Page 68 of The Other Brother

“You have a point.” He leans back, looking up at the stars.

I follow his lead, tilting my head back to examine the night sky. The light pollution of the city means we only can see the brighter stars. It’s weird to think there are a lot more stars out there shining away that we never get to see.

“Do you think your parents will care?” he asks. His tone is casual, but I sense something larger and darker lurks underneath.

“They already know I’m into guys. But if they knew you and I were a thing, they probably wouldn’t be that happy,” I admit. “In case you haven’t noticed, my mum isn’t exactly your dad’s biggest fan. But then, I’m used to disappointing my parents. You could even say I’ve made it my life mission.”

Cody’s gaze is fixed on me. “So, you’re okay keeping this a secret from them?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. I get for you, it’s a bigger deal. Disappointing your parents is probably something you haven’t done much.”

“Not really,” Cody says.

“From my experience, it’s like riding a bike. It gets easier the more you practice.”

A grin overtakes his face. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“My mum has this cushion that saysI’d rather be someone’s shot of whiskey than everyone’s cup of tea.” I give a casual shrug, although I feel the tips of my ears heat after sharing this. It’s dumb, but for someone who definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, being one person’s whisky has always appealed to me. “Although personally I’m probably more like a shot of tequila, because that’s way cooler than whiskey.”

Cody dips his head for a second before meeting my gaze and holding it for a heartbeat or two. “You’re definitely tequila,” he says finally.

“You think?”

“Yeah, tequila is an acquired taste. Just like you.”

I snort.

“And we don’t need Mel and Kate poking their noses into our business,” I continue.

“Nah, definitely not.”

“So, I’m happy to keep this on the down low,” I say.

“Cool. But you know, I think we need something to seal the deal,” he says, shuffling closer to me.

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What kind of something?”

“This.”

And Cody’s lips are on mine. And we’re kissing again.

Cody. Holy hell. It’s all about Cody.

When we finally pull away from each other, he’s looking dazed, his lips red and puffy.

I’m fairly sure I look the same.

Forget running marathons. My pulse is racing like we’ve just galloped around the galaxy a few times.

Chapter18

I wake up the next morning, and there’s this moment when I think I’m just living my usual mundane Ryan existence, before the memories slam into me. Then everything comes back in a flash, and my grin feels so bright I’m surprised it doesn’t light up the room.

Because nothing is mundane anymore.

Cody. Cody kissing me. Cody and I agreeing to keep kissing each other.

I gather up all the reasons why it isn’t a good idea if Cody and I hook up and throw open a drawer in my mind, sweep them all in there, and close it with a bang. Because I don’t have enough self-control not to explore this thing with Cody. He’s my favorite person on the planet at the moment. The fact I now get to kiss him too is like added bonus levels, which changes a game from being freaking amazing to out-of-this-world incredible.