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I wait until I get out and open her door before answering. “I meant my brother, Bodie. Odin can’t cook to save his life,” I chuckle. “We aren’t blood related, but we grew up together, and we were all close as kids. There are five of us, but only the twins actually share blood.” I keep my hand on the small of her back, and walk her up to the door. Here goes nothing, I think. Soon it’ll be three down and two to go…
* * *
ISLA
“Twins?”There’s five of these men, and one of them has a twin? Good lord! My brain seems to short circuit with this information as I let him lead me right in the door and to a booth. And if they are as kind-hearted as the two I’ve met so far? I’ll be having to stop myself from thirsting after them all.
“Yeah,” he replies as we take our seats. “Thankfully they’re fraternal twins so it’s easy to tell who is who. Can you imagine? They would have been just as bad as Fred and George if they were identical.”
I stare at him in complete shock, trying to digest two things. First, one of the hottest men I have ever laid eyes on is a twin. Second, he just made a Harry Potter reference. “How do you know who Fred and George are?’’ I ask, grinning cheekily at this confusing man.
“Are you kidding me?” a smoky voice calls from behind me. “He’s a huge nerd! He has all the books and movies in a display case.”
I spin around to see who the voice belongs to. Oh, fuck me. Seriously, did I enter the twilight zone or something? How are all the men in this town so hot? The man standing behind me is a Viking god. He has long red hair put up in a man bun, a long full red beard, and the most captivating emerald green eyes. His pale face is peppered with freckles, and he is HUGE too. He has to be well over six feet, probably around 6’4 and three hundred-ish pounds of pure muscle. How does just looking at these men make my panties wet?
“Hey there, you must be Isla. Odin and Silas here said you were stunning, but they downplayed it a lot. I’m Bodie,’’ he says, holding out one of his absolutely massive hands to shake.
I wonder if big hands and feet actually mean big…I have to clear my very dry throat before I reply. “Um, hey… yeah, I’m Isla,” I say, shaking his hand and then reaching for my water that was dropped off at some point while I was staring. “I think y’all need to get your eyes checked.”
“Nah love, I think we are seeing clearer than we have in a while,” he says with a Cheshire grin. “Do you have any food allergies or anything you won’t eat?”
Shocked by his sudden change in demeanor, I blink at him several times before answering. “Um, I’m only allergic to coconut, and uh, I’ll try almost anything other than snail, squid, or anything slimy and alive.” Looking nervously at the ground, I wait for one of them to get mad that I’m being “difficult”. I feel a huge hand grab my chin, gently lifting my head so my eyes are to meet his green ones.
“You are allowed to not like things; you are allowed to say ‘no’ to anything, at any time. You are your own person with your own likes and dislikes. You control everything that has to do with your body. Okay?” He releases his grip on me, lowering his arm back to his side. “No one, not me or my brothers, will ever get mad or upset with you for that, okay? And if someone else does, they can fuck off.”
I cut my gaze to Silas, glaring, knowing he ran his mouth about what I told him, but Bodie cuts in, redirecting my attention.
“I can see it in your eyes, and how you sit as far away from Silas as possible. When y’all walked in, you purposely walked as far as you could from any man that crossed your path. They didn’t have to tell me. I lived it, too.” With that declaration, he stalks back the direction toward what I’m assuming is the kitchen.
I’m frozen, looking back and forth between the way Bodie went and where Silas is sitting. “What the fuck was that? I don’t think I’ve ever been so confused in my life.”
Rubbing his hand down his face, he replies. “Yeah, sorry about that. I should have warned you. Bodie is very intense. He had an extremely rough childhood, and doesn’t have a filter. If he sees something he’ll point it out unapologetically.”
Trying to decide how I feel about everything that just happened, I pause to think about how to respond. “You know, it’s okay. It’s actually nice having someone be completely up front and say what they’re thinking. Honestly, I think I needed to hear that. My ex trying to kill us with the car wasn’t even the worst of it…” Why did I have to say that? I’m so not ready to go there with anyone else yet...
“Hey,” he says, grabbing my hand. “You don’t have to tell me anything until you’re ready, even if that’s never. Okay?”
I nod my head at him gratefully and give him a small smile as plates appear in front of us. “Wow, is this gumbo?! I freaking love gumbo! What all’s in yours?’’ I ask excitedly, my mood lifting considerably as I look from my meal up to Bodie, who has brought our food to the table personally. I guess that means he’s not mad at me for anything.
“Yes, it is, it’s a seafood gumbo recipe I picked up living down here. It has crawfish, smoked andouille sausage, shrimp, okra, and a boiled egg, all served over rice. For sides I brought y’all some potato salad and hush puppies, and then for dessert a couple homemade beignets topped with powdered sugar.”
I’m staring at this man like he holds all the answers in the world. He glances between me and the food, so I pick up my spoon and take a bite and… Oh. My. God. Looking dead in Bodie’s eyes, I ask, “Will you marry me? Like, right now. You’re telling me you can cook like this? Are you serious? This is the best fucking gumbo ever!” I start shoveling food in my mouth like I haven’t eaten in days, and when the empty bowl is snatched from in front of me I actually growl at whoever took it. Then again, what was I going to do? Lick it like a savage? He might have just saved me from myself. Calm down, Isla. I keep my eyes on the rest of my food while I slowly eat since I’m sure my face is still red from embarrassment.
“Hey now killer, the food isn't going anywhere and there’s plenty. If you want more I’ll fix you a whole pot,” Bodie tells me laughing.
“Sorry, it’s just so good! I haven’t had gumbo, let alone crawfish in years. It’s my favorite.”
“I’m glad to know you approve, and the answer is yes by the way.”
“Answer?” I look between him and Silas, confused.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.” He plants a sweet kiss on my head and walks off before I can even comprehend what just happened. I’m staring at Silas with wide eyes, and the ass just bursts out laughing.
“Oh, that was great! This is gonna be so much fun! Are you ready to go look at cars now, or-” he draws out the ‘o’ pointedly, “would you like more, since you’re growling at people?” he asks.
I would think he was making fun of me in a malicious way if it wasn’t for the laughter in his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, funny guy. That was freaking amazing! I guess I’m ready, but we are gonna have to find a semi, cause eating like this all the time I won’t be able to fit in a SUV.”
“Oh hush,” he retorts. “You’re tiny.” He puts his hand on the small of my back and escorts me from the diner.
