Page 13 of Claim Her
He shoves Jasper behind him and Alec in front, so I awkwardly shuffle between these tall men, feeling small and out of place. Of all the times I could’ve dropped by, I chose the time they were having a family gathering.
Turning to Jameson, I give him a soft smile. “I really just came here to drop these.”
He takes the box from me and gives it to Jasper, who immediately opens it and dramatically inhales the smell. “God, this smells good.”
“The least we can do is offer refreshments. We have a sweet tooth, so consider this some sort of bribe for you know, when you accidentally bake extras in the future.” Jameson winks, and I have to tamp down the urge to giggle and blush like a schoolgirl. “Take a seat, Zara.”
I sink onto the nearest sofa and almost yelp when I shift my gaze and find one more guy on the other end. He doesn’t say anything, but he gives me a sharp, tight nod before frowning at whatever he sees on his phone. His black hair is cropped close to his scalp, and he’s clearly the biggest among them—taller and wider by far than Alec.
Jasper points an empty cup at him. “He’s Justin, my twin.”
“Twin?”
Surprise must have shown on my face because Jasper chuckles. “I know, right? How can someone who looks like him share the same womb at the same time as me?”
Justin ignores Jasper, which earns him another chuckle. “See? Among the four of us, you have two grumps and two charming men. Our parents strove for balance, you see.”
Jameson has a hint of a smile before he asks, “Tea or coffee?”
“Oh, uhm. Coffee.”
“We have Americano, macchiato, latte, cappuccino.”
In the presence of these guys, I even forget how I take my coffee. Fortunately, I didn’t forget my own name. “Latte. No, wait. Americano. No, it’s too late and I might not be able to sleep. Just cappuccino, please.”
“Am I going to throw you into another round of confusion if I ask what kind of milk you prefer?”
“Alec keeps different milks?” I throw an accusing stare at him, just as both Jasper and Jameson roar with laughter.
“Oh, you assholes.” Alec glares at his brothers, but while that may have intimidated others, it has the opposite effect. Jasper and Jameson glare back, then laugh again.
I feel myself relax. I’ve only just met them, but I already feel comfortable around them, except Justin. He doesn’t really talk that much, but when Jasper sets the cupcakes on the coffee table, he grabs one and shoves it into his mouth. The biggest compliment is probably him grabbing two more.
Alec sits across from me, but his eyes never leave my face. When Jasper stands in front of him and motions for him to move beside me, Alec’s lips flatten before he ambles toward me and slumps beside me, putting himself between me and Justin.
My entire body tenses as I remember how it feels to kiss him. Alec stiffens too, and we both sit side by side, our backs ramrod straight, not talking to each other. All he has to do is reach out and grab my hand and I’ll melt into a pile of lusty mush.
Jameson notices the tension because he shifts his gaze from me to Alec and back to me. “This is seriously good, Zara. Is this what you do for a living?”
I lift the cup of coffee and take a sip before answering, “No. Just something I like to do in my free time.”
“You should open up a bakery,” Jasper says between mouthfuls of cupcakes.
“Can you at least swallow before talking? It’s disgusting.” Alec frowns and grabs one cupcake from the plate. He finishes it in two bites and turns to me. “It is good.”
My insides lurch, and I hide my smile by sipping more coffee.
“So how did you meet my brother?” Jameson asks. He’s the only one not stuffing his face with the cupcake. “Not because you’re neighbors because I’d bet Alec here doesn’t make friends with his neighbors.”
Two pairs of blue eyes stare at me intently, and I feel so conscious of their attention. “He helped me carry my books when the elevator broke down.”
“Has the elevator ever worked?”
“It did when I first moved here.”
“Damn. I keep telling him to move somewhere else, but he likes it here.” Jameson tilts his head to Alec. “Why do YOU like it here?”
We all look at Alec in unison, who pinches the bridge of his nose. “I just do. It’s peaceful and quiet.”