CHAPTER 37
Billie
I stared out at my front yard and frowned. Eve sat next to me on the porch and sighed. When I glanced over, I saw she was staring at Gray, Owen, and Keaton with her own frown etched deep into her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She looked over at me, saw I wasn’t just going to accept that answer, and groaned. “It’s dumb.”
“Yeah, I’m having plenty of those kinds of thoughts and emotions myself. Tell me yours so I can forget mine.” Glancing back out at where the guys were building a custom bed frame that would be ‘big enough for all of us’, I couldn’t stop the dumb thoughts and feelings that were taking over my brain.
“Tomorrow is the last day of the battle. I’ve competed a couple of times but…I know this is going to sound nuts but I asked Margaret to pair me against my neighbors.” Eve let out a self-deprecating laugh and shook her head. “These battles keep creating these great love matches and I thought that maybe it would work for me. I really like them, Billie.”
I cleared my throat and looked away from the guys at the word love. “Did they say no to competing?”
“I don’t know…” She blushed a deep red and blew out a raspberry. “I didn’t ask them.”
“What?” I turned to her completely. “Did you talk to them about it at all?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. If they don’t feel the same way, I would die of embarrassment.”
“Eve! Go talk to them!” I rolled my eyes at her. “If these guys are any kind of intelligent, they’re probably crazy about you.”
“I can’t.” She waved her hand and nodded at the guys. “They seem to have changed pace.”
It was my turn to blush. “I don’t know.”
“Bumble B, can you call Turtle?” Keaton laughed as he pushed the dog away from the board he was trying to pick up. “Go to your mom, Turtle. Go.”
Owen stood up and wiped sweat from his face. “I’ll get him.”
My ovaries quaked at the sight of all his maleness coming at me with a puppy in his arms. I swallowed the extra saliva pooling in my mouth and stared up at him. He made an imposing figure with his t-shirt sticking to his chest with sweat.
Owen bent down to deposit Turtle in my lap and snuck a kiss. His smile when he pulled away was alarmingly handsome. He straightened and then frowned when he looked at Eve. “Is everything okay?”
Eve groaned. “I’m going home. I can’t commit to my misery when there’s so much sexual tension swarming here.”
Owen laughed and held up his hands. “You stay. I’m going back to work.”
“Yeah, stay, Eve.” I could see that her mind was made up, though, so I put Turtle down and stood up to hug her. “Talk to them.”
She grunted and made a negative sound before leaving. I watched her go and told myself she’d be okay. Unless the men she liked were complete morons, they’d come for her.
“Dammit, Turtle.”
I turned around and saw that Turtle was back to bothering Keaton. I walked over to where they were working and patted my thigh to get Turtle away from them. I silently watched them, not really sure what to say. They’d stayed the night and woke up with the idea of building a bigger bed. I was still unsure if their true intentions were so long-lasting that a bigger bed was necessary.
Gray stood up and walked over to me. The look on his face was determined and before I could do anything about it, he’d lifted me off my feet and had his hands under my ass, holding me to him.
“Gray!” I gripped his shoulders to keep from falling even as I looked around to make sure no one could see us. “Put me down.”
He growled against my throat. “No.”
My legs naturally wrapped around his waist, but it was just to keep from falling… “Someone’s going to see.”
His eyes darkened and I got the sense I’d just issued him a dare. “And? If I want to spread you out right here and now, I can. You want to know why? Because you’re ours.”
“And what happens when you’re done and decide to move on to the next woman?” I couldn’t look at him as I said it because the idea hurt. I still hadn’t thought about whether I wanted to leave or not. I doubted the longevity of their feelings and didn’t want to lock myself into a heartache.
“You don’t get it.” He let me slide down his body until my feet were back on the ground. “We’re never going to be done.”
I gasped as he slapped my ass before turning back to their project. I stood there for a few more seconds, shocked and unsure.
“Come here, B.” Keaton motioned me closer and then pulled me down on a sheet of plywood. “Sit here and motivate me.”
Turtle curled into my lap immediately and yawned. It triggered a yawn of my own. Stretching out on the wood, I shielded my eyes against the bright sun and dozed to the sound of the three of them working in perfect sync with each other.
“What did you do to her? She looks like a bear mauled her neck, y’all. You didn’t even have the decency to leave marks all over her where no one would see? Seriously, if she had big brothers like me, y’all would be getting your asses kicked.”
I blinked awake at the soft southern accent I didn’t recognize. Standing over me, staring down at my face, was the same stunning woman I’d seen on the balcony with the guys. She was even prettier up close but opening my eyes to find her hovering over me was startling.
“Sorry! Sorry, I scared you, didn’t I? You were just so cute taking a nap like that and these jerks haven’t let me near you so I was stealing my chance to see you up close. You’re so pretty.” Settling next to me on the board, she tucked her legs under her and leaned closer. “I want to know everything about you. You did what a lot of other women couldn’t. You tamed the wildest of the Hellstone brothers.”
“Jesus, Vera. Leave her alone.” Gray sounded more exasperated than I’d ever heard him.
“I’m not bothering her. Am I bothering you? I’m not bothering you, right?” Vera stuck out her tongue at her brother and lowered her voice. “They’re so terrified I’m going to say something that makes you hate them. I’ve never seen these three so lovesick. You must have all the sex secrets. Tell me. I need to know, oh, Wise One.”
“Vera!” Owen pulled his sister up and gently pushed her toward the main house. “I’m not listening to you talk about sex. You’re practically still a kid!”
I sat up and wiped my eyes. “You’d be sorely let down, anyway. I was a virgin until not too long ago.”
“No way! My brothers really corrupted you, huh?” She swatted at Owen’s hands and looked around him to see me. “Do you want to have dinner?”
“She’s having dinner with us.” Gray pulled me to my feet and took his time dusting off my ass.
“I am?”
“You are.” He lightly pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped my head up to face him. “We’ve got some things to talk about.”
My stomach clenched. “Done with me that fast?”