Page 12 of My Brother's Best Friends

“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 noproblem acknowledging—and indulging—the chemistry. It feels like courting every kind of trouble.

The sweetest kind of trouble.

5

ALEX

If Makayla reacts the way I hope she will, she won’t be the first woman my brothers and I have shared. It’s an unconventional arrangement, but we make it work. Kellan and Oscar are my best friends, and somehow sharing is ten times sexier than dating one-on-one.

“God, this feels so nice. I don’t want it to end,” she says, her cheeks rosy and glowing as tendrils of steam curl around her.

“What have you been up to?” I ask. “Like I said, it’s been a minute.”

“I don’t know why it seems like such a long story—it really isn’t.” She giggles. “I’ll give you the highlights. I went to college.”

“Brava. You’ve always been a smart woman,” Kellan says. “What was your major?”

“Marketing, with a minor in Hotel & Tourism Management.”

“So you’re planning to run a chain of luxury hotels around the world, then?” I say.

Makayla laughs. “For some reason it doesn’t sound crazy when you say it, though it does when I do.” She smiles. “Honestly, I figured I’d start by opening a winery in California—once I get my feet back under me.”

“What happened?” I ask, my brow furrowing with concern.

We may not have seen her for several years, but we have always cared about her. Even now, I feel an inner need to keep her safe, to protect her from whatever life might want to throw her way. Makayla was always strong and resilient—it doesn’t mean she should face everything on her own.

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