The Brothers Rule - Carolyn Faulkner Page 0,31

of Monopoly, tested their skill at Trivial Pursuit, which Laurie won. "Yes, I have a mind full of useless crap," she told them. Then they binged Star Trek Discovery, which all of them had wanted to get to, but none of them had.

Laurie made popcorn in the middle of it, with butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese sprinkled on it, and they reacted as if she'd given them manna from Heaven.

She spent the time they were watching either on Adam or Ryan's lap, always asking them if it was okay before she settled herself down on their powerful thighs. But they didn't much like the idea that she felt she had to ask, so whenever she approached one of them after the first time, he just reached out and gathered her onto him before she could do that.

Adam left about the time Jace came home, and she saw him off, too. He kissed her very gently, reminding her that everything would be fine and not to worry, then he headed out to the lovely sounds of her telling him that she loved him and to please be careful.

She offered to cook, but the older two looked at her as if they were each going to take her over their knee if she asked that again.

"No way," Nick agreed with his brothers. "You're still recovering. Give yourself a couple days. Meanwhile, we'll take care of everything."

"Definitely!" Tanner nodded.

And they did. She wasn't even allowed to clean up, even though she recited the family rule back at them about "those who don't cook, clean up."

She got another double powered stern look from Jace and Ryan, while the younger two were in the kitchen, putting things away.

"You stay right where you are, young lady." Jace had his hands on his hips as he stared down at her.

And Adam came to stand right next to her in the same position. "Yes, unless you'd like to be sitting not so prettily."

Laurie frowned. "Hey! It isn't at all fair for the two of you to gang up on me like this!"

"What are they doing that they shouldn't?" Nick asked as he came back for another load of dirty dishes.

"They won't let me help clean up."

Nick stopped in the act of heading toward the kitchen with his arms full. "Well, that sounds like an unusually intelligent idea for the two of them to have thought of all on their own."

The two in question were growling threateningly at him, not that that stopped him.

"They won't even let me get up to help!" she complained.

Nick didn't sound at all sympathetic. "Good for them. There's no need for you to get up. So, stay put, like a good girl." Then he winked outrageously at her and left for the kitchen.

"What's all this, then?" Tanner asked as he began to wipe the table down. "Why are you two hovering over her like nervous Nellies?"

More growls that went unacknowledged.

Laurie sighed. "Nothing. So much for not wanting to be a burden while I'm here."

Tanner stopped and looked at her. "Please. You couldn't be a burden if you wanted to. You've got a passel of men—including me and Nick—who want to dance attendance on you. Enjoy it! Sop it up! How often is this going to happen in your life?"

She hated that he was right. "Not often."

He bopped the end of her nose. "Well, then. There's your answer. Relax." He leaned down and kissed her forehead then ruined it all by whispering as he stood back up, "And take my advice, cupcake. Do as you're told. It'll make things a lot easier."

She glared up at him but stayed put. Damn! They were all dominant, and she was living in their house! Son of a bitch!

Despite the veiled warnings she'd gotten from four out of five of them—that she knew Adam would have echoed, had he been there—they all coddled her terribly for the rest of the weekend, and she eventually did unwind enough to enjoy it in spots, around her sadness.

But, as soon as she began to feel a bit better—less like a refugee waif—and because she knew she could do so without too much of a problem, she decided that since she was going to be there for the foreseeable future, she should become the de facto cook. Their cupboards weren't very well stocked, though, at first, and she was horrified to realize that if it wasn't breakfast cereal or something that could be grilled or nuked, they really didn't eat