Page 38 of My Brother's Best Men
“Good girl.”
8
SOPHIE
I let out a contented sigh,basking in the warmth of the sun like it will fix all my problems. And for the moment, it certainly does.
The air here is crisp and salty and I breathe it in deep, letting it fill my lungs.
“I take it that nap helped?” Raegan asks.
I slowly open my eyes, turning on my chaise to glance at her. She smiles back at me, though I can’t see her eyes behind her large sunglasses.
“Ever sleep so good you wake up and don’t know what year it is?” I say. Raegan laughs. “Let’s just say I thought for a minute I was back in high school.”
I catch sight of Lucy and Natalie turning over like rotisserie chickens to evenly spread their tans. They don’t say much, but then again, they never do. Tiffany is the chatterbox of their little group and she’s…
My eyes scan the beach, looking for her, and when I settle my gaze on her, I feel a slight tinge of panic because I see what’s she doing, or ratherwhoshe’s watching.
In the center of the beach, amidst the towels and sun-drunk vacationers—including my parents and family—are my brother, Benny, Elijah, and Matt. They’re playing cornhole, of all things.
I shift up onto my elbows, blinking as if to shake off the mirage in front of me. Benny and all his tattooed glory catches my eye first, and I don’t hesitate to let my gaze rove over his body. I already know he has a solid, sexy chest full of tats and muscles, and his skin glimmers in the sun from sweat between all the ink.
And then I look down, finding the answer to my question. His legs aren’t covered in tattoos, but he does have one on the back of his right leg, though I can’t make it out. He leans forward, throwing the beanbag, the motion drawing attention to his biceps, and I almost miss his beanbag landing on the sand.
My brother grumbles loudly. “What the hell, man? Aim for the hole!”
“I did!” Benny snaps.
“Don’t be mad.” Matthew chuckles. “Benny couldn’t find a hole unless there was a woman attached to it.”
“Fuck you, Matt.”
Matthew laughs, the sound carrying on the wind, and I can’t take my eyes off of him. He runs a hand through his blond hair, his smile like something straight out of a damn toothpaste ad.
“Awww thanks, Benny, but you’re not my type,” Matthew says as he picks up his beanbag and tosses it. It goes right in on the first shot.
Sam groans as Elijah whoops, high-fiving Matthew. Tiffany jumps up and down, squealing, “You won! Way to go, Matty!”
Disdain blankets me, along with a tinge of jealousy, as Raegan chuckles quietly beside me. “Sometimes I feel like we’re still in high school,” she says. “Like no time has passed at all, and then I blink and remember we’re not teenagers anymore.”
Her soft tone speaks to me and I let out a breath, watching as Matt smiles, celebrating with Tiffany and Elijah before turning to catch my gaze. He smirks at me, that boyish grin a mix of flirtation and friendliness that is soMatthew. So sweet and fun and bright.
My gaze drifts from his face to his bare chest, to the outline of his defined pecs. And then it travels down to his hips, to his tiny Speedothat looks tighter and smaller than should be humanly possible due to the sizable bulge. I feel my cheeks heat as the memory of his words echo in my brain.“Uh-huh. Sand, sun, and lots of tan buns in Speedos for you to stare at.”
He’s a far cry from the sweet boy I used to tutor, that’s for sure.
“Yeah,” I say, swallowing hard. “I know what you mean.”
I regrettably tear my eyes from Matthew, and Elijah’s gaze finds mine. His hair is wet, hanging in his dark eyes. He says something to Tiffany before she scampers off. I watch them all intently, not paying any attention as Tiffany finds her way back up to us.
“Have fun watching the boys?” Raegan asks sweetly.
Tiffany plops down on the chaise next to me. “I could watch them all day, are you kidding me? They’re all hot as hell and they’re hilarious.”
Lucy and Natalie giggle, the only sign they’re still with us.
“Hey, one of those boys is going to be a married man,” Lucy chimes in.
