Things That Go Bump in the Night IV (25 page)

Yeah, right. Try excited and enthusiastic. Truthfully, she had a feeling that Leo flirted with every woman who crossed his path, but the double attention was more than she was used to. Why shouldn’t she enjoy it? As long as Arden didn’t mind, why should she?

“You sure?” Arden asked.

“I’m sure.” She nodded for emphasis. “It’ll be fun.”

“Well, good,” Arden replied with a wicked grin, then took her by the hand and into the house.

Immediately she was hit with the aroma of garlic, herbs and tomato sauce.

“I hope you like spaghetti,” Leo called from somewhere in the back of the house.

“Of course! Only heathens don’t like spaghetti,” she joked as Arden led her toward the kitchen and dining room area, taking the bottle of wine out of her hand. There was something more than just the scent of marinara sauce wafting around her. Like magic sparks were floating in the air, something about being in that house with those two men felt incredibly…well…stimulating.

Arden pulled out a sleek cushioned metal chair at the glass dinner table. “Please, have a seat. Dinner will be ready shortly.”

“And it’ll be good,” Leo added. “Promise.”

Jill wasn’t sure who to reply to so she just smiled. “Thank you.” She watched as Arden joined his brother in the well-equipped kitchen. Swiftly, he grabbed wineglasses from a rack above the counter and proceeded to uncork the wine.

“You got that okay?” Arden motioned to Leo, who had a spoon in each hand, stirring the contents of two different pots on the stove.

“Easy as pie. Salad?”

“Definitely.”

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Arden brought Jill a glass of wine, setting it down gently on the glossy black placemat in front of her. He swirled his own liquid-filled glass. “Nice coloring, wouldn’t you say?”

“Everything about her is delightful.” Leo looked up from his stirring and winked.

“Oh, you weren’t talking about Jill, were you?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle. What was it about these two guys? Why did she feel so at ease and really in the mood to enjoy everything they had to offer?

Everything?
her inner slut taunted. She gulped, barely avoiding choking on her wine. Her libido could easily go into overdrive around these two. She had to remember that “everything” only included dinner and conversation. The rest was for Arden alone.

“Well, of course everything about her is wonderful, but shouldn’t you pay more attention to what you’re cooking?” Arden swallowed some wine before heading back into the kitchen.

“Only if you do. I’m nearly done and yet there’s nary a scrap of lettuce chopped or carrot peeled. Just how do you intend on serving the first course before the main?” Leo tossed a tomato to Arden, which he caught in one hand.

He set his glass down and rolled his eyes. “Back to work.” In moments, Arden had the salad ingredients sprawled over the countertop. Chopping, shredding, dicing, slicing, the man was an expert with a knife, taking care with the tomatoes, sloshing just enough dressing, shaking just the right amount of herbs into his masterpiece.

Swishing the contents of one of the pots, Leo produced a spaghetti noodle and walked over to Jill. “Tell me. How do you like your pasta? Is this al dente enough for you?” He leaned his fork close to her lips and she retrieved the noodle with a little slurp.

“I wish I was on the other end of that noodle.” Leo grinned. “Good?”

“Yes.” Jill laughed. “Perfect, actually. But would you be on the other end of the noodle or have me whipping you with it?”

“Hey now. There’ll be no noodle-whipping without me involved.” Arden chuckled as he tossed a radish at Leo who adeptly caught it while returning to the kitchen.

“I’ll whip the both of you. I’m an equal opportunity noodle-whipper.”

The two of them stopped and gave her identical looks of interest. She laughed and took another swig of wine. Her shoulders were finally starting to unknot from the day spent leaning over her worktable. She hoped they’d completely quit aching within another few sips. Tonight held tons more potential than her average humdrum evening and she didn’t want tight muscles interfering with any of the fun to be had.

Leo moved the spaghetti pot to a back burner, then glanced toward Arden and watched him put the finishing touches on the salad. “Not bad, brother.”

“You’ve never expected anything less, have you?”

“True. Very true, Arden. But the real test will be on the palate, won’t it?” Leo looked at Jill and playfully raised an eyebrow. “Don’t mind him. He’s just showing off.”

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Ashleigh Raine

Arden slid his brother a look of amusement. “Let’s just see how that sauce of yours turns out, huh? Then we’ll see who’s showing off.” He plucked a cherry tomato out of the salad bowl and walked over to Jill. The tomato glistened with oil from the salad dressing and with a sensual grin, Arden traced it along her sealed lips. “It’s all in the presentation,” he said huskily. “Then when the time is right, you can fully indulge.”

Entranced, her mouth opened beneath the tomato. The burst of flavor startled her, but it tasted even better when Arden placed his mouth over hers. His tongue flicked out, stealing the oil from her lips. She shivered under the onslaught of taste and touch and knew she’d never eat a tomato again without thinking of this moment.

Arden had only just backed away when Leo stepped in his place, this time with a spoonful of sauce, his other hand ready to catch any stray drips. “The secret’s in the sauce.” He stared at her lips as she reached for the spoonful of what smelled like herbed tomato heaven.

“Tangy enough, I hope?” he asked.

She nodded, but then a drip escaped the corner of her mouth.

Leo wiped it away as though it never happened, but his eyes told another story.

Their eyes met as they shared the intimate tingle of his skin grazing hers.

Jill looked away and licked her lips, tasting salad dressing and sauce, Leo and Arden. She wanted to close her eyes and moan, to get lost in the feast of the senses. Her body physically ached, her nipples tight, her inner thighs awash with yearning heat.

This desire for both of them wasn’t healthy, and she needed to calm her raging hormones and not let herself ruin the relationship she wanted with Arden. He may have said he was okay with his brother flirting with her, but she couldn’t imagine he’d be okay with the thoughts running rampant through her head.

She spoke carefully, trying to keep her voice light and flirty so they wouldn’t suspect her inner turmoil. “This is incredible. But you both should probably stop feeding me or I won’t be hungry when dinner is ready.”

“Don’t lose interest yet,” Arden said, refilling her wineglass as Leo retreated back to the stove. “If you like his concoctions so far, dessert’s going to be heaven.”

If she survived until dessert. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise her if she spontaneously combusted halfway through dinner.

Arden returned to the kitchen and the men gathered plates and silverware, moving as though they were choreographed. When Arden dropped a fork, Leo’s hand was right underneath it to capture the stray flatware as though it was second nature. They moved fluidly, almost in unison, Arden finding a spare hand to grab his wine as he followed Leo to the table.

The presentation of the fully loaded salad and hearty spaghetti marinara had Jill’s mouth watering. Or was that because of the company? She wasn’t sure, but their light dinner conversation kept her laughing and smiling, while each bite was a taste of heaven. The thought of dessert had her wondering how it could top such a dinner.

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Okay, maybe just hand her a can of whipped cream and let her coat the nearest male specimen. Either way, the dish would be delicious.

And she really should stop thinking like that. She was there for Arden. One man was enough for her, no matter how much she was enjoying the attentions of two.

“So, Jill, I already know you’ve got one motorcycling brother. Any other brothers or sisters?” Arden asked before taking another sip of wine.

“There are eight of us, actually. I’ve got four brothers and three sisters.”

“Must be nice. All I’ve got is Tweedledum over here.” Leo gestured at Arden with his fork before taking the last bite of his salad.

Arden tossed him a sideways glance as he wrangled up another forkful of spaghetti.

The way these two acted around each other was a fond reminder of home. Jill grinned at the brotherly…umm…affection. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my family, but there’s a reason I moved across the country. When you’re a part of a group like that, you never get to do anything on your own.” She paused, struggling to put her feelings into words. “Sometimes that’s a blessing. But I needed to prove to myself that I could succeed with no outside, well-meaning family help. That’s why I moved here after college and opened
Jill’s Bloomers
.”

Arden nodded as he cleaned the last bite of spaghetti off his plate. “Well, I for one am glad you got here.”

“And I’m sure I don’t really need to second that, do I?” Leo charmed her with a grin while reaching for the nearly empty bottle of wine.

Jill caught a glimpse of the bottom edges of a tattoo peeking from beneath one shirtsleeve. He retracted his arm, hiding the four catlike legs. “You have a tattoo? What is it?”

After setting the bottle back down, Leo lifted his sleeve to reveal a lion proudly ready to pounce.

“Leo, the lion.” Arden smirked, then lifted his sleeve to reveal an eagle in much the same vein, soaring while searching for its prey.

“And Arden, the eagle,” Leo finished.

“Wow, they’re beautiful. So lifelike.” She leaned forward, tracing her finger over the lion on Leo’s arm. “Did Arden tell you I saw a lion…well, thought I saw a lion last night?”

“Maybe you were just thinking of me while you were with my brother.” Leo wiggled two perfectly arched golden eyebrows.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Leo.” Jill laughed. “Besides, I didn’t know you had a lion tattoo until just now.”

Leo’s gaze remained intent on hers. “Maybe you just recognized—”

“So Jill,” Arden interrupted. “Do you have any tattoos?”

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Ashleigh Raine

“Um, that would be a big no. Needle phobia.” She rolled her eyes. “But yours are so beautiful it makes me wish I wasn’t a scaredy-cat.” She traced her fingers along the eagle’s wings, spread wide in flight. “Let me guess, you designed them yourself, right?”

“Actually, we both did,” Leo answered. “We co-own Griffin Designs.”

“Wait a second. A lion and an eagle. The two animals together make up the mythological creature gryphon. So am I right? Is that how you two got your first names? Your parents had too much fun when they named you.” Jill sat back in her seat, proud of her deductive skills.

Arden and Leo were quiet for longer than Jill expected, yet she had a feeling they were somehow communicating. She could feel tension rising between them. But why?

What had she done? “What? Am I wrong? Did I screw up my mythology?”

“No. You’re right.” Arden grinned, but it looked forced. “You just surprised us. No one’s made the connection before.”

“At least not until we told them,” Leo leaned over the table, taking Jill’s hand. “But you’re more understanding, more open-minded than everyone else.”

More understanding? Confused, Jill looked to Arden for some type of clarification.

Arden shot his brother an irate glare before taking Jill’s other hand and helping her to her feet. “Let’s go into the living room while Leo perfects dessert.”

Leo stood up, his body tight and angry. He grabbed the spaghetti platter, and strode into the kitchen. But Jill couldn’t let him clear the table all by himself, didn’t want the night to go downhill because of a dispute between the brothers she’d somehow unknowingly caused. “Where I come from, we all help.” She began stacking up the salad bowls.

“But you’re our guest, Jill,” Arden argued half-heartedly, but he followed her lead, stacking up the plates. They both filed into the kitchen, depositing tableware in the sink and dishwasher.

“Jill? What are you doing?” Leo took the last few bowls out of her hands. “Arden, don’t let her—”

“She insisted and I just can’t look her in the eye and say no.” Arden threw out the used napkins.

“I don’t blame you,” Leo agreed. “I just didn’t want the guest to see the dessert before it’s perfect.”

“Look, you two. If I’m the guest, I can do whatever I want, right?” She smiled at both of the unsuspecting brothers. They appeared startled, or unsure of themselves. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. But at least the tension between them seemed to have dissipated. “You look like you’ve never seen a person help before.”

Arden regained himself first. “That’s probably because we haven’t.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers. “Thank you.” His smile warmed her from the inside out, making her heart soar.

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A cork popped from a wine bottle and she turned to see Leo pouring pink liquid into three glasses. “Okay, if our dear guest still wants to be helpful, she can take one glass and bring it into the living room. But if she grabs a second, Arden and I might have to tackle her.” Leo winked as he handed the glass to Jill.

“Oh, all right. It’s killin’ me, though.” She playfully reached for a second glass, only to have Arden snatch it out of her grasp.

He laughed and looked toward Leo. “Then again, maybe I should’ve let her take it, huh?”

Jill swatted at Arden as she headed into the living room. “So, what’s this amazing dessert you two have planned?”

“An old favorite of mine. You’ll see.” Arden waited for Jill to sit down on the couch before sitting next to her, his thigh pressed against hers. He took her hand. “Are you having fun tonight? We aren’t scaring you away, right?”

“I’m having the time of my life.”

“Good,” he said as he leaned in closer. “Because I’m hoping to convince you to make this a nightly event.”

“Mmm…yes, please,” she breathed against his lips. In seconds the kiss had deepened, Arden’s body coming to rest over hers. Jill welcomed the urgency, wrapping her fingers in his hair, grinding her lips, her body, all of her against him.