Chapter 1 #2
My gaze flicks to said older brother — Anatole, she said — and my breath catches despite myself.
He's tall, broad through the shoulders in a way his t-shirt doesn't bother hiding, ink creeping up from his collar in dark lines I can't make out from here.
Colour is high on his cheeks, jaw sharp and clenched, and there's something raw underneath the tension — like he's bracing for a fight he already thinks he's lost. His eyes, when they finally meet mine, are a blue so pale it's startling, guarded and assessing in a way that makes me feel unexpectedly seen.
My heart aches for him — that specific shame of standing in a room, failing someone who's watching. I know that flush better than I'd like to admit. It must be impossibly hard not to be able to look after your own family, probably because of no fault of his own if he’s here, because Marie wouldn’t allow just anyone into my home, so I know he is a decent guy.
“He and his friends insisted they come along to see where Justin will be living.”
Friends?
I twist my head when movement near the mantelpiece draws my attention, and good god, there’s another one.
He seems shorter than Anatole, but not by much, and still taller than me by several inches.
His features are sharp, cutting almost, like his pale green eyes which slice into me, stealing my breath.
His skin is a light brown, bronze with a rose undertone — like something handmade, not manufactured, rich and sun-warmed and completely at odds with his honed features.
Silver jewellery adorns his neck, wrist and fingers, and I wonder if it is warm against his skin.
His hair on top is braided into the most extraordinary twisted cornrows, shaved on the sides and back close to his scalp.
I must get him to show me how to do that for Noah.
He’s wearing a hooded black tank top which showcases the most delicate black tattoo sleeve.
Peony flowers, rays of light, a snarling wolf sit among the designs, and usually they would be thick traditional tattoo lines, but these are exquisite and almost a little feminine.
“Nox is the name. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Blossom,” he practically sneers, and I flinch at the lashing from his full, plush lips. His brows dip, but I look at the third stranger before he can say anything else that might cut me to ribbons.
He’s by the window, and my goodness, the man is tall.
Like, giant tall. I have to tilt my head even from here.
And he’s huge, his t-shirt straining to hold all the mouth-watering muscles in.
Muscles that are covered in scars, from what I can see of his arms, anyway.
His skin is a rich mahogany, a shade that changes as clouds pass the sun outside and the light shifts — once brown, now nearly black.
His hair is dark, tight curls, but cut in a short military style, and his eyes are also dark, though I can’t see them clearly with the light shining behind him.
He steps to the side, the light no longer blinding me, and my breath catches.
Like the other two, he’s jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but there’s a haggard scar that bisects his face, lending him a dangerous air and a rugged beauty.
He gives me a sharp dip of his head. “Steele.”
His voice shivers across my skin, reaching deep and caressing me inside. Good lord, I’m not sure I could cope if he’d said much more.
“Blossom, it’s lovely to meet you.” I turn to look at Nox, then at Anatole. “All of you.”
My gaze drops to the young boy clinging onto Anatole, and my chest tightens. “You must be Justin?”
“Yeah, and I don’t want to stay in your rich bitch house!” he snarls, and I take in a sharp breath.
“Justin!” Marie admonishes, but I hold up my hand .
“It’s okay, I get it. I’d want to stay with my brother too,” I tell him softly, and his tense face loosens ever so slightly.
I glance up at Anatole, an idea landing in my mind as if a lightbulb had just turned on.
“The pool house has a separate entrance, a full kitchen, and three bedrooms. You all could stay there if you like? Be close to Justin.” His dark brows raise to his hairline, and I watch as his throat bobs.
“He could even stay with you sometimes, if it helps him settle.”
His plush lips part, then close as his nostrils flare with a deep inhale.
“Why would you offer that?” he questions suspiciously, his voice not as deep as Steele’s, but still a shiver runs up my spine.
“Families shouldn’t be separated,” I tell him simply, glancing at Marie. “Would that work at your end?”
Her lips pull up in a smile, her shoulders lowering. “That would work perfectly, if you’re sure?”
“Of course. None of the others are old enough to be in there yet.” I turn back to Anatole. “It’s where we’ve previously let the ones almost old enough to age out stay, so they can learn some independent living skills.”
His gaze bores into me, making me shift as if I’m under a microscope.
“What, can’t wait to be rid of them?” Nox sneers, once again causing me to flinch. There’s something pointed in his green eyes, defensive but also wary and somewhat resigned. Like he’s waiting for me to prove some assumption he has correct.
Anatole’s lips dip into a frown, his eyes narrowing as he looks at his friend.
“Not at all,” I tell Nox, giving him my attention even though being the sole focus of his is borderline terrifying.
“But it can be a tremendous change going from living with a family to living alone, and this helps them with that somewhat. Plus, it gives them some space from the younger kids who sometimes don’t understand the need for privacy. ”
My cheeks heat up , my mind going to places that really aren’t appropriate given the current situation. I guess it’s been a while since I last went on a date or had any kind of intimacy. That must be it. I’m just a bit horny and these guys are so damn handsome it’s messing with me.
“We’ll take it,” Anatole interrupts my naughty thoughts about him. “But only until we get on our feet and can have Jus with us full-time.” His jaw works. “Thank you.”
“Of course, no problem at all.” At that moment, Tina bustles in behind me with a tray full to bursting. “Tina, you really ought to have called for help.”
I reach out to take it from her, but a huge hand comes up next to mine, and looking up, I meet dark brown eyes.
The scent of pine, motor oil, and something wild washes over me, and I take a deep inhale.
We stare into each other’s eyes for a moment, and there’s something in the depths of his that makes a sense of safety wash over me.
“I’ve got it,” Steele murmurs, causing a shiver that I hope no one notices.
Tina’s lips twitch as she winks at me. Goddamnit. Woman has eyes like a hawk.
“Much obliged, dearie,” she tells him sweetly, and he takes the tray as if it’s not full of steaming mugs and more baked goods. “Just set it down on that table; there’s a good lad.”
My brows raise to my hairline as she then continues to order Steele around like he’s part of the family, and he hands out the hot drinks and snacks without fuss.
When he gets to me, handing me my favourite mug full of mint tea, our fingers brush and sparks fly up my arm from the touch.
I gasp, and he quickly pulls away, eyes lowered and shoulders hunching as if he’s worried I fear him.
I can’t exactly tell him it wasn’t fear I experienced when he touched me, but a bolt of lust that is so inappropriate given the fact he’s a stranger and his obvious connection to Justin, who will be under my care.
“Thank you, Steele,” I rush out, my voice far more breathy than it ought to be. My eyes connect with his once again, and I swallow hard. I see the flash of surprise, as if he wasn’t expecting gratitude. Like maybe he was waiting for a rebuke.
“You’re welcome, Blossom,” he rumbles back, and something in his posture shifts - like he didn't expect kindness. Like he's been bracing for rejection and got the opposite.
Good lord, that voice of his really is unfair. And the way he looked at me, like I'd surprised him just by being decent...
How on earth am I going to deal with having these three around when a simple touch and three words threatens to undo me completely?