Living In The Shallows (UK Crush #1)

Chapter Six

There was another knock at the door, and with a questioning look at the boys, I got up to answer it. There was a tall, thin woman with red hair standing in the doorway, who announced herself as Nancy. I stepped back and let her in.

"I'm Betsey's assistant—Oh! Hello boys." She looked from one to the other of them curiously as she entered and took in the scene, which did look strange. "Well, aren't we cozy."

"Long story," Gethin said from the bed. "We're all feeling a bit in need of some tender loving care, and Tink's been recruited as our sexy nurse." I was startled at his casual use of "sexy". Me? Had he seen my hips?

"Tink? I thought her name was Aileen?" Nancy was looking more and more confused.

"Another long story," drawled Theo with a lazy smile from the sofa. "Darling? Would you please peel me some more of that delicious fruit?"

"Me too, please, Tinker Bell?" asked Ronan as he stretched his long frame, drawing attention to his unclothed state, accentuating the washboard abs that I'd known were hiding under his shirt.

I looked at Matty, wondering what he was going to add to this performance, but he just sat there, looking beautiful and perfect in the morning light, the sheets pooled around his torso. He really didn't have to do much else to complete the weird tableau.

"Uh, sure, guys," I said, not knowing what else to say. I sat and quickly finished peeling the guavas I'd been working on, which were almost finished anyway. Nancy just stood and watched. I wasn't sure if she was fascinated or disgusted. Maybe a little of both. I quickly sliced the guavas into bite-sized pieces and slid them onto a napkin as I stood from the table.

"Can you eat them yourselves, or do you want me to feed them to you like last time?" I asked as I walked over to the bar for a few toothpicks.

"Oh, I'm still so weak from last night, please feed me," said Theo without missing a beat.

"Me, too, lass, I can barely lift me arms," said Ronan, sounding so Irish he could barely be understood.

I sighed. "Okay, boys, but you're not the only one who's tired, you know. There are four of you, but there's only one of me, mind. And I'm little, as you kept reminding me all night long. Though aren't you four lucky I am so small, or we wouldn't have all fit on the bed, would we? Hmm?" I chirped.

I sat on the edge of the sofa and speared pieces of guava to pop into Theo and Ronan's waiting mouths. I looked up at Nancy, who was still standing open mouthed in the middle of the room, as if I'd just remembered she was there.

"Sorry, Nancy, to leave you standing there! How can I help you?" I asked with my most winning smile.

"Betsey sent me with your, uh, bed, I mean phone. Phone! Your work phone! We finally got it! Right." She tore her eyes away from the boys in the bed, the boys on the sofa, and just focused on my face. "I assume you know how to transfer the data from your current phone to this new one? You have an iPhone?"

"I do have an iPhone, but I'm not technically savvy," I admitted. "Oops, Ronan, dropped a piece, sorry," and I picked it up with my fingers from where it lay on his chest and put it in his mouth. As he took it from me, he grabbed my hand and sucked on my fingers for good measure. I gave a little shiver that, let's be honest, was only half faked. Nancy blinked and licked her lips. She looked like she needed to sit down.

"Not a problem." Matty spoke for the first time. He blinked his amazing blue eyes, the long lashes practically creating a breeze, and said in his Scottish accent, "I can help her with all that stuff. We're not doing anything this afternoon—oh, except for that, um, thing, yeah?" He looked from one to the other of us, and the innocent way he said the word "thing" made it sound so deliciously lascivious, I was surprised he didn't melt into a little puddle of lewd nastiness. He shook his curls, as if to clear his head. "Anyway," he said, looking back at Nancy, "I'm sure I'll have plenty of time left over to help Tinker Bell with her, um, phone. So no worries."