Hearts on Fire 7: Claiming Catalina(6)

“Coop and I have always been inseparable. We share everything, and we like it that way,” he whispered as he kissed her neck and along her earlobe. She tilted her head up as his hand moved along her waist, as if wanting to feel her body, caress it, leave his imprint on it, before squeezing her against him as their lips touched. A moment later, Cooper was releasing her and Don was pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. It felt so good, and it was wild how she so naturally, easily, went from kissing one man to the next. It didn’t feel strange or scary but, instead, empowering, sexy, and inspirational.

Don released her lips slowly and then stared down into her eyes.

“Baby, what you do to me.”

“And me,” Cooper added, pressing against her back and caressing her shoulders then down her arms.

“I feel it, too,” she whispered and then wanted to kick herself for admitting that aloud, so soon, making herself vulnerable to these two men she barely knew.

“Don’t be scared. We’re going to take this slow because we don’t want to fuck this up, but damn, you’ve got me wanting to take that job we were offered, move into Treasure Town, and begin a new life with you and my brothers,” Don said, and she gasped. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard.

Cooper squeezed her shoulders.

“I think you just freaked her out,” Cooper whispered, and then turned her around and pulled her into an embrace. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and hugged him back. A few moments of silence passed, and then Cooper turned her toward the water, keeping his arm wrapped around her as they faced the beach and ocean.

Don placed his hands on the railing and hung his head, looking so upset suddenly, and her heart ached for him. She reached out and ran her hand along his shoulder and arm. He shot his head toward her, appearing shocked at her empathetic response.

“My brothers and I have always talked about having the same relationship our parents do. Our mom is married to three men. They live in Connecticut. They’re very happy, complete, and it’s something we’ve wanted forever,” Cooper told her.

“But our lives have taken different paths over the years, and it was only recently we got our brothers back,” Don explained.

“You mean because of the incident with the federal government and Jeremy losing his undercover position?” she asked, knowing some of the details now that Sophia was hanging out with all of Catalina’s friends.

“Yes, you see, we couldn’t contact, speak to, or even know where Jeremy was for almost three years because of his deep undercover operation,” Don said to her.

“God, that must have been so tough. How did you handle it?”

“Like good soldiers,” Cooper said. “We fully absorbed ourselves in our jobs, our positions, but add in Cody doing secret shit and flying out of the country to capture terrorists, then even hunt some here on U.S. soil, and the last five years of our lives have been hell.” Cooper squeezed her a little snugger against his body.

“We want you to understand something,” Don said. “The way we all met you was so out of the blue, but when we saw you at the hospital, when you helped Jeremy, the attraction, the connection the four of us had to you was instant. We all locked gazes and it was like we knew. I know it sounds crazy, how quickly our minds our expectations are running in full force, but this is real. I…we’ve never felt like this.”

“Maybe you just wanted that to happen,” she suggested. Don shook his head, and then Cooper turned her around and pressed her against the railing with his hands on either side of her waist, trapping her in. He stared down into her eyes, and she saw, she felt, the intensity in his dark brown eyes. He shook his head.

“No. It was real. It was instant, and they even talked about you a few times afterwards.”

“But their jobs are making them crazy,” Don said. “Cody is ready to quit. He’s had it with the new protocols and how these criminal terrorists seem to have rights. Jeremy is at his wit’s end trying to handle a desk job and inside intelligence instead of fieldwork and being an agent. It’s like they feel worthless and unsure of a future and what they could have. It’s a hard transitional time for them, and they won’t talk about shit.” Don ran his fingers through his hair.

“You can’t force them to get through it. It’s obvious from what you explained that both Cody and Jeremy love their jobs and don’t want to let go. They were probably very good at them, too, and feel that if they move on, if they try something different and something goes wrong, that they could have possibly stopped it. I get that way all the time working in the ER and covering extra shifts and hardly getting time off. I’m so worried that if I’m not there and something goes wrong, some other nurse with less experience, or maybe who is overtired or not on her game, might cause a person to be worse off. I don’t know. I guess it’s a control thing combined with a need to feel appreciated, important, and vital to every patient that enters the ER that I’m assigned to. So I get it.”

Cooper gave a soft smile as he reached up and caressed her cheek.

“You do get it. You’re special. We want you, Catalina,” he said, and she could tell there was a “but” in there.

“But?” she whispered, feeling emotional and like they were going to turn her down because their brothers weren’t on board and that was what they always wanted.

She couldn’t help the sadness that filled her heart, which was so foolish, considering she’d known these men for such a short time, but that was her luck. Every so often she met a guy she felt attracted to, and then something went wrong or nothing came of it. She was starting to think it was her, that something was wrong with her because of Paul. She’d dated him in college and given her virginity and her heart to him, only for him to wind up using her. Paul had hurt her so badly. She could never forgive him. She didn’t even know what she would do if she ever saw Paul again, which was pretty likely, living in a touristy town like this and him working in New York City. Lots of New Yorkers came here to vacation.

“But you need to know that Don and I want this to work out. We want more dates with you, more kisses, more feeling you in our arms and knowing you’re our woman and no one else’s. We want Cody and Jeremy involved with this relationship, too. We want to share you with them and all be together.”

She felt uneasy about it, scared actually because it made her feel like an item, a possession. The warning signals went off, the fear that she could lose so much by taking this chance, especially with what had happened in college. Paul had ruined her ability to trust a man under normal circumstances, never mind under something as unique as a ménage relationship. She couldn’t even believe they were talking like this so freely.

She looked away from them and pressed from his embrace. He released her, and she stood to the side and looked out toward the water.

“I don’t think that’s going to work. The fact that you want to share me, and both of you are right here, is one thing. I’ve never really thought I would get involved in a relationship like this, but you have to understand the risks are so great. You guys aren’t even living in town. You’re debating about a job transfer and change. Cody and Jeremy aren’t even here. You don’t know how they really feel, and this type of relationship can’t be forced. I won’t feel like a possession, a means to trying to mend the relationship you once had with your brothers.”

“No, Catalina, it’s not like that at all,” Don exclaimed, stepping closer.

“We know they like you. If they were here with us, they would be just as aroused and wanton as we are.”

“I’m sorry, Don. We can’t make an assumption. Think about what you’re saying to me. You’re basically telling me that you and Cooper want to have an intimate relationship with me, a committed one, I hope, but that if your other two brothers are interested in sleeping with me to possibly see where it leads, I need to be willing and accepting of that? Do you realize how that sounds? I never even said yes to going out with you guys. I don’t trust men for personal reasons, which I’m not getting into right now. I can’t see what you’re suggesting as anything but a disaster waiting to happen.”

“Wait, I understand when you explain it like that. You’re not a possession, a woman to fuck and be done with,” Cooper told her, and she was astonished as her eyes widened and he gripped her hips. She held on to his forearms.

“Just focus on the two of us and what we feel right now. Let’s see where it leads. If need be, Don and I decided that you come first, that you’re so perfect for us, and we want this relationship.”

“And if Jeremy and Cody come along, visit or whatever?” she asked, feeling a mix of anxiety, fear, and a bit of interest, which was truly strange. It was as though, in her mind, she thought she could accept them, too, but that kind of thinking would get her hurt.

Cooper cupped her cheeks between his hands. “We’ll deal with it when and if the time comes. Just don’t push us away.” He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, pulling her completely into his embrace and making it so that the only thought in her mind when he lifted his lips from hers was whether or not Don would kiss her next.