Page 40 of My Brother's Best Men
“Choke, choke, choke,” Sam chants, and I look up at him, noting the excitement in his eyes. I’m glad he’s having a good time. He deserves it, truthfully. And all things considered I guess I am having fun too.
But I’ll be having alotmore fun if I can make Benny eat my dust and buy me a drink or two.
Or three because hell, I’m on vacation, right? I’m supposed to be getting over an awful breakup, and there’s no better way to do that than to sip margaritas and crush your opponent who happens to be your childhood fantasy in a game of cornhole.
Who needs therapy?
“Ow!” Sam yelps as the sound of a smack rips through the air. Waves crash on the sand below and I do everything I can to focus my attention on the small, circular hole. Benny watches me intently. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly as I pray to whatever God is listening to land this fucking beanbag smack in the center.
And then I throw it, light and underhanded, and it hits the rim of the opening, the corner dipping into the hole, but the rest poised outside of it.
“Yes!” Sam says, whooping with his hands in the air as Matthew and Elijah groan. “We won!” Sam says, jumping up with victory, and then…
The bag slides right in, falling to the darkened shadows beneath, and Benny screams, “Noooooo…”
Raegan laughs as Elijah and Matthew scream in excitement, their victory well-deserved. Matthew’s arms go around me first and Elijah follows, pulling me close. Close enough for his lips to graze mine just slightly, stirring up the longing and desire I’ve always felt for him. Part of me wants to bridge that gap again, take his lips against mine like a thief.
But I can’t do that. Not here, and certainly not now.
So I push off of Elijah, turning to grin victoriously at Benny, who I notice is watching me once more. Intently.
“You were saying?” I flip some hair over my shoulder defiantly as I approach him. He stands in front of me, the sun illuminating the dark lines of tattoos on his chest, his arms…his hips.
I glance down at his prominent V, his black trunks sticking to him rather tightly in all the right places. His dark hair falls in his face and he shakes his head. “You think because you won a game of beanbag toss that that makes you the winner, is that it?”
“Pretty sure if you look up the definition of winner in the dictionary, you get a picture of me.” I flash him an annoying, smug grin.
Benny smiles. Actuallysmilesand fuck if it’s not the sexiest sight next to Matthew’s glow-up beach bod or Elijah’s warm gaze. “We’ll see about that,” he says, turning around, leaving me to bask in my victory with my brother and our friends.
“We should probably head back to get ready for dinner,” Sam says with a sigh.
“And drinks,” Raegan says with a grin.
“Right, a round of drinks for the winners,” Sam says, high-fiving Matthew.
“Dinner’s at seven, so we’ll meet you down there at quarter ’til,” Raegan says as Tiffany slurps her margarita. I notice Tiffany’s gaze shift to Matthew and instinctively I move closer, sliding my arm around his waist. He nearly jumps off the ground.
“Sounds great, we’ll see you later!” I say as she purses her lips, turning around with her margarita and taking off with the other bridesmaids.
Raegan grabs my brother’s hand and pulls him in the direction of the resort, leaving Elijah, Matthew, and me alone once more.
“You uh…want us to walk you to your room?” Matthew asks.
I find Elijah’s stare, feeling flushed underneath his gaze.
“I think I’d like that, actually,” I say, and Elijah nods, motioning for me to lead the way.
I walk in between of them, Elijah on one side and Matthew on the other. I’m acutely aware that they keep looking at me, though it’s obvious they are tryingnotto. I also know that both of them know the truth about me and Keaton, and I’m still not sure how to feel about Elijah spilling my secrets and feelings to Matthew. Accident or not.
Though at least I don’t have to hide the truth, which is a relief.
When we finally get to the elevator, I regret my decision to let these men walk me back, because the minute the doors shut, the heat between us is like a damn fire. I fight not to look at them. At Elijah and his sun-kissed skin, his chest speckled with thick, dark hair. At Matthew and his Ken-doll physique that reminds me with every glance he is all grown up in every way possible.
When the elevator opens, I don’t waste a second as I race out and head down the hall.
“I got it from here, guys, thanks!” I say, not bothering to turn around and look at the two deliciously hot men who have my heart—and my damn pussy—fluttering like a damn hummingbird. Being stuck between Elijah and Matthew was not something I had on my 2025 bingo card, for sure.
“See you at dinner,” Matthew calls out as I turn the corner and head toward the room. When I swipe my card, I expect to see Benny, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
