Swipe for a Cosmo by Megan Wade
Jade
“Maybe I could sweep the floor or something? Do dishes?” I ask the lovely blond man I now know to be Kellen’s youngest brother, Remy. He’s been keeping me company while Kellen and Vaughn are in the office, and I feel awful just watching on as he tidies the kitchen by himself.
“There’s really no need,” he says in his deep, rumbly voice that’s almost exactly the same timbre as his older brother’s. “I wouldn’t want you ruinin’ your dress, and you’ll likely fall on your ass in those shoes. Best you stay right where you are and keep tellin’ me about yourself. You said you work for an animal shelter.”
“Yeah. But I’m just the person who keeps the website updated, sets up the adoption drives and gets the word out about them. I’m not like the heroes out there finding stray or mistreated pets and nursing them back to health. They’re the real stars of the organization.”
“Oh, I dunno. Seems to me that getting those pets new homes is a heroic effort too. Too many animals never get a second chance in this world.”
“Do you have any pets?”
“I do. I have a dog named Ralph. He’s a mix of a lot of things, so don’t ask me what kind. Best answer I can give you is ‘brown’.” He looks up from the steel counter he’s cleaning and grins.
“That’s an apt description if ever I heard one,” I say, just as Remy’s eyes shift a little to the side, alerting me to Kellen’s presence before his hands slide around my waist.
“Getting to know the family already?” he asks near my ear, and I spin in his arms, wondering if what he says is a joke, or if perhaps I’ve overstepped the mark.
“She was just keeping me company while I clean up,” Remy says with a wink. “I’d keep an eye on her, if I were you. She keeps tryin’ to help when she’s the guest of the house.”
“Oh dear,” Kellen says with a grin that puts me completely at ease. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? I think you should come with me.” My dirty mind takes the word ‘come’ and immediately says, ‘yes, please.’
“Where to?”
Kellen threads his fingers with mine and lifts his eyes to the ceiling. “Upstairs.”
“You live up there?” I ask, pointing to where his eyes lifted.
“Yeah. But if that’s too much, we can always stay down here. I can make you one of those Cosmos you like and we can play pool, talk till our throats are sore.” I’d rather moan until my throat is raw if I’m being honest, and if the performance in the ladies’ room is anything to go by, I feel pretty much guaranteed a mind-altering experience.
“Upstairs,” I whisper, rolling my lips together as I look up at him through my lashes.
He leans in real close, pressing his lips to my ear so only I can hear his response. “That’s what I hoped you’d say, sweetheart. I’m so hard for you, I just might explode if I don’t have you soon.”
My breathing shudders and my knees shake so much I have to lock them to keep standing. Then we say a quick goodbye to his brothers and head hand in hand to the promised land—upstairs to his apartment.
