The Dream

MADISON

Madison turned and looked up at his face, even more handsome up close.

“My hands are dirty,” Madison said.

“That’s okay. I like dirty.”

Madison rolled her eyes, but dusted the flour off her hands and stepped forward into his embrace. He pressed her to his hard chest firmly.

The delicate touch of his fingers moving slowly on her back forced her to hold her breath for a second. But when she finally inhaled again, his warm scent washed over her.

~Jesus, he smells good, like sandalwood. And the ocean.~

LEVI

“Welcome home,” Levi said against the top of Madison’s head, enjoying the familiar lavender scent of her shampoo.

“Thanks, Levi.”

Her voice was muffled against his chest, and he gave her one more squeeze before moving his hands to rest on her bare shoulders. Then, holding her at arm’s length, he scanned her entire figure from head to toe.

~Damn.~ Ethan hadn’t been kidding. Their little ’Flake was ~all~ grown up.

“Look at you.” He flicked some flour off her nose. “What’ve you been up to?

“Well, what does it look like, smartass?”

“That you’ve been at war with a flour bag.”

“Ha-ha. Funny.” She moved closer to the tray of food resting on the island. “Are my brothers back as well?”

“No, but they’re on the way.” His eyes had a mind of their own; they didn’t leave her for a second.

“Okay, then I’d better start to put this in the oven.”

“Whatever it is, it smells delicious.”

Madison grabbed the first tray of food and slid it into the oven. She had to bend a little, offering him a great view of her toned ass.

He swallowed and forced himself to look away. Despite Ethan’s heads-up, he was having trouble reconciling this new, sexy, grownup version of Madison with the girl of his memories.

Looks like they’d been smart to keep their distance while she was at school.

Madison took her sweet time setting the temperature and the alarm before she pulled herself up and turned back to him.

After scanning his features, she frowned. “What’s wrong, Levi?”

“Nothing,” he quickly assured her. But what else could he say? That he was so overwhelmingly attracted to her he didn’t know where to put his eyes?

She thought of him like a big brother, and if she knew what was going through his mind right now, she’d be totally creeped out.

~Just act natural, Levi.~

MADISON

Madison shrugged and turned her back on Levi to finish what she was doing, but when she felt his chin on her shoulder, she jumped.

His hearty laugh made her smile in spite of herself.

“We missed you,” he murmured against her ear as he hugged her from behind.

“Weirdly enough, I missed you too.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Levi’s grip kept her in place for a few more seconds, and the feel of his hands against the bare skin above the waistband her shorts sent a jolt of electricity running down her spine.

She cleared her throat. “Well, the others are going to be here soon. Would you mind helping me set up the table?”

“It’s already done, ’Flake,” a deep voice announced from behind them.

Madison turned to see Ethan staring at her so intently she bit her lip.

Levi stepped slightly away, next to his twin, and now the distinct scents of both men took over her senses.

“Um, thanks. I didn’t know you were here as well.”

Ethan moved his gaze to his brother. “I guess Levi forgot to mention that we came here ~together~.”

The twins shared a long look, then Levi raised his hands in surrender. “Touché, brother.”

~Looks like those two haven’t changed a bit.~

Madison checked the food, then the three of them walked out to the outdoor dining area, where Ethan had indeed set the table.

The backyard looked every bit as dreamy as she remembered. Mature trees surrounded a pool that had been designed to look like a natural pond, with a hammock hanging on each side and flowers decorating every corner.

Crickets provided background music.

“Mmm, what smells so good?”

Spinning at the sound of her oldest brother’s voice, Madison ran to jump into his arms and locked her legs around his waist.

And since Liam was a well-built boxing instructor, it took him no effort to support her weight.

“Hey, little sis,” he said, looking at her in that sweet way of his that always made her feel loved. “Miss me?”

“I’ve missed you so much!” She kissed his cheek. But before she could say more, another set of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from Liam.

“And what about your other brother, huh?” Ezra said as he tickled her sides.

She couldn’t help but squeal and laugh. “You idiot, of course I missed you too! Now put me down so we can eat.”

The timer went off in the kitchen, so Ezra, always hungry, did as she asked. But only after kissing her head one more time.

“Let me help you,” he offered, and both her brothers followed her into the kitchen, leaving the twins outside.

“Oh man, this smells amazing,” Ezra said. “Why were you the only one to inherit Mom’s magic hands? Do you have any idea how hard it’s been with Liam doing the cooking?”

Despite the reminder of Isabel, Ezra’s comment made her smile…and Liam frown.

“~You~ could have learned, you know,” she pointed out as she passed two plates of gnocchi to each brother, one for each of them and one for each of the twins.

“Wait,” Ezra said when she grabbed her own plate. “How come you’re here alone? Weren’t you supposed to come with…oh, what was that idiot’s name?” Liam punched him lightly, but it didn’t stop him. “Daniel…right?” His voice was sharp.

“Right. Well. Since I found him having sex with my roommate, I thought it wouldn’t be right to bring him.”

“~What?~” Ezra scowled. “Should we go and kill him?”

“Nah, the guy’s clearly an idiot,” Liam said, ever the peacemaker. “And it’s his loss.” He bumped Madison’s hip with his own. “Forget about him, and let’s go sit down and eat. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

They rejoined the twins outside, and as dinner went on, Madison finally began to relax, feeling at home, safe and happy with her family.

Levi and Ethan’s teasing comments rarely let up, but it didn’t annoy her as much as it used to. And from time to time, when there was a lull in the banter or she was talking with her brothers, she felt their eyes on her.

When they’d all had enough, the four boys cleared the table and cleaned up in appreciation of her cooking while she stayed in her seat, sipping wine and basking in the warm air and cool breezes.

After a while, the sounds of the trees rustling in the night air, the crickets chirping, and the boys talking and goofing around in the kitchen were so comfortable that she drifted off to sleep.

She woke briefly when someone lifted her from her seat. Arms wound around her body, holding her tight.

She was placed gently in bed, and soft covers were tucked over her. The last thing she remembered before falling back into sleep was a warm kiss on her forehead and a familiar musky scent.

***

She woke up later to two strong, warm hands on her bare legs.

She shivered under her fluffy comforter, and when her eyes fluttered open, she was staring into bright amber eyes.

~Levi?~

She blinked a couple of times and tried to get into a better position to look at him.

“I—” She tried to speak, but the moment her lips parted, his lips were on hers.

The feeling of his kiss was overwhelming.

She closed her eyes, and the first lucid thought that came into her mind was ~His breath smells like mint, just like his brother’s.~

A little moan escaped her lips, giving Levi a free pass to explore her mouth.

He slipped his tongue between her lips and savored her slowly and carefully. His hand strayed to her face, cupping her cheek.

The deliberate slowness of his tongue tangling with hers built the passion between them until it was almost unbearable.

How could this closeness feel so good? And why, all of a sudden, did she feel so hot?

As those thoughts invaded her mind, she could have sworn another set of hands began exploring her body. Unless she was going insane, there were now ~four~ hands on her.

Forcing herself to break the kiss, she pulled away and opened her eyes, searching the darkness for the owner of the other two hands.

The sight in front of her made her whimper.