The Brothers Rule - Carolyn Faulkner Page 0,25

and one of them weren't going out to dinner, or a movie, or riding a roller coaster, or riding the range, or fishing, they were fucking and she was coming—almost more often than she could handle on both fronts. Almost. And she couldn't think of anything else but what they were doing at that moment.

Now, she was alone all the time—when she wasn't commiserating with Melita, who was far from sympathetic to her plight, as usual.

"You let them all go?" she'd said when Laurie had told her what she'd done.

Laurie frowned at her over Facetime.

"I did not. I just told them that I need some time, and I do!"

"Oh, you're such a man! What's the difference? You love all of them; set up a dartboard with their faces on it and have at it, for fuck's sake! Do you know how many women would love to be in your shoes—three gorgeous, hunky, employed, gentlemanly men who all want to fuck you into oblivion at night and who all, by some sort of miracle, seem to be into the same kinky things you are."

Melita was not a fan of either Laurie's love of being spanked or her submissive tendencies.

"And you have the gall to send them all away, when you could have picked one of them to be with forever? You are sick, woman. Sick." She shook her head.

"Well, I'm not just going to pick a name out of a hat. It's much too important for that, and I wouldn't treat any of them so shabbily. And I'm really having a hard time at work, too, so that was part of it."

"Still no bites?"

Laurie sighed. "Not a one."

"I'm sorry. They don't know what they're missing!"

"Aw, thank you!"

"I'd snap you up in a heartbeat if I could."

"I know you would, Lita, and I appreciate that."

"So what're you going to do all weekend? Same as the last few, huddle in your apartment in the same pajamas on Sunday that you were in Friday night, eating Haagen Daz and binge watching anything that's in your Netflix queue? And feeling sorry for yourself, of course?"

"Prolly," she sighed, unnaturally unwilling to berate her friend for teasing her.

"Well, if you decide you don't want to be a hermit any longer, I'm here. We could go out and see if there's anyone else out there who might be better for you than any of the Rule brothers."

Another, longer sigh. "We've been doing that since we were in high school, and there never has been."

"Yeah, but you never know what's out there."

"I don't want what's out there. I want what I have—had—until I drove them all away."

Melita had had enough. "Fine, then. Why don't you just move in with them all and see how it goes? Polyamory is all the rage now."

Now, that got a laugh out of Laurie. "Yeah, I don't think so."

"Why not? You love all of them. They love you. Where's the bad?"

"Where do I start? They're brothers."

"And? You're already fucking all of them. Who cares if you all live together while you do that—as long as they don't—you're not asking to get into bed with all of them at once…" she trailed off, "…are you?"

"No, I'm not!"

Melita was righteously angry at her friend's offended tone. "Don't get snippy with me! I don't keep track of your kinks! So, even better. Whatzizname—the oldest."

"Jace?"

"Yeah. He's got that big house almost all to himself. They all used to live together in it, right? So, I say again, where's the bad?"

"Will you stop saying that? It's all bad. It's a bad idea. Even if I could convince myself to, I can't see them going for that—any of them. They're too… just too male, I think. Territorial."

"Territorial or not. It's not like they don't all know you're sleeping with their brothers. To me, it's a short hop to you all living together in non-wedded, kinky-assed bliss."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'm going to go make myself some dinner."

"Oooh, are you actually cooking something?"

"Not really. I'm just going to nuke some leftover chicken casserole."

"The one with the stuffing and cheese?"

"No, the one with the potatoes and carrots—"

"Oh yum! Save some for me!"

"Puh-leeze. I've eaten almost all of it since yesterday."

"Damn. You got it bad, don't you?"

"Half a pan of toffee nut bars bad."

"You are going to outgrow them if you don't stop that."

"Yeah. I know."

"Something good will happen soon, I promise."

"Your lips to God's ears."

Unfortunately, Melita was wrong—very wrong.

The next Friday night, when she was asleep after having spent the