Page 53 of My Brother's Best Men
“No, but he had that dolphin float you could never stay on for your life,” Matthew says and everyone laughs.
Benny flips off Matthew and grumbles a “fine,” and Sam grins.
“It’s settled then. Wedding party dolphin swim this afternoon!”
Matthew smiles as the check is brought and signed by my dad, and before we disperse, Raegan tells us to change into our suits and meet her and my brother out front in an hour so we can catch the transport to the aquarium.
The walk back to the hotel is quiet, full of tension. When we get to the room, Benny swipes his card and opens the door for me. I enter without acknowledgment, feeling like a boiling volcano.
“Hey,” he says as I grab a clean suit from my suitcase.
I turn around, meeting his gaze.
“Sorry for…” He looks uncomfortable. Concerned. Which isn’t like Benny at all. “Just…sorry,” he says, and my heart sinks.
“It’s okay,” I say, even though I know things arenotokay.
A part of me wants to go to him. Pull his large frame into myarms and tell him whatever it is, it’s really okay. Because mistakes happen, right? As long as we’re both on the same page, we’ll be fine. Eventually.
“Just…let’s get changed and head out, yeah?”
He nods and then carefully removes his shirt. He doesn’t wait for me to turn around or leave, and I don’t turn around or leave. I stand still as a statue and watch him. I stare at his hard chest full of ink and have to remember to breathe as the memory of exactly what it feels like under my fingertips resurfaces.
He looks me in the eyes for a moment, licking his lips, and then drops his pants. His gaze holds me like a challenge, and maybe it is.
I can do this, I tell myself. I don’t have to look. I alreadyknowwhat he looks like.
Or rather, what his cock looks like.
“Yeah,” I say as I clutch my suit to my chest and head for the bathroom. I pride myself on not looking. On being stronger than my damn urges.
But then I catch sight of his naked body in the mirror and my insides flutter again. I close the bathroom door and let out a heavy breath. I don’t think he saw that, and even if he did…
It was a mistake.
It won’t happen again.
I repeat those words like a mantra as I change into my bikini and pack my beach bag, and when I emerge, he’s in his trunks and flip-flops, looking like sin on two legs.
A knock on the door alerts us both, shattering the charged moment. When Benny opens the door, I’m surprised to see Matthew and Elijah, also in their trunks with beach bags.
“You guys ready?” Matthew asks. Elijah looks from me to Benny and then smiles at me.
“Yeah,” I say, brushing past Benny, nearly knocking him over on the way. Elijah gives me a warm grin as I leave Benny in my dust, heading toward the next destination with my friends.
I meander through the aquariums as I wait for Sam and Raegan to complete their dolphin swim, since for security and safety reasons, they only allow one couple to swim at a time. So the rest of us have been milling about in the aquarium while we wait.
Honestly, the time to just…chill out…has been nice. Gives me a chance to breathe. I check my phone—still no texts or calls from Keaton.
Honestly, at this point, I wish I could say I was shocked, but the truth is, I’m not.
However, I do note a text message from Stella & Sons, which is a newer company that just moved into the Seattle area. They’re technically a competitor, but they’re still in the start-up phase. I’d applied to the place awhile back when I heard about it getting off the ground.
I love my job, and I love where I’m at, but call me crazy, I wanted a job where I didn’t have towork with my partner.I wanted something that was my own, and I knew with an impending wedding, eventually there would be a lot of eyes on me—andKeaton. I didn’t want to be undermined or scrutinized because of my attachment to the son of the owner.
Keaton thought it was a great idea at the time.
“Establish your own identity, I get it. It’s smart.”
