Alexander, Kalissa - Katlynn in Training (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (5 page)

“I like a variety of sweet things, too,” Jeremiah said, “but then again when you find what you like best, you want it all the time.”

“You making the coffee?” Justin looked pointedly his brother.

“Absolutely,” Jeremiah said, pushing himself away from the table. “My coffee and your cake, a combination that should have Kat begging us for more.”

Katlynn subconsciously licked her lips. For a few seconds everything seemed to stand still for her. It was if she had been caught in some kind of time warp. No one moved. Both Justin and Jeremiah stared at her, more so at her tongue that she could feel gliding slowly across her upper lip. She couldn’t look away from the two men that were making her feel like she was dessert. Then just as quickly they both turned and walked into the kitchen. Her heart was pounding out of her chest. What had just happened? Nothing, she told herself sternly. She was letting her imagination run wild, something that was new for her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to still the beating of her heart before they returned.

Chapter Five

Justin’s chocolate cake was by far the best she ever tasted. It could have graced the shelf of the finest bakery. The beautiful layers of vanilla cream, the lightest of cake, and buttercream frosting made the delicious concoction a true work of art. Justin cut a large piece that she had said was way too much, but the truth was she could have easily succumbed to another piece. And she would have, except she knew there was no way she could ask for another without appearing to be a glutton.

After dinner they shared a second cup of coffee in the living room where Katlynn found herself seated between the two brothers on their large, comfy sofa. She was going to sit on a side chair, but they insisted they wanted to share her attention without one having an advantage over the other. She laughed like a schoolgirl, possibly from being so well fed or just from being in the company of two handsome young men who were acting like she was the most important person in their life, at least for the evening. Whatever the reason, she was happy, and considering how down she had been feeling, she decided to just go with it and enjoy their warmth that made the overwhelming sadness of the past months a little more bearable.

“So, tell me, is this not the best coffee you’ve ever tasted?” Jeremiah asked, taking a sip from his own cup.

“I must say, I’ve never had better.” Katlynn wasn’t telling a half truth to be polite. It really was the best she had ever tasted. Her new neighbors were excellent hosts.

“I don’t like to brag, but it’s my own special blend. It’s taken me some time, but I finally got just the right combination of ground coffee beans and spice.”

“I did tell her when she was here earlier that you made a good cup of coffee.” Justin leaned into Kat, balancing his cup against his knee. “Didn’t I, Kat?”

“Yes, you did.” She smiled at Justin. “You are both very talented, and I also understand from Justin”—she turned to Jeremiah—“that you’re good at fixing things. What’s your specialty?”

“My specialty,” he said slowly, his eyes drifting up toward the ceiling. “We are talking about household repairs, right?”

“I think so, unless you want to tell me about another specialty you have?” She knew she was flirting, something she never did, but she couldn’t help herself, and besides, she had given herself permission to have fun tonight.

“Now that’s a loaded question. However, for the sake of keeping this conversation G-rated and not wanting to take a chance of scaring you off this soon in our relationship, I guess I’ll say plumbing is where I shine the most. You know taking care of things that are need of being opened up, leaking, or need to be fitted with the proper pipes.”

Justin coughed, spewing hot coffee all over his shirt. “Sorry,” he gasped. “It went down the wrong way.”

“Are you okay?” Katlynn leaned toward him. Without even thinking, she placed her hand on his back to rub it gently.

“I’m fine,” he said, “but that feels nice. Maybe a little more to the right.”

Removing her hand, she lowered her eyes and smiled shyly. “Sorry, I just reacted.”

“No, seriously, a little more to the right would be great. I love having my back rubbed.”

Katlynn wasn’t sure whether he was kidding or not, but she did as he asked. She could feel the tension in his back muscles ease under the pressure of her fingers. “Does that feel better?”

“Oh, yes. If I didn’t have to get up and change my shirt, I could stay here all night like this.”

“Really?” Jeremiah eyed him. “So, do I have to spill my coffee to get a back rub, too?”

“You’ll have to talk to Kat about that.” Justin straightened up, smiling over his shoulder at Katlynn, who had now folded both her hands in her lap.

“While I’m getting changed”—he smiled at this brother—“why don’t you tell Kat about how much you like to spackle and paint, you know, like filling in holes and prepping before you’re ready to do the job.”

“I am a man of many talents.”

Pushing himself off the sofa, he looked back at Kat. “And if my brother pretends that he’s choking, ignore him. He’s got a helluva gag reflex. Just ask his dentist. The first time he had X-rays, he spit out the thing they use to hold the plate so many times they eventually had to put him under.”

“Real nice, brother. Anything else you want to share with Kat?”

“In time,” he said, walking down the hall to the bedroom, his back to them. “All will be revealed.”

“Okay, now that my brother has thoroughly embarrassed me, how about we change the subject and you tell me about one of your most embarrassing moments, or”—he smiled boyishly—“since you’re a guest, I could give you the option of telling me about your writing.” Jeremiah casually stretched his arm so that it rested against the sofa behind her head.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew they were both acting like naughty little boys and at her expense. But for some reason she found their double-edged humor more endearing than vulgar or embarrassing. However, she thought it best to just ignore it and move the conversation on to a more comfortable topic. “Let’s talk about my writing.”

“Fair enough. So, when did you know you wanted to be a writer?”

“I think I’ve always known I wanted to write. I was an avid reader as a child. I loved all types of books from mysteries to romance to horror stories. I’ve even written a few stories here and there, but I never thought they were that good. However, when I went to college, I realized that I was good at research and writing nonfiction. I was asked to review and edit some of the other students’ writing and found the process came quite naturally to me. When I graduated with my degree in English, I knew I wanted a career that included writing. Even though my dream of writing stories or a novel didn’t seem to be in the cards, I hoped I could still find work in my field. Then I saw an ad in the newspaper for a technical writer, and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“It’s wonderful when you can find your niche so quickly. Justin was like that. He always knew he liked numbers, and accounting was a natural fit for him.

Katlynn shook her head in agreement. “You’re right, it is wonderful to be able to get paid to do what you like and know you’re good at it.” Forgetting that Jeremiah’s arm was behind her, she leaned back, her neck touching his arm. “Sorry.” She leaned forward. “What about you? What made you choose the law?”

“Kat, just relax. I’m not going to bite you.”

“I know. I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said quickly.

Jeremiah removed his arm, “You could never offend me. Now lean back and I’ll tell you why I chose the law.”

She did as he asked, leaning her head against the sofa as she turned to give him her full attention. His smile was so inviting. She could get lost in it.
Slow down, you may feel like a schoolgirl on her first date, but you’re no schoolgirl, and this is far from a date.

“Unlike you and Justin, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life until about a year after I graduated from college. My dad had always told me I should be a salesman because I was good at convincing people to agree with me. Sales never really appealed to me, but I gave it a shot anyway. My first job was with a pharmaceutical company. The money was great, but my heart wasn’t in it.” He stopped and took another sip of his coffee. “Now here’s the part that I don’t like talking so much about, but it is what opened my eyes to the law.”

“You don’t have to tell me, Jeremiah. It’s okay.”

“No, I started this story, and when I start something, I like to finish it.” He settled his head back against the cushion and turned to her. “I got in some trouble with a couple of my friends one night after a party. We were drunk, and we broke into this house that had a pool in the backyard. All we wanted to do was take a swim, and to say we weren’t thinking straight was an understatement. Needless to say, we got caught and were charged with breaking and entering.”

He stopped talking, he eyes never leaving hers. She imagined he was trying to gauge her reaction. She didn’t say anything. She just listened as he took a breath and continued.

“The guy’s house who we broke into was a judge, and my brother Jarred knew his oldest son. It was a first offense for all us, and with Jarred’s help the judge dropped the charges but he didn’t let us off the hook. My friends were assigned to wills and probate, but I was assigned two weeks working with the judge whose house we had broken into. His assistant was on vacation for couple weeks, and he decided to make me his slave

“I still had school, but luckily my schedule allowed me to work afternoons.” Jeremiah finished his coffee, placing his cup on the nearby end table, before his head came back to rest against the back cushion, now almost touching hers. “Anyway, I guess you could say I found my niche. Two weeks of working with the judge and I was hooked. I studied for and took the LSATs, applied to law school, and got accepted to a few of them. I decided to go to the University of Chicago. When I graduated, I spent a couple years with a firm in Chicago, and then I was offered a job in Philadelphia with an office in Media and here I am. I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing…other than spending time with a lovely woman like you.”

Katlynn could feel herself blush. She didn’t know quite how to respond, so she ignored his last statement, “I’m not an expert about law schools, but I think the University of Chicago is one of the best in the country. You must be an excellent lawyer.”

“He certainly thinks so,” Justin said, walking back into the room to sit back down next to her on the sofa.

Jeremiah just sighed and looked at the ceiling. “You know, Justin, you’re becoming a real pain in the ass.”

“Well, it’s my job, since Jarred isn’t here, to keep that ego of yours in check. But the truth is”—he turned to Katlynn—“Jeremiah is an excellent lawyer and could have worked for any law firm in the country. The whole family’s pretty proud of him, including me.”

They were both excellent conversationalists and when one was quiet, the other took over to keep her entertained. However, regardless of the subject, there was always mention of their older brother Jarred. It seemed that he was never far from their thoughts. They also spoke of their mother along with their sister who was married with three children and living in a town near where they grew up. Katlynn was thoroughly enjoying herself until she ruined it.

“My mom has never understood why we opted to move across the country to the suburbs of a city like Philadelphia.” Justin shook his head. “Even though she knew it was a great opportunity for Jeremiah and that I could find a much better paying job, to her the personality of a small, rural town has a huge advantage for a more balanced, fruitful life.”

“Fruitful meaning she thinks you should both be married with children of your own. I must say I was wondering the same thing. Why aren’t you two married with a houseful of kids?” Katlynn slapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I just asked you that. Me of all people who hates it when people ask me why I’m not married. That was inexcusably rude. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I don’t mind your question. I think I speak for Justin, too, when I say we want to share who we are with you. It’s the only way you’ll feel comfortable enough to share yourself with us. Let’s just say up until now we haven’t met the right woman who we want to share our lives with, but there’s always hope.”