leave; she loved that warm glow she got around them.
“We could teach you.” Kyle set up the meat slicer.
“You keep telling me. Astrophysics research, experiments, yes. Cooking, not so much.”
Jake shrugged, and the play of muscles on his arms made her want to lick him. “Just let us know.” He picked up a cutting board and knives and looked up at her. “Are you all right? Drinking enough water?”
She laughed. “I drank a gallon.”
“Barely enough in this heat. You like lemonade?”
“Sure.”
“Here,” Jake pulled a pitcher from one of the large refrigerators and poured her a glass.
Ellie blushed. “Thanks. You didn’t have to. You prepare food all day.”
“I don’t mind,” he murmured and began cutting.
She took a long drink of the lemonade. It was delicious.
“Did you get any blueberry pie?” Kyle asked as he sliced lunch meat.
“Oh, I don’t have any room left,” she protested.
“She eats like a bird,” Jake said quietly.
“I do not,” she protested. “I just…it’s pointless to eat dessert and ruin all the benefits of the weight I’ve lost hauling things around.”
Kyle snorted. “I’ll never understand the quest to be skinny.”
“You wouldn’t,” she grumbled under her breath, though she saw Jake grin. She finished her lemonade, trying to not be obvious about watching both of their muscles work. Kyle was shorter than Jake but several inches taller than her, built more broadly in the shoulder and with heavier muscles. Jake was a little leaner, his skin was darker, and he had longer hair than hers or Kyle’s. Jake was quiet, he seemed to usually let Kyle take the lead.
Ellie shook her head. She couldn’t just stand there and think about them bending her over right there on the counter. That led to thinking about them all living together in a homestead. The thought of being “Little Physicist on the Prairie” almost made her laugh aloud.
After moving to the sink, Ellie washed her plate. By the time she was done, Jake and Kyle were cleaning up.
Jake moved so quietly she didn’t hear him. Then he was next to her, washing his hands. Her heart thudded, and she struggled to catch her breath. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to launch herself right onto the man.
When Kyle came around the other side, she slipped away. With both of them next to her, she didn’t know if she’d be able to keep her hands off them, and there was no way she was going to embarrass herself like that.
“Well, you guys have a good night.” She bolted out the door.
“Oh. Good night, Ellie.”
“Night, Ellie.”
~* * *~
“Was she running away from us?”
Jake folded his arms. “You scared her off.”
“Me? I’m not the one who was all, ‘Would you like some lemonade?’ No, that didn’t spook her.”
“You were about to force feed her pie.”
“I was just offering.” Kyle tugged his apron off.
“She does run away from us though.” Jake and Kyle headed outside. “Why do we scare her?”
“We’ve never gone feral in front of her.”
“We should talk to the old woman.”
“Why?”
“Well, she said it was all right to have relationships with other interns, so long as we let them take the lead. But Ellie runs.”
“I don’t get it. She’s giving all the signs. She watches us like a hungry—”
“Maybe just one of us should—”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re happy to volunteer,” Kyle snarled.
“Well, you could too. I think both of us hitting on her is intimidating.”
“It’s either both of us, or you and I are going to have to fight it out the old fashioned way.”
“Yeah, let’s not.” Jake shook out his dark hair.
“I mean, if she picks one of us, that’s different.”
“Of course.”
“All right,” Kyle sighed. “Let’s go talk to Moira. This is killing me. I can’t take another day of Ellie hanging out in here with us. She’ll give me one of those looks, and I’ll have her right there on the countertop.”
Jake
“We could teach you.” Kyle set up the meat slicer.
“You keep telling me. Astrophysics research, experiments, yes. Cooking, not so much.”
Jake shrugged, and the play of muscles on his arms made her want to lick him. “Just let us know.” He picked up a cutting board and knives and looked up at her. “Are you all right? Drinking enough water?”
She laughed. “I drank a gallon.”
“Barely enough in this heat. You like lemonade?”
“Sure.”
“Here,” Jake pulled a pitcher from one of the large refrigerators and poured her a glass.
Ellie blushed. “Thanks. You didn’t have to. You prepare food all day.”
“I don’t mind,” he murmured and began cutting.
She took a long drink of the lemonade. It was delicious.
“Did you get any blueberry pie?” Kyle asked as he sliced lunch meat.
“Oh, I don’t have any room left,” she protested.
“She eats like a bird,” Jake said quietly.
“I do not,” she protested. “I just…it’s pointless to eat dessert and ruin all the benefits of the weight I’ve lost hauling things around.”
Kyle snorted. “I’ll never understand the quest to be skinny.”
“You wouldn’t,” she grumbled under her breath, though she saw Jake grin. She finished her lemonade, trying to not be obvious about watching both of their muscles work. Kyle was shorter than Jake but several inches taller than her, built more broadly in the shoulder and with heavier muscles. Jake was a little leaner, his skin was darker, and he had longer hair than hers or Kyle’s. Jake was quiet, he seemed to usually let Kyle take the lead.
Ellie shook her head. She couldn’t just stand there and think about them bending her over right there on the counter. That led to thinking about them all living together in a homestead. The thought of being “Little Physicist on the Prairie” almost made her laugh aloud.
After moving to the sink, Ellie washed her plate. By the time she was done, Jake and Kyle were cleaning up.
Jake moved so quietly she didn’t hear him. Then he was next to her, washing his hands. Her heart thudded, and she struggled to catch her breath. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to launch herself right onto the man.
When Kyle came around the other side, she slipped away. With both of them next to her, she didn’t know if she’d be able to keep her hands off them, and there was no way she was going to embarrass herself like that.
“Well, you guys have a good night.” She bolted out the door.
“Oh. Good night, Ellie.”
“Night, Ellie.”
~* * *~
“Was she running away from us?”
Jake folded his arms. “You scared her off.”
“Me? I’m not the one who was all, ‘Would you like some lemonade?’ No, that didn’t spook her.”
“You were about to force feed her pie.”
“I was just offering.” Kyle tugged his apron off.
“She does run away from us though.” Jake and Kyle headed outside. “Why do we scare her?”
“We’ve never gone feral in front of her.”
“We should talk to the old woman.”
“Why?”
“Well, she said it was all right to have relationships with other interns, so long as we let them take the lead. But Ellie runs.”
“I don’t get it. She’s giving all the signs. She watches us like a hungry—”
“Maybe just one of us should—”
“Oh, I’m sure you’re happy to volunteer,” Kyle snarled.
“Well, you could too. I think both of us hitting on her is intimidating.”
“It’s either both of us, or you and I are going to have to fight it out the old fashioned way.”
“Yeah, let’s not.” Jake shook out his dark hair.
“I mean, if she picks one of us, that’s different.”
“Of course.”
“All right,” Kyle sighed. “Let’s go talk to Moira. This is killing me. I can’t take another day of Ellie hanging out in here with us. She’ll give me one of those looks, and I’ll have her right there on the countertop.”
Jake
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