Page 30 of My Brother's Best Men
It’s not a complete lie. I did hearsomeof their conversation, if by conversation you mean Sophie moaning in delight after Eli’s lips landed on hers. But it’s vague enough that for the moment, it does the trick.
“You…overheard us?” she asks as the barista calls our order. I grab our drinks, handing her the hot grande caramel macchiato with oat milk. Our fingers brush as I hand it off, and for a moment, time itself stands still.
And then, just like it came, the moment fades as she pulls away.
“Yeah,” I say, almost breathless.
My dick jumps, relishing in her touch, however faint and fast it was.
“How long were you standing there, exactly?” she asks carefully, taking a sip of her drink. She lets out another one of those perfect, sultry moans, and I have half a mind to take my damnFrappuccino and my ass into the nearest bathroom to quiet the damn genie in my pants.
But we really do need to get moving to our gate so we’re not late for our trip to Paradise. Pretty sure Benny will kill me if he finds out our tardiness is my fault. Especially if we miss the damn flight.
I lead us toward the direction of our gate. “Long enough.”
If she doesn’t believe me, she doesn’t say anything, and for that I’m grateful.
“I’m not going to say anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. To your parents or anything,” I reassure her.
She doesn’t look at me, just slides her hands in her pockets. “I’m not, I just…haven’t really had time to process stuff, you know? And my mom, just…she always has a knack for knowing when I’m not my best.”
I stop, forcing her to look at me. “Hey…” I catch her gaze with my own. “It’s okay, you know. You don’t have to have all the answers.” I smirk. “Chalk it up to the alcohol, and parents who don’t know boundaries.” She smirks at me as I pretend to zip my lips shut. “Secret’s safe with me, baby.”
Her gaze glistens for a moment and I pretend to throw away the invisible key.
“From here on out, no more talk about asshole ex-boyfriends or pain-in-the-ass parents. It’s just pure white sand beaches and mai tais. After all, I hear the Virgin Islands are the best cure for a broken heart.”
She smiles sweetly. “Is that so?”
“Uh-huh. Sand, sun, and lots of tan buns in Speedos for you to stare at.”
I don’t tell her the set of tan buns in a Speedo will be mine, but I’m sure I’m not the only one at the resort who will be sporting such attire.
“Sounds great,” she says. “I could use a little distraction.”
7
SOPHIE
Matthewand I arrive at the gate with ten minutes to spare until boarding.
“I was starting to get worried,” my mother says, her voice strangely soft to my ears. I almost feel bad for making her and my dad—who looks like he needs a nap as badly as I do—worry. Lord, I must be more caffeine deprived than I thought.
“Thought you got held up in security or something,” Dad says. “Was about to call you to see what the holdup was.”
Matthew shifts beside me, his arm brushing against mine. He’s not as big as Benny or as trim as Elijah. In fact, I’m pretty sure Matthew and I could fit in the same clothes, because he’s not that much bigger than me and I’m definitely as average as they come, but his presence still feels larger than it is due to his warmth, his infectious charisma. And maybe he’s put on a few pounds since I last saw him, but he looks good.
Really good, if I’m being honest.
“We stopped for coffee,” Matthew says, clearing his throat. He looks at me with a sideways glance, a faint smirk on his lips likewe’ve just been caught stealing cookies from the jar on top of his mom’s refrigerator. I can’t help but feel marginally better, like our late arrival isn’t as bad as it probably seems.
Matthew’s like that, though. He just exudes this aura that’s impossible not to feel the effects of.
“Didn’t think to get any for us, huh?” Benny says. “I see how it is.”
Sam gives me a faint smile before glancing at Matthew, then back at me, before Raegan pulls his attention. Benny’s gaze appraises me like a judgmental god or something, like he’s pissed off, which is weird. I can also feel Elijah’s gaze on me, studying me intently, though I can’t meet it. Because I know the minute I do, I’ll remember what happenedlast night, and this morning is already bad enough after having to wake up super early and getting here as late as I have.
I still can’t believe I kissed Elijah. Not that I didn’t want to, because I definitelywantedto, I just…thought I’d onlythoughtthe idea in my head. Being in Elijah’s proximity warps my brain. It always has. Add a few glasses of wine, a bad breakup, a mother who just doesn’t know when to quit, and a wedding and…clearly the wine went to my head.
