Chapter 4

LEXI

I covered my mouth with my hand and stared down at the man mountain who’d just crumpled before my very eyes. “Oh my God, Markus! What happened?”

Ollie was laughing like a loon, barely standing on his feet himself, so I whacked him in the chest with my fist, trying to make him stop. “Hey! He could be hurt.”

“Oh, he’s not hurt,” Ollie said, still chuckling. “Well, his pride might have taken a bit of a hit, but that’s about it.”

Markus was shaking himself and slowly getting to his feet.

I rushed forward. “Let me help you.”

He practically cartwheeled away from me. “No! I’m fine. I’m fine.”

He wasn’t, but it was obvious he didn’t want any help from me. It was as if he hated my touch. “Oh... yes... okay.”

Ollie threw his arm around my shoulders in a brotherly-type move. Only, the embrace felt far from brotherly. I swallowed at the sudden flutter in my belly, trying to tamp down the feeling. “Come on, Lexi. Leave the baby to his sulking. I’ll show you where you can sleep tonight.”

I didn’t want to leave Markus just standing there, shaking his head and staring down at the floor he’d just dragged himself up from, but Ollie steered me toward the stairs. “Come on. The bedrooms are on the top floor.”

“Yours as well?” I asked, gulping as the reality of this situation suddenly hit me. What had I done? I’d accepted a ride from a stranger, and was now in their house, without anyone knowing where I was.

I knew better than this. I was probably safer in a booth at a diner, or alone in the cold, dark movie theater than I was in a house with two men I didn’t know.

What if they’d drugged the hot chocolate? If they attacked me, or worse... what was I going to do? Or say? That I went home with them, climbed into one of their beds, but didn’t want them? No one would believe me.

And, to be honest, my body was still fluttering with strange feelings that I couldn’t understand. The electricity when I touched both of them freaked me out a little. But it had woken up my long-dormant sexy bits, and I didn’t know what to do about that.

It was so inappropriate to be attracted to these two amazing men. Not one, but both of them, seemed to set off my inner “yes please” goddess in a way I couldn’t remember ever happening before.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked as we walked slowly up the stairs. “You know I didn’t come home with your brother to get into bed with either of you?”

Ollie laughed and removed his arm from my shoulders. “You don’t have to worry, Lexi. We were taught to behave better than that. Our mother would quite literally skin us alive if we ever raised a hand to hurt a woman.”

After years of living with liars and manipulators, I could spot bullshit a mile away. Ollie wasn’t lying, and Markus hadn’t been either when he’d offered me a safe place to stay. That sense of “rightness” was the reason I was here now.

“This is it,” Ollie said, stopping and indicating a dark room.

He reached inside and flicked on the light. “It’s a bit girly. Kaity decorated it when she was like... sixteen.”

I stuck my head inside and smiled. The room’s décor was mostly pink, with white and gold as contrasting colors. Definitely a teen vibe, rather than a grown woman. “It’s really pretty.”

“Sheets are clean,” he said, as I slowly made my way into the room. “Bathroom is down the hall. I’ll grab you a towel and leave it in there for you. I promise that no one will disturb you tonight. You’re safe here.”

He put his hand on his heart as though he was declaring a solemn oath.

I couldn’t explain why, but I believed him. And his brother. I nodded and walked into the pretty pink room, then set my handbag down on the bed. “I won’t be long. I’ll just freshen up, and then go to bed.”

Ollie frowned. “Do you need a shirt or something to sleep in?”

I glanced down at my soiled waitress uniform and grimaced. “Ah, yeah. I guess I do. I didn’t pack my pajamas to go to work.”

A slow, sexy smile spread across Ollie’s face. “You weren’t expecting a sleepover tonight?”

I snorted, trying to hide the lurch of my heart at that look on his face. I couldn’t decide which of the brothers was sexier. They both seemed different, but it didn’t matter to my lady bits.

“Hardly,” I managed, after a pause. “I was supposed to be doing the six a.m. ‘til six p.m. shift, but someone called in sick so I stayed on to help. I have a spare change of clothes in my bag only because I thought I might need to change to get home.”

It was only a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but at least they were clean, and I could wear them tomorrow.

“Give me a second,” Ollie said, then ducked away.

I kicked my shoes off my aching feet and peeled my socks off. My sigh of relief filled the room as I sank my toes into the plush carpet. I shouldn’t be here, and yet, it was such a sweet gift. Just one night of luxury. A warm, safe, clean bed in a real house.

I wasn’t sure I’d ever had that before now.

“Here you go,” Ollie said from the doorway, tossing a flannel shirt and a white towel onto the bed. “I don’t wear that one a lot. I get too hot in it. So, you can keep it if you like.”

I reached for the thick, warm material and brought it up to my face. “Thank you.”

I tried not to be obvious about the fact that I was sniffing the shirt, but damn, it was so tempting. His scent, and that of Markus, was so enticing. I’d never noticed men smelling so damn good before.

“Good night, Lexi,” Ollie said, his voice deep and husky as he waved at me and then disappeared from view.

I took a big sniff and groaned at how delicious the shirt smelled. Ollie had a very masculine scent, like hazelnuts and sweet sweat.

While Markus... I shivered even thinking about the big brother who’d hit the deck only minutes ago. What on earth had that been about? And could I handle the truth if I had the guts to ask the question?

My hand reached for the soft, fluffy towel. I would love a shower, but how safe would I be in their bathroom, naked and vulnerable?

I snorted out a laugh. Those two men were strong enough to pin me down and do anything they wanted with me, fully clothed or not. And as Markus had said, he didn’t do unwilling women, which was a strangely comforting thought.

I grabbed the towel and the shirt and headed for the bathroom. I’d use the toilet and wash my face and consider taking a shower.

“Oh, wow.” The bathroom was beautiful. Clean and all white, with straight lines and silver taps and fittings. There was a large walk-in shower and a double sink.

There was no way I could resist! I pushed the door shut and saw a nice large lock. “Yes.” Decision made.

I slid the bolt into the slot and began to undress. I’d worked so many hours I was covered in dried sweat, grease and ketchup.

I shoved my skirt and ugly blouse combo to the floor and turned on the water. The shower was huge, made for at least two people. Maybe three.

My thoughts wandered to the brothers who would easily fit in here with a woman as well. No. Don’t go there.

I tried not to think about how many women the guys had fucked in this shower. The men weren’t mine. I had no right to be jealous, and yet my stomach tightened and lurched in a sickening swoop.

“Just don’t think about it,” I told myself as I stripped off my underwear, then scurried beneath the water. “Oh, wow.”

The shower head was big and high pressure, something I had rarely experienced before.

I turned around and let the water beat down on my back. The door was locked, and I’d had one hell of a night. Surely, nothing else bad would happen to me?

As the thought resonated, I realized I should get into bed and have the police on speed dial, just in case. I was taking a huge risk here, and yet my instincts were telling me these guys were safe. That I could relax.

Not a feeling I’d had many times in my life, so I wasn’t sure I could trust my gut instinct, even when it screamed at me that I was safe.

I scrubbed the stink of the day from my skin and switched off the water. When I reached for the towel, there was a soft knock on the door. “Lexi, it’s just me, Ollie. I wanted to let you know there’s fresh soap and shampoo under the sink. Help yourself.”

I wrapped the towel around me as fast as I could, but he didn’t attempt to open the door. “Thanks, Ollie, but I’m done.”

“Okay, well. Good night!”

The sound of his footsteps disappearing down the hallway met my ears.

I would have cried if I was a crying type of girl. Had I seriously found a trustworthy man who wasn’t going to try to force his way in here? Two trustworthy men?

I dried the rest of my body, hating the size of my thighs and the jiggling of my belly. I’d tried so many times to lose weight, but between stress eating and my hatred of exercise, I wasn’t going to be a size eight anytime soon.

I folded up the towel and placed it on the edge of the double sink, then slid my arms into the large flannel shirt and buttoned up.

The scent of Ollie encased me. Warm and soft, much like the man himself.

I glanced in the mirror to make sure all my smudged mascara was washed off my face, grimacing at the unkept woman in the mirror. Then I shrugged. Not like I was on a date. I was going to sleep, and the guys would be in bed too, hopefully.

I picked up my pile of dirty clothes and unlocked the door before opening it a crack. There was no one in the hallway.

Pushing open the door, I went up on my tiptoes and crept down the hall to my room. My heart was thumping a little too fast, but I was worried about being caught.

I almost made it too. I was one step away from my door when Markus came bounding up the stairs. I rushed forward, but he stopped right in front of me, glaring hard. “What. Are. You. Wearing?”

I glanced down at the shirt that covered me to mid-thigh. I wasn’t wearing any underwear and I was suddenly painfully aware of my naked pussy.

“Ah... Ollie gave me a shirt to wear to bed because I didn’t have anything else.”

I didn’t know why I was defending myself, but Markus looked downright furious.

“Anyway...” What the hell was I supposed to say now? “Goodnight.”

As I turned away, I noticed something off. Markus had his car keys in his hand. “Going somewhere?”

He glanced down at the keys, then back at me. “I was considering going back out... but I’ve changed my mind.”

I tilted my head in confusion. “Going back out to St. Patrick’s?” The bar I was pretty sure he’d been at tonight. It was hot at the moment, always full of people.

Biggest pick-up place in the city.

He nodded.

I inhaled swiftly, a strange knife-like pain cutting into my diaphragm. I didn’t like it. Markus’s announcement. Or my reaction to it. “Oh... well, I’m sorry I mucked up your night. Please, go. I’m sure there’re plenty of women there, anxious for you to bring them home. I can cook them breakfast in the morning. Waitress Lexie at your service.”

I did a mock little curtsey, my temper getting the better of me again.

Markus was an insanely hot man. Standing there in a long sleeved white shirt and fitted blue jeans, he looked better than any billboard model I’d ever seen. He had huge arms and a wide chest tapering down to a flat stomach and smaller waist.

When my gaze finally lifted back to his eyes, the fury I’d seen moments before had been replaced by something more complicated. I couldn’t read his expression at all.

I sighed, not sure what to say next. “Goodnight, Markus.”

He advanced on me so fast I barely had time to drop my dirty clothes to the floor before he pushed me up against the doorframe, his huge body pinning me in place.

“I can get laid anytime I want, you know that? My phone’s full of texts from women asking me to come out, come over. Every day of the week.”

He wasn’t making a move and he wasn’t hurting me; he was just talking. And staring down at me like he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with me.

I slowly raised my hands, grateful for the layers of clothing between us.

Pressing my palms to his chest, I felt the racing heartbeat beneath my fingers and saw the rapid rise and fall of his chest. “Then go,” I whispered up at him, staring into his eyes that were so dark brown they were almost midnight in color.

“I can’t,” he ground out. “Not while you’re here and wearing my brother’s damn clothes.”

My breath caught in my throat and my mouth dried like the Sahara.

I licked my lips to wet them and watched his gaze drop to zero in on my mouth.

“Do you want me to go?” I asked, feeling him shift and press his groin harder against me. The move shared the erection that was so big he couldn’t hide it if he tried.

A lick of arousal hit right between my clenched thighs.

“You know I don’t want that,” he said, his voice rough.

I didn’t want to ask. I shouldn’t ask. And yet... “What do you want, Markus?”

His jaw tightened before he said one word. “This.”