Branding Gemma [Grizzly Pines 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (10 page)

“Your brother… the tattoo artist?” Elodie asked.

“Yes. He apparently met Gemma when she accompanied one of your men into town. That night and into the next morning, he talked about her quite a bit. Ever since that day, he hasn’t been with another woman, hasn’t gone to the bar, and hasn’t been to the strip club. If anything, he’s focused on his work and then comes straight home, where he mopes in front of the TV.”

“And you think Gemma is responsible for these changes?”

“I know she is.” Ryan cleared his throat. “I know a ménage relationship isn’t the norm around here, and she might not be interested, but I was hoping you might help me out. I wanted to send her flowers, but I don’t know her favorite kind, or anything else about her for that matter. I want to impress her enough that she’ll accept a date with us.”

“I’m not sure impressing her is the way to go. Gemma has been hurt, badly. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but her previous boyfriend was abusive. She doesn’t trust men easily anymore. I don’t know what happened with him, but her cousins have mentioned a change in her. She still seems sweet and sassy on the outside but, when no one is watching, I’ve seen her staring off into the distance with a melancholy look on her face.”

“We want to make her smile again, Elodie. All we’re asking for is a chance, a way to get her attention.”

“Well, she loves books. Romances from what I can tell. She has one of those e-readers, a Kindle I believe, that she carries around with her. When she isn’t busy working on her… um, a project, she’s reading.”

“That gives me a place to start. Thank you, Elodie. I really appreciate the help.”

“You’re welcome. I just hope it works out for you. Gemma is special and deserves to have her happy ending.” He could hear the smile in her voice and could tell she cared about Gemma.

“I’ll be sending something around in the morning.”

“Good luck, Ryan.”

He hung up and immediately stepped back inside his brother’s shop. If they were going to win Gemma, they were going to do it together. He would need Synclair’s help to pull off tomorrow morning’s surprise.

“I need you to drive to Hollis Springs,” he told his brother.

Synclair frowned. “Why do I need to drive one town over?”

“Because their grocery store carries gift cards for places like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and a ton of restaurants.”

Synclair still looked a little confused.

“It’s for Gemma. Elodie said she has a Kindle and I thought we would send her some flowers with an Amazon gift card attached.”

“We?”

“Look, Syn. It’s obvious you like her just as much, if not more, than I do. I wouldn’t feel right pursuing her, knowing how you feel about her. I think we should go after her together. No, we haven’t shared a woman before, and we’ve never discussed it, but isn’t that what this boils down to? We both want her. That much is true. So why not approach her together? Her cousins are in a ménage relationship, so there’s a chance she’d be open to one.”

Synclair rubbed a hand across his beard. “You really think she’d go for both of us? We’re completely different, even if we are brothers.”

“Please, you enter a room and women start dropping their panties. I find it hard to believe the one woman you want will be immune to you. Did she show any signs of being interested when you met her?”

“Maybe.” He shrugged. “But I might have been reading the signs wrong.”

Ryan shook his head. “Doubtful. Personally, I couldn’t get a read on her. At first, I thought she was interested, but when she turned me down for a date, I have to admit I started doubting myself.”

“We’re a pair.” Synclair snorted. “Neither of us has ever lacked for companionship when it came to the fairer sex, and now we want a woman who may or may not want us in return. What else did Elodie say?”

“Promise not to throw a fit?”

Synclair raised a brow. “When do I ever throw fits?”

“I seem to remember a broken shop window, from a chair sailing through it.”

“All right. No flying furniture.”

“Elodie said Gemma’s last boyfriend abused her. I think that may be the reason she’s so hesitant to go out with someone. I don’t think it has to do with either of us personally, but more because she’s scared.”

“What kind of abuse are we talking about?” Synclair’s eyes darkened.

“She didn’t say. I just assumed it was the bruises and broken bones variety, but… what if I’m wrong? What if…”

Synclair shook his head. “Don’t even say it. The thought of someone sexually harming that woman is enough to make me see red. The thought of him laying a hand on her in anger makes me want to rip his arms off. Please tell me the guy is in jail.”

“Elodie didn’t say.”

Synclair sighed. “Well, if Gemma wants us to know what happened, she’ll tell us. In the meantime, we’ll send flowers and the gift card. I’ll drive over to Hollis Springs after my next appointment and pick it up. I’ll let you order the flowers in the morning.”

Ryan shook his head. “We’re ordering the flowers together. I want them to be from both of us, which means I need your input. If you buy the gift card, I’ll pay for the bouquet.”

“Just how early are we going to the flower shop?”

“Eight, when they open. I want the flowers to be delivered before noon. The sooner they’re in Gemma’s hands, the sooner we might hear from her.”

Synclair grumbled about the early hour, but nodded. “I’ll reschedule my last appointment so I can be home before midnight.”

Ryan pushed open the glass door. “I’ll see you at home. I really think this can work, Syn. We just have to give her some time. And if that means we shower her with gifts until then, I’m okay with that.”

“Me, too.”

Ryan went back to his office, a bounce in his step. Gemma might not be theirs just yet, but he had faith that she would be before long.

Gemma was seated on the sofa downstairs, working away on her book, when the doorbell rang. She watched as Elodie went to answer it and wondered if they were expecting company. She was in the middle of a crucial scene and would have to go elsewhere to work if people were coming over. When she heard Elodie oohh and ahh, curiosity got the better of her and she got up to investigate.

“Gemma, you have a delivery.” Elodie smiled and moved aside so she could see the delivery woman standing on their doorstep.

Gemma’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Someone sent me flowers?”

“I think there’s a little something extra tucked inside,” the delivery woman said.

Gemma took the vase from her and inhaled the sweet fragrance of the blossoms. The vibrant colors were eye-catching. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d received flowers from someone. It gave her a nice warm feeling inside, knowing someone thought enough of her to spend money on the impressive bouquet. She couldn’t imagine who would have done something so nice though.

Elodie signed for the flowers as Gemma set them down on the table. Pulling the card, she realized there was a gift card tucked inside the envelope, too, a twenty-five dollar Amazon gift card at that. She already knew exactly which books she was going to buy with it. She read the card enclosed and couldn’t hold back the gasp that escaped her lips.

We hope these flowers brighten your day as much as you’ve brightened ours.

Thinking of you.

Ryan & Synclair Black

She should have realized they were brothers, but she hadn’t put two and two together when she’d met the lawyer. And what did it mean that they were both sending her flowers? She remembered the interest she’d seen in Synclair’s eyes when they’d met, and Ryan hadn’t made it a secret that he wanted to date her. Had they decided they would date her together?

Elodie plucked the note from her hands and read the message.

“Oh my. Not one hunky man, but two? Gemma, I think you’ve struck gold.”

Gemma just stared at her.

“What? You can’t tell me you aren’t interested. I saw your reaction to Ryan, and Cody told me about the sparks between Synclair and you. If they set you on fire one at a time, can you imagine what would happen if you were with both of them at once?”

Gemma felt her cheeks flush. “I’d probably combust if I were in a room with both of them at the same time.”

“You think Ryan is hiding any ink under that suit and starched shirt of his?” Elodie smiled.

“I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind finding out. All I could think about while you were signing those papers was stripping him naked to see if he looked as yummy without his suit as he did in it.”

“Well, he did ask you out. Maybe you should give him a call, thank him for the flowers if nothing else.”

“It says the flowers are from both of them though. I don’t have a way to call Synclair.”

Elodie’s smile grew. “I do. Have you looked in today’s paper?”

“What does the paper have to do with Synclair’s number?” Gemma frowned.

“He’s hiring, or rather his shop is. I’m sure if you call his work number, he’ll answer. Besides, weren’t you thinking about getting a job in town? What if you went to work for Synclair? I’m sure he could work out some hours that would still allow you plenty of time to write.”

It was tempting, but could she handle being around all that hot, muscular, inked skin day after day without caving and giving in to her baser urges? What if her working for him turned into an office romance? She didn’t think dating the man you worked for was a smart idea. She’d been down that road once before and it had ended in disaster. But maybe she could offer to help him out until he did find someone permanent? It would allow her to spend time with him without really feeling like he was her boss.

She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and went into the kitchen. It only took a moment of thumbing through the paper to find the ad. As the phone rang, she felt her heart beating in her chest, pounding so hard she thought surely Elodie could hear it. On the fifth ring, Synclair answered, and she knew it was him without him even giving his name. She’d remember that smoky, seductive voice anywhere.

“Skin to Skin.”

She cleared her throat. “Synclair, this is Gemma.”

“Good morning, Gemma. Did you get the flowers?”

“I did. They’re quite beautiful and the gift card was a thoughtful touch. I wanted to say thank you, to both Ryan and you.”

“He’s over at his office right now.”

“Um. I actually called for another reason, too. I saw in the paper that you’re hiring, and while I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to work for you permanently, I thought maybe I could help out a few hours a day, answering phones and scheduling appointments, just until you find someone.”

It was dead silent and she worried that maybe she’d overstepped her bounds.

“That would be really great, Gemma,” he finally said, his voice a deep purr. “Do you think you could come in tomorrow, maybe around lunch?”

“Sure. I can be there by noon, if that’s okay?”

“Noon would be great.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t suppose you’d let Ryan and me take you out to dinner tonight, would you? We don’t have to go anywhere fancy, if you’d prefer something more casual, like the diner.”

“Actually, I heard that Hollis Springs has an Applebee’s. Would that be okay? I know it’s a bit of a drive…”

“Anything you want. We’d drive you all the way to San Antonio if that’s where you wanted to eat.”

She smiled. “I don’t think that will be necessary. It’s been a while since I’ve been to a chain restaurant though. I know it sounds silly, but I miss things like that. Not that Grizzly Pines isn’t great!”

Synclair laughed. “Applebee’s it is. We’ll pick you up at five to give us time to drive over there and get a decent table. With it being a Tuesday night, I doubt it will be super busy, but you never can tell.”

“I’ll see you then,” she said softly, a smile curving her lips.

She hung up the phone and felt a flush of happiness suffuse her from head to toe. The idea of going on a date with two men should terrify her, especially after the reaction she’d had to both of them, but all she felt was excitement. Just the thought of seeing them again had butterflies rioting in her stomach. She’d never been a girly-girl, but suddenly, she was worried about what she was going to wear, how she was going to fix her hair, and whether she should wear makeup.

Elodie stepped into the kitchen and narrowed her eyes at her. “Something happened. Is it good news or bad? I can’t tell from the expression on your face. You look a little excited and a whole lot terrified.”

“I’m going out to dinner tonight with Synclair and Ryan.”

Elodie clapped her hands together and rushed forward. “Oh my goodness! What time are they picking you up? Do we have time to head into town?”

“Why do we need to go into town?”

“Well, we can stop by the Clip ‘n Curl to have something special done with your hair. I mean, it is your first date with them, after all. You don’t want to look the way you would any other day, do you? And then we can go to Tammy’s Nails and get a mani-pedi.” Elodie frowned. “You don’t have any shoes to wear other than two pairs of boots, do you?”