Brothers Next Door

by Samantha Twinn

  “So you’re on board?” I ask, a little worried I’ve misheard.

  “Yes,” she says with a smile. “After talking with Landon this morning, I was torn. We both want to sell this place, but I couldn’t bare to live someplace you weren’t. This is the perfect solution.”

  I scoop her up into my arms and spin around, kissing her hard on the lips. I can hear Tyler behind us on the phone with our foreman, making arrangements for a crew to come out this afternoon to start prepping the penthouse for the move.

  “Are you sure you’re ready to have me and all the craziness living with a teenager entails?” she says when I set her down.

  My eyes meet Tyler’s over her head. I see reflected there everything that I’m feeling: love, devotion, confidence. The partnership Tyler and I developed years ago was just a stepping stone. Now, we’re well on our way to creating a family. A family of choice. One created out of love and respect.

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” I say.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  TYLER

  I push open the penthouse door with my hip and let Luther off his leash. He takes three steps into the entrance and shakes the April rain off his coat. I swear and grab the towel Brenna put by the door for me and wipe up the tile as my inconsiderate dog pads down the hall to go see his best gal.

  The lights are turned low, and soft guitar music spills out from the kitchen. Tonight is a rare date night for all of us. Landon is away for the weekend with his friends at a video game con.

  After the Washington incident, he had to earn back our trust. To his credit, he’s tried hard to stay on the straight and narrow, and we all agreed that this trip would be good for him. And for us. Between Landon’s punishment, Brenna’s work, and our new building project, it’s the first time we’ve been alone for longer than a few hours since they moved in.

  Not that I’m complaining.

  These last five months have been perfect. Like an expertly choreographed dance, we’ve fallen into a perfect rhythm with each other. In and out of the bedroom. And tonight, Dean and I are ready to take the next step.

  The smell of braised short ribs fill the apartment, and I follow the delicious smell back to the kitchen. I’m not surprised to find Dean and Brenna slow dancing in the kitchen.

  I toss my jacket over the back of a stool and tap my brother’s shoulder. “Mind if I cut in?”

  “I should check on the potatoes,” he says and kisses Brenna. “She’s all yours.”

  I take Brenna’s hand and pull her into my arms just as the song changes to something slow and sultry. A smile lights her face as she presses her hips firmly against mine.

  “I love this song,” she breathes and slides her hand down my back to cup my ass, grinding into me. “I missed you these last few weeks.”

  I suck in a breath and fight back the urge to bend her over the counter right now. Normally, I wouldn’t hesitate, but tonight is special.

  “I know, baby. I’ve missed you, too.” I press my lips against her temples, inhaling her intoxicating scent. God, I have missed her. I’ve been working eighteen-hour days for almost a month, trying to get everything ready for tonight. “I’ve been more hands-on during this project than I normally am. This one was important.” I catch Dean watching us, and I nod. “But everything is finally done.”

  “Oh?” she says, offhandedly, as if she hasn’t heard a word I’ve said and tugs at my shirt with a single-minded determination. “Why don’t you tell me all about it after we get naked?”

  “Dinner’s almost ready,” Dean says with a hint of desperation.

  I sympathize with him. Really, I do. We’ve been planning this dinner for the last month, but as Brenna’s hands slide under my shirt and go right to the buckle of my pants, I’m beyond caring.

  Dean turns off the burner and comes to join us. He pushes the hair back from her shoulder and kisses her neck.

  “Brenna, sweetheart, let’s have dinner first, and then we’ll spend the rest of the night naked. I promise,” he says, trying to coax her into the dining room.

  “I’m hungry for something else right now,” she says and unhooks Dean’s belt. With one satisfying whoosh, she pulls the leather from the loops and drops it to the floor. “It’s been too long since I’ve had you both.”

  Dean closes his eyes and lets out a groan. Confident that dinner and our surprise has taken a backseat, I cup her breast and start kissing my way down her neck. But Dean steps back, pulling her with him.

  “Dinner can wait, but the other thing can’t,” he says and narrows his eyes at me. “If we keep waiting for the perfect moment, it’s never going to happen.”

  Fuck. Even with a raging hard-on, I know he’s right. I nod in agreement and pull down my shirt.

  “Fine,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. Her hard nipples poke through her T-shirt, begging to be sucked. “You two have been acting weird all week. So what is it?”

  “You first,” Dean says, nodding in my direction.

  I go to where I’d tossed my jacket and pull out a small silver box with a red ribbon around it. “When you and Landon moved into the penthouse, it was the best thing that's happened to either one of us. We’re a family, and we’ve created a home. But Dean and I felt like we all deserve a home that’s truly ours.”

  I hand over the box. Tears are already shining in Brenna’s eyes. And when she pries open the lid to discover a silver key, our girl is struck speechless.

  “Remember coming home from our Thanksgiving trip, and we took the back roads. When we turned down that one section of road that overlooked the city, you asked us to stop. I remember you said—”

  “This would be the perfect place for a house.”

  “You were right.” I had over my phone with photos of the house Dean and I built.

  She pages through the dozens of photos I’ve taken, sniffing back the happy tears. “You did this for me?”

  “We did it for us. For you, me and Tyler. For Landon and hopefully—” Dean pauses and produces a black velvet box “—it will be the place we can raise our own kids.” He flips open the box. Nestled inside is a ring with three gold bands intertwined and three diamonds. “I know it won’t be legal, but as long as you’re wearing this, we’ll know the truth. You belong to us, and we’re hopelessly devoted to you. So will you do us the honor?”

  Brenna looks back and forth between the two of us and nods. “Yes. Yes. A hundred times yes.” She kisses Dean and holds out her hand to let him slip on the ring. Tears are now streaming down her face as she looks at the ring and then over to the key. “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Yes was good enough,” I say and pull her in for a kiss of my own. I finger the ring she’s wearing. My heart squeezes tight, knowing that this sexy, independent, generous woman is mine. I slide my hand down to her flat stomach and smile. “I can’t wait to see you swollen with our baby.”

  She covers my hand with hers and looks up at me. Her blue eyes peeking coquettishly through her lashes. “Once I stop taking my pill, it can take months.” She moves away and heads out of the kitchen, shooting a look over her shoulder at us. A sexy grin flirty across her lips. “But you know what they say, practice makes perfect. Come on, boys. Let’s get in some practice.”

  29

  Epilogue

  BRENNA

  And alarm dinged on my phone and I picked it up from the dressing table. I smiled down at the alert, swallowing back tears.

  It wasn’t that long ago I thought my life would always be a long series of tragedies. My father’s cancer and eventual death. My mother’s hasty marriage to his doctor and her almost willful neglect after. And then her untimely death, that brought me back home.

  That was the narrative of my life.

  Then my story changed.

  And just like society adopted the Gregorian calendar, I decided it was time to mark my life by before the accident and after. The tragedies have been replaced by happy milestones. My commitment
to Dean and Tyler. Our new home. And today, a real wedding.

  And that alert I just received?

  One more happy milestone. After taking a home pregnancy test, I stopped by the doctor’s office the morning before we left on this trip. She just confirmed what I already knew. Sometime in February, we’ll be welcoming the newest addition to our family.

  A happy tear trickles down my cheek, and Liv yells at me. “Stop crying, or you’re going to ruin your makeup.”

  “Can you keep a secret?” I ask, dying to tell someone.

  “Uhm, hello? Have you met me?”

  “You know what? I don’t care. I have to tell someone.” I laugh and hand her the phone, knowing full well it will be posted all over social media within the hour. Luckily, I hear the music starting up, and I yank back the phone. “Wait until after the ceremony. I haven’t told the guys yet.”

  “So do you know who the father is?” she asks.

  I know she’s just curious and not being judgy. It’s not like ours is a normal marriage, so I try to be patient.

  “They’re both the father. This is their baby as much as it’s mine. It doesn’t matter if she has sandy brown hair or black.”

  “Sorry,” Liv says, sheepishly, and hands me my bouquet.

  “Don’t be. You’re my best friend. It was your advice that helped me chose this life. I want you to feel free to ask anything you want.”

  “Anything?” she asks with a hitched eyebrow. I immediately regret my words. “Which one has a bigger—”

  “They’re ready for you,” Landon says from the door.

  “To be continued,” she says and fluffs out my skirt.

  I shoot Liv a scathing look. She just laughs and grabs her own bouquet, exiting the room before I can yell at her.

  “You look pretty,” Landon says, taking my arm.

  “Thank you,” I say and straighten his bow tie. “And you are far too handsome for my peace of mind. How is our house not swarming with teenage girls?”

  Landon’s cheeks redden, and he walks me to the door. “You sound like Tyler. I’m just not interested in anyone.”

  “There’s no hurry,” I say. “Sometimes it’s better to wait. You’ll know the right person when you find her.”

  “Or people,” he jokes and pushes open the door.

  The bright Caribbean sun blinds me for a second. When my eyes finally adjust, I see my guys waiting for me down at the beach. I know it’s not a traditional life, and I worry about Landon and the baby that’s coming. But all anyone has to do is spend an hour with us, and they’ll see the love in our home.

  I’ll take our crazy, non-traditional triad over the cold, neglectful home I left at eighteen any day.

  So while other people might dismiss us as sexual deviants or sinners, I know that the love we share is stronger and more enduring than any relationship I’ve ever known.

  “Are you ready?” Landon asks.

  I press my hand with the bouquet over my still flat abdomen and picture the life growing in there right now. “I’m more than ready.”

  II

  Her Billionaire Bosses

  30

  Rose

  I can become invisible—fade into the background—without even trying. It’s like a superpower of mine. I’m that faceless person in the crowd that goes unnoticed. The co-worker no one remembers. The girl that the waiter ignores. The last kid picked for every sport.

  And I like it that way. I’m not sad or lonely. I have a great job, a few close friends online, an expensive vibrator, and a library of books I can disappear into whenever I want a little excitement in my life.

  I wasn't bitten by a radioactive spider or blessed by a goddess. No, this power was born out of necessity; forged in the chaos of my childhood. I had to be invisible to survive.

  I’m older now, and in a better place in my life, so it’s not necessary, but it does still have its advantages. I’m never the person people ask to host events or coordinate group functions. I don’t have to come up with a lame excuse to get out of my co-worker's baby shower. And I get a front row seat to most of the office gossip simply because people don’t realize I’m even there.

  As a matter of fact, I’ve managed to turn that particular skill into an art form. I know who’s fighting and why, who’s sleeping around, and who just broke up. But my favorite subject of gossip is my bosses.

  Leo Mason and Asher Knight. The two owners of Lash Equity could have been ripped from the pages of one my favorite smutty novels. Alpha, dominate, and bodies that would make a virgin nun reconsider her vows. If the world of finance had rock stars, they would be headliners.

  And like rock stars, the two men revel in their bad boy reputations in and out of the boardroom. They stormed onto the field of finance in their twenties like hostile invaders and declared themselves victors. And since opening, that aggressive business style has made Lash Equity one of the fastest growing financial firms in the country.

  That was why, despite the fact I’d had job offers at firms around the country after graduation, I decided to accept a low-paid internship with Lash. It’s almost impossible to get your foot in the door here. The staff is dedicated and fiercely loyal. They promote from within.

  The internship is a bit like a corporate Hunger Games. The long hours—including weekends and holidays—wash out the less driven among the recruits. The rest of us are fighting for a coveted spot on the team.

  But despite my hard work, I feel like I’m losing the game. It’s been nine months since I accepted the internship and moved halfway across the country, hoping to get my foot in the door. I still haven’t been offered a permanent job, but my direct supervisor loves me—even if I don’t quite fit in with the rest of the staff.

  The entire office works hard, but they also party hard. I’ve never been around a group of people so uninhibited. Drinking during working hours, sex in the office store room... I’ve seen and heard it all. And Asher and Leo are no exception. The rumor around the office is that they shared everything, and I do mean everything. The company, their extravagant penthouse downtown, and their women.

  It’s probably untrue, but those rumors have sent my imagination into a tailspin. The thought of both those men sharing a woman... okay, to be honest, sharing me, is enough to make my pulse pick up and my panties get wet every time I look at one of them. Asher and Leo are regulars in my fantasy rotation. I might be a bit obsessed with them.

  It’s ridiculous really. I’ve worked hard over the last few years to build a normal life. One free of scandal and sex. I had enough of that living with my mother. Luckily, I’m completely invisible to both of them, and as far as I know, they never sleep with anyone from the office. So my normal, boring life is safe.

  Voices from the hall drag me out of that train of thought just as the break room door flies open. As if pulled directly from my imagination, Asher walks through the door followed by Leo. Leo scans the room, his eyes skimming over the little cubby where I’m sitting. He shuts the door and locks it.

  “Lita texted me while I was in a meeting,” Leo says and walks over to the coffee maker out of my view. “I’m over it. I think it’s time we let her go.”

  “Thank God,” Asher says with a sigh and leans against the counter. “I was worried you had gotten attached to this one. She’s way too needy for my taste.”

  “I wasn’t getting attached,” Leo says, and I can imagine him shooting his partner one of his patented death stares. “Quite the opposite. I can’t hold a conversation with the woman without wanting to slit my wrists.”

  “Talking with her was never the point,” Asher says with a chuckle.

  “And why is that too much to ask?” Leo says with an exhausted sigh. “Why can’t we have both? A woman I’d enjoy spending time with in and out of the bedroom.”

  “We’ve talked about this,” Asher says. “The kind of women we hook up with aren’t exactly looking for long-term. Expecting more is just a recipe for trouble.”

  It sounds as i
f this is a long standing argument between the two of them, and I’m curious as to what kind of woman wouldn’t want more from either of these men.

  “I’m tired of the rotating door,” Leo finally says.

  The sound of the coffee maker percolating fills the silence. I know I should let them know I’m here—a cough, drop something—but I’m riveted by their conversation. I put down my book and lean forward, trying to see Leo, but the dividing wall blocks my view.

  “I hear what you’re saying.” Asher pushes away from the counter and begins pacing. “Maybe we need to try someone new. Someone a little different. Remember that bartender at Senator Timmons fundraiser last week? The one working her way through nursing school? I got her number, and we’ve been texting. She’s asked about you a couple times. I could feel her out if you want.”

  “I don’t know,” Leo says. “After Lita, I think I need a break.”

  “Are you sure?” Asher asks. “You do remember the woman I’m talking about. Hot, sweet smile, tongue piercing. She couldn’t take her eyes off your crotch the whole night.”

  “I’m not interested,” Leo says with a slight edge to his voice. “But if you are, go for it. You can do whatever you want.”

  “No. I’ll wait until you’re ready,” Asher says with a shrug. “I don’t really want to fuck her by myself. Where’s the fun in that?”

  I cough, choking on my drink. I slap a hand over my mouth to keep the sound from traveling. Oh. My. God. The rumors are true. Every dirty fantasy I’ve had about the two of them comes flooding back with even more detail.

  “Let’s talk about this when you get back from Austin,” Asher says and turns towards the door. “I’ll call Lita and give her the news.”