Three. The Perfect Number - Book cover

Three. The Perfect Number

SeaLand Aria

3: All

Madison couldn’t take her eyes off the windows that made up one wall of her room.

The light was captivating as the slowly disappearing sunbeams mixed with the incoming darkness, coloring the sky and her room with a warm, dark orange light.

I missed that.

It took her two hours to unpack and arrange her things, but she was pleased that she would be going to sleep in a new room, one fit for a young woman.

Becoming aware of how much her body ached with pain and tiredness, she swung her gaze to the garden tub.

A relaxing bubble bath sounded comforting, but she checked the time and decided on a shower—quicker and more effective.

She undressed quickly and jumped under the water, and the relief was almost immediate.

After what felt like an hour, she reluctantly got out. The cold air against her warm, wet skin made her shiver and her perfect rosebud nipples harden before she wrapped herself in a towel.

“Home.” She inhaled the soft towel scent of sandalwood and honey, one of the smells of her childhood.

She dressed in a pair of black lace panties, black shorts, and a green shirt and collected her curly white hair into a messy bun before finishing it off with a pair of sandals.

Downstairs, Madison went to the kitchen, which had always been her favorite place in the house. It was massive, fully equipped, and always well-stocked.

Before she’d developed deep feelings of resentment for her mother and father, she’d loved learning all the secrets of cooking from her mother. In spite of herself, the memories still made her smile.

Now, looking inside the cupboards in search of inspiration for tonight’s dinner, she was surprised to find that the cupboards, usually fully stocked, were quite empty.

She moved to the walk-in pantry to try her luck there. The situation was a little better, and she was able to find a few basic ingredients.

As she laid them out on the kitchen island, she sighed loudly.

How the boys had managed to survive alone was a mystery.

”Well, let’s get started.”

Madison connected her phone to the Bluetooth speakers hidden everywhere in the house, poured herself a glass of wine, and started pulling out bowls and utensils.

It would be nice to cook again, especially for boys who seemed to have been surviving on fast food for four years.

She was so adept in the kitchen thanks to the person that she now resented the most: her mother.

Her mother had been Madison’s role model, and as a kid Madison had followed her everywhere, spending hours in the kitchen, experimenting and always asking to learn new things and improve.

When her parents had moved out of her life and went to live somewhere off the coast of Italy, leaving their three children alone, cooking had become a chore and a necessity.

Madison learned how to take care of herself at a very young age.

She shook those thoughts from her head before taking another sip of wine, and got to work.

Swinging her hips to the rhythm of the music playing, she smoothly moved from one side of the kitchen to another, getting everything ready, and before long the kitchen smelled delicious.

“Hey, you.”

Madison had been so focused that she hadn’t heard anyone coming in, and the sudden greeting made her jump and spill a bit of wine.

She curved her lips into a faint smile and turned in his direction. But when she set her eyes on him, she swallowed hard.

Standing at the kitchen’s archway, leaning against the wall with his strong arms crossed, Levi looked as beautiful as she remembered.

The smile stamped on his perfectly clean-shaven face was to die for. His defined jaw was begging to be touched. His pointed chin showed the sweetest dimple on earth.

His honey eyes gazed at her, obscured by a few dark locks.

He was tall, just like his twin.

Their dark hair and strong builds made them look like two halves of the same apple, but their eyes and their scents differentiated them and made them impossible to confuse.

“Jesus, Levi. You almost had me die here.”

With her hand on her racing heart, she beamed and dusted the flour from her hands.

Levi opened his arms to her and embraced her in his powerful grip, pressing her to his hard chest.

The delicate touch of his finger moving slowly on her back forced her to hold her breath for a second. When she inhaled, his warm scent washed over her.

Jesus, he smells good… Sandalwood and sea.

“Welcome back home, Flake.”

“Thanks, Levi.” Her voice was muffled against his chest.

He rested his hands on her bare shoulders and held her at arm’s length. Without shame, he scanned her entire figure from head to toe.

“What have you been up to? Look at you.” He moved his index finger to her nose to flick off some flour.

“Well, what does it look like to you, smartass?”

“That you are at war with the flour bag.”

“Ha-ha. Funny.” She moved closer to the tray of food resting on the island. “Are the guys back as well?”

“No, but they are on the way.” His eyes didn’t leave her for a second.

“Okay, then I’d better start to put this in the oven.”

“Whatever it is, it smells delicious.”

Feeling his eyes still on her, Madison grabbed the first tray of food and slid it into the oven. She had to bend a little, aware that she was offering Levi a great view of her toned ass.

She took her time setting the right temperature and the alarm before she pulled herself up and turned back to Levi. He looked lost in thought.

She scanned his features. His stare was firm, and his clenched jaw made her frown. “What’s wrong, Levi?”

“Nothing,” he assured her.

She shrugged and turned her back on him to finish what she was doing, and when he leaned forward to rest his chin on her shoulder, she jumped.

The hearty laugh that he bellowed made her smile too. She’d missed the big way he laughed.

“We missed you,” he murmured against her ear as he hugged her from behind.

“Weirdly enough, I’ve missed you too.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Levi’s grip on her waist kept her in place for a few more seconds. The way his hands felt against her skin sent a jolt of electricity running down her spine.

“Well, the boys are going to be here soon. Would you mind helping me set up the table?”

“It’s already done, Flake,” Ethan announced from behind them.

Madison turned to see him looking at her so intensely that she bit her lip.

Levi stepped slightly away, next to his twin, and now the strong scents of both men took over her senses.

“Thanks. I didn’t know you were here as well.”

“Well, I’m sure Levi forgot to mention that we came here together.”

“Touché.”

The twins shared a look, and Levi put up his arms in surrender.

Those two haven’t changed a bit, it seems.

With one more look at the food, the three of them walked to the garden, where Ethan had indeed set the table.

The backyard always looked dreamy to her. Trees stood around a natural pool in the middle, flowers decorated every corner, and two hammocks hung on each side.

Crickets provided background music.

“Mm, what smells so good?”

Madison spun at the sound of her brother Liam’s voice, and she ran to jump into his arms, locking her legs around his waist.

He was a well-built boxing instructor, and it took him no effort to hold his sister tightly.

“Hi, little sis. Miss me?” Liam looked at her in his sweet way that always showed her how loved she was.

“I’ve missed you so much!” She kissed his cheek. But before she could say more, another set of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from Liam.

Ezra, her other brother, tickled her sides. “And what about me? Mm?”

She couldn’t help but squeal and laugh. “You idiot. Of course I’ve missed you too! Now put me down so we can eat!”

The alarm went off in the kitchen. Ezra, always hungry, obeyed her after kissing her head once more.

“Let me help you,” Ezra offered and followed her into the kitchen.

“Oh man, this smells amazing. Why were you the only one to get Mom’s magic hands? Do you know how hard it has been at home with Liam’s cooking skills?”

Ezra’s comment made Madison smile and Liam frown.

“You could have learned, you know,” Madison pointed out as she passed plates full of gnocchi to the boys.

“How come you are here alone? Weren’t you supposed to come with…oh, what was that idiot’s name?” Ezra asked. Liam punched him lightly, but it didn’t stop him. “Daniel, right?” His voice was sharp.

“Right. Well, since I found him having sex with my roommate, I thought it wouldn’t be right to bring him.”

Ezra clenched his fists and looked up at her, fuming. “What? Should we go and kill him?”

“Ezra, he is clearly an idiot. And it’s his loss.” Liam, the peacemaker, put his hand on Madison’s shoulder and changed the subject. “Forget about him. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

As dinner went on, Madison finally began to relax, feeling at home, safe and happy with her family. From time to time during the dinner Madison felt Levi and Ethan’s eyes on her.

Their teasing comments didn’t let up for a minute, but it didn’t annoy her as much as she remembered.

When they’d all had enough, the boys cleared the table and cleaned up in appreciation of her cooking. Madison stayed in her seat at the table, sipping wine and basking in the warm air and cool breeze.

After a while the sounds of the trees waving in the night air, the crickets, and the boys talking and goofing around in the kitchen were so comfortable that she drifted off to sleep.

She woke when someone lifted her from her seat. Arms wound around her body, holding her tight.

She was placed gently in bed, and soft covers were tucked over her. The last thing she felt before falling back into sleep was a warm kiss on her forehead and a strong, musky scent that she knew well.

***

Madison was awoken again later by two strong, warm hands on her bare legs. She shivered under her fluffy comforter.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she was staring into bright amber eyes.

Levi?

She blinked a couple of times and tried to get into a better position to look at him.

“I—” She tried to speak, but the moment her lips parted, his lips were on hers.

The feeling of his kiss was overwhelming. The first lucid thought that came to her mind was, He tastes of mint.

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