Page 19

OSCAR

“ W e normally react better to unforeseen circumstances,” I tell Kellan as he comes back into the living room.

“I think Makayla’s got us twisted,” he concedes. “We haven’t argued like this in a while.”

Clearly, he’s had time to think.

So have I.

“I know sneaking around behind Bryan’s back is wrong,” Kellan says. “You’re not the only one who’s aware of the potential repercussions.”

The passion that ignites between Makayla and the three of us is instant and all-consuming, leaving us damn near incapable of thinking straight. Bryan walking in on us never should have mattered in the first place.

It feels like such a small thing. A bug on the windshield, really.

But my brothers and I know all too well that even a bug on the windshield can lead to disaster.

“It’s a delicate situation,” I agree. “Perhaps you understand now why I wanted to go slow.”

He chuckles dryly. “And perhaps you also understand why going slow was virtually impossible with a woman like that.”

“Fair enough.”

I take a sip of coffee, chasing whatever jolt of energy I can find. Pleasuring Makayla has knocked the air out of me, but it’s the best kind of exhaustion.

“We need to analyze the situation carefully,” Kellan says. “Let’s list the pros and cons. We’ve known Bryan and Kay practically our whole lives. It can’t be that bad if we let the cat out of the bag.”

“If Bryan isn’t on our side, then things could get really weird really fast. Remember, he’s not only our friend, but he’s our business partner.

Sleeping with his sister could spark complications we haven’t even considered.

” I draw a steadying breath. “I’m talking about legal fallout.

There’s no telling how a wounded man might react, even if that man is as decent as Bryan. ”

“What does Kay think about it?” Kellan asks, nodding toward her door.

“I’m letting her rest. I left a cup of coffee on her nightstand and came back here,” I say.

“And Alex?”

“He’s getting dressed. Bryan texted again. He wants us all downstairs for dinner.”

Kellan’s frown mirrors mine. “We had plans.”

“Maybe he’s itching to propose tonight. Did you consider that?” I raise an eyebrow at him.

“Oscar, less than half an hour ago, we were tangled with this amazing woman, balls deep while she cried out our names,” he shoots back. “None of us considered that when Bryan’s first text came through.”

I let out a dry chuckle. “Again, you make a decent point. When did you become so reasonable?”

He exhales sharply, then crashes onto the sofa. “I realized that what’s happening here runs deeper than a frolic in a Swedish chalet. We need to get our shit together. Clear heads, cold air, our brains switched on, our dicks turned off, and figure out a way forward. For us, for Kay, and for Bryan.”

For our business, too.

I was serious about the potential legal ramifications of a personal falling out with Bryan. Alex and Kellan might not think he’s capable, but I wouldn’t put anything past anybody. Not after what we endured with she-who-shall-not-be-named.

I retreat to my room for a few minutes, craving a moment’s silence from my intrusive thoughts. If this were only about the mind-boggling sex, I doubt we’d have found common ground in these concerns about the future.

“Are you going to pop the question tonight?” I text Bryan, trying to gauge the situation.

“Just be downstairs at seven. I wanted to talk to you beforehand, but it’s too late now,” he writes back. The reply sends a ripple of worry through me.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry too much about it. It’ll be fine. See you at 7.”

I scoff and set my phone aside. Isn’t that fucking dandy?

A knock at the connecting door snaps my attention up. I walk over to the door and look into the living room, but there’s no one there. All the other bedroom doors are shut, too. I might’ve imagined it.

Bryan’s last message keeps churning in my mind.

The knock comes again—this time from the door that links my room to Makayla’s.

“Makayla,” I say, flinging the door wide.

Wrapped in nothing but a towel, she offers a soft smile. “Hi,” she says, her voice a silky, husky murmur, eyes heavy-lidded—but damn, she lights me up from the inside out.

Memories of our earlier encounter flood me, and I draw a deep breath to stay anchored in the present.

“Are you okay?” I ask, standing aside to let her come in.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you the same question,” she says. “I don’t know a lot about foursomes, but I can tell you’re a little more private than your brothers.”

“Oh, I don’t know if that’s true,” I stammer.

“I’ve hung around in the same room while they entertained the same woman before—it’s just—okay, that came out wrong,” I add with a nervous laugh.

“I mean… Normally, I’d have no qualms whatsoever.

But for my first time with you… I just wanted a little bit of privacy. You didn’t seem to mind.”

“I didn’t.”

“I actually enjoyed the intimacy.”

She nods slowly. “I just hope things are good between us…”

“Of course they are,” I assure her.

“On another note, since my brother expects us downstairs for dinner, I think I should take a shower,” she says, making no move toward her own bathroom. Ah, I see where she’s going with this.

“Maybe we should brush your hair first?” I suggest with a subtle smile.

She touches her beautifully messy mane and offers a sheepish grin. It makes me laugh outright. She nods, moving forward to sit on my bed.

“Where’s your brush?” I ask.

“In my bathroom.”

I fetch it in a heartbeat and sit beside her. Carefully, I start untangling the knots. Makayla winces, and I pause.

“Keep going,” she instructs.

“Let me know if this is hurting you,” I say.

“Oh, I’m used to this—the downside of having long, thick, wavy hair.” She pauses to look at me. “Thank you for doing this. It’s nice…”

“No problem,” I assure her. “Anyway, why would you think that about us?”

“I heard your voices,” she says.

“It’s nothing serious, Kay. We butt heads all the time. I’m pretty sure we made our mother’s pregnancy extremely uncomfortable from all the head-butting.”

She snorts, a very unladylike sound that takes me by surprise. I catch her smiling and realize that I know something my brothers don’t.

“I suppose that means you always find a resolution to your conflicts, too,” Makayla says.

“We do. It’s actually pretty cool to have three heads in the mix. One usually sees what the other two don’t,” I confide. “We even get to put things to a vote if we can’t agree.”

“It’s practically a democracy.”

“A very flawed one, but yes.”

“You guys are so different, even though you look the same,” she muses.

I continue working on her hair until it's one shimmering gold-specked waterfall. I hand the brush back, expecting her to leave. Instead, she lays her hand over mine and smiles.

“Will you help me take a shower?” she asks. “I feel so scatterbrained, I’m sure I’m going to forget something.”

“Help you shower?” I echo, certain I’ve misheard. “I’ve never heard that excuse before. Consider my interest piqued. How can I be of service?”

“I guess I need something new to wear,” she says. “It’s so hard to think right now, I can’t even begin to consider fashion choices. I guess it’s true, you really can fuck your brains out.”

I laugh, helping her to her feet. “Of course I can help you pick something to wear.”

Together, we go back to her room where I sort through the various outfits she brought. I pull out a tight red dress that looks incredibly sexy, but she shakes her head.

“I don’t want to wear that.”

“Alright,” I say. “Pants and a sweatshirt?”

“No,” she says. “Oh, I have a sweater dress that would be so comfortable right now.”

“You got it,” I say, rifling through her things until I find the extra-long sweater buried at the bottom of her bag. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” she says.

“What do you think Bryan will think of all this?” I wonder.

“I don’t know,” she says bluntly.

Before I can follow up, she turns and walks into the bathroom.

I set the sweater dress on the counter by the sink and turn on the water for her. Secretly, I expect an invitation to join her under the hot water stream. Makayla keeps surprising me; her sexual stamina is one of my favorite revelations so far.

“Because he’s our best friend,” I reply. “And he’s your brother. And he asked you here so you’d be by his side when he proposes to Callie. So this is maybe a little bit selfish of all of us.”

Makayla sighs. “I can see you’ve given this some thought.”

“It has crossed my mind,” I admit.

She peels the towel off, her skin glowing beautifully under the soft white light. My senses are heightened, ready for an invitation to resume our lovemaking. But she simply steps into the shower and draws the curtain, leaving me out in the cold.

If I were thinking clearly, we’d be getting ready for Bryan’s dinner invitation.

And then I’d never hear the end of it from Alex and Kellan, who wouldn’t want to miss out on any hot shower frolicking with Makayla.

I look away, trying not to envision the water pouring over her full, luscious breasts.

“After I graduated from high school, Bryan hit the brakes on his guardianship, so to speak. He stopped hovering over my romantic life,” Makayla says.

“But this is different, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know,” she says. “I guess I feel like I want to be more invested in this relationship before announcing it to the world.”

“Right,” I agree. “But eventually we’ll have to tell him. And he’ll either support us or he won’t.”

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t tell him at all. I’m saying… maybe let’s see where this goes and figure it out then.”

“Ultimately, the decision’s up to you. My brothers and I will follow your lead, Kay,” I concede, though doubt lingers. I’d be more comfortable if we told him sooner rather than later, but Makayla does hold the final say on the matter.

I hate lying to him—or keeping anything from him. My brothers and I already have a skeleton in our closet in this department. I’d hate for these things to pile up.

“Let’s not tell him,” Makayla says. “At least not right away. It’ll come out eventually, but let’s give ourselves some time. We shouldn’t tell him before we even know how we feel about each other—that would add complications we may not need.”

“That’s fine,” I say.

I’m not accustomed to simply putting things off. At work, I’m always the one married to my schedule. I don’t make a move unless it’s planned out months ahead of time. There’s nothing I hate more than getting yanked into an unexpected meeting. But my personal life doesn’t have to operate that way.

“I’ll go get changed in the meantime.”

“Okay,” she says. “Just so you know, I considered inviting you into the shower, but I already know I can’t get enough of you. We’ll go way over the allocated time limit here, and that’ll just lead to more trouble.”

“I’m glad you have my best interests at heart,” I say with a laugh.

“Mine, too,” she says. “Besides, when we finally shower together, Oscar, I want us to take our sweet time—from head to toe.”

I pause, my hand on the doorknob. “Believe it or not, Kay, I really do think you were made for us.”

“You three must’ve been very good boys if the universe decided to reward you with yours truly,” she teases.

There it is.

That spark of self-confidence Makayla carries. It’s what lights my fire, what sends my heart racing and my mind spinning with visions of a future with her. A real future. A chance at a shared happy ending that leaves no room for discord or shattered friendships.