a good judge of the hotness levels of my brothers.”
“Rand is hot,” Trey said, walking in the kitchen and giving me a quick kiss. “Well, honestly, they all are, but Rand is more your type. Did you say that they were coming over?”
“Yeah, when they get off work, they’ll all be over here.”
“Jordan, too?”
“Yes, Jordan, too.”
“Good, I wanted to talk to him about something.” He smiled at me and then turned to Ash, concern replacing the smile. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Not too bad,” Ash lied. “Roman gave me some pain killers, and I’m just waiting for them to kick in. He’s making me breakfast, and I just found out there will be hot guys here later. What do I have to complain about?”
After breakfast, Ash took a long hot bath in my tub while Trey and I sat out on the back deck. “I bet it’s beautiful out here in the fall.”
“It is, it won’t be long before all the leaves change, and you can see for yourself. Last fall was my first one in this house, and it was gorgeous. The street out front is just stunning as well.”
“It’s easily my favorite season.”
“Mine, too. I love that it’s chilly enough in the evenings to light a fire, but not cold enough for a coat in the daytime.”
“Do you still need to run to the store?” he asked.
“No, after hearing Ash’s story, I don’t want to leave you guys alone here. My mom’s going to do a grocery run for us.”
“Awesome, I love your mom,” he said.
“She was pretty crazy about you, too.”
“Yeah?” he asked, sounding pleased.
That evening my family descended on the house, but thankfully, since all three houses were connected, it wasn’t too overwhelming. My mom and Conrad brought enough groceries to feed an army for a week, and everyone stayed to eat. I cooked food on the grill, and we ate up on Rand’s rooftop patio. The guys caught me up on work, while Jordan, Trey, and Ash hatched some master plan to take over the world.
I was listening to Ryan and Rand talk about possible expansion, while I watched Trey talk with the other two men. He was alive and animated, and so unlike the guy he was around his family. This Trey was passionate about what he was saying, and I could watch him all night.
“So,” Rand said. “I was thinking we should add a pool with a shark tank to up our training. You know, let the guys work on getting prepared in case of a shark invasion. What do you think, Roman?”
“Yeah, sure,” I mumbled. Then stopped as some of the words he’d said sank in. “Did you say sharks?”
He laughed, and Ryan gave me a knowing smirk. “You got it so bad.”
“I do not.”
“Dude, Ryan and I have been sitting here talking about how to build the business, something you always have an opinion on, and you’re just sitting there making heart eyes at your guy.”
“I am not making heart eyes,” I growled.
“You’re totally making heart eyes,” Ryan chipped in.
“Asshole,” I said, just as Trey looked up and winked at me.
“Man, you’re so fucked,” Rand said with a chuckle. I turned to glare at him, and he tossed his hands up to signal surrender. “Not in a bad way. In the best possible way. I like him, and I like the way he looks at you.”
“Yeah, and how is that?”
“The same way you look at him, like you can’t get enough of him.”
“You two just wait, your turn is coming.”
“Not me. I’m like a free-range mustang baby…beautiful to look at, fun to ride, but too wild to tame.”
I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. “I got no comment. But on that note, I’m going to go sit with the man I can’t get enough of.”
I walked across the patio to where they sat. Trey and Ash were sitting in a wicker love seat, but when Ash saw me coming their way, he hopped up and moved to an empty chair next to them. I shot him a grateful smile and sat down next to Trey. He didn’t even hesitate to settle in against me, and for someone who’d had to be so careful in public, I loved how comfortable he was with my family.
“So what are you guys up to over here?”
“Ash was just saying he thought he might try to find another place to live. The attack was a little close to home.”
“Plus, it’s so small.