Page 7

MAKAYLA

A lex grabs one of my hands and Kellan grabs the other. They haul me out of the tub and give me a second to stand on my own two feet.

“Let’s keep you warm and toasty until we get you inside.” Kellan snags a towel from a nearby lounge chair and drapes it around my shoulders, smoothing his palms over my damp skin to blot away the water.

“Do you want the champagne?” Alex asks.

“Leave it,” I say.

We’re halfway through the suite when the main door opens. I freeze, caught between two naked, dripping hunks. For a heartbeat I’m sure it’s Bryan. Relief surges when I see it’s only Oscar. My voice catches in my throat.

I remain still, at a loss for words.

Oscar does, too; he clearly needs a moment to register the sight before him.

Kellan, somehow unruffled, lifts a hand in greeting. “Hey, Oscar.”

Oscar’s jaw drops. He takes one look at the three of us and shuts the door behind him. We stare at each other for only seconds, though it feels like a lifetime. I lick my lips, wondering if I should go to him.

“What the fuck?” Oscar asks, his tone heavy, his gaze dark.

My smile falters. Whatever momentum we’d built slid out of the hot tub with me, leaving behind a painfully awkward silence.

“I know this looks different from what you expected when you walked in,” Kellan says. “But there’s a perfectly good explanation.”

Alex offers a helpless grin. “On the upside, this is consensual—all willing participants.”

Ah, some things never change. Kellan and Alex always chase the fun, while Oscar clings to the role of responsible sibling—even though I’m sure something wicked simmers behind those thin-rimmed glasses.

What flickers in his eyes isn’t simple anger or outrage; it’s something quieter—and it sparks a fire low in my belly. I muster a shaky half smile. “Definitely willing.”

Kellan gestures toward me. “Oscar, this is Makayla.”

I extend a hand, the towel slipping off my left shoulder. I let out a nervous laugh. “Wish you’d walked in sooner.”

Oscar takes my hand and shakes it, ever the polite one, but he doesn’t say a word. I remember him from when we were younger. He was always a bit stuffier than his brothers, so I’m not entirely surprised by his reticence.

He finally speaks. “Yeah, I recognize her. It’s been a while. Good to see you.”

I briefly lose myself in the dark caramel pools of his eyes. “Good to see you, too, Oscar.”

I try to work up the courage to entice him into the bedroom with us, but I just can’t manage it. Somehow, even flanked by his naked brothers, shyness still knots my stomach.

“I think you should all get dressed and stop whatever is going on before you get carried away,” Oscar says bluntly.

Alex lets out a sharp breath. “I think we’re past the carried-away part.” He’s probably thinking about my first orgasm. The memory still buzzes along my nerve endings.

“We’re supposed to have lunch with Bryan and Callie,” Oscar reminds them. “And Makayla’s expected to join us, in case you’d forgotten.”

Why do I suddenly feel like a kid caught shoplifting candy?

“We’ve got hours,” Kellan objects.

Oscar checks his watch—still a high-end Swiss piece, naturally.

That knitted vest clings to his muscular torso, confirming that he’s yet another ripped Anderson triplet.

“Actually, we have one hour—and unless you plan to strut through the lobby nude—don’t say a fucking word, Kellan, I know you would—you need to save at least twenty minutes to get dressed. ”

Alex scoffs. “That’s plenty of time.”

I raise one finger, not sure that forty minutes is actually enough time. “Is it, though?”

Kellan leans in, his breath skimming my ear, and growls low enough to melt my bones. “Baby, how long did it take us to make you come just now?”

“Oh God,” I gasp.

I want this moment to linger; I’m not about to rush it for lunch with my brother.

“See?” Oscar says, pointing at me. “She doesn’t think it’s enough time.”

Heat floods my cheeks. “I wasn’t objecting, either,” I mumble.

Kellan huffs. “I think you’re selling us short.”

“So, we’re agreed,” Oscar concludes, voice firm but polite. “All three of you are getting dressed, and we’re meeting Bryan and Callie in the lobby.”

Neither brother pushes back, exposing their intriguing hierarchy. Honestly, it tracks—Oscar stepped into this cold, while the rest of us had time to ignite, and he’s nothing if not loyal to my brother.

“Makayla, do you mind if I talk to my brothers alone for a moment?” he asks, giving me a soft, pleading look. Beneath it, I notice the same spark from earlier. The desire. The curiosity. It’s all there, but he is holding back.

I nod. “Of course.” The champagne-bubbly dizziness drains away, and I know the magic is gone. “This is my fault. I should apologize.”

“You will do no such thing. It’s not your fault,” Oscar says.

“No, no!” Alex quickly agrees, shaking his head.

Kellan adds, “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

“My brothers—and, by extension, you—got carried away. Our reunion should have happened differently, and I don’t want anyone doing something they’ll regret,” Oscar says gently. “After all, you’re still Bryan’s sister…”

I cut in. “That’s not fair. I’m in complete control and perfectly capable of deciding for myself.”

“I know it might seem like a good idea in the moment,” Oscar objects, doing his best not to be sidetracked by Kellan and Alex’s obvious nakedness. “But you really need to think about this.”

“When the three of you do this…” I falter, frustrated that I can’t articulate what I feel. “I thought it was all of you—together…”

“You thought right,” Alex says, kissing my hand.

Kellan lets out a rueful laugh, his gaze dropping. “Oscar playing voice of reason was not on my morning agenda.”

Suddenly the air thickens, a different kind of tension stealing over the room.

Oscar flushes and looks away. We’re at an impasse. The mood evaporates, and suddenly I need space. They aren’t rejecting me, but that’s exactly how it feels.

I step back, untangling our bodies. “I’d better get dressed.”

“Stay,” Kellan pleads. “We can start over—bring Oscar into the loop.”

“We can do that over lunch with Bryan and Callie,” Oscar bites back. God, he’s handsome. His confidence and stern edge send a whole new shiver down my spine.

“I’ll leave you gentlemen to talk,” I say, still smarting from the abrupt shutdown—and determined not to let Oscar off the hook.

This isn’t how I pictured reconnecting with him—or any of them. Instead of living my fantasy, I’m afraid I’ve wrecked it for good.

I retreat to my room, shut the door, and sag against it.

Muffled voices seep through the wood. I pretend I can’t make them out—though I know exactly what they’re saying.

Everyone’s angry at Oscar, and Oscar’s furious with everyone.

If only he shared Kellan’s carefree streak—we could be tangled together right now, basking in the salt-licked heat of a mind-numbing afterglow.