I let him into the Drive By and locked the door so we could talk in peace. There he stood, in all his hunky glory, his gym pants hugging his round ass, his hair scraped back into an unselfconscious ponytail.
He greeted me with one of his amazing, soft kisses. He was a fucking catch, no doubt about it. All thoughts of marrying Win, Brose, or Nat exited my mind as that familiar throb between my legs said hello.
“What brings you by?” I asked, continuing to unload beer bottles from their boxes into the cooler behind the bar. If I kept busy, he wouldn’t see what a wreck I was.
He settled into a stool and watched me work. “Could I get some water?” he asked. Maybe he was nervous?
I slid him a glass, and, suddenly parched, grabbed one for myself.
“So,” he started, “the guys and I all met this morning.”
What? They met? What about? Were they all dumping me? Shit. I knew it. I was going to end up with no one. No guy, no money, and no goddamn future.
Oh Grandpa, why did you have to mess with me to begin with? My life would have been fine without dangling five million dollars I couldn’t possibly quality for right in front of my face. I was happy in my generally mediocre existence. There was no need to push me into the miserable category.
I guess my face gave me away. “Wait, wait, Garnet. It’s not like that. We’re not ganging up on you,” Linc said.
Damn, he really did read my mind. Another reason to love—I mean like—him.
I was moments from vomiting.
“We—all four of us—talked for a long time about our arrangement, and what you need to do to inherit Cordy’s estate. You’ve been given the opportunity of a lifetime, and you can’t let this slip through your fingers.”
“I’m trying not to let it slip through my fingers, Linc, you know that. But maybe it’s just not meant to be. I invited all four of you to move into the house so I could see which guy I was best suited to be with. And…I fell for all of you.”
“Garnet, you have to choose. Pick one of us. We’ll understand. We all want you to be happy, and we all want you to have the money, the estate, and to be able to realize your dreams. This is your chance to quit living hand to mouth, buried in debt with no way out.”
His compassion was my undoing. I slammed the cooler door shut as my shoulders heaved and the tears began to flow—again. Really, I was getting tired of crying over this stupid, asinine situation. I didn’t ask for it, and I didn’t need it.
Linc came around the end of the bar, and I buried my face in his shoulder—so warm and comforting, smelling like—well, him. It was funny. I’d gotten to where I could almost identify all the guys by their scents, all wonderful and different in subtle but unique ways.
“Don’t be sad, baby. It will work out. We won’t let you down.”
Well. That just made me cry harder. What had I done to earn the affection of the four most amazing men I’d ever known? Surely, I didn’t deserve a one of them.
“Baby.” Linc had hooked his finger under my chin and turned my face up toward his. With is broad thumb, he pushed the tears off my face and then lowered his mouth to mine.
God, how could everything feel almost all right, so damn fast?
His lips brushed over mine, sweeping away some, if not all, of my anxieties, and when I was ready to respond, I parted my lips so we could taste and explore. I pulled back to face him.
God, he was gorgeous. I mean, all the guys were, but Linc had this sexy, quiet power about him. It was irresistible.
He pulled back.
“You’re worried.”
“I…yeah, maybe. I mean, I guess so,” I answered.
“Why?” he asked.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone. You included.”
“I think you’re scared,” he said. His eyes blazed into mine, his hands sliding down toward my waist, leaving a trail of fire behind them. “You’re afraid of what you’re feeling. It’s not just the inheritance. We’re all feeling it, too.”
And who wouldn’t be afraid of having feelings—strong, powerful feelings—for four men who not only knew each other but had also become friends. Practically brothers, really.
“Garnet, I’m falling for you. We all are, for Christ’s sake,” he said huskily.