Page 4

KELLAN

M akayla is a breathtaking surprise. I certainly didn’t expect her to be so beautiful. Sure, she’d been a sweet, awkward kid, but I never imagined she’d grow into this stunning woman.

Back then she’d been adorable, bragging she could smoke us at Grand Theft Auto.

I want to punch Bryan for keeping her under wraps this long, but I remind myself they drifted apart after Makayla left for college. Life happened, and here we are—here I am—stunned by the smoke show who’s still very much my friend’s little sister.

“Feels like I’m begging for trouble,” I say under my breath.

I watch through the porch window as Makayla stretches for a wineglass in the overhead cabinet, her lush ass arching invitingly. God, I want to slide my palms along those generous curves. I can tell she’s drawn to me, although she’s doing her best to hide it.

It wouldn’t exactly be a crime to indulge.

Just as I cup myself beneath the water, trying to coax my cock back to something like calm, I catch movement across the room. Makayla turns, her full breasts swaying softly beneath her bikini top. I narrow my eyes, praying it’s not Bryan—I might have some explaining to do.

“Hey!” Makayla says. Her voice slips through the narrow gap in the sliding door, colored by equal parts surprise and pleasure.

“Hey yourself,” Alex says.

I can instantly recognize the voice, even though most people can’t tell the difference.

There’s a brightness to Alex’s voice that neither Oscar nor I have.

Maybe it’s because he coaches Little League on weekends and is used to keeping his tone upbeat for the kids.

It can be tiring sometimes, but it’s one of his more lovable quirks.

I drift to her side of the hot tub, brace my hands on the deck, and lean out to listen.

“Makayla?” Alex says. “It’s been a minute.”

Through the glass, I watch as he pulls her into a hug.

He’s still in his business suit, tie knotted close to his throat.

Lucky me—I bailed on that meeting early and traded the suit for steaming water and bare skin instead.

Perhaps he’ll join us. It might foil any idea of intimacy that has clearly bloomed between Makayla and me, though. Or… it might not.

“I’m sorry, I can’t seem to tell you guys apart anymore. I hate that I have to ask, but are you Oscar?” Makayla asks, her tone innocent.

“Yes, it’s me—Oscar,” Alex says, his tone teasing.

Makayla pulls back and gives his arm a light slap. He’s given himself away and she knows he’s not Oscar. “Alex,” she says, wagging a manicured finger.

Alex grins. “Or maybe I’m Kellan.”

“Kellan’s in the hot tub,” Makayla says.

“Oh.”

A moment later the door slides open, and Alex steps out, shooting me a questioning look. Makayla joins him, holding a second champagne glass. She looks at me, then at Alex, then goes back inside for a third glass.

I can read Alex without even trying. He is equally enticed by Makayla. Likely wondering if there is something already happening here, but I gently disappoint him with a quick shake of the head. He nods slowly, but the hope doesn’t fade from his eyes.

“Human nature—and twin nature—are funny things, don’t you think?” Alex says with a quiet laugh.

“They are. What’s even more amusing is how they’re colliding right now,” I say, offering a wry smile. “I did not expect this.”

“Me neither. What do we do?”

I shrug. “Go with the flow and try not to drown.”

“Who’s going to drown?” Makayla asks, giving Alex a sweet smile.

“Me, in all this beauty,” Alex says, gesturing toward the sweeping view.

She giggles and walks to the glass-top table flanked by two lounge chairs.

Setting the stemware down, she comes back for the bottles of juice and champagne.

Alex tracks her every movement with undisguised interest. When she bends down to reach for the bottles, I can almost hear his heart stopping, much like mine.

He stills her with a gentle touch to her shoulder.

“What happened here?” Alex asks.

“Kellan surprised me,” Makayla admits.

“Allow me.”

He bends down to pick up the bottles and follows her to the table. He twists the top off and pours a little into each glass. I watch the scene unfold, wondering how long before she slips back into the water; Makayla is already shivering as she hunts for her glass. She’s got to be freezing.

“Need a top-up?” Alex asks.

She spots her glass beside me. Our gazes lock, excitement simmering in her eyes. Words aren’t necessary when her body is already humming for us.

“Sure,” she says, reaching past me to retrieve her glass.

It’s an intriguing dynamic. So much is unspoken—between my brother and me, between Makayla and me, and between Makayla and my brother.

“Would you like to join us, dear brother?” I ask Alex with a wry smile.

“In the jacuzzi?”

“It would require that you lose the suit,” I say.

Makayla offers a light shrug. “Three wouldn’t be a crowd under these circumstances.”

“Really?” Alex says, giving her an intrigued look. I can hear the wheels spinning in his head as she takes her full glass and walks over to my side of the balcony.

“Are you shy, dear brother?”

He knows I’m joking. “A little bit. What if you’re naked under there?”

“It’s like you have X-ray vision or something,” Makayla says with a laugh.

Alex rolls his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he says to Makayla. “We can’t take him anywhere.”

“Really, it’s okay,” Makayla insists.

“I take it I don’t need to fetch my swimming trunks. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” he asks her, the tension quick to sizzle between them.

“I just want you guys to be comfortable, and honestly, the view’s not that bad.”

She gestures toward the mountains, but I know that’s not what she’s talking about. I hadn’t considered her a romantic possibility when Bryan informed us that we would be sharing a suite.

I figured it would be like old times, with us gently teasing her and catching up over mulled wine before we hit the ski slopes.

But Makayla has managed to surprise and disarm us both in a manner of minutes without even trying.

This organic connection between us must be explored, and I think she’s aware of it, too.

“I think I’ll grab my swim trunks,” Alex says before disappearing inside.

Makayla nods, lifts her drink, and drains nearly half the glass. “I don’t remember Alex being the prudish one,” she says lightly.

“I didn’t remember you being so bold, either. Not that I mind—I’m quite partial to it. My brother needs a minute to adjust, but don’t worry, I reckon we’ll all be buck naked in hot water before this holiday’s over,” I say with a laugh.

“Fair enough,” she says, sidling closer to the edge of the hot tub.

“Why don’t you take your suit off?” I ask.

Makayla sighs, setting her glass down on the table. She slips back into the water but doesn’t disrobe. Instead, she sits down on the edge and gently slides into the tub.

“I can’t leave Alex on his own. We’d be ganging up on him. It won’t be a fair fight,” she quips.

“We’re lovers, Kay. Not fighters.”

She narrows her eyes at me, and for the first time, I can’t tell what she’s thinking. “Where’s Oscar?” she asks.

“Why? Do you want all three of us here?” I ask, curiosity spiking. “You’re planning something—should I be worried?”

A typical woman would choose just one of us, leaving the other two brothers out in the cold. Makayla, however, is anything but typical, and I need her to voice what she so clearly wants.

“I scare you, don’t I?” she says, giggling as she gazes into the distance. “Kidding, of course. No, it’s just that seeing you and Alex now… I realized I’d actually missed you. I’d love to see Oscar as soon as possible, too.”

“That would be an interesting reunion,” I reply, fully aware of the double entendre lingering just beneath the surface of the entire conversation.

“He’s probably still at the meeting,” I say, sliding over to sit beside her.

She stiffens up a bit, but it’s not against me.

The subtle quiver of her lips and her dilated pupils tell me we’re merely a touch away from unraveling something extraordinary here.

“I never imagined my first day in Sweden would look like this,” she says on a sigh.

“Actually, I didn’t even know the three of you were going to join us. ”

“Bry told us you might be here, but I’ll be honest, Kay. You are already my favorite part of this trip,” I confess.

“We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, don’t we?”

I nod slowly. “In a sense, we might have to get to know each other all over again—like strangers meeting for the first time. Would that make you more comfortable?”

“It might,” she says.

“Good. We’re on the same page, then,” I reply. “Just know that you are always safe and comfortable with us, regardless of the impromptu nudity and the occasional jokes. You know how it is when the dudes get together.”

“Oh, I remember,” Makayla throws her head back in laughter, then takes another deep breath and a sip from her glass. “I can’t wait to get out on the slopes,” she says, avoiding my eyes.

“Have you been skiing before?” I ask.

“A few times,” she admits. “I am horribly bad at it, though. What about you?”

“Occasionally,” I respond. “Though I’ve done more snowboarding lately. Wait, how bad are you at skiing, exactly?”

“Was horribly bad not descriptive enough?”

“Maybe you’re just being modest.”

“You’re right. Maybe I am catastrophically bad.”

It’s my turn to laugh. “Dammit, Kay, you haven’t changed much. Still the same smart mouth—only now with even more appetizing curves.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It is,” Alex says as he rejoins us. “You look beautiful, Kay. A woman like you must have any man wrapped around her finger.”

I glance down and burst into a brief chuckle. He’s wearing the most ridiculous pair of bright red and orange swim shorts I’ve ever seen. Alex frowns, glancing down at his trunks as if he doesn’t understand what’s so funny.

“What’s your beef with my trunks?” he asks.

“I’m just thinking that Finnish snipers can spot you in them. All the way from Finland,” I reply.

“Bright as they are, I do appreciate how they hang from his hips,” Makayla says before quickly dropping her gaze.

“Okay, I said the quiet part out loud.” I’m about to say something while Alex is adorably flustered, but she beats us to it.

“Alex, can you bring the bottles over here before you get in?”

“Sure,” Alex says. “Beats getting in and out of the hot water for a refill.”

With the drinks settled beside the jacuzzi, Alex inhales deeply and helps Makayla in first. “Oh, this feels nice,” she says on a soft exhale.

“I could see you were cold up there,” I say with a wink.

She glances down at her breasts, a blush blooming across her cheeks.

“The view’s even better than all that,” I say, nodding toward the mountains beyond.

My brother joins us. I’ve been in long enough that I’m adjusted to the temperature, but I can see Alex wince.

“It’s hot,” Makayla says with a laugh.

Alex exhales with a nod. “Beats sitting in a Zoom meeting for another hour, though.”

“Agreed,” I say, clinking my glass against his.

“It’s shaping up to be an interesting holiday,” Makayla says after a long sip. “And we haven’t even gotten to the proposal part yet.”

Something tells me all the words we’re not saying will end up expressed in an entirely different language. Our words may fail to capture what’s sparking between us, but our bodies have no problem acknowledging—and indulging—the chemistry. It feels like courting every kind of trouble.

The sweetest kind of trouble.