I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “Come on in,” one of them says, I think it’s Gavin.
Not willing to let them see me sweat any more than they have, I walk to the back of the couch and brace my hands on the back. “So, Cassidy says Kacen should be here later; in the meantime, can I do anything for you?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I regret them. The three of them face me with matching grins on their faces.
Boys is right!
“Don’t.” I hold up my hand to stop whatever is about to fly out of their mouths. “Let’s try this again. Would you like something to eat?” It doesn’t take more than their grins and the “you” that is made to sound like a cough to make me realize that I have again stuck my foot in my mouth with these dirty-dirty minded rockers. “Something that is prepared in the kitchen,” I state with a grin. I can’t help but laugh.
“Kitchen table?” Cole asks.
“Counter?” Gavin pipes in.
“I’m thinking up against the fridge,” Tristan adds.
I just grin and shake my head. Their antics will not work on me, but I need to get used to their brand of teasing. I head toward the kitchen, stopping by the door, I turn. “I’ll just see what I can come up with,” I say over my shoulder. The ruckus I hear could only mean that they are following me. I reach the kitchen and all three of them take a seat at the island. “I’m actually a decent cook,” I say, breaking the ice.
“Really?” Cole asks. At least I think he’s Cole. I need to do some Google work on my new electronics and make sure I have them correct. “How about chicken and dumplings? My mom used to make them all the time growing up.”
“I can do that,” I smile.
“Wait, fried chicken,” Tristan moans as he licks his lips.
“Cake. What I wouldn’t give for a piece of chocolate cake.” Gavin licks his lips.
“Yes, yes, and yes. I just need to see if we have all of the ingredients. I don’t think we need all of that right now, so I’ll start with you. Cole, right?” I ask pointing at him.
“Fuck yes!” He fist pumps the air.
“Didn’t you just spend two weeks at your parents? Didn’t your mom make that for you?” Gavin questions him.
“Yes, but it’s my favorite,” he whines.
“I promise that each of you will get your favorite. We can take turns each day. I have everything I need for dumplings, so let’s do that today.” I feel like I’m babysitting. The only difference is that these guys, all three of them, scream sexy rock star. Each of them is covered in ink, and it takes my thoughts to Michael, his arms hovering above me, wrapped around me. I shake off the memory and get to work.
As I start on lunch, the guys turn on the radio to a pop station. I’m shocked that it’s not rock, but keep my opinion to myself. I don’t know the song, but it has a nice beat to it. I’m standing at the stove, dropping balls of Bisquick into the boiling chicken broth when I feel strong hands grip my waist. Looking over my shoulder, I see Cole. He smiles and winks as he moves our hips to the beat.
“I’m a little busy here.” I try to sound annoyed but fail.
“Loosen up, girl,” he replies as he spins me around.
I reach over and turn down the heat on the stove and drop the fork I was using into the Bisquick bowl. Cole begins to move his body with mine and he’s got rhythm. I humor him and sway my hips to the beat. Tristan and Gavin whistle and cheer us on. As soon as the song is over, I push him away. “If I don’t pay attention, lunch will be ruined.”
“Back off, man. I’m fucking starving!” Tristan yells at Cole.
Raising his hands in the air, he laughs, “Okay, sheesh.”
They leave me alone to finish lunch. I serve each of them a heaping bowl of chicken and dumplings and watch as they devour it. “I vote we never eat takeout again, not when we have Logan,” Gavin says as he shovels another bite into his mouth.
Tristan and Cole nod in agreement, mimicking Gavin as they shovel in another bite.
I make myself a small bowl and stand leaning against the counter to eat. I finish just as the guys finish with their second helping. They surprise me when they each rinse off their dishes and place them in the dishwasher. I make quick work of the rest of the dishes, wipe off the counters, and call it good.
I follow their voices to the living room where they are playing Call of Duty. Tristan offers me to play and I accept. They all stare at me with their mouths hanging open when they see I actually know what I’m doing. “I have a younger brother,” I explain.
“Fuck, that’s hot!” Gavin says.
I turn to look at him, eyebrows raised in question.
“A gorgeous girl like yourself who can cook and plays Call of Duty, will you marry me?”
I laugh but his face is serious. “You know you would miss playing the field. Do you really want to break all those groupies’ hearts?” I ask him.
“The ladies do love me.” He winks.
The rest of the afternoon is spent with the four of us playing video games and just getting to know each other. I feel comfortable with them and that’s a relief. Now I just need to get past this Kacen character, hope he lets me keep my job and all will be good.
“Looks like you all are getting along,” Cassidy says from the doorway. “Sorry, Logan. The delivery was late,” she explains.
I don’t take my eyes from the screen; I don’t want to give Cole the upper hand and beat me. “I hope you got everything taken care of.”
“Finally, yes. I also received a call from the driver I scheduled to pick Kacen up from the airport. He should be here any time.”
The butterflies in my stomach take flight. I’m nervous that he’s going to let me go. I send up a silent prayer that he gives me the chance to prove myself.
“Perfect,” I hear a deep voice reply. Looking over at the door, I see that it’s Mr. Jones. I relax a little knowing he’s here. I can only hope he can help convince Kacen to give me a shot.
“Got ya!” Cole cheers.
Shit! I got distracted. Oh, well, better to not be engrossed in video games when the boss man gets here. I hand my controller off to Gavin, standing to stretch my legs.
A loud buzzer rings through the house. “That should be him,” Mr. Jones stares down the three band members. “Best behavior, I mean it,” he scolds them.
A round of sure things and you betcha’s are chorused. I hear the front door open and footsteps down the hall. I know Mr. Jones said I still have a job, but I brace myself for that to not be the case. I hear the deep rumble of voices in the hall as Mr. Jones explains me, and the misunderstanding. My back is to the door, so I don’t seem him walk in; however, I stand when I hear footsteps.
“Kacen, this is your new personal assistant, Logan Andrews. Logan, this is your new boss, Kacen Warren.”
“Holy shit!” the words fly out of my mouth before I can stop them.
“Paige,” his gruff voice calls out to me.
“Michael?” I breathe his name, not understanding what’s going on here.
Mr. Triple T, my one-night stand, hottest sex of my life, is my new boss.
Chapter 8