We lunged at each other at about the same time and went tumbling to the ground in a ball of arms and legs. No matter how much he pissed me off, I’d never actually hurt him; he was my kid brother. I pushed up and grabbed him in a headlock only for him to twist out of it and gain the upper hand, breaking away and reversing our positions.
Laughter from the doorway had my head swinging around to find Ellie-May almost doubled over, holding her stomach and pointing at us. Amelia, however, was nowhere in sight. I rolled over and groaned.
“You two buffoons just handed her to Braxton on a silver platter while y’all rolled around and played who has the biggest penis.” She was laughing so hard by that point, she had tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t say penis,” Austin grouched at Ellie. She was the youngest of us all and we were not only fiercely protective of her, we also tended to forget she was almost twenty years old.
Braxton lead me outside onto the porch as the sun was setting. The sky to the west blazed with pink and orange clouds, bathing the acres of surrounding land in a gentle, golden light. I’d honestly never seen a sunset so pretty before in my life.
"Sorry, they get kinda intense whenever there's a female around who isn't related to us," Braxton said, leaning against the banister of the porch steps. I stood opposite and took him in.
His honey-wheat blond hair, spiked up in all directions, was clearly not purposely styled that way. It was the style of a busy cowboy who had ran his hands through his hair more than once. Probably in frustration at his brothers antics. A light stubble kissed his jawline, dusting his golden skin with the most delicious scruff. I wanted to touch it just to see if it was as soft as it looked. His eyes were what really grabbed my attention though; stormy blue with tiny flecks of mossy green that you wouldn’t notice if you weren’t looking hard enough, but it wasn’t just the color that pulled me in. There was a gentleness behind his gaze, one his brothers didn't have.
I didn’t know why, but I felt like I'd known Braxton all my life, when in reality, that couldn't be further from the truth. Maybe it was the fact I'd been here a total of one day, and already these strangers had shown me more kindness than every member of my family had my entire life, or maybe I’d just hit my head harder than I thought.
Braxton gave me a nervous smile, probably because I was staring like a total creeper. I saw a flash of teeth and his whole face transformed as he gave me a megawatt smile.
Christ, can these boys get anymore damn edible?
I leaned back against the banister opposite him and my eyes, of their own violation, did a quick sweep of his muscled chest clearly defined by the black tank that was plastered to him like a second skin. As he crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps bulged out further. I swallowed and averted my eyes quickly when he cleared his throat. He was clearly more than aware of the effect he had on me, but rather than be an ass, he just smirked and dropped his gaze to the ground at my bare feet.
“It’s gorgeous out here.” I glanced over at the last remnants of light ducking below the horizon in the distance.
“Mhmm, it really is something else.”
Destry chose that exact moment to come stomping out and gave Braxton a death glare that would have had me taking a step back. Braxton, however, didn’t move except to stand up taller and hold his ground.
I burst out laughing at the display of testosterone, and walked back up to the house shaking my head. I had no idea what was wrong with these guys, but damn if I didn’t want to find out. They’d made me laugh more in the last few hours than I had in a long time. Destry though, I was still wary of. I had the other two fairly figured out. Braxton was the sweet one. Austin was the flirt, but Destry, he was still a mystery. Yet my first impression about him being a cocky ass was lingering in the back of my mind. I had a feeling I was going to like it here regardless.
X X X
Curled up on the worn leather sofa only an hour after tonight’s testosterone tug-of-war, I hugged my mug of hot cocoa to my chest with a sigh. It was the best damn cocoa I’d ever had.
“Mmmm,” I sighed and laid my head back against the soft cushioning behind me. The liquid chocolate wafted up, soothing me and making me feel warm and comfortable. The only sounds were the crickets chirping outside the large double windows. It was so comforting; my eyes closed briefly.
“Good, huh?” Destry’s voice caught me by surprise, making me jump a little. I looked over to see him leaning casually against the doorframe with his ankles crossed and a small smirk playing on his lips as he raised his own mug up to his mouth and took a sip. The man was pure unadulterated sex on a stick; there wasn’t a single inch of him that wasn’t solid, hard muscle. His muscles beckoned to me, taunting me to lean in and lick and bite. I felt my cheeks warm when his gaze landed on me; he’d clearly caught me ogling him and found it funny. I tucked my bare feet further up under myself and looked down at my mug.
“You made this?” I asked a little surprised. I assumed it was a Braxton, since he’d been the one to hand it to me before he went to bed. I didn’t even realize anybody was still awake; I was so lost in the peaceful quiet of the big old house.
“Sure I did.” He pushed off the doorframe and walked over to a big over-stuffed reclining chair, dropping down into it and filling the entire thing, making it seem as if it were tiny.
I knew I was supposed to say something but I was transfixed with the way his arms looked in his navy blue cotton t-shirt, the way it pulled tight across his broad shoulders and defined chest. His arms looked like they were close to tearing the sleeves in two. He was without a doubt, the sexiest man I’d come across, and he didn’t have to do anything to flaunt it; it was a natural kind of good looking. His strong jaw sporting the five o’clock shadow would make any sane woman want to nibble on it. His eyes were a striking blue with nearly invisible gold flecks; they were bright yet they held a guarded curiosity. Destry cleared his throat, snapping me back to the now; he was looking at me expectantly, so I’d clearly missed whatever it was he had been saying while I made a fool of myself gawking at him.