Alexander, Kalissa - Katlynn in Training (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (4 page)

She gave herself a final check in the full-length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door. She supposed she would do. The dress wasn’t really short, but with her long legs, dresses always appeared to be shorter than she intended. The dress wasn’t quite as form fitting as it had been ten pounds earlier, but nevertheless, the stretchy material still hugged her curves. Justin had been right. She needed to fatten up a little. One place she didn’t seem to lose weight was in her bust. She was still a 38 C cup. At least they were firm and not saggy. The few men she had been with had been pleasantly surprised by their size. The clothing she wore had been chosen to deliberately downplay them. She had only slept with two men, and one of them had loved her breasts so much he had come between them on more than one occasion.

She turned away from the mirror, blushing from the memory. She wished she could have felt about him the way he had about her. Life would have been easier and a whole lot less lonely, but she couldn’t commit to a man unless she was totally and completely in love with him, and so far, she had never experienced that particular emotion.

It was time to go. But first, she rummaged around through some of the boxes stacked in the kitchen until she found an unopened bottle of wine she had received as a gift from David, her last boyfriend. She didn’t want to go to dinner empty-handed. Although she knew Justin didn’t expect her to bring anything under the circumstances, she didn’t want to appear ungrateful. It was important that she make a good first impression.

She walked the short distance between their condos and knocked on Justin’s door. Within seconds it opened and he stood before her dressed in a pair of dark-blue dress pants and a light-blue shirt that matched his eyes. He smiled widely as those beautiful eyes of his casually looked her up and down. She should have been offended, but she wasn’t. Instead, she felt her heart do a flip-flop that matched her stomach. She also felt her nipples tighten. If she were to make it through dinner without embarrassing herself, she was going to need to get a grip on her libido, something she had never had trouble doing before.

“Kat, you’re right on time and bearing gifts.” He took the wine she handed him and ushered her though the door. Holding up the bottle, he read the label. “Riesling, a German dessert wine. How nice. Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it. Thank you for having me.” Looking away, she felt the shyness that had plagued her most of her life descend, making her tremble slightly. She wished she weren’t so awkward in unfamiliar situations, especially where men were concerned. She supposed it was lack of experience, but more so, it was just her. She wasn’t a social butterfly, and she supposed at this point in her life, she never would be.

As if sensing her discomfort, Justin grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Continuing to hold her hand, he gently pulled her with him to the kitchen where he placed the bottle of wine in a small wine rack on the counter. Drawing her closer, he leaned into her. “I’m just getting ready to take out dinner. I hope you like pot roast.”

“I love it.” She felt suddenly breathless. Pot roast had never sounded so seductive.

“Thank God.” His voice turned playful. “I thought about running over and asking you, but time got away from me.” However, he leaned in even closer, his lips brushing her ear. “My backup plan was takeout from Jeremiah’s favorite pizzeria.”

“I like pizza, but the pot roast sounds delicious.”

Justin pulled back and smiled, looking down into her eyes. He was about to say something when he looked past her. Kat turned to meet the eyes of the man who she knew must be Jeremiah.

He was about an inch or so taller than Justin. His short, brown hair still damp from his shower was combed back from his face that was a bit more angular than Justin’s. His black pants and white shirt fit him snugly. The top buttons of his shirt were undone enough for her to see his dark curly chest hairs. He had an excellent physique that he obviously didn’t mind showing off. Justin had a more rugged, casual look, where Jeremiah reminded her of a Grecian god. He was gorgeous and that made her more nervous than ever. However, the brothers shared the same smile and beautiful, light-blue eyes.

“Kat, this is Jeremiah.”

He closed the distance between them. “Kat, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Justin hasn’t stopped talking about you since I walked in the door from work. Now I know why.” He smiled, lifting her hand to his lips.

Katlynn was speechless. She just stared at him wishing she could think of something smart or witty to say other than the simple
hi
that came out in a whisper.

“Jeez, Jeremiah, stop with the European manners, we’re not in Paris.” Justin laughed, walking to stand beside his brother.

“No we’re not,” Jeremiah said, releasing Kat’s hand. “But we are in the presence of a beautiful woman who deserves to be treated to our best manners.”

“In case you don’t know it, Jeremiah’s the smooth talker in the family, so take everything he says with a grain of salt.”

“Hopefully we won’t need that salt for your roast,” Jeremiah said meaningfully to his brother, still holding her hand.

“And when have you ever needed to salt my roast?”

Jeremiah ignored him, his hand still holding hers. “It really is a pleasure to meet you. You have the most beautiful eyes. Those lashes of yours remind me of a paint brush dipped in milk chocolate.”

Blushing, she looked down. Her lashes had always been a topic of conversation even as a child. Neither parent knew where they had come from. Finally finding her voice, she looked up and said, “It’s nice to meet you, Jeremiah. Your brother has taken pity on your new neighbor. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind? I’m delighted. My brother and I have a lot in common when it comes to our taste in”—he hesitated for a moment—“friends.” He continued to stare at her, his eyes locking with hers. “Believe me when I tell you that inviting you for dinner has nothing to do with pity.” When he finally released her hand, she rubbed it against her leg, hoping to release the tension that made her fingers tingle.

Dinner was delicious. Everything, including the roast, was prepared to perfection. Between mouthfuls she learned that Jeremiah practiced law and Justin was an accountant with his CPA license. Jeremiah worked out of a law firm in Media and Justin for a firm in Philadelphia. However, Justin was able use his home as his base for the most part since so much of what he was required to review as an auditor was provided through company websites and e-mail. Their older brother, Jarred, had his degree in engineering, but had decided to start up a couple of Internet companies.

“Jarred has always been the more adventurous one of the three of us. He saw a niche in the market and went for it. He’s been extremely successful.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t enticed you two to work for him. A lawyer and an accountant in the family sounds like a corporation in the making.

“We’ve talked about it,” Jeremiah said, looking pointedly at Justin, “but Justin’s a bit of a worrier and thinks putting all our eggs in one basket could spell disaster financially.”

“It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good idea, I just think the country is in a bit of a mess right now, and having separate incomes that aren’t all tied up in the same business or businesses is more sound. At least for right now.”

“Always the voice of reason.” Jeremiah’s statement was a respectful one. Katlynn could see the mutual respect in their eyes as they smiled at one another. It made her wish more than ever that she had a sibling, someone she knew would always be there for her, no matter what the circumstances.

“Enough about us,” Justin said, his eyes returning to rest on her. “Tell us about you.”

“As I told you this afternoon, I write and edit copy for brochures and training manuals for an insurance company in Center City. But, like you, Justin, I work from home most of the time.”

“Working from home does have its advantages. However, it can get lonely, too. You and I will have to hang out during the day…that is when you’re not working those pretty fingers of yours to the bone.” He smiled.

“I’d like that. It’s good to get up and away from the computer. Sometimes atrophy sets in when I don’t move anything but my fingers for hours.”

“I know what you mean.” Justin nodded. “It can happen. I actually set a timer to remind me to take a break.

“Unfortunately,” Jeremiah said sadly, “I don’t have the luxury of working from home. Just be careful Justin doesn’t encourage you to play hooky too much. You’ll be working all night to make up the time, and that just won’t do since I plan on getting to know you better.”

“I seriously doubt that will happen. It will probably be the other way around. You two may get tired of seeing me very quickly and be grateful when I’m not manipulating your time.” She laughed. “I don’t want to turn into one of those pesky neighbors that you find more annoying than enjoyable.”

“I’ve never been one to tire of the company of a woman who is not only beautiful but intelligent. However,” Jeremiah said more softly, once again looking deeply into her eyes that held her to him as if he had reached out and touched her, “I promise to suffer through it somehow.”

“See, see what I told you,” Justin interjected. “The man could turn water into wine, I swear.”

Katlynn laughed, tickled that they both seemed to like her. “I’m finding you both to be irresistibly sweet. I was in a bit of a funk before Justin knocked on my door today, and dinner with you two has really lifted my spirits. But I promise not to let your kind attention go to my head and overstay my welcome.”

“I hope you’re not planning to leave us anytime soon.” Jeremiah’s voice lowered, sending little shivers throughout her entire body. “I’m finding you irresistible, too.”

Justin could be a flirt, but Jeremiah took it to another level of expertise. She knew they were being overly attentive in their attempt to make her feel welcome, and there was no doubt that they were succeeding on every count. Both he and Justin were natural charmers who shared a smile that she was sure had melted many hearts. However, she couldn’t imagine that either of them would be interested in being more than just friends with a plain Jane like herself. They were quite different from the men she had dated or had shown an interest in her before. She had no doubt that the women they spent their time with were the kind that turned heads wherever they went.

Luckily, she was living in the real world and wouldn’t set herself up for disappointment. She didn’t need or want a relationship with either one of them. She didn’t want to put what she hoped would be their friendship in jeopardy. All she wanted was for them to be good neighbors, and she, in turn, would be a good neighbor to them, too. She envied how being friendly came so easy to them. It was something she was going to have to work at if she wanted to continue to enjoy their company.

“You can’t leave us yet,” Justin jumped in. “There’s still dessert. I made a chocolate cake from scratch that I can’t wait for you to try.” He looked expectantly at Katlynn.

“Goodness, do you two eat like this every night?”

“Well, not every night.” Justin grinned.

“Some nights I’m forced to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and open a can of soup when he’s tied up at the computer.”

“Those nights are few and far between.” Justin glared at his brother. Turning to Katlynn, his eyes softened. “However, tonight is special because you’re here. Normally dinner is a bit simpler.”

“I’m honored that you would go to so much trouble for me. As I told you earlier”—she looked back into Justin’s beautiful light-blue eyes—“I’m not much of a cook, but even if I have to have it catered, I’ll have you over for dinner some night once I’m settled in.”

“And me.” Jeremiah feigned hurt feelings. “You’re not going to leave me to fend for myself, are you?”

“Of course you’re invited. I would like to think of you both as my friends.”

The brothers smiled in unison. She couldn’t believe how comfortable she was beginning to feel with them. They were so easy to talk to as well as being kind. There was something about them that made her feel like she had known them forever. Maybe they were the silver lining in a dark cloud that had been hanging over her head since the loss of her parents. Feeling absolutely giddy, she turned to Justin. “I can’t wait to taste your cake. I like a variety of sweet things, but anything chocolate is always a favorite of mine.”