Shannon's Fairy-Tale Foursome (9 page)

“Cade,” Gray and Jaycee scolded in synchronization. The amusement in both of Cade’s lovers was undeniable. If the laughing tones weren’t obvious enough, the lip twitching and conspicuous coughs were unmistakable. He had never seen the three of them happier than they were now.

Jaycee glowed, basking in the love of two good men. And they were good men. Not that Drew would ever tell the arrogant devils that. He would prefer eating nails for dinner to admitting aloud that she’d chosen well.

“What?” Cade asked, snatching a buttery roll out of the bread basket and stuffing half of it in his mouth. “Mmmm.”

Cade’s green eyes widened unexpectedly, and he groaned. Drew suspected he knew what caused the sound, and it was certainly
not
the bread. His sister’s hands had gone missing at some point during her censure of Cade.

Shaking his head, Drew prepared to do a little reprimanding of his own, but Katie-Anne beat him to the punch. “What have I told you Jaycee? I do not want to see that shit.”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Drew saw Shannon duck behind the giant menu written in elaborate calligraphy. She covered her face entirely, leaving only certain parts visible to him. The short, wicked candle flickering in front of her shone against the shimmering silvery color of her newly painted nails.

He chuckled, drawing odd gazes from the people nearest to him. Shannon had gotten a manicure, but one thing hadn’t changed. She had left the short length of her nails alone. With an incessant nail-picking habit, her nails never had enough time to grow. In any other woman, he would see that as a negative, but not with this woman. Shannon’s nervous quirk charmed him.

Trailing his eyes down her arms lovingly, Drew paused to admire the adorable freckle on her elbow. He quickly realized his mistake. The freckle put her bountiful breasts in his direct line of vision. Her arm pressed closely to her fleshy mounds distracted him from the cuteness of her freckle.

The dress she had chosen to don was not overt or suggestive in any manner, which made it ten times more appealing to him. He desperately wanted to yank down the strapless dress by the folded-over collar so he could devour her breasts with his eyes. And, eventually, his mouth would take over where his eyes left off.

He had never been a breast man, at least, not until the day he’d seen Shannon’s body without the layers of hideous clothing covering her body. The thought of her in the nylon and spandex bathing suit still had the ability to leave him hard as a rock and panting.

The way her breasts had bounced beneath the black bathing suit as she jumped off the diving board had nearly brought him to his knees, and he hadn’t been the only one.

Jared had stiffened and halted abruptly, forgetting in his stunned state that both Drew and Randy followed closely behind him, which became abundantly clear when a slack-jaw Randy cursed, “Fuck,” only seconds before running straight into his brother’s back. Having paid more attention, Drew averted the disaster by stepping around them hastily.

From that day on, they had known she was the one they were meant to share. They plotted and planned for years, waiting for her to be ready for them and what they wanted. She wasn’t ready at eighteen or nineteen—even though she had thought otherwise. The fateful seduction scene in the middle of Spurs, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats had showed them, and everyone else in town, just how unprepared she was for a permanent ménage.

They had tried to tell her that she needed to grow and live before settling down with three very stubborn, very arrogant, and very controlling men. If their tempers hadn’t gotten in the way, one of them would have been able to get through to her. But, no, she had to light a match and throw it into a forest in the middle of a drought.

A random elbow to his ribs caught Drew’s attention, and he winced before turning to slap Randy on the back of the head. “Ouch, fucker.”

“That is the thanks I get,” Randy sneered mockingly. “Ungrateful bastard. Next time, I will let them order without you.”

Turning a smile on their waitress, Melissa, he ordered, “I’ll have the antipasto plate followed by filet mignon and penne with marinara sauce. I, also, would like Stellina’s homemade tiramisu with a cappuccino.”

“Yes, sir,” Mel replied warmly with a hint of a smile. Thankfully, she was finally warming up to the people in the town. Serenity knew no strangers, and everyone was determined to make her feel comfortable, especially considering her and Holly’s past.

“Mel,” Drew chided affectionately. “I’ve told you my name. Now, use it.”

The super shy woman blushed to the roots of her hair but nodded before moving down the long line of people at the table.

Jared’s steel-toed boot rammed into Drew’s shin and triggered a cringe-worthy chain of events. With fast as lightning reflexes, Drew slammed his knee into the underside of the table with a thud, initiating a minor, man-made earthquake. The table shook, silverware rattled, and drinks toppled.

In slow motion, Drew watched his entire glass of red wine spill onto the white linens and dump directly into Shannon’s lap. The look of horror on her face caused him to wince.

“Oh,” Shannon yelped, pushing her chair back clumsily and surging to her feet. Her chair flipped backwards before landing on the floor with a resounding bang. She bumped into the table, setting it to teetering and tottering all over again.

The clatter of silverware falling to the floor sounded like a gun going off in the otherwise soundless room. All eyes in the room fixated on her as the other patrons waited for her reaction.

Drew grabbed napkins and stood to dab her soaked dress. “My God, Shan, I’m so sorry.”

“I–i–it’s okay,” she stammered. Her chin wobbled as she valiantly fought to suppress her upset.

“No, it’s not princess,” Jared disagreed and moved around the table to help her. He glared at Drew as if he believed this whole debacle had been his fault, like he would purposefully embarrass and upset her. “Why don’t you go and clean up in the ladies’ room.”

Jared sounded like the epitome of a gentleman, but the seething undertone to his words told everyone a different story. This was not a suggestion. It was an order.

Jaycee, Sarah, and Katie-Anne jumped to do Jared’s bidding, ushering a still shell-shocked Shannon away. As the four women weaved through the throng of tables, everyone made room for them to get by. All of the men stood while all of the women scooted their chairs aside. Several people spoke softly to Shannon but, because of the distance, it was impossible for Drew to hear what they said. With their caring smiles, he had no doubt they were comforting and reassuring her in some kind way. Once the women disappeared down the hallway leading to the ladies’ room, the diners all returned their attention to the food on their plates and the personal conversations they’d been having before all of the commotion.
Thankfully.

“What the hell was that,” Randy demanded to know, not giving Jared a chance to blast Drew. “Why in the world were you flirting with the waitress in front of Shannon—on tonight of all nights?”

Drew growled. “I wasn’t. She’s a nice
girl,
and her daughter, Holly, is precious. But, damn, I’m not interested in her romantically
.
Hell, she’s twenty-two. That makes her fourteen years my junior.”

Jared sat back down in the chair stiffly. With sparks of red-hot rage shooting from his eyes, he launched his attack on Drew. “You bastard. I can’t believe that you did that. Flirting with Melissa was bad enough, but you embarrassed Shannon!”

Tensely, Drew took a seat, perching on the edge of the chair in preparation for the inevitable fight. “What is wrong with you? It was a fucking accident,” he defended.

Shane jumped in, voice tinged with warning, “Boys.”

All three brothers cast Shane an identical go-to-hell-you-bastard look and shouted, “Shut up!” The sound of their voices carried throughout the dining room and had everyone turning in their direction—yet again.

“Are you sure about that,” Jared wanted to know, arching his eyebrow questioningly.

Drew snarled, standing to his full height and towering over his oldest brother. “What are you
asking
?”

An enraged Jared made no move to rise, remaining still like the calm before the storm. “I am asking if you meant to embarrass her
on purpose
.”

“Good God, Jared. Why would I do that?”

Randy answered as he got to his feet, “Because you have become”—he paused and waved his hand at Drew as if what he said was self-evident—”this!”

“What the bloody hell are you talking about?” Aggressively, Drew turned on Randy, utilizing his slightly larger body as an intimidation tactic against him.

Not that it worked. Randy didn’t acknowledge his confrontational stance. He didn’t move a muscle. “I am talking about the asshole you are turning into. We are sick and tired of dealing with
him.
”

That statement deflated Drew’s antagonism—but only a little. “Do you think I enjoy being pissed off all the time? I’m becoming someone I don’t know and certainly don’t like.”

Drew grimaced and fell into his chair as his legs gave away. Showing his feelings was the last thing he wanted to do, but tonight was going to hell, and he was growing tired of continually acting uncaring. Life would be easier if his friends and family believed him, but they didn’t. That much was crystal clear. “Let me tell you something. I would never hurt Shannon.”

Instead of addressing him, Randy conveyed his disbelief to Jared, “I think he actually believes that garbage. All he does lately is hurt her.”

Being treated with total disregard infuriated him. Randy could look at him but couldn’t speak
. Bullshit
.

Drew’s hostility returned, ten times stronger than before. “Of course, I believe it, asshole. It’s the truth.”

A round of titters and coughs came from the men at the table. No one stepped in to defend him. Just tense silence congested with wariness and skepticism of the men he respected most. Even the people in the restaurant who’d been watching their impromptu show avidly turned away without a word.

“If that is true, what exactly are you doing?” Jared’s quiet composure had returned, and he was way too even-tempered for Drew’s taste, but the question had his full attention. He couldn’t worry about ruffling his brother’s feathers.

Caught off guard, Drew had no explanation, no justification. “I have no fucking clue.”

His know-it-all older brother spurned his candor as he sipped on his scotch. “Yes, you do.”

“Not really.”

At the other end of the table, Shane teased him uncharacteristically. “Well, that’s a first.” The strain in his voice removed any hints of humor. If Shane’s edgy tone didn’t convince everyone that he was full of shit, then the fact that he didn’t have a funny bone in his body would.

“No joke,” Cade joined in. More talented at disguising his uneasiness, Cade’s wit almost sounded believable. The only betrayal arose from his troubled eyes being at odds with his relaxed stance and easy words.

Both men’s attempt at humor backfired when they were reprimanded. Gray didn’t need to do anything but give his partner a look. Predictably, Cade’s irreverence got the better of him, and he shot a sex-laced look at Gray, who pretended to ignore him. A smug twitch of his lips illustrated that Gray knew exactly what had gone through his lover’s mind.

The second reprimand came from the most unlikely source—Landon. The generally quiet man staggered and amazed everyone at the table when he barked, “Leave them alone, Shane,” at his best friend. “This is between Jared, Drew, and Randy. It doesn’t have anything to do with you
or
me so shut the hell up.”

Every man went quiet and tensed, paying close attention to the two longtime friends as the start of a battle brewed between them.

Shane wasn’t one to allow anyone to talk to him like that. But, instead of reacting like expected, Shane remained relaxed and unperturbed. “No, it isn’t just between the three of them. It affects Katie-Anne, Jaycee, and Sarah. That makes it all of our business.”

“Since when did you give a
fuck
about Katie-Anne?” Landon jeered spitefully at the man everyone knew he was in love with, showing a side of him that no one knew existed.

Shane’s cheeks colored, indicating his anger. No one ever questioned him or called him out. If Landon was any other man, he would have been laid out on the floor before he finished his first rebuke. But, lucky for him, Shane wouldn’t hurt a hair on his head. He’d been protective of Landon for as long as Drew could remember. “Since always,” he snapped.

Evidently, Landon had a temper that rivaled his best friend’s or he just didn’t know when to back down. He tilted his entire body forward, moving closer to Shane’s personal space in challenge, the bold belligerence begging for a fist to the face. “You have a shitty way of showing it, asshole.”

At those words, the statue that had been Deke came to life. Landon had obviously provoked the Dom’s protective instincts for his brother. Throwing down his napkin and standing up abruptly, Deke growled, “Back off, Landon.”

Surprisingly, Landon didn’t listen to Deke. Instead, he remained exactly where he was and barked, “It’s the truth, and everyone knows it.”