He realized that her happiness was important to him.
He wanted her to be happy while she was there.
Too much of a coward to face the growing feelings he had for Oriana, reminding himself that he’d only known her three days and she’d soon be leaving, he shifted his focus instead to Jordan. Though it seemed no harm came of this security violation, he was still pissed. This was the kind of shit he expected from Jon, but not Jordan. Jordan knew better.
Jack opened a command line window and typed out a message:
If Ori need intrnt, brng 2 offce 4 use. All othr, use livng rm entrtmnt syst.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust—or want to trust—Oriana, but he didn’t trust those out there that she might encounter while accessing the internet. He was sure their security would hold, and that he was probably being paranoid, but he didn’t want to risk it. She wouldn’t know how to counter an intrusion if one should occur. At least if she was in the office, he or his brothers would be around to monitor, and could take action if necessary.
He was about to close down the laptop when a reply popped up from Jordan.
Lnch rdy. Ori hngry? I brng 2 rm?
Ori sleepn
, he sent back.
U hngry?
U & Jon eat. I go bck 2 offce 2 wrk.
Shutting the laptop cover, Jack gathered the headphones and the power cord and left the room, giving Oriana one last glance before quietly closing the door.
With her feet curled up under her, Oriana sat on the couch in the living room while Jonathan cleared the dining table and washed dishes, and Jordan wiped down the kitchen and prepared for their upcoming “movie night”. She had tried to help, but the guys wouldn’t hear of it, ordering her to rest while they finished up.
Jack hadn’t even bothered to come to supper, and was still hiding in the office.
Don’t take it personally,
Jonathan had said when she inquired why the eldest brother wasn’t sitting down to eat with them.
Jack’s just a workaholic.
She had nodded her concurrence, but didn’t believe that was the reason this time.
Stifling a sigh at Jack’s obvious attempt to avoid her—again, Oriana snatched the throw from the back of the couch and covered her lap, trying to ward off a chill. According to the virtual window, it was dark. She had slept most of the day away, and would have still been sleeping had Jordan not roused her for dinner. She had requested to eat at the dining table with the rest of them this time rather than take a tray in bed. To her surprise, Jordan had agreed.
Despite the mild discomfort of sitting on a hard chair with a sore bottom, which she had proudly endured without complaint, it had been a fabulous dinner—pot roast, homegrown vegetables, fresh baked rolls, and apple pie for dessert. And the company was as amazing as the food. It was the most fun she’d had over supper in a long time.
Since Jack had confiscated the laptop, they told her she would have to watch TV and play video games in the living room. Honesty, she was secretly grateful for this. She was sick of being stuck in her room.
In the end, they had decided to do a movie night, complete with popcorn, candy, and root beer floats. Oriana wondered if Jack would join them.
Jonathan and Jordan came in with the treats in hand. After placing everything on the coffee table, Jonathan grabbed blankets and turned out all the lights while Jordan inserted a movie into the
Jordan pressed the remote and the movie started. Opening credits appeared on the large screen, scratched out in sharp red font, and eerie music seeped out from the darkness and enveloped her, courtesy of the surround sound speakers.
“Oh, no, not a horror flick,” she bemoaned, sinking deeper into her blanket. “I hate scary movies.”
“Why?” Jonathan asked as he grabbed the bowl of popcorn and stuck it on her lap so they could all reach it. “They’re so much fun.”
“Because they’re
scary
. I’ll probably spend half the movie with my hands over my eyes.”
“You don’t have to be scared,” Jordan offered. “It’s not real.”
They grabbed fistfuls of popcorn and shove it into their mouths.
“I know it’s not real, but seriously, you don’t want to watch these kinds of movies with me. I’m a screamer.”
Jonathan started coughing violently.
Oriana snatched his root beer float off the table and thrust into his hand. He drank while she rubbed his back. When he pulled the glass away from his lips, she asked, “Are you okay?”
With watery eyes, he nodded as he continued to cough into his fist, trying to clear his throat.
“He’s fine,” Jordan assured her, his attention more focused on the movie than on the health of his sibling. “He’s just trying to hide the fact that he’s laughing.”
“Laughing at what?”
“You stating that you’re a screamer. He had made a similar observation about you earlier today.”
Oriana felt her jaw drop and her cheeks flame in mortification.
Oh my God!
They had heard her and Jack doing the nasty. She didn’t even think about it at the time, but—
“Thanks for explaining, Jordan,” Jonathan rasped sardonically. “Do you remember that conversation we had about how some things are better left unaddressed?”
“Yes.”
“This was one of those times. You’ve just embarrassed our guest.”
Jordan stared at her with a mix of innocent curiosity and genuine concern. “Really?”
Seeing the worry in his eyes, she snapped her mouth shut and smiled, not wanting to hurt his feelings. “It’s okay. I’m fine. I, uh…” She patted his knee. “I’m sorry if I disturbed you earlier with my, um…screaming.”
He shook his head emphatically. “No, you didn’t disturb me at all. I was glad to hear it. It seemed as if you were enjoyi—”
“Jordan,” Jonathan interrupted as he scoped softened ice cream from his glass. “Just shut up and watch the movie.”
Awkward silence descended and they all sat back and stared at the TV. Oriana tried to concentrate on the spooky scene progressing, but their conversation kept replaying in her head. Seriously, being around them was like living in a comedy sketch. She started to shake from the suppressed giggles bubbling in her chest.
Oriana looked to Jonathan, whose lips were twitching, then to Jordan, who had his palm over his mouth in an obvious attempt to suppress his mirth.
They erupted into laughter at the same instant, then rushed to explain why they were laughing, the three of them talking over each other.
“…oh my God. Was I really that loud? How freaking loud…”
“…I thought it was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard…”
“…am kind of embarrassed that I slept with your brother…”
“…we don’t mind at all…”
“…we’re happy. Don’t be embarrassed…”
Looming above her, a hot breath growled in her ear— “Embarrassed?”
Startled, Oriana leapt from the couch, tripped on her blanket and fell forward. Suddenly, everything went pitch black.
Piercing shrieks filled the inky darkness. Blind and panicking, she flailed her arms, fighting off icy tentacles as they latched onto her arms and face while she kicked at the tangled fabric around her feet. A solid impact. A monstrous howl. A blood curdling scream. Horrible crunching sounds followed, echoing in the disorienting red strobe that flashed from the TV screen. Terrified, she scrambled to avoid the shadow that lunged at her, and ran into a hard wall. Oriana desperately struggled against the steel warmth pulling her to her feet.
A burst of brightness.
She froze.
She saw Jordan first, standing by the wall, his hand on the light switch. He was staring at her like she’d lost her freaking mind.
Jonathan was sprawled out on the couch, one hand pressed over his eye, chunks of ice cream dipping from his damp hair. In his other hand, the remote control rested.
Oriana’s gaze roamed over the devastated coffee table covered with wet, foamy popcorn and landed on the large TV. The movie was paused. A serial killer holding an ax in mid-stroke dominated the screen. His bloody victim lay at his feet, her hands out in a vain attempt to protect herself, her mouth wide open in a silent scream. Closer inspection of the background showed the door the murderer had broken down to reach his target.
As realization of what really transpired dawned, heat rushed to her face, which suddenly had a sensation of layered stickiness. She inhaled through her nose and the scent of vanilla sweetness filled her nostrils. Her brain connected the chilled oozing she had felt earlier on her skin to the ingredients found in a root beer float.
“Aw, man,” she heard Jonathan groan. “I think I’m going to have a black eye.”
The hard chest pressed to her rumbled slightly and a soft chuckle floated over her head. “I saw her slug you. She nearly laid you out.”
Oriana looked at the youngest brother.
Oh God. I hit him!
“I’m so sorry,” she rushed. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s not your fault.” Jonathan nudged his chin up. “It’s his. He shouldn’t have scared you like that.”
Following his glare, she found the face of the man whose arms still imprisoned her.
A small smile graced Jack’s lips. “It was not my intention to scare you. Are you okay?”
“I know,” she whispered. “And yes, I’m okay.”
“In that case...” Jack lowered his head and looked deeply into her eyes. “As I was saying before you destroyed the living room…
embarrassed?
”
Enthralled, she replied, “Not embarrassed to have slept with you, embarrassed because your brothers know.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Because of
how
they know,” she corrected. “They, um…heard me.”
“Ah.” Jack broke his dark mesmerizing spell and released her. “Jordan, take Oriana to her room so she can shower. Jon and I will clean up in here.”
Before she could blink, Jordan was leading her away.
He brought her into her bathroom. He switched on the water, pulled the shower curtain closed so the spray wouldn’t flood the floor, then indicated that she should put her arms up. Though she was more than capable of undressing herself, she numbly obeyed and let him remove her tank top, then turned so he could unclasp her bra. She was getting so used to having them dress and undress her that she thought she might end up spoiled. There would be no sexy menservants waiting for her back at home.
“Your back and bottom seem to be healing well. How do you feel?” he asked as he pulled down her sweat pants and panties, sending tiny sparks of sensation throughout her body.
She stepped out of the pool of fabric, and turned back to face him. Like his older brother, Jordan kept his eyes at a respectable level—something that kind of disappointed her.
“I’m still a little sore, but overall, much, much better. I think I can start showering on my own now.”
He retrieved a towel from the shelf. Unfolding it, he hung on the wall hook in reach of the tub, then pulled aside the curtain and checked the water temperature. Satisfied, he gently grasped her upper arm.
“I’ll help you in,” he said, lending her his strength as she stepped into the tub. “If you need my help, feel dizzy or weak, or you’re ready to get out, just holler. I’ll be in your room waiting.”
She almost asked him to stay, to have a seat on the porcelain throne and chat with her, but decided against it. She needed a few moments alone anyway so she could clear the fog of lust that manifested in her mind. Clearly, her body was starting to associate bathing with sex, and even now, her core tingled in anticipation and her nipples hardened, yearning for Jordan to do more than dutifully undress her. She wanted his hands to caress her, to soap her up, to…well, to pleasure her.
Damn, spoiled was an understatement. She was an outright greedy bitch. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d just slept with his older brother not a few hours earlier.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He nodded and closed the shower curtain.
She listened to him pad out of the bathroom then stepped completely under the stream, saturating her sticky hair.
Oriana took her time, enjoying the hot water as it cascaded down her body. As she washed, rinsed and conditioned, she replayed the last couple of days in her mind. She had become very fond of the three brothers, and though she’d known them only a short time, they had already captured her heart. She would be a sad day when it came time to leave them. She almost wished she didn’t have to go at all.
What it would be like to stay with them permanently? They could live as one big, happy family—
Whoa there!
Was she so desperate for affection? Was her loneliness so absolute that she would actually harbor such childish fantasies? Happy endings only occurred in fairy tales. This was the real world, and life was not so simple.