Chapter One
“Watch out, Nate. That thing’s lethal.” Evan burst
out laughing as the chainsaw blade bounced off the tree stump and onto the
grass, forcing his friend to cling on tight to the handle.
“Fucking thing has a mind of its own.” Nate turned the
chainsaw off and laid it down on the gravel path. “I reckon the trunk’s short
enough now to dig the roots out.” He picked up a spade that leaned against a
neighboring tree.
Evan grinned. “Maybe we need to take the two
remaining branches off.” He ran a hand over his forehead and took off the clear
framed, safety glasses he wore. After tossing them down on the grass, he pulled
off his T-shirt. Sweat trickled down between his muscled shoulders, and he
wiped the back of his neck with his shirt, a frown creasing his forehead. “It’s
already hot. Let’s get this finished.” He strode around Nate to the path, and
retrieved the chainsaw. Within a few moments, the tree stump stood devoid of the
remaining branches.
Nate shook his head at Evan. “You should be wearing
the glasses and the gloves I gave you.”
Evan grunted. “It’s done. Don’t fuss.”
Nate grinned broadly at his friend’s gung-ho
dismissal. “Hey, it’s not fussing. A flying sharp splinter could take your eye
out.”
Evan’s returning grin held affection. “Yeah, I
know, I just wanted it done.” He placed the power tool on the path and picked
up one of the bottles of water standing next to Nate’s supply of work gloves
and safety glasses. He poured some over his face and then took a drink. “Warm.”
He grimaced at Nate, put the bottle down, and picked up a spade.
Nate shrugged and then drove the edge of his spade into
the soil around the tree.
Evan joined him digging silently at the base of the
tree stump.
The tree grew on the edge of their garden, and
they’d had complaints from people because it dropped branches on the sidewalk. Nate
had dutifully hired a tree doctor who discovered disease caused by a virulent beetle
pest. The prognosis for the tree was bad. It needed cutting down, and the tree
doctor informed Nate they were lucky the other trees hadn’t contracted the
beetle.
The Saturday morning sun blazed in the June sky. Heat
shimmered off the sidewalk. Nate and Evan were the only people out in their
front yards. The noise of their work tools were the only sounds, as not even
the seagulls that often wheeled overhead ventured from the cool of the ocean
yet.
Nate and Evan’s house was one of the largest in the
rows of three story houses built along the river in a modern development unimaginatively
called Riverside Mews. Narrow lanes that led to the river path separated the
rows. Somehow, patches of white sand always settled on the paths, though the
nearest beach was a mile away. Each house had its own river access, through a
gate at the end of the back yard to a riverbank public path, but there was no
boat access, no jetties. The public path wound along by the river from the seaside
town close by and on into the countryside. The house to the right of Nate and
Evan’s place was occupied by a small family, but the house to the left had been
empty and for sale all year.
The roar of a large van engine broke the hot,
morning silence as it turned into the street and thumped over each speed hump
in the road, until it drew up in front of the empty house next door.
Nate gave the van a cursory glance, but Evan leaned
on his spade and watched as two men leapt out of each side of the van. He read
the name of a removal firm and their logo emblazoned across the side of the
vehicle and discovered it was from a city in the north of the state. It piqued
his interest, so he continued with his unashamed staring.
The men who’d alighted from the cab walked to the
back of the van and opened its double doors, just as a pale blue, old model
Mustang drove up and parked a short distance away.
A young woman got out of the Mustang.
Evan liked her shapely body right away. He
straightened up for a better view and admired the swing of her hips. Without
taking his eyes off her, he murmured to Nate. “Check her out.”
Nate stopped hacking at the sun-baked soil around the
remaining tree trunk and looked around. He gazed at the young woman for a few
seconds and then turned back to his job. “Sexy. Don’t stare.”
Evan resumed digging, but he stole glances as the
two workers unloaded the items from the removal van. When the young woman
walked up her front path, Evan took in the attractive sight of her thighs in
the cutoff jeans she wore, and then raised his gaze to her pretty face.
Her eyes met his.
Evan’s stomach muscles clenched. Surprise at the
reaction in his gut and a shock of sexual attraction spiked through him.
The young woman’s expression held a hungry, lonely
look that woke dormant emotions deep inside him.
****
She’d been halfway down the street, when Annabel
saw the two guys working in their front yard. She took in the muscled torso of
the guy who openly stared at the moving van, and the hard bottom of the guy
digging. They’re yummy.
Edgy with pent up sexual energy, Annabel longed for
a man in her life. The summer heat didn’t help. She eyed every guy with his
shirt off. Every couple kissing on the beach or in the park as she walked caught
her attention. In the six months since she’d split with her then boyfriend, she
missed sex the most. She didn’t miss his moods and his lazy ass around her
apartment. She didn’t miss waiting up for him at night, hoping he’d make love
to her, only to find he’d sleep on the couch. When he’d confessed he’d found
someone else, a kind of relief had flooded her. She wanted something different,
real love, a passion so consuming she’d be rocked by it.
Annabel checked out the two gorgeous guys working
in their garden again. She knew “bare chest guy” said something about her to “gorgeous
denim clad ass” because he immediately looked around at her. She gazed back at
the one whose admiring stare sent waves of pleasure through her as she went up
the path to her new house. A huge pull of attraction to the men startled her, and
as she opened her front door, she considered them. They’re so hot, wonder if they’re single. Maybe they don’t even live
there. Maybe they’re gardeners. I hope not. I hope they live there. Even if we’re
only friends, they’re someone beautiful to look at.
Her house waited cool and quiet. She raced through
it, relishing the space, and the white walls where the sunlight bounced back
and dazzled her as she pulled up the roller blinds. She opened the patio doors
and dashed out, down the path, and through the gate to the riverside. The water,
dappled in brilliant greens, sailed by, looking cool and deep. The river widened
there on its way to the sea, and across it lay open countryside. Annabel had loved
the house as soon as she saw it. She loved the street, the funny little access
lanes, the palm trees in her back yard, and close to the lovely seaside town
where she’d found her new job, the house exuded a welcoming atmosphere. Everything
was perfect.
Annabel didn’t have much furniture and instructed
the removal men about where to place it. She’d dropped into the place a couple
of days before and turned on the built-in Westinghouse, piled bottled water in
there and two six packs of beer, and then looked out at the river. The street
had been silent, except for bird calls, and she’d assumed all the residents
were at work. She was on vacation. Annabel went to the fridge and took out two
bottles of water and two beers. She met the removal men in the hall as they
placed the last item of her furniture there, an old, solid oak hall table.
“I guess you two could use a drink.” She held the
bottles up against her chest, and as she handed them to the men, damp patches
appeared on her T-shirt from the condensation on the bottles.
The younger of the two men gawked at her nipples
peaking in the dampness and the cool of the air-con.
Annabel folded her arms over her breasts as she realized
this. She gave them a polite smile. “Thank you. You’ve done a good job.” She directed
a question at the removal man who’d taken charge of the proceedings, “Anything
for me to sign?”
“I need to get the paperwork from the van.” They
both turned to leave.
She followed them out of the door. As she walked
down her path, she glanced over at the neighboring garden. Her breathing
quickened at the sight of the gorgeous guys, both without shirts now, as they
tugged at the tree stump. She hurriedly signed the form the removal man handed to
her on a clipboard, and remained on the sidewalk as he and his assistant got in
the van and started the engine. The van pulled away from the curb.
Annabel sauntered back to her front door. The noise
of the van engine must have caught the attention of her possible neighbors. They
both stopped work to look. She took the opportunity. With a smile, Annabel
stepped across her lawn and crossed the narrow path to stand a short distance
from the two men working in their garden.
“Hi, I’m Annabel, I’ve just moved in.” She waved at
her new house unnecessarily, and continued, “Do you live here, are we neighbors?”
As she said this, her gaze traveled over the naked torsos of first one man and
then the other. Their faded and ripped jeans rode low on their hips. The taller
man’s jeans hung especially low and a hint of his dark pubic hair showed.
Annabel could hardly take her eyes off his hard stomach. Licking her lips, she
tore her gaze away to look into the other man’s eyes as he shielded them from
the sun with a gloved hand.
He’s
lovely. Holy hell they’re gorgeous, both of them. I couldn’t choose one. I wouldn’t
… it’d be both … if possible…Annabel waited for an answer,
heart pounding. Being so close to such perfect specimens of manhood played havoc
with her condensation-primed nipples, and she crossed her arms to hide the obvious
hard peaks.
One of the men answered. His eyes held a smile, his
voice, deep and breathtakingly sexy.
“Hi, yes, we live here. I’m Evan, this is Nate,” and
he gestured at his companion.
Nate took off his work glove and offered his hand
to Annabel.
She shook his hand, looking into his blue-gray eyes.
Annabel soaked up the texture of Nate’s skin and the sexual heat in his
expression. She enjoyed the quick clench that occurred in her pussy as he smiled
invitingly. He’s delicious.
“Hi Annabel, it’s good to meet you.”
Then Evan offered his hand.
She left Nate’s sensual grasp reluctantly and put
her hand into Evan’s. He cradled it, and his fingertips skimmed the inside of
her wrist. The effect was so sexy her pussy drenched her panties. Fuck, I’d like to drag him down onto the grass and do wild things. It
made her smile a little, when the thought, with
both of them, popped into her head.
Evan gently let go of her hand as he spoke. “We
didn’t think the house would ever be sold. These places go quickly usually, but
that one lingered all year.”
Unable to help herself, Annabel stared wistfully at
his lips and then into his eyes. Are they
single? She questioned inwardly, but said, “I can’t think why it took so
long to sell, but I’m glad it did, so that I could buy it. I love the place.”
Evan smiled. “We love it here. Close to our work,
close to beaches, great place. If you need a hand with moving in let us know.”
A thrill of pleasure coursed through her at his kind
offer. “Everything heavy is in place. The removal guys did that. I just have
boxes to unpack. It’s a warm day. Do you want to come over for a cold drink
when you’ve finished that job?” She nodded at the tree stump. “I’ll probably
know if there’s anything I need help with by then, and need a break. Thank you
so much for offering.” She glanced at Nate as she said this to make sure he knew
she meant them both.
Nate answered. “Love to.”
She smiled at him. He’s so lovely. Both men had dark hair and blue eyes. Are they brothers? It’s too soon to ask. “Great,
I’ll let you get on with digging out the tree.”
She left them and crossed the path to her house.
Her heart beating fast, elated by the encounter, she sighed with longing. They’re both so attractive and seriously
sexy. Imagine making out with one of them, or both. I definitely couldn’t
choose which one. I’m desperate to kiss Evan or Nate, yeah … desperate.
****
Evan watched her walk away, and when she’d gone
into her house, he let out a low whistle.
“She flirted with me. Did you see that, Nate? She
kept looking at me and licking her lips.”
Nate stared at him for a moment. “She looked right
into my eyes with meaning when I said
we’d go around for a drink. I actually felt it in my balls. She’s hot. I might
ask her out.”
A twinge of annoyance put a fleeting frown on
Evan’s face. “I might ask her out.”
Then he softened. “We’ll have to share her.”
With a laugh, Nate gave him a playful thump on the
arm. “Let’s get this tree stump dealt with, and then we’ll go around to her
place, and make ourselves indispensable.”
Evan accepted what Nate said, but as he dug, he determined
that at the first moment an opportunity arose, he’d ask Annabel out. She
sparked something in him. A deep need floated in his heart, and it made him
want to see her again soon. Just set eyes on her.
Copyright Elodie
Parkes, Evernight Publishing
