7am when I heard a loud car horn outside and then yelling from my best, I mean former, best friend.
“WAKE UP, BITCHES! I’M HOME!”
Grumbling, I got up from bed because I knew she wouldn’t stop. Using the key that she had was far too quiet for her to reach her goal of waking up both the neighbourhood and me. I ran into Tara in the hallway.
“Here’s the plan. I will hold her down and you start punching!” With a quick head nod, she went downstairs like that was actually the plan. Chuckling, I chased after her because I knew she hated mornings a lot. I did too until I got my morning java.
“Why don’t you wake up the neighbourhood while you’re at it?” Tara yells at her.
“Seriously, it’s like you don’t even know me! When have I ever been quiet?” Courtney says with an eye roll. At least the horn blaring has stopped now.
“Hey Bitch, you better have coffee for me if you wake me up that way! Tara, she’s probably doing it so that the brothers will run out here and she can see what they look like with her own eyes.”
“EXACTLY! See at least my bestie gets me!” Courtney cheered.
“How she put up with you all these years I will never know!” Tara grumbles.
“Hello? Bitch… coffee?” I say impatiently.
“Oh, umm I kind of thought you would have coffee going by now?” She had the nerve to bat her eye lashes at me.
Before I could say anything, we hear yelling from the men across the street.
“Hey ladies, keep it down over there. Some of us are trying to get some beauty sleep!” Cole yells. I had gotten to know him over the weeks and realized that he was the one who liked to make jokes, no matter the situation.
“Well you’re going to be asleep for a long time then, pal!” I yell back. They all started laughing.
“Cold, Paige! That’s just cold!” Cole replies dramatically.
“What? I thought you knew?” I say with a slow grin creeping on my face.
As he stands there with his mouth hanging open, my friend steps up. “Name’s Courtney and I’m guessing you’re Cole,” she says pointing at him.
“Oh, I see. Has our Paige and Tara been tell
ing you all about me?” he says grinning widely.
“No, they just told me that the ugly one’s name was Cole,” she says in a bored but sweet tone.
Cole stands there shocked with his mouth hanging open. Everyone else is laughing.
“Oh my god! Yes! That was the best!” I high five her and then she goes to high five Tara.
“It’s not often anyone leaves this man speechless. I think I like this one!” Sam says.
“Of course you do. I’m awesome,” Courtney says without missing a beat.
“I would have to disagree with that because you didn’t bring me any coffee!” I grumble loudly ignoring the snickers of everyone behind me as I walk in the house to make some damn coffee!
I stumble into the kitchen and see Trevor there making two cups, and I get a lump in my throat with his next words.
“I didn’t see a coffee in your hand, and I know how violent you get when you don’t have coffee in your hand first thing in the morning.” He hands me a cup and I take a sip, noticing that it is made exactly how I like it.
He bypassed the greeting to meet my best friend to make me coffee and, in addition, he made the coffee just how I like it. It’s the small gestures over the last two months that have let my walls come crumbling down. When I had told him my favourite food, he had made it for me the next night. He asks me about my day and listens to me when I talk. I know that if he keeps this up that I’m going to give in and give this thing between us a try. From what I see of his brothers, they are the love ‘em and leave ‘em type. That would be about the nicest way I would put it. I had heard they all didn’t do girlfriends and they just liked to sleep around. I haven’t seen Derek or Trevor do much but hang out with Tara and I, besides working, so I am not sure where they would get the time. Not that I mind; it gives me a lot of time to get to know Trevor as a person.
I give him a grateful smile and go out to the back patio while everyone else files in and makes their coffee. Yes, we also invested in a second pot for the house since everyone seems to migrate over here, and one pot doesn’t usually fill everyone’s cups.
Trevor comes down, sits next to me, and throws me a wink. Everyone comes outside to join us.
“So, I’m guessing that since you are sitting by my bestie, and were inside making her coffee, that you’re Trevor,” Courtney says looking at us with a mischievous smile. Courtney was never one for keeping her mouth shut and she lives to try to embarrass me.
“That’d be me.” He looks over at her and winks.
“Well ladies, these boys are definitely hotter than the pictures you sent me. The camera did not do them justice.” She looks at me and Tara with amused eyebrows, and I’m pretty sure that Tara is glaring at her.
“Pictures?” One of them says, or maybe all of them, but I can’t say for sure since I am hiding my face in my coffee mug because I can feel Trevor’s amused eyes on me.
Because Tara and I seem to be speechless or, for a better word, embarrassed by our ex-friend’s actions; she keeps going.
“Oh, you know, pictures of all of you sitting around this deck drinking coffee, or mowing the lawn, or swimming in the backyard. I don’t think there is one with any one of you with a shirt on.” Dead! That’s what my friend is, dead!
“Oh really?” Trevor says in a low voice. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that heard it.
Kill me now! My friend loves putting me on the spot like this. Two can play at that game.
I grin wickedly at her. “Any particular one you and B.O.B have had a good time with late at night or early in the mornings?” I ask slowly.
Tara starts laughing. “Yeah, I think it was one that I sent her, let me check my phone here.” Slowly, Tara’s phone comes out and Courtney’s eyes widen.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says quickly and fake yawns. “Well, I’m getting tired- long drive and all. I think I’m going to take a nap.” She runs into the house leaving us all laughing at her.
“So what picture was it?” Cole asks
“We won’t ever tell!” I say laughing.
“So, why didn’t we know about your photography skills?” Sam smirks in our direction.
Trevor gets up and grabs my cup and then he comes back with it full and with a different creamer in it. I can’t help the smile that comes to my face. I don’t notice anything being said as I look at him and stare into his grey eyes. They lock on mine and there’s a warmth and softness in there that I had never noticed before or made the time to see it. It’s not until Tara starts talking loudly that I look away.
“ALRIGHT! Okay, so we took pictures of you guys. We had told her that we lived across from five hot guys; of course, our best friend is going to want to see since she’s going to be living across the street from you all and had to wait eight weeks to meet everyone! I mean, if I looked on a couple of phones now, I would probably find a picture or two of Paige and I.” She does that head nod thing like she has said her piece and we should all leave it alone, but at that moment everyone starts laughing. I look over at Trevor and raise my eyebrow in question. He just smirks at me. Now I have to know if he took a picture or two of me like I did him.
“I still can’t get over your little rants,” Cole says while laughing.
“Do we get to at least see the pictures that you took?” Sam asks raising his eyebrow at us.
“I don’t think so,” I tell them.
“Why not? They’re pictures of us, right? I at least want to see that you made me look good,” Cole says as I roll my eyes.
“I’m not sure that’s so easy to accomplish,” I say with a smile.
“Damn girl, always going after my looks. I think someone might be jealous and wish they looked this good.” He swipes his hand up and down.
I snort at him. “I spend my days wishing I looked like you,” I say dryly.
“I’m glad you don’t,” Trevor says so low that I don’t know if anyone else heard him.
“I knew it!” Cole says triumphantly.
“You know, I take offense to that, being his twin and all,” Liam says looking at me.
“No, you’re totally the better looking one,” Tara says winking at him. I don’t miss the look of jealousy that Derek shoots Liam’s way.
“Agreed!” I high-five her.
Liam sits back grinning from ear to ear.
“You know, I didn’t think his ego could get bigger, but I guess I was wrong,” Trevor says.
“Oh, come on. We look exactly alike! Identical! If he is good-looking then that means that I’m good looking!” Cole says, looking like he’s on the verge of a tantrum.
“Except the eyes! You have different coloured eyes, and that sets you apart from each other. Maybe it changes your whole image?” Tara says challenging him.
I start laughing unexpectedly and everyone looks over at me. Everyone starts looking at me weirdly which only makes me laugh harder preventing me from being able to explain what’s so funny.
“Y-You sh-hould see your f-face,” I say between laughs.
I hear Trevor chuckle beside me.
“She’s losing it,” Derek says with a smile on his face.
“He-He was going to start throwing a temper tantrum like a two-year-old. I swear, he was so close to stomping his foot and running inside while slamming the door.” At the moment I say this, everyone but Cole starts laughing.
“I was not!” he says, but it only adds to the image of him. Everyone laughs harder. We even hear laughter coming from the window upstairs and realize that Courtney was listening in the whole time.
Cole looks red with embarrassment and gets up. Everyone is watching him with interest to see what he will do. He looks at everyone and rolls his eyes. “I’m just grabbing more coffee!” I don’t know why, but that just makes us all laugh harder.
We spend the next half an hour talking and laughing. Courtney eventually comes back outside to join us. As usual, everyone leaves to get ready for work while I’m putting all the cups in the
dishwasher. Trevor comes in to help me as per usual. We end up having the routine we do now. Something about this morning is different. I feel like I have been getting to know him and am now able to trust him and his brothers more. I now know for sure that they are great guys, and they would never hurt me, or Tara, or Courtney. I feel like I’m ready to act on my feelings with Trevor, but I don’t know how to go about it.
I hate that I can talk and joke around with guys, but the moment I want to make a move I become nervous and shy and I don’t know how to act, no matter how long I have known them. I can feel myself shaking as I’m cleaning up the kitchen.
The next thing I know, I feel heat at my back. Trevor puts a hand on each side of me caging me in with the counter. His nose is at my neck and I tilt my head to the side to give him more access. That’s all he needs to know. In the next moment, he turns me around and his lips are on mine. He’s kissing me slow and with a passion that I haven’t felt since the first time he kissed me. It’s like he is taking the time to explore and remember everything about the kiss in case I’m crazy enough to stop this thing between us. I’m not. I don’t remember wanting anyone as much as I want him.
He breaks the kiss and starts kissing down my jaw to my neck, and then he whispers in my ear. “I have wanted to kiss you again ever since the last time I kissed you.”
“Me too,” I say in a low whisper.
“This thing between us is happening. Me and you. I know you’re not ready for more than a few kisses, and I’m not going to rush you, baby. We take this at your pace, okay?” He places a few kisses on my neck.
“Okay,” I say in a shaky breath.
He stops kissing my neck, pulling back to look me in the eyes- probably to make sure that I’m being serious about seeing where this goes between us.
He gives me a sweet smile. “You my girl then?”
I let out a big breath. “I’m your girl”
I didn’t think his smile could get any bigger. I smile back at him feeling like I made a good decision. He has been patient with me these last two months when I could tell by the looks he gave me and the way he talked to me that he wanted more. I owe it to both of us to try. This connection and feeling that I have when I’m with him isn’t going away. It’s getting stronger, and I don’t want to fight it anymore.