Chapter 3

three

T he next morning, Serenity was on her second cup of coffee and steaming through work by eight. Like most mornings, she was up with the sun, but she was a little tired. The visions of her neighbors kept coming to her in dreams. And worse, she could probably pass them on the street and never know it was them. She hadn’t even tried to look at their faces yesterday. That was how much of a perv she was. She could have, if she’d tried, but she hadn’t. Her mother was right, she was probably going to hell.

The morning breeze brought the sound of male voices through her window. At first it was just the rumble of masculine voices, but the closer they got, she picked up on the conversation.

“I say it's kind of like being a stalker,” a man said.

“I say it isn't because we haven't met her. Besides, it's nice to thank someone for food, especially if you want any more of that bread ever again.”

“Good point. Definitely want more of that delicious bread.”

“Even if she had a hairy mole on her chin.”

What the hell did that mean?

A few seconds later, someone knocked on her door. With reluctance, she walked to the door. Normally, it was just dealing with people when she wanted to work. Today, it was something different. She had watched them have sex and now she would have to pretend all was normal. They didn't know what she had seen but she would know. She had never been that good of an actress.

When she approached the door, she felt her body get hot again. She could just imagine the sounds they made during sex. And why was she thinking about that right now? She should be imagining snow. And icebergs.

She drew in a deep breath and then released it slowly before she opened the door.

All thoughts of the coming ice age dissolved at the sight of all the male beauty in front of her.

One had dark blond hair and possessed the most amazing blue eyes. He was wearing a faded t-shirt that seemed to be a size too small. Good god he had muscles. But then, so did the other one. He was just a little taller, had brown hair and the most incredible green eyes. Both were tanned, and smiling.

She almost melted into a big puddle right there at their feet.

“Hey,” the brown haired one said. “We're your neighbors that just moved in.”

Oh, no. His smiled widened and it made him adorable.

“You're my only neighbors,” she said with a chuckle. And because she knew she was being rude, she opened the screen door and stepped out.

His smile transformed into a grin. Oh damn. “My name is Mick and this is Adam.”

She smiled. “My name is Serenity, but I'm sure Jillian told you.”

“No, she didn't. Her brain is kind of mushy,” Mick said.

“She did mention that.”

“We just wanted to thank you for the bread,” Adam said. “It really hit the spot.”

“You ate it all already?”

“We had the coffeemaker unpacked but not much else. We had it for breakfast,” Mick said.

“And you want some more? I mean, that is what you said.”

She glanced at Adam whose mouth twitched. He leaned closer to Mick. “You have a big mouth.”

“I also don't think of it as stalking.”

There was a moment of silence, then they both started laughing.

“Damn, maybe Jillian was right. We are loud,” Mick said.

“And, I do have an extra loaf if you want it.”

“Yes,” they both said at the same time. God, they were so cute.

“Let me get it for you.”

She stepped into her house and rushed over to the freestanding kitchen island, grabbed the loaf and then returned to the guys. They hadn't moved an inch.

“We will take this on one condition,” Mick said.

“And that would be?”

“Come to dinner with us tonight.”

She blinked, trying to discern his tone. It was almost like he had asked her out for a date with the two of them.

“Good God, Mick. You sound like a creeper,” Adam said, shaking his head. “What he means is that we are going out to eat with Jillian and her husband Conner tonight. We would love to have you join us.”

“Oh. Hmm.”

Adam bumped Mick’s shoulder with his own. “See, you scared her off.”

“I did not. What an idiotic thing to say.”

“You two do know I am standing here, right?”

They turned to face her.

“Sorry,” Mick said.

She waved it away. “First, I hesitated because I needed to think about my schedule. But I do believe I am free tonight.”

“Great.”

“What time?”

“What?” Mick said.

Adam rolled his eyes. “Seven tonight at Haleiwa Beach House. We’d offer a ride, but we have to run some errands beforehand.”

“No worries. I’ve been wanting to try that place since they opened.”

“Good,” Mick said.

“Great,” Adam said.

Then they stood there staring at her. She had to fight the urge to laugh.

“Did you need anything else?”

They both had the most adorable blushes.

“No. We’ll see you tonight,” Adam said, as he hit Mick. It took him another couple of seconds to respond. He dipped his head.

“Thanks again for the bread.”

They turned and walked back to their house. She watched them, realizing that she’d actually made it through the conversation without telling them she had seen them naked. And — having hot sex. Really, really hot sex.

She rolled her eyes and went back into her house. Work would keep her busy and get her mind off her neighbors. She would have to deal with it at dinner tonight though, but she had time to mentally prepare herself not to be a perv. Maybe.

“So, you both went over to her house and asked her out?” Jillian said, the laughter easy to hear in her voice.

Adam nodded. “Mick just had to go over there this morning.”

Mick glanced at his lover, then back to Jillian. “You are supposed to thank people who give you food, right? And you wanted to go over there as much as I did.”

He ignored the comment. It was true that he had wanted to go over there, but he hadn’t expected to make a fool of himself. Mick had also, but he didn’t give a damn.

“Either way, she was up and we invited her here tonight. You don't mind, do you?”

She shook her head, her braids spilling over her shoulders. She was the picture of maternal beauty, wearing a yellow sundress and a head scarf to match. “No. In fact, I'm glad to have another woman at the table to even the playing field.”

“There’s three of us,” Mick pointed out.

She snorted. “It takes at least one and one-half of a man's brain to outsmart a woman.”

Adam looked at Conner. “Do you let her talk to you like this all the time?”

“No comment.”

Jillian laughed and opened her mouth to say something, but something caught her attention just over Adam's shoulder. He turned to see what snagged her attention, and promptly lost all his rational thought.

Serenity was walking through the restaurant. Jillian had been right, she called her small in stature, but her presence did not go unnoticed. She strode through the tables, a smile on her face.

The dress she wore was a simple with Hawaiian white print against a red background. It didn’t even hug her curves and barely showed a hint of cleavage, but it was the sexiest thing he’d seen lately.

By the time she made it to the table, he was already standing and pulling out the chair between Mick and him. That's when he noticed that Mick was standing also.

“Hey,” she said, a bit breathless. “Sorry I'm late.”

They said nothing for a long moment.

“No worries,” Jillian said, her voice filled with amusement. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

“Thanks.” When she sat down, both he and Mick sat down.

“This is my husband Conner. Conner, this is Serenity Jones.”

She smiled and Adam wasn't too sure that he didn't sigh out loud. She had the best damned smile.

“It's nice to meet you.”

The waitress appeared and took her drink order.

“How is the unpacking going?” she asked.

“We have the kitchen done,” Adam said.

“Most important thing,” Serenity said.

“You cook a lot?” Jillian asked.

“Not really. Living alone makes it annoying, but having the kitchen up and running is more about food. I love food.”

Jillian rubbed her tummy. “I have to agree with you.”

“Have we met before?” Conner asked

She shook her head. “I don't think so. What do you do for a living?”

“Former FBI. Now I deal with security.”

She chuckled. “Then not that way. At least I don't think I've ever been under investigation.”

Conner smiled. “You just look very familiar.”

“Hmm,” was her only response before the waitress stepped up to take their food orders.

“I take it you’re not a local,” Mick said.

She shook her head. “Although, I’ve lived here the longest of my adult life. I’ve been here five years.”

“How long have you been a photographer?” Jillian asked.

“You’re a photographer?” Mick asked.

“I started when I was sixteen. I was just lucky enough that I can make a living off it. The rise of online royalty free sites allows me to live where I want, and there is always a demand for Hawaiian scenery.”

“You can work from home then?”

She nodded. “I know what Conner and Jillian do, but what do you two do?”

She turned her head and made eye contact with Adam. He had the answer on the tip of his tongue, but his ability to speak died the moment her whiskey-colored eyes connected with his. She turned and smiled at him. Her eyes lit up and she had two of the most adorable dimples. Oh, damn, he was fucked.

“Um.”

“Yes?” she asked smiling.

“We work security,” Mick said, saving him.

She turned away and Adam could finally let loose of the breath that had been caught in his throat. He didn’t dare glance over in Jillian’s direction. She’d detect his feelings and then she would meddle. Jillian rarely meddled but when she was pregnant, she didn’t seem to be able to help herself.

He pushed those thoughts aside as a few strands of her honey blonde hair had escaped the bun she had on the top of her head. He had to fight the urge to reach over and touch.

“Security?”

“We handle a few things here and there, work on contract.”

“If I could get them signed on as permanent employees, I would be thrilled,” Conner said.

“You’d expect us to come into work every day. You know how that would never work for us,” Mick said.

“If you wanted to, you could find a way.”

“Then we would get in a fight, quit, and then Jillian would have to leave you. Do you want that?” Mick asked.

Conner just smiled and shook his head. “You know that’s bullshit.”

Mick waved that comment away as the waitress returned with the appetizers they ordered earlier.

“I hope you don’t mind, but mama needed to eat, so I got us some apps,” Jillian said.

“No worries. As I said, food is very important to me,” she said, taking a plate and filling it with tuna tartar. “I have a very serious relationship with it.”

“And that comes from?” Adam asked.

She smiled as she placed her napkin on her lap. “I had to keep what photographers claimed was “fit” when I was a teen. Imagine being a teen and being told you couldn’t have pizza. It was horrible.”

From her aggrieved tone, he knew she was joking, but there was a hint of something else beneath it. She joked, but there was also pain of some sort.

“Photographers?” Mick asked. “Were you a fashion model?”

She laughed out loud at that. So loud, in fact, it drew attention from some nearby diners.

“Uh, no. Too short for that. But I did some hair shots, things like that.”

“Hair shots?”

“Yeah, they use body parts of other people for ads. Like, I had a friend who was just a hand model. Her hands were in all kinds of ads.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that, but I wasn’t sure if it was true.”

She nodded as she popped some tuna into her mouth. “My eyes were used too, so maybe that’s it,” she said to Conner. “I was in a lot of ads there for a while, but my entire face wasn’t.”

“Could be,” he said, but Adam knew from his tone Conner didn’t think it was that.

Adam didn’t think it was, but he knew just from the short discussion this morning and now, that Serenity prized her privacy. Adam could understand. She had apparently made a living as a kid being shoved in front of the camera. Someone like that would either love it or hate it. She had apparently hated it. So, for now, he would happily give her the privacy she wanted and wouldn’t question her.

Adam leaned back in his chair and watched as she and Jillian discussed something about the new rail system. Serenity was animated in the discussion, and he couldn’t help but smile at a few of her sarcastic comments.

Mick caught his eye. There was no doubt he was thinking the same thing. The woman was a delight. Sexy, funny, and smart. Three things that they always liked in their women. Mick would start pushing soon, but Adam wanted to take his time.

Presents were always more interesting when you unwrapped them slowly.