“Yes, it’s just me and my two brothers that live here. That’s why we need a housekeeper and cook.”
He sighs when he sees me take a step back at the idea of being alone in a house with three men.
“Listen, we all served together in the military. We literally took an oath to protect and serve those who are weaker than us. Every single one of us would step in front of a bullet to protect women and children so you have nothing to fear from any of us. Youwillbe safe here.”
I blow a breath out in a gush, glance down at Chloe who shrugs at me, and then nod.
“Okay, but, um, what’s your name?”
He shoves a hand through his hair with a small laugh, messing up his perfectly groomed dark hair.
“Right, should have started with that. Easton, Cassius Easton but most people call me East.”
He raises his eyebrows, waiting for me to introduce myself as well.
“Um, I’m Avery and this is Chloe.”
He keeps waiting and I know it’s for my last name but I don’t want to give it to him so he finally just nods and then sweeps an arm out for us to climb the steps.
We step into a huge open foyer that has a circular table in the middle with a vase full of wilted flowers. I help Chloe out of her boots and jacket and then take off my own. He takes them and hangs them in a walk-in closet and then leads us further into the house to a kitchen that takes my breath away. It has top-of-the-line appliances including a double oven built into one wall as well as a marble island that could easily seat ten. As my eyes bounce from place to place in the massive kitchen, Easton goes to the wall and presses a button that turns out to be an intercom.
“Ry, Zack! I need you in the kitchen. Double time!”
While we wait for his brothers, Easton lays out my duties for me.
“So, cooking meals will be the main thing we need. Light housework would be great but we have a service that comes once a week to do the deep cleaning. You would need to do the household shopping and organizing as well but preparing meals is the main thing.”
He pulls out a drawer in the island, fishes through it, and comes out with a tablet and a black credit card that he slides across to me.
“You can use this for all the shopping you need to do. You can also order whatever you need online. Zack will get you set up on all our online shopping accounts. After I introduce you to the guys, I’ll show you your rooms so you can get settled in. The pay is fifteen hundred a week plus the rooms and you can just eat whatever you want from here.” He tells me while waving a hand through the kitchen.
My mouth drops open in shock at such a high amount and I sputter some nonwords.
He smirks. “Don’t fool yourself, you will earn it just by putting up with us and staying on top of things.” He points at the dishes stacked up in the deep double sinks. “All three of us work crazy hours and to be honest, we can be oblivious to the mess we make when lost in work.”
Before I can form a reply, a gruff voice growls out from behind me.
“You! What are you doing here?”
I spin so fast I almost lose my balance as fear takes hold but Chloe bounces in front of me.
“Mr. Growly Bear! Hi, hi! OH! Puppy too!”
She drops to her knees and throws her arms around the dog we met on the beach, bonking the poor thing with her heavy cast. I make a desperate move to grab her and pull her back to safety but her giggles have me pausing and I see the dog licking at her face with what can only be called a grin of happiness.
All the tension drains out of me and I grab onto the island to steady myself and finally look up to meet the dog’s owner. My gaze hits his bare chest and I have to blink a few times as I take in the huge muscles that cover the wide expanse of his chest. His skin is a deep bronze with a sheen of sweat that makes the many tattoos covering it stand out even more. My eyes track up and up and up to the towel he has slung around his neck, over the frowning lips and finally meet his confused icy blue eyes.
I swallow the ball that’s formed in my throat at how huge this man is and manage a strangled “H-hi?”
“Ryker, meet Avery and her daughter Chloe.”
He turns as another man walks into the room with a slight limp. He has a shock of thick curly blond hair and questioning hazel eyes.
“This is Zack. Zack, Avery and Chloe.”
He crosses his arms and shares a loaded look with his brothers that has the tension building in me once again.
“Avery has accepted the housekeeping position. She and Chloe will be staying in the west wing. She’s going to need a hand bringing all her stuff in from her car and I need to get to the office. I’ve already missed my first meeting of the day. Show her around and help her get settled in.”
