The delicious aroma of coffee hit my senses. I scrunched my brow in confusion. I shouldn’t be smelling anything since I was the only one in the house. I shoved my feet in my slippers and grabbed my robe off the end of the bed. I tied the belt just as I rounded the corner into the kitchen only to find Jason standing at the stove, cooking something for breakfast, and his friend Brian pouring fresh coffee into three mugs.
“Cream or sugar?” Brian asked.
I was stunned silent, glancing between both men.
Jason laughed. “She used to take it with a spoon of sugar and a splash of creamer. She likes that fancy shit, so there should be some in the fridge. With the purple label. Her gran always kept some on hand just in case Genni visited.”
His words speared my heart. I didn’t visit Gran nearly enough in the past few years, and to discover she always kept my favorite creamer on hand brought tears to my eyes. I wavered on my feet. Strong arms caught me before the floor and I could become close friends.
“Woah. Hey, let’s sit you down.” Brian’s deep baritone had a softness to it as he guided me to a chair at the table. He squatted in front of me, holding my wrist in one hand while the other tucked my wayward hair behind my ear. “Stay here. I’ll bring your coffee and some breakfast.”
Jason piled platters with the bacon, eggs, and toast, and Brian smacked the back of his head before making two plates.
“Ow! Hey, jackass, what was that for?” Jason rubbed the back of his head.
“If you don’t realize what it was for, you are more insensitive than I thought.” I watched them interact, and Brian nodded slightly in my direction.
Jason looked at me. “Ahh hell, Genni, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. That was just one of the things I loved about your gran. She always kept your creamer here, and my favorite cookies were always in that jar over there.”
I smiled. “It’s okay, Jason. It just hit me wrong. I love hearing little things like that. She always had a soft spot for you.”
“Here, eat.” Brian placed my plate and coffee in front of me.
“What are you guys doing here?” It finally hit me that I was sitting in Gran’s kitchen while two men cooked and served me breakfast. I also realized that I only had my short nightie and robe on. I crossed my legs, tucking my robe in between my thighs. It wasn’t much, but I felt a little better having another layer between my throbbing hoo-hah and the layers of testosterone flowing through the room.
Watching them work together like a well-oiled machine was turning me on. I took a sip of the best cup of coffee I had ever had and allowed my mind to wander. If they worked this well in the kitchen, how well would they work together in the bedroom? “What the fuck? Where did that come from?” I shook my head to clear the vision of them naked and worshipping me. I took a bite, finding my appetite had turned from food to something of a more carnal nature.
“Damnit, Genevieve, focus. You bury Gran today. It’s no time to be thinking about sex. No matter how hot you think the guy is.”
I sat back, realizing that I had just taken Jason from friend zone to hot and heavy threesome. My body warmed again. My head, on the other hand, was screaming hell no. I’d known Jason since childhood. He was an ass in high school, and now, with the power trip his position gave him, there was no way I should be attracted to him. Brian made sense because he was tall, brooding, sexy, and dominant in a comforting way.
Brian finished washing the last of the dishes they had used to make breakfast. “What time shall we pick you up?”
His question threw me. “Pick me up?” I tilted my head, shifting my gaze between them, feeling a bit confused.
“Jason and I will be driving you to the funeral.” Brian dried his hands and leaned back against the counter.
“I’m a big girl. I can drive myself.” I sat back, crossing my arms with a huff.
“We never said you couldn’t, but funerals can be hard and emotions unpredictable. We just want to make sure you have one less stressor today. Let us do this one thing for you.” Brian glanced at Jason, who nodded in agreement but kept his mouth shut.
I sighed. “Fine, but I don’t think it’s necessary.” I dug into the plate of food in front of me, my appetite returning. “I have to be there by ten this morning, and then, after the graveside service, I have to go to Gran’s lawyer’s office for the reading of her will.”
“I drive right past his office.” Jason smiled. “So, riding together today makes perfect sense. I have some work at the station; I’ll be back to pick you both up soon.” He walked over, his hand gentle as he squeezed my shoulder, but the kiss he placed atop my head shocked me the most. This was a side of Jason I had never seen before, and it twisted up my insides even more. His touch ignited a warmth that calmed and eased my tension, and the touch of his lips had me leaning into him. “You don’t have to handle it all on your own,” he whispered. “Let us help you.”
My head reeled at the one hundred-eighty degree turn Jason took. Yesterday, he was threatening to punish me, promising to teach me discipline, and today, he’s caring and comforting. Brian hadn’t moved from his position against the counter, but his eyes took in every movement Jason made and then locked with mine when Jason left.
“Finish up. I’ll go and get your bath started.” Brian gave the counter a final wipe, turning his back to me.
“I don’t take baths. Thank you. And even if I did, I don’t need someone starting it for me.” There it was, the controlling side that I saw emerge yesterday.
Brian spun and strode toward me in the blink of an eye. Kneeling down so that we were almost nose to nose. “I know you don’t need anyone to do anythin’ for you, but I want to. Today is fixin’ ta be a long emotional rollercoaster; a good soak in a hot bath will go a long way to release the tension you’ve already built up. Please, trust me, I only want to help you.”
“Why?” I whispered. His words made me want to believe him. Made me want for more than just the life I currently had. To want more than just a one-night stand or romp in the hay.
The touch of his fingers as he tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear sent a jolt of electricity straight to my core. Butterflies erupted in my stomach, and goosebumps raised on my arms as I leaned toward his warmth.
“You are strong, intelligent, sassy, and sexy as hell. I want you in more ways than one but now is not the time. You need pamperin’, a gentle hand, and a carin’ friend. Let that be me.” He leaned forward and kissed my forehead.
“Okay.” Fireworks exploded in my mind as his lips left my skin. No man or woman had elicited such a strong mixture of emotions as Brian did. Yes, I had experimented a little in college. I watched him walk out of the kitchen, appreciating the cut of his jeans as they molded to his ass and legs. Muscled but not so much that the fabric strained to hold together. He sauntered through Gran’s house as if he owned it, an aura of confidence, and what could only be considered an alpha male self-assurance.
I heard the water flowing in the bathroom, and it spurred me into action. I finished my plate, washed and dried it, and refilled my coffee mug. I hadn’t determined what to wear to the funeral yet, so I heaved one of the suitcases up on my bed with one hand, the other almost sloshing coffee onto the quilt. “Shit.” I held the mug away from me quickly and carried it to the nightstand.