Page 3 of Dripping Pearls

Chapter Two

Lola

"Ican'tbelieveLiamand Braxton are forcing you to go to Tahoe with them," Arwen Grayson says, her soft voice like a melody in my ear. "First, Autumn moves back to Texas to work for her brother. Now, you're running off too."

"I won't be gone that long." I smile at her disgruntled tone. Arwen Grayson, my best friend since our freshman year of college, is perpetually annoyed with her cousin, Liam Goodson, and his best friend, Braxton Attia. She says Liam is bossy like his dad, her Uncle Eli. She's not entirely wrong. He is bossy. He's also ridiculously attractive, incredibly smart…and one of the two men who haunt my dreams.

Braxton is the other.

They own an investment and marketing firm geared toward the wine industry. They do everything from investment matching to brand design and packaging to web design to social media management and marketing for vineyards throughout California. They found overnight success with Liam's family's vineyard signing on as their first major client.

In the years since, Liam and Braxton have become hot commodities in the world of winemaking. I guess when you grow up on a vineyard, you really know your stuff. There's nothing about the industry Liam doesn't know. Coupled with Braxton's killer instincts and knowledge of the stock market, they're an unbeatable team. Everyone wants a piece of them. Including me.

I've been dying to go to work for them since I found out Arwen was related to Liam. As soon as I knew I needed intern hours, I was ready to sell my soul to convince Arwen to get me in the door. My best friend is my hero. She badgered them into taking me on within a week.

I've had a crush on Liam Grayson and Braxton Attia since I saw them on the cover of Forbes magazine five years ago. Something about the two of them sets my system on fire in a way nothing ever has before. It's wrong, and I know this. But I want them anyway.

I always thought it was just a harmless little crush…right up until I walked in the door my first day here. Something about the two of them calls to me in a way nothing and no one ever has. I've tried so many times to ignore the way my stomach quivers when I'm near them, but it never helps. I ache to feel their hands on my body, their skin against mine, their mouths where no one else's have ever been.

I've fallen for both of them in equal measure.

They're exact opposites in every way. Braxton is dark, where Liam is light—dark hair, dark eyes, and a rare smile that makes my knees weak. Liam is dark blond with blue eyes and a devilish smile. He's charming, funny, and a bit of a troublemaker. Braxton is a beast. He's quiet, brooding, just as likely to snap and snarl than to raise hell. Everyone says they're impatient giants with no time for bullshit. Arwen says they're bossy, overprotective, and annoying.

To me, they're everything.

But I might as well not even exist to them. Oh, don't get me wrong. They treat me incredibly well. Sometimes, they even look at me like they're desperate to touch me. And yet they never try. If I get too close, they get grumpy and then retreat, banishing themselves to their office for hours on end. It's enough to make me crazy!

I've thought about quitting a thousand times in the last two weeks, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Even though they obviously do not share my feelings, they're both so good to me. They go out of their way to make sure I'm happy here. The tech and support staff work on the floor below us, but they put me on the top floor with them, insisting that I should stick close so I could really learn the ropes. Flowers bloom all over the office, and there is chocolate on my desk daily. They bring me breakfast and lunch and never expect me to stay late even though they both work ungodly hours. They're protective and considerate and so damn sweet to me.

But the way they avoid me kills me. It's like they can't stand to be in the same room with me for more than five minutes at a time. They get antsy and uncomfortable. Liam looks like he wants to throw up. Braxton looks like he wants to hit something. I know I'm a big girl—a size twenty-two—but I've always thought I looked okay. I may not be a supermodel, but I care about my appearance and work hard to ensure I look my best when I come to work.

Sometimes, I don't think they agree. Other times, they both stare at me as if they can't look away. As if they're dying to touch me. During those moments, I can practically feel the need pouring from them. I silently plead for them to crack, but they never do. They flee every time.

I'm ready to give up. But I really do need these hours if I want to graduate in December instead of next spring. Besides, if I quit now, I will always regret it. And if my parents taught me anything in life, it's that it's too darn short to spend it with regrets. My mom almost died in a bad car accident when she was a teenager. And my dad's family was murdered when he was younger. It sent him down a dark path. He doesn't know that I know, but he was a hitman. It's how he met my mom. He saved her life, and they fell in love. They've been happy every day since.

I want that for myself. Maybe I shouldn't love two men. Perhaps the whole world will judge me harshly for it. I don't know, and I don't really care. Fairytales aren't fairytales because they're easy. They're a little dark, a bit twisted, and things get a little difficult…but they still end happily.

I want mine to end happily. So darn badly I can taste it.

I just wish I knew how to make it happen.

"When are you leaving?" Arwen grumbles.

"First thing in the morning," I say, injecting cheer in my voice even though my stomach is twisted into knots at the prospect of spending an entire week alone with the two of them. What if it ends in disaster? What if they avoid me the whole time? It's hard enough here. I think I might cry if I have to spend an entire week sharing a luxury cabin with two men who don't even want to be in the same room with me.

"Fine," Arwen mutters. "But if Liam isn't nice to you, I'm telling Aunt Audrey."

I laugh into the phone, genuinely amused. "He's thirty-two, Arwen. You can't go tell his mom every time he gets on your nerves." I love her for being so protective of me, though. She's the best friend a girl could ask for.

"Oh, yes, I can. He spent my entire life telling my dad if a boy even smiled at me. I am so telling his mom on him if he's mean to you." The smile in her voice lets me know she doesn't really care that he told on boys for flirting with her. She's with the love of her life now and couldn't be happier. But she will absolutely tell his mom if he upsets me. She's tiny and fierce, and I love her to pieces.

"We'll be fine. It's just a work trip. Once we're done on the vineyard every day, I doubt I'll even see him or Braxton. They probably have their own stuff to do," I say, and then my heart sinks. What if one of them decides to bring a woman over? Surely, they wouldn't do that on a business trip, would they? Neither has ever been linked to anyone, and both said they don't date, but that doesn't mean they're virgins. Maybe they're just discreet.

My stomach churns at the thought of them with anyone else. I know they probably aren't innocent like me. They're both in their thirties, and they're freaking gorgeous. But it'll break my heart to see them with someone else. I don't think I can handle that. No, IknowI can't handle that.

They may not want me, but in my heart, they're both mine. Is it wrong that I want them both but don't want to share them? Maybe. But it's how I feel anyway.

In my dreams, it's the three of us and only the three of us. There's never anyone else. The thought alone makes me burn with jealousy.

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