Free Snowfall and Secrets (The Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 1) by Kierra Quinn

never happens.”
    Lukas didn’t bother knocking and walked right in. Tess smelled pot roast and felt a pang of homesickness. Her mom used to make the same dish every Sunday.
    They found Dio and Una fighting over a rope toy in the living room. Lukas patted one of them on the head, and she growled. Tess couldn’t tell the difference between them until one dog dropped a toy and came over to push on Tess’s legs.
    Lukas shook his head. “You belong to Dio. You’ve been marked.” He laughed and gave Una a conciliatory scratch behind the ears.
    The house was warm and inviting. Doc met her in the doorway of the kitchen with a hug. “Nice to see you, Tess. Come on in and meet the rest of the family.”
    The kitchen was enormous with dark wood and deep blue walls. Marie worked on one side of an enormous granite bar, chopping lettuce. On the other side sat two young men who looked like twins. They were good looking in the traditional sense, but Tess wasn’t into blondes. A little too pretty, they probably both knew they were handsome.
    Doc guided Tess farther into the kitchen. “Tess, you’ve met Marie. This is Hayden and Joshua. Boys, this is the best third-fourth grade teacher I’ve got.”
    Tess laughed. “I’m the only third-fourth grade teacher you have.”
    He shrugged. “You’re still the best.”
    Hayden smiled and looked over her shoulder. He jumped up and gave Lukas a bear hug.
    “Hey, man. How’s it going?”
    Lukas moved closer to Tess. “I’m fine. Busy. Dio and Una are playing in the living room.”
    Hayden patted him on the back. “I’m going to go say hi to that girl. Maybe I can convince her to come home with me this time.”
    “You’re fighting a losing battle, bro. That’s one girl who’ll never go home with you.”
    Hayden’s eyes moved from Lukas to Tess. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She blushed. Definitely too smooth for her.
    “Tess might though. Mom was right. You are stunning.”
    Tess blushed again and gently removed her hand from his. She wasn’t sure he even noticed. But Lukas did. He moved closer to Tess and put his arm around her waist.
    “Tess isn’t going home with you either.”
    As much as she liked him, she hated his presumptions. No one told her what to do. She pulled free of him.
    “I expect that tomorrow morning I will wake up in my own bed. But the night is still young, so who knows.” She winked at Hayden and walked away from both men.

L ukas followed Hayden into the living room, completely envious of that wink. Tess had never played with him like that. As soon as they were out of earshot of the kitchen, Hayden turned to him.
    “You’ve got it bad, huh?”
    Lukas sank onto one of the couches. “Don’t know what you are talking about.”
    Hayden sat down in between the dogs, and immediately they were both vying for his attention.
    “She’s gorgeous, man. Dad loves her too, which means she’s good at her job. Heck, even Mom’s smitten, or she wouldn’t have invited her tonight. Have you guys hooked up?”
    Lukas shook his head. “No. I don’t know what I was thinking in the kitchen. I
    only wanted you to know she’s off limits. Obviously, it was the wrong move.”
    “Yeah, she didn’t seem too happy about that. Bet you ten bucks she flirts with me tonight just to piss you off.”
    “Or because she wants you. Seriously, nothing has happened between us. It’s probably better that way.”
    Hayden groaned. “Don’t start on your sob story again. I’m so tired of hearing how you’re not deserving of having someone to love.”
    “And you wonder why I won’t visit you.”
    “Look, I’m the only one who won’t let you get away with this crap. It’s been two years. You made a mistake and suffered huge consequences. That doesn’t mean you can’t be in a relationship ever again. If you feel that way, tell her the whole story and let her be the one to decide.” Hayden reclined and both dogs tried to get in his lap.
    “We haven’t