4. Consenting Adults

Consenting Adults

Lincoln

N ova groaned at my joke as I reluctantly put her down, letting her body slide against mine and enjoying how she felt in my arms. We knew when we arrived who she was. Giving us her name and place of employment made it all too easy to look her up. We found a picture posted in the newspaper from when she first opened her shop. The short, blue-eyed blonde had gained weight in the last eight years. I preferred the curvier version, and knowing my brothers, I knew they did as well.

As soon as her feet were on the ground, she hastily stepped back to put some distance between us and promptly slipped on a patch of ice. I grinned as she found herself in Grant’s arms, and he caught her before she could fall again. She nervously tucked a stray lock of hair that had escaped the bun on the top of her head behind her ear as Grant made sure she was steady on her feet before releasing her. “That’s twice now, Sugar,” I teased.

“Why don’t I finish hanging these for you?” Ben suggested as he climbed the ladder and secured the rest of the lights to the gutter. Once he was done, we grabbed the ladder and the box containing more tangled Christmas lights and followed Nova inside. I couldn’t help admiring her ass as I did. I was looking forward to getting my hands on her. The purpose of this might not be to form romantic attachments, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy each other’s company to the fullest.

Grant elbowed me hard in the side. “Focus, asshole,” he whispered. I winked at him but got my mind back to the task at hand. We were here for a reason. Nova was obviously flustered as she motioned to a table near the back of the shop and offered us coffee or cupcakes.

“The coffee here isn’t as good as Caffeinated Charm across the street, but it’s hot,” she said apologetically. The shop smelled divine. I hadn’t ever been here before, but I knew I was about to become a regular customer. I noticed a teenager behind the counter with her nose in her phone, trying not to make it evident that she was watching us. When she looked up from her phone again furtively, I caught her eye and winked at her, making her blush. No doubt, the teenage rumor mill of Sunflower Falls was already buzzing with the news that we were meeting with Nova.

“We’re fine, thank you,” I replied as we sat at the table. Nova remained standing, wrung her hands nervously, and bit her bottom lip. I watched as her lip slid from between her teeth, and the tip of her pink tongue peeked out to lick her lips. I groaned internally. I had made jokes that she was falling for us, but I was pretty sure that it was me who was already falling for her. Everything about her that I have seen so far captivated me.

“Listen,” she finally said, raising her eyes to look at each of us. “You don’t have to keep up the pretense of this meeting for my sake. I understand you aren’t interested now that you’ve met me.”

I shared confused looks with my best friends. Was she turning us down already without even giving us a chance to discuss the terms of our arrangement?

“Why would you think that we wouldn’t be interested?” Grant asked.

“Have you seen yourselves? Look at me,” she blurted, gesturing to herself. “We don’t match.”

“Oh, I am, Sugar,” I replied. “I haven’t stopped since we got here. And according to Tempted Hearts, we match just fine.” I studied the woman standing before us, closer, past the brave facade. Someone had hurt her deeply. Tore her confidence down and made her feel like she was lacking. That couldn’t be further from the truth, and as I shared another look with Grant and Ben, I knew I wasn’t alone with the newfound goal to show her just how perfect she was and help her build her confidence.

“Why don’t you let us decide if you’re who we are looking for?” Ben suggested.

I pulled out the empty chair beside me. “Take a seat, Nova,” I said softly. “We have no intention of leaving this shop any time soon.” She didn’t look convinced as she sat but was willing to play along. Now that I had her closer, I reached out and tugged out her hair tie, sending her blonde locks cascading past her shoulders in delicate waves. Nova looked at me in surprise, and I winked at her as I slipped the hair tie onto my wrist. It was mine now. The familiar pretty pink blush that has been coloring her cheeks almost constantly since we arrived appeared again.

“Why don’t we start with what we are looking for?” Grant suggested. “We host our company’s annual New Year’s Eve party at our mountain cabin. We’re expected to have dates for the party but rarely find the time to cultivate relationships. We want to propose that you accompany us as our collective date.” Grant pulled out the contract he had our lawyers draw up, listing our expectations and Nova’s obligations. It wasn’t completed as we needed to add her expectations and obligations, but it would give her the terms to read in black and white. He slid it across the table to her, and she stared at it like it would bite her before looking up at him in confusion.

“Wait. You’re still interested?” Nova asked with surprise. This sweet, adorable woman didn’t have a clue about herself.

“Very interested,” Grant replied, his lips pinching together to keep the smile from spreading across his face. She would have likely thought he was laughing at her.

Nova picked up the contract and started to read through it. There wasn’t anything too earth-shattering on there that hadn’t already been said. “So all you want is for me to come to the party as the date for all three of you? Just one night?”

“Correct,” Grant replied.

“Well, let’s make sure to leave it open for more in case we need her for something else between now and then,” Ben interjected. I nodded in agreement. I already knew I’d be needing her for something else. I wasn’t sure what that was, but I’d find something.

“So this isn’t a romantic thing. Strictly business,” Nova confirmed, relaxing back into her seat. The idea that we couldn’t be attracted to her made far more sense to her than if we were. Speaking for myself, I was very attracted to her and suspected my friends were as well. Unfortunately for Nova, her assumption was wrong.

“We aren’t looking for any long-term relationship,” Grant confirmed.

“But we’re all consenting adults,” I added smoothly. “I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

“Yeah, right,” Nova scoffed. That sounded too much like a challenge. I loved a good challenge. I leaned closer, and she tensed up as I wrapped a lock of hair around my finger and tugged gently so that her head tipped closer to me. “I’m looking forward to proving you wrong, Sugar.”

I saw her tremble slightly as my breath grazed her ear, and I smiled. Slowly, I released her hair and moved out of Nova’s space.

“What are you looking to get out of this arrangement?” Grant asked, shooting me a glare and redirecting the conversation back to the topic.

I shrugged at him. I didn’t see any point in pretending I wasn’t into Nova.