My Three Hometown Alphas: A Spicy Small Town Reverse Harem Romance, page 9
“I’m so tired.”
“Did you not sleep good last night?” she asks.
I’m definitely not going to tell her that fantasies about one, two, or maybe even three of her uncles kept me up far too late last night. Since the night I spent with Miles and Owen a few days ago, I’ve been able to think of little else.
It doesn’t help that every interaction with their stubborn older brother stokes a confusing fire inside of me.
Why do they all have to be fine as hell?
I just shrug. “I don’t know. I’m just struggling here.”
She giggles, choosing a different marker to color with. An idea pops into my head and I sit upright.
“Oooh… let’s go to Peak Brews. I could probably go for an injection of caffeine right now, but I’ll settle for an iced coffee.”
“I don’t know what that means, but they have bomb chocolate muffins. I’m down,” she says, clicking the cap back on her marker.
“That’s my girl. Let’s go.”
The thought of caffeine alone is already adding a pep to my step. We quickly slip into our shoes and head out to my car.
I pause, seeing something behind the guest house. “What’s that?”
Lyla walks beside me as we round the house. In the grassy area behind my little temporary home sit two huge Adirondack chairs with a small table between them.
“Where did these come from?”
I didn’t realize I said that out loud until Lyla answers me. “I think that’s what Will brought home in those big boxes yesterday. I heard him working in the garage last night.” She walks over to sit in one of them. “Maybe he was building them.”
What? Will bought these for me? No…
There’s no way. The guest house is his. It isn’t just for me. It’s for whoever will stay here after I’m gone.
A sharp pain shoots through my chest at the thought of not living here anymore.
“It’s really comfy,” Lyla says, leaning all the way back in the chair. It’s so big it looks like it’s swallowing her up.
I laugh, sitting down in the other chair. Leaning back, I gaze up at the sky. All I want to do is sit out here and read a good book.
Oh… and caffeine.
“Come on, Lyles. Let’s go get our fix. Me caffeine. You sugar.”
“Lyla,” Emory says, setting her chocolate muffin on the counter. She slides my coffee toward me.
I clutch it to me, like someone is going to snatch it away. Emory lets out a chuckle.
“Enjoy,” she says before turning to help the next customer in line.
I’ve gotten to know Emory over the last month with my coffee runs here and there. I’ve tried to space them out, but their coffee is just so damn good.
I don’t get any fancy drinks, but whatever they put in their cold brew is crack for my soul.
Lyla laughs at me when I sigh dramatically after taking my first sip. “Want to go sit outside?” I ask her.
She nods, nibbling at the top of the muffin.
“You must be Avery,” an older lady says out of nowhere. She’s sitting at a nearby table with another older woman. They both have permed white hair, and their shirts look like a garden exploded on them.
“That would be me,” I say, taking a step in their direction. How they know my name, I have no idea. They seem nice enough, though.
“I’m Louise and this is Martha,” she says, pointing to the woman sitting across from her.
“Nice to meet you,” I say, taking another sip of my drink.
“You too,” she says, turning to look at Lyla. “Hi, Miss Lyla.”
There’s a tenderness in her gaze. This woman might be a bit forward, but obviously she has a good heart.
“Hey Miss Louise and Miss Martha,” Lyla says with a little bit of sass in her tone, which makes both older women smile.
“How did you know my name?” I ask.
Martha swats her hand in the air. “It’s a small town, sweetheart. Everyone knows everything. Plus, you’re fresh meat. Everyone going to talk about it.”
“More like you’re going to gossip about it,” Lyla mumbles under her breath, hiding her mouth behind her muffin.
I use my own cup to hide my snort. Luckily, neither of them seems to notice.
“So, are you staying in town or just passing through for the summer?” Louise asks.
“Just here for the summer,” I tell her. When I look down at Lyla, there’s sadness in her eyes.
As quickly as it arrived, it vanishes with a few quick blinks.
“Hmm,” Louise hums. “Those bosses of yours are mighty fine, though.”
“Eww,” Lyla says, cringing.
I have to side with Louise on this one. “They are all very handsome,” I say, instead of saying that they’re all hot enough to make my panties magically disappear.
Both ladies give me a loaded look that I can’t quite decipher. Maybe it’s their extra years of being here on Earth or their gained wisdom, but I feel like they know something that I haven’t quite figured out myself.
On our way to my car, we decide to stop by the hardware store to say hi.
Pulling into the parking lot, my eyes immediately fly to Miles and Owen, who are unloading a truck full of lumber with two other men.
They’re both sweaty and delicious. I want to crawl up them like they’re sexy coconut trees.
A pounding on the window snaps me out of my daze.
It’s Lyla. She must have already climbed out of the car while I was ogling her uncles.
Great.
I should be looking anywhere else as we walk across the parking lot, but I can’t. My eyes stay fixed on them.
They both sense our presence at the same time.
“Hey, pretty ladies,” Miles shouts.
Lyla waves but keeps walking.
“Are you going to go give them a hug?” I ask her because that’s usually what she does.
“They’re all sweaty,” she says, cringing as she skips into the store.
Miles gives me a wink before picking up another piece of wood. Owen is still just staring. It feels like he’s drilling through me, heart and soul.
“Aves,” Lyla groans. She’s holding the door open, waiting for me. I spare one last look toward the guys before walking inside.
Lyla beelines for the break room.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
“To get a snack.”
“You just ate a muffin.”
“And?”
A few of the workers who are sitting at the table start chatting with her as she grabs a bag of chips from the cupboard.
“Lyles, I’m going to go talk to Will,” I tell her.
She nods and goes back to eating. Kids.
I wasn’t planning on talking to Will, but now that we’re here, I need to know. I knock twice on his door before peeking my head in. “Hey.”
He’s leaning over his desk, typing away. His face softens when he sees me. I don’t understand why, but I like that. I like it a lot.
“Is everything okay?” he asks, turning his chair to face me more.
I take a few steps inside. “Yeah, everything is fine. We were at Peak Brews and Lyla wanted to say hi.” I chuckle. “I actually think she just wanted more to eat. You’re probably going to need to buy more chips for the break room.”
He laughs, leaning back in his chair. “She eats a lot.”
“Yeah, she does.” There’s an awkward pause, so I just blurt it out. “Did you buy the new chairs?”
There’s no need to specify which chairs. By the look on his face, he knows.
“I did.”
“Thank you. They’re really nice.”
I expect him to play it off or say he did it for some reason that has nothing to do with me. I’m surprised when he says, “I thought they would be more comfortable for you to read in out there.”
A flutter of warmth passes through me. He got them for me.
“So, you’ve been watching me,” I say, tilting my head to the side.
He sighs, running his fingers through his already tousled hair. “Despite my best efforts and better judgment, yes.”
This makes me smile.
“Is that why you bought two chairs?” I ask.
He hesitates for a moment, like there’s something he wants to say but won’t let himself.
“I thought you might want to sit out there with Lyla.” He pauses, taking a deep breath. “Or one of my brothers.”
Oh, how I wish he would have mentioned himself somewhere in there.
It’s obvious there’s an attraction between Will and me. Maybe I just need to let it go. I have Owen and Miles… at least for the rest of the summer.
Maybe I don’t want to let it go, though. Maybe I want Will, too. Call me crazy. Call me greedy. I don’t care. It’s an indisputable fact.
I want Will Kingston. He could be the cherry on top of this spicy summer sundae.
I peek back at him as I walk out the door. “Thanks for the chairs, Will.”
Our eyes stay locked until the door closes between us, severing the heavy tension between us that’s getting thicker with each passing day.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Owen
Some people hate doing manual labor, but I love it. The burn in my muscles always quiets my mind.
Painful memories and emotions have become a constant in my brain, and sometimes I just don’t want to face it. Even if it’s only for a few minutes, the reprieve is well worth it.
“Ready?” Cole asks. I give him a nod as we lift opposite sides of a large log.
Walking in sync, we move it to the storage shelves on the side of the store. Miles and Theo follow behind us with another log.
We’ve already moved ten logs each from the trailer of lumber the two oldest Rivers brothers came to drop off. Sweat beads on my forehead as the summer sun bakes down on us. Using the bottom of my shirt, I wipe it away.
Lifting my gaze, I see Avery and Lyla walking across the parking lot toward the front of the store. Miles shouts something at them, but I can’t be bothered to care what he’s actually saying.
Lyla gives me a smile, which I return. Then my eyes are firmly glued on the fiery woman at her side.
She pauses in front of the glass doors leading into the store, turning to look at me.
This kind of connection can’t be normal. There’s no way people go about their everyday lives when they feel this tethered to another human being.
We aren’t even that close to each other, and I still feel like our souls are tangled in a warm embrace.
Sappy much?
Fuck. Get it together.
I run my hand over my face, trying to escape my errant thoughts.
Lyla yells for Avery. With one final look in our direction, she disappears inside.
Blinking a few times, I walk back up onto the trailer. Cole stands there, waiting for me. As we’re moving the last log, he asks, “What’s that about?”
I grunt, lifting the log onto the rack. “Nothing.”
“Mmm… sure,” he says. “I must have hallucinated all of that tension when the nanny walked by.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Shut the fuck up,” I growl.
I actually like the Rivers brothers, but all of them make me want to punch them in the face from time to time.
He laughs, throwing his hands up in front of him. “What? I’m not blind.”
“Neither am I,” Theo says as he and Miles step up beside us. He looks between Miles and me. “So, which one of you is going to get the girl?”
“Who says she needs to choose?” Miles says with his big, stupid mouth.
“Miles,” I growl, urging him to shut the hell up. I couldn’t care less if anyone knows I’m… whatever with Avery, but I don’t know how she would feel about it.
“Right,” Miles says, clamping his mouth shut for once in his life.
Thank goodness for small blessings.
“Well, shit,” Cole says, his eyes widening.
“You didn’t hear anything,” I say.
“Of course not,” Theo says, grinning from ear to ear.
Cole pats me on the shoulder. “We won’t say anything. Promise.”
I know they wouldn’t, but the thought of anything ruining the little time I have with Avery makes me sick to my stomach.
Theo and Cole hop into their truck and drive away. Miles and I turn at the same time, walking back into the store.
We clearly have the same destination in mind—our girls. I don’t know at what point I started thinking of them like that, but I kind of love the sound of it.
If only it could stay that way past this summer…
I shake my head, needing to focus on the here and now. We round the corner. Avery is just stepping out of Will’s office.
Miles and I move in unison, as if he received the same military training I did.
The only thing keeping everyone from hearing her scream when we step up behind her is my hand clasped over her mouth. She goes rigid in our arms for a breath before realizing who we are.
Her lips move against my palm, but I can’t make out what she’s saying. When I don’t remove my hand, she bites down against my flesh.
I lean in, whispering in her ear, “Now, you’re just turning me on, angel.”
Her tongue slowly slides against the skin she just assaulted with her teeth.
My growing hard-on starts to press against her back. We need to get out of this fucking hallway.
Miles grabs Avery’s hand, effectively pulling both of us behind him into a supply closet on the opposite end of the hall. Keeping my one hand over her mouth, I reach with the other one behind me to make sure the door is locked.
Finally, I let my hand trail down over her neck, chest, and stomach before resting on her hip.
“Where’s Lyla?” Miles asks, stepping in even closer to Avery. She is completely sandwiched between us.
“In the break room eating a snack.”
“Then we have a few minutes,” I say. She shivers as my breath tickles her neck.
“We’d better get to work then,” Miles says, dropping to his knees.
It’s pretty dark in here, so I can’t see much. There’s some shuffling of fabric, and she lets out a gasp.
I tilt her head to the side so I can look at her. “Can you be quiet for us, angel?”
She nods, biting her lip.
I love how she’s so feisty and strong most of the time, but in moments like this, she completely melts into me… us.
Her whole body starts to quake between us.
“That’s it, gorgeous. Come for me,” Miles says, his voice barely audible.
Sensing that she’s about ready to come, I latch my lips onto hers. She moans into the kiss, every muscle tensing.
I wrap an arm around her waist, holding her upright when her legs start to shake. Her body goes lax, resting against me.
“Fuck,” she breathes out.
Miles must be righting her clothes, and then he’s standing before her again. “You taste even better than I imagined,” he says.
He isn’t wrong. She tastes like a goddamn dream come true. My dream come true.
She snakes a hand between us, palming my cock over my jeans. Based on the low grunt Miles lets out, she’s doing the same to him.
Her hand freezes when the sound of Lyla’s laugh hits our ears. Fuck.
I miss her touch as soon as it’s gone, not only on my cock but everywhere.
Avery slips out first. Miles follows a minute after her. It takes me another minute to pull myself together enough to face reality again.
When I don’t hear any noises from the hallways, I make my exit.
I take not even two steps before Will walks out of his office. I have no idea how he knows, but he just does.
Older brother spidey senses, I guess.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest.
Honestly, I have no fucking idea what I’m doing. But if it involves her, I have a hard time believing it can be wrong.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Miles
Dirt flies up behind me as I round second base and barrel toward third. The ball that I lobbed into the far corner of the outfield still isn’t back into the infield, so I’m going for it.
Sprinting isn’t really my thing. I’m more of an endurance guy, but I turn on all the jets I have.
As my feet pound against the dirt, my head snaps to the left. The first baseman is throwing the ball toward home, where their catcher is waiting.
The only way I’m going to make it is if I slide.
Knowing this is probably going to hurt tomorrow, I lower my body and glide across home plate. “Safe,” the umpire calls.
Thank fuck.
At least I have a run to show for my sure-to-be bruised hip.
Maybe Avery will massage it for me.
The thought pops into my brain before I even have the chance to get fully upright again.
The whole team is going wild in the dugout. It isn’t the end of the game, though, so they stay where they are. Grabbing my bat from the ground, I make my way to the fence where Lyla and Avery are cheering.
“That was awesome,” Lyla says.
Her gigantic smile makes my own grow even wider. I lean into the fence just like she is. My hand grips the chain link right beside Avery’s.
“It was pretty cool, wasn’t it?”
Lyla laughs, hopping around in a circle.
One of Avery’s fingers slides against mine, hooking around my pinky. She smiles at me when I glance her way. Unless someone was standing right beside us, they would have no idea we’re even touching right now.
I have no idea why this one tiny action feels more intimate than anything we’ve done. And that’s saying something because we have done some filthy things to each other.
Her finger tightens around mine, and she gives me a wink. “Shouldn’t you be getting back over there, hot shot?”
“Hot shot?”
She shrugs, but there’s a glimmer in her eyes.
“Eventually,” I say.
“Miles,” Will shouts, irritation evident in his tone.
“Told you,” Avery says smugly.
