Page 10 of My Brother's Best Friends

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.”

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