Just the Way I Like It

Dedication

For the Bradford fans! Thanks for loving these guys (almost) as much as I do!

Character Guide

The Bradfords:

Jessica Bradford—The Little General. The oldest Bradford sibling. Loves to organize and take care of everyone. Has a secret penchant for sexy underwear—and a not-so-secret penchant for a particularly sexy trauma surgeon. Reformed bad girl. Not above using hooker boots if the occasion calls for it. Married to Ben Torres. Read Jessica and Ben’s story in
Just Right.

Sam Bradford—The Playboy. The middle Bradford sibling. Knows a lot about women and sex (completely understandable considering how much time he’s spent on both), but always happy to put in extra study time. Also quite generous in imparting his knowledge to anyone in need—especially sexy blondes named Dani. Married to Danika Steffen. Read Sam and Danika’s story in
Just Like That.

Sara Bradford—The Princess. Youngest Bradford sibling. Definitely lives up to her nickname—has never changed a tire or killed a bug in her life. Everyone’s little sister, but knows more than they give her credit for. Willing to put in long research hours at online sex shops. Married to Mac Gordon. Read Sara and Mac’s story in
Just My Type.

The “Bonus” Bradfords:

Jason “Mac” Gordon—The Wild One. Never met a sex toy or position he didn’t like. Favorite lickable body powder flavor is cotton candy—or whatever Sara is wearing at the moment. Married to Sara, and a paramedic on an ambulance crew with Sam, Kevin and Dooley. Read Sara and Mac’s story in
Just My Type.

Doug “Dooley” Miller—The Goofball. Doesn’t take anything too seriously—except his friendships. More of a Hokey-Pokey kind of guy, but can definitely spin the right girl around the dance floor—especially if “dance floor” is euphemism for bedroom. Paramedic on an ambulance crew with Sam, Mac and Kevin, happily single (most of the time). Read Dooley’s story in
Just for Fun.

Kevin Campbell—The Good Boy. Making up for his party years as a college and pro football star. Given up drinking—the hard stuff anyway, sex—though not impure thoughts entirely, and swearing—unless it’s really necessary. Paramedic on an ambulance crew with Sam, Mac and Dooley, not-as-happily single as Dooley. Read Kevin’s story in
Just a Kiss.

The Bradfords-by-Marriage:

Ben Torres—The Hero. ER trauma surgeon. Practically a Boy Scout. But when he decides to have a good time—look out. Has a talent for bringing the inner bad girls out to play. Married to Jessica. Read Jessica and Ben’s story in
Just Right.

Danika Steffen—Ms. Independent. Can fix anything—except her stubborn streak. Okay with getting her hands dirty…or the rest of her dirty as long as Sam’s around. Married to Sam Bradford. Read Sam and Danika’s story in
Just Like That.

Chapter One

The Guys

“Wears floral skirts, drinks sweet iced tea and tells everyone ‘God loves you’,” Kevin said.

“Wears blue jeans, drinks tequila and uses the word ‘fuck’ in and out of the bedroom,” Dooley recited.

Mac Gordon snorted as he looked up from the two pieces of paper in his hand. “We’re going to have to look for these girls in very different places.”

“You guys aren’t taking this seriously,” Sam Bradford complained. “We asked you to write down the three most important characteristics in a woman you would date. Come on, sweet iced tea?”

Dooley hid his smile behind his coffee cup.

“He put tequila,” Kevin protested.

“Yeah, but that’s different,” Sam said.

“How?” Kevin wanted to know.

“Anyone can drink tea,” Sam said. “Dooley wants a girl who can shoot tequila. That actually rules out several I know.”

“It doesn’t actually rule out any
I
know,” Mac mused.

“Then I’m hanging out with Mac more often,” Dooley said.

The truth was, these guys were the best friends he’d ever had, but Kevin Campbell was the man he’d count as his very best, have-his-back-no-matter-what friend. In spite of his preferring iced tea to tequila.

“And I’m not talking about tequila in a margarita. It needs to be straight up and burn going down,” Dooley added.

“Anyway, you’re cheating. You looked at each other’s paper,” Mac said.

“So?” Dooley asked. “This is stupid and you know it.” He was putting up with it only because they had nothing else going on at the moment.

They were paramedics—the best in the city—and if someone needed them, they were ready to go. But the down time in between calls could be long and boring. Which made it the perfect time to talk about the set-ups that were going to be a part of his and Kevin’s lives in the very near future.

Too bad a good bar fight couldn’t break out that would end in a few bruises and stitches. He loved dealing with drunk tough guys after they’d been beat up. There were no whinier human beings in the world. It was hilarious. Plus, it would get him out of this conversation. Which wasn’t hilarious.

“The girls are adamant about setting you two up,” Sam said, rising to refill his coffee cup. “Mac and I are doing you a favor by letting you have some input. Now, thanks to Kevin’s list, if Dani brings up a girl who I know worships Satan, I’ll be able to cross her off the list.”

“You wouldn’t have crossed her off our lists anyway?” Dooley asked. Geez, even
he
had a few standards. No high maintenance women, for one. And demon worship seemed like a good one to put in the “no” column.

“I’ll cross her off of Kevin’s list,” Sam said, with a grin. “Not sure about yours.”

“Yeah, I’m guessing maidens of the underworld drink tequila,” Mac said. “Lots of it.”

“And definitely use the word ‘fuck’,” Sam said.

“Hmm,” Dooley said thoughtfully. “You make good points.”

Kevin threw a French fry at him. “You’re encouraging them.”

Mac leaned back, linking his hands behind his head. “We don’t need encouraging. The girls insist that you two need girlfriends now that the rest of us are tied down, and you know I don’t say no to Sara.”

They all rolled their eyes in unison. Truer words had never been spoken. Sara Bradford Gordon could get Mac to do anything she wanted with nothing more than a bat of her eyes. It had always been that way, but since she’d married him and he was having sex with her on a regular basis, it had gotten downright ridiculous.

“So, you either let us set you up or you let the girls set you up.” Sam reclaimed his seat on one end of the sofa in the St. Anthony’s Hospital break room. “I’m thinking we know you better.”

Kevin groaned. “I don’t want any of you setting me up.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure she knows all the words to ‘Jesus Loves Me’,” Sam said.

Kevin threw a French fry at him too. “You really would, wouldn’t you?” he asked. “You really would make that one of the first questions you asked.”

“Is that not how you do it?” Sam asked, his eyes wide with mock innocence. “How else can you be sure she’s a good, God-fearing woman?” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Do they have a special tattoo somewhere?”

Kevin threw another French fry. Sam caught this one and ate it.

“Sorry, bud, even church-going guys have to have a date at our group dinners,” Mac said. “Or so I’ve been told. Frankly, I don’t care if you two date
each other
. As long as you don’t grope each other where I have to watch, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Kevin had become a Christian a few years before and was trying hard to live a conservative lifestyle. Which did make it difficult to set him up with most of the girls his friends knew. It seemed that the only wonderful, sweet women Mac and Sam knew were the women they’d married. And Dooley tried not to hang out with anyone too sweet or wonderful as a general rule.

“I think maybe your girls have too much thinkin’ time on their hands,” Dooley said. “Maybe you boys need to come up with some better ways to keep them busy so they don’t worry about
my
love life so much.”

Nobody needed to worry about his love life. Including him. It was exactly what he wanted it to be. Well, it was exactly what he
needed
it to be. Uncomplicated and fun. He couldn’t take on a commitment to a woman on top of everything else going on in his life.

But nobody needed to worry about that either. Except him.

“She’s gotta catch her breath sometime,” Mac said with a grin. “I can’t help that you finding the true and everlasting bliss she’s found is her new obsession.”

“Maybe I’ll get her a gift certificate for Scandalous Somethings,” Dooley said, naming Sara’s favorite online erotic shop. “That should keep her—and you—busy for a while.”

“Um, we’re getting kind of close to talking about my sister’s sex life again,” Sam said in warning.

They all knew that Sam was thrilled that his little sister had married one of his best friends, but there were drawbacks as well. Like hints about her being anything other than the sweet, innocent virgin he preferred to picture.

“And how come no one ever buys Danika gift certificates like that?” Sam asked.

Kevin grinned. “It’d be better to buy her a gift certificate to Home Depot. That’s what would keep Dani busy.”

It was true that Danika’s hobbies tended more toward home improvement than fuzzy handcuffs, but edible body paint truly was for everyone.

“Anyway, Ben and Jessica have a girl they think would be great for you, Kev,” Sam told him. His sister, Jessica, was a nurse and head of the ER department at St. Anthony’s where her husband, Ben, was a trauma surgeon. They’d been tasked to keep a lookout for eligible girls as well.

The problem was, they worked in the same hospital and knew the same girls the guys knew. The same girls that Kevin and Dooley already knew and had either dated or didn’t want to date.

“Ben and Jess are in on this too?” Kevin groaned, tipping his head back.

“Jessica knows nicer girls than Sam and I do,” Mac said. “Not that that should surprise you.”

“It doesn’t. Not at all,” Kevin agreed. “Who is she?” he asked, still looking at the ceiling.

“Nursing student,” Sam said. “Really cute. Met her today.”

“Cute?” Kevin looked at Sam. “Not hot?”

“I think cute is more your speed, buddy,” Dooley said. While he felt the set-up thing was ridiculous, he was definitely less disturbed by it than Kevin was. “They’re saving hot for me.”

“Sara said she has a girl in mind too,” Mac said. He looked up from the text on his phone. “For Kevin.”

“For Kevin?” Dooley sat up straighter. “Why for Kevin? What about me?”

“I thought you didn’t want to be set up.” Mac smirked.

“I don’t. But if it’s gonna happen anyway, she better be hot.”

“And shallow,” Sam said dryly.

Dooley flipped him off. He wasn’t actually shallow. He just kept his relationships shallow. He dated fun girls who knew how to have a good time—inside the bedroom and out. They were low maintenance, didn’t need a lot of—or any—romance, and understood it was short-term.

But it seemed that Danika, Sara and Jessica were determined to find long-term for both him and Kevin. Sara got Mac to do whatever she wanted. Danika had Sam pretty much wrapped around her little finger. Jessica got
everyone
to do what she wanted. She wasn’t called the Little General for nothing. And her newest mission was Dooley’s love life.

Dooley suddenly wished he’d gone to church with Kevin a few times.

Divine intervention seemed like his only hope.

“We’re working on you, buddy,” Mac assured Dooley. “Sara’s on it.”

Dooley looked at him with suspicion. “What’s that mean, exactly?”

Mac shrugged and grinned. “It means there’s very little chance the girls she sets you and Kevin up with will know each other from Bible study.”

“The girl she’s setting me up with goes to Bible study?” Kevin asked, sitting up straighter. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. As a new-ish Christian, he should probably date a girl that went to church. But he also knew that not all “good girls” went to church, or that all the girls who didn’t go to church were “bad”. Still, if the girl went to Bible study, he’d feel guiltier about the occasional
dammit
that slipped out from time to time.