brief
80
Rachel Clark
affair or happy fling was fine when both partners had no expectations.
But with Edwina, at least for Brian, things were different.
She snuffled softly and started to snore, and he smiled at the
reminder that she wasn’t perfect. She was real and opinionated and
sassy, and she challenged them at every turn. Life with Edwina would
never be dull.
His thoughts drifted to an unlikely future, but he couldn’t help but
picture Edwina swollen with their child. As brothers all involved with one woman, they wouldn’t know who’d actually fathered the child,
but he knew their son would be loved wholeheartedly by all of them.
And his parents would be thrilled to finally have a grandchild.
“Asleep?” Kieran asked from the doorway.
Brian glanced briefly at his brother, nodded once and then went
back to watching the woman snoring softly in his arms. “She’s the
one, isn’t she?”
Kieran stepped into the room, switched off the movie that was all
but forgotten, and then sat down on the coffee table where he could
see Edwina’s face. “Yes, she is,” he answered quietly. “But I’m not
sure we’ll ever be able to convince her of that.”
“Maybe we need to try harder,” Brian said as a plan began to form
in the back of his brain. “We have eight months to convince her that
she belongs with us.”
Kieran nodded but didn’t look very hopeful. “Either way, win or
lose, I suspect it is going to be a very long eight months.” Brian went back to watching Edwina’s face. Considering some of her earlier
comments, they were going to need every one of those eight long
months.
* * * *
Edwina woke to the smell of frying bacon. She sniffed
appreciatively and only then realized that her head was resting on
someone’s thigh. She wriggled until she could see the owner of the
Edwina and the Seven Snowed-in Scientists
81
muscular appendage but frowned when she realized it belonged to
Kieran.
“Relax,” he ordered as she tried to sit up. “I’m not going to attack.
You just looked uncomfortable the way you were laying.”
She wanted to melt at his bossy tone, and that just pissed her off
even more. “Yeah, well next time grab me a pillow.” She managed to
wriggle into a sitting position despite his halfhearted attempt to hold her down.
He watched her for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully,
but then something seemed to snap and he growled, “How about next
time I just spank your ass instead.” He stood up and stalked from the room without looking back. Edwina closed her eyes and thanked
whatever deity was looking out for her. If Kieran had gotten one good look at her, one small inkling on how much the idea of being spanked
by him turned her on, she had no doubt she’d be over his knee right at this moment. She shivered and pulled the blanket closer.
“You’re lucky he was too angry to smell your arousal.” Edwina’s
eyes flew open, and she gaped at Brian, her mouth working like a fish out of water. Words eluded her, but she managed a small smile when
he put two cups of steaming coffee on the low table in front of her and sat down beside her. He brushed a soft kiss against her temple. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
She managed a mumbled good morning as she reached for the
steaming caffeine boost. “He hates me.” The words were out before
she was really thinking clearly, and she cringed internally when Brian laughed.
“Nope, if he hated you, he wouldn’t want to spank your ass.”
He didn’t hate her? Why not? She’d certainly given him enough
reasons. It didn’t help that she was hopelessly attracted to him even though she didn’t want to be. Even now she could feel the empty ache
that Kieran and Jake had managed to fill for so brief a time yesterday.
82
Rachel Clark
She shook her head—hard. She was yearning for things she
couldn’t have. It wasn’t like her, and it was just one more thing to add to the list of things
80
Rachel Clark
affair or happy fling was fine when both partners had no expectations.
But with Edwina, at least for Brian, things were different.
She snuffled softly and started to snore, and he smiled at the
reminder that she wasn’t perfect. She was real and opinionated and
sassy, and she challenged them at every turn. Life with Edwina would
never be dull.
His thoughts drifted to an unlikely future, but he couldn’t help but
picture Edwina swollen with their child. As brothers all involved with one woman, they wouldn’t know who’d actually fathered the child,
but he knew their son would be loved wholeheartedly by all of them.
And his parents would be thrilled to finally have a grandchild.
“Asleep?” Kieran asked from the doorway.
Brian glanced briefly at his brother, nodded once and then went
back to watching the woman snoring softly in his arms. “She’s the
one, isn’t she?”
Kieran stepped into the room, switched off the movie that was all
but forgotten, and then sat down on the coffee table where he could
see Edwina’s face. “Yes, she is,” he answered quietly. “But I’m not
sure we’ll ever be able to convince her of that.”
“Maybe we need to try harder,” Brian said as a plan began to form
in the back of his brain. “We have eight months to convince her that
she belongs with us.”
Kieran nodded but didn’t look very hopeful. “Either way, win or
lose, I suspect it is going to be a very long eight months.” Brian went back to watching Edwina’s face. Considering some of her earlier
comments, they were going to need every one of those eight long
months.
* * * *
Edwina woke to the smell of frying bacon. She sniffed
appreciatively and only then realized that her head was resting on
someone’s thigh. She wriggled until she could see the owner of the
Edwina and the Seven Snowed-in Scientists
81
muscular appendage but frowned when she realized it belonged to
Kieran.
“Relax,” he ordered as she tried to sit up. “I’m not going to attack.
You just looked uncomfortable the way you were laying.”
She wanted to melt at his bossy tone, and that just pissed her off
even more. “Yeah, well next time grab me a pillow.” She managed to
wriggle into a sitting position despite his halfhearted attempt to hold her down.
He watched her for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully,
but then something seemed to snap and he growled, “How about next
time I just spank your ass instead.” He stood up and stalked from the room without looking back. Edwina closed her eyes and thanked
whatever deity was looking out for her. If Kieran had gotten one good look at her, one small inkling on how much the idea of being spanked
by him turned her on, she had no doubt she’d be over his knee right at this moment. She shivered and pulled the blanket closer.
“You’re lucky he was too angry to smell your arousal.” Edwina’s
eyes flew open, and she gaped at Brian, her mouth working like a fish out of water. Words eluded her, but she managed a small smile when
he put two cups of steaming coffee on the low table in front of her and sat down beside her. He brushed a soft kiss against her temple. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
She managed a mumbled good morning as she reached for the
steaming caffeine boost. “He hates me.” The words were out before
she was really thinking clearly, and she cringed internally when Brian laughed.
“Nope, if he hated you, he wouldn’t want to spank your ass.”
He didn’t hate her? Why not? She’d certainly given him enough
reasons. It didn’t help that she was hopelessly attracted to him even though she didn’t want to be. Even now she could feel the empty ache
that Kieran and Jake had managed to fill for so brief a time yesterday.
82
Rachel Clark
She shook her head—hard. She was yearning for things she
couldn’t have. It wasn’t like her, and it was just one more thing to add to the list of things
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