Page 17 of Delivered to My Fury (Mail-Order Matings #19)
Opal
They offered to drive my car to their home the second I mentioned being tired. “Would you like one of us to drive so you can relax?”
I started to protest, my usual reaction to men taking charge, but then I realized that this was not that. Not pushy, not insisting as if I was a woman who needed to be driven by superior men, just a kindness. And not only was I exhausted, but they knew the way. So, I went with gracious and grateful. “Yes, thank you. I would appreciate that.”
Eero drove while the others rode in a pickup with the Furious logo on the door, and when we got to their home, they carried my bags from the back seat and right up to a nice bedroom with a bouquet of rainbow-hued flowers on the dresser. They showed me around the room a little, opening the door to the attached bath.
“This is it. If you need anything, please let us know,” Shay said before they filed out, leaving me in the peaceful room alone.
That was the last I heard of the three men who had captured my heart with, well, everything about them. They were hardworking. Dedicated. All of them smart. Their house was clean but lived in.
The bedroom they let me stay in was sparse to say the least. There was a dresser, one nightstand, and a king-sized bed. The linens were new, as were the towels folded on a rack in the attached bathroom.
I hoped they didn’t go to a lot of trouble for me. Too tired to do more, I changed to a nightie, brushed my teeth, and slid between the crisp, cool sheets. Sleep came quickly, with no dreams I could remember.
The next morning, I woke up early. While I showered and brushed my teeth, I thought about the night before. They were kind and the food fantastic, but maybe I had been rash and thrown myself into their lives too soon. After all, they had been gracious about it, but it had been my idea to come. They might have felt like they couldn’t say no.
I got dressed in a pair of jeans and a soft, denim-blue sweater and went downstairs. There was only one way to find out if I’d come here by mistake or not.
Face them.
Before I reached the end of the hallway, I smelled bacon, eggs, and the warm bready scent of biscuits. These men ate well. If this worked out, and I hoped it did, I would eat like a queen for the rest of my life.
I peeked into the kitchen. “Good morning.”
All three of them were moving around a nice kitchen. There were butcher block countertops, and the cabinets were painted a mossy green. Shay stood flipping bacon and sausages on the island stovetop.
I pressed my hand against the hallway wall, steadying my melty knees. They were all beyond gorgeous, but in what seemed like their natural element, they called to me. It was more than lust. A point inside my chest was magnetized to all of them.
Eero looked up first, flashing me a toothy grin. When he did that, he looked like his other half, or so I suspected. “Good morning, Opal. How did you sleep?”
Shay and Zyon stopped what they were doing. All eyes were on me. “I slept well. Thank you. Better than I thought I would. Usually I have trouble sleeping in a new place, but I was fine.”
Zyon came over and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “We’re glad you were comfortable. Hope you’re hungry.”
“I am.”
They were dressed for work like yesterday. Casual. In jeans in varying shades and black polo shirts on with the brewery logo over their hearts. Even dressed for a regular work day, they were droolworthy.
While we ate, they talked about appointments and things that needed to be done. They worked like a perfectly oiled machine, bouncing ideas off each other. They even shared a digital calendar.
Zyon rubbed the back of his neck. “Opal, we were thinking…we hate to leave you alone in our house while we’re gone.”
“Oh”—I waved my hands in front of me—“it’s fine. I’ll find something to do. It sounds like all of you have a packed day. I brought my laptop. I can take care of some emails or something.”
They shared a look. I hoped that one day I knew them well enough to be able to read those wordless conversations. “One of us can stay with you,” Eero offered.
“No, no, no. Then that person is a day behind on work, and it just snowballs from there. Trust me. I’ll be fine. Unless…you’re worried I’ll uncover all your shifter and orc secrets.”
Zyon cracked up. “We have no secrets. But if you want to know more about orcs and shifters, all you have to do is ask, female. We’d tell you anything.”
“So, you three go to work, and I’ll see you tonight. You probably work late though, right? It’s the weekend. I’m sure the tavern is busy.”
Another look between them.
“She’s right,” Shay said, scrubbing his hand down his face. I had to admit, I wasn’t fine with not seeing them very much. I came here to get to know them.
They cleared away the breakfast makings, and Zyon filled the dishwasher and turned it on. It made him three times as sexy. I watched their bodies as they moved around each other like bumper cars that never did crash.
Their smiles had faded, though. Shay’s eyebrows were bunched. Eero’s mouth was downturned.
“I have an idea,” I blurted. Either I was about to make a fool of myself, or they would agree to my proposition.
“Do tell,” Eero said.
“How about I go with you? Someone can maybe give me a tour and I can watch you work? I’ll stay out of the way, I promise.” Time to admit the truth and take a chance on humiliation. “I really don’t want to wait until tonight to see you again.”
The last statement stopped everyone in their tracks.
“We don’t want to wait all day to see you either. Even if we did, we’d be distracted. A beautiful woman waiting for us at home? Trust me. Nothing would get done.” Shay knew how to flirt.
“I’ll grab my bag. I only got to see the tavern and a glance at the kitchen when we came in and went out last night. I want to see where the magic is made.”