The Brothers Next Door (A Striker Brothers Romance #1)

by Terry Towers

  “We’ll talk later,” Trey whispered in her ear as he bent and brushed his lips against her temple. “Okay?”

  “All right.”

  “Cassidy.” He gave Cassidy a final nod before leaving the women and making his way into the house.

  “What’s his problem?” Cassidy asked as the two friends made their way to a nearby picnic table and sat down across from each other.

  Ivy’s brow furrowed and she shrugged she was baffled and slightly pissed his attitude had been so cold that even Cassidy picked up on it. It certainly wasn’t what she expected from the new and “improved” Trey Philips. “I’m not sure to be honest. Sorry about that.”

  It wasn’t until the sound of Trey’s motorcycle engine roared to life that Cassidy began with the questions that Ivy knew had been eating at her from the second she laid eyes on Ivy cuddled with Trey in the hammock.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Trey

  Trey knew he’d been cold to Cassidy, it hadn’t been her fault how things had played out, but it was easier than having to make awkward chitchat. He was roughly a mile from the house when the motorcycle seemed to choke up and the engine began to die, leaving him stranded.

  Well, shit. He was too far from his own place to walk the bike there, so he turned it around and began walking back to Ivy and Ethan’s. That was the better alternative anyhow, the trio planned on spending the night together so maybe once Ethan got off work they could spend an hour trying to figure out what in the hell was going on with the bike.

  At least I’m still getting my workout, he grumbled under his breath as he pushed the bike up the final hill and the house came into view. The final few yards up the steep hill were torture; by the time he wheeled the bike into the driveway and put the kickstand down he was panting and sweating profusely.

  He made his way around the side of the house and as he came up to the backyard, his steps slowed hearing his name being said. He stopped completely when he heard Ethan’s name mentioned. He knew he shouldn’t eavesdrop, but he was curious as to how Ivy was explaining the situation to her friend, if she was explaining it at all.

  Cassidy: So how are they?

  Silence.

  Cassidy: Come on, tell me. I’m dying to know. Like, how do you make it work?

  Ivy: It was good. Kinda odd at first, but good.

  Ivy giggled.

  Ivy: Okay, it was mind-blowing. I’m so glad I waited.

  Cassidy (with wonderment in her voice): So, they both agreed to share you.

  Ivy: Yup, I mean… It’s been a little up and down. Trey’s more into the idea than Ethan, but I think they’re both on board.

  Cassidy: I gotta admit, I had my doubts you could do it, but you have my admiration, girl.

  There was a soft clapping sound that Trey assumed to be the girls high-fiving.

  Trey frowned. What in the hell? Did Ivy come home having this planned all along? Sure, she’d been rather forward, but with the weight loss and coming home with a new sense of confidence he didn’t doubt she’d have the courage to go for them both. But still? It didn’t sit right with him.

  Ivy: It was nothing. And it’s not like that.

  Cassidy: So are they really falling for you, or is it just sex?

  Trey’s jaw clenched at the tone in Cassidy’s voice. Sure, Cassidy had a reason to be bitter, at least with Ethan, but what in the fuck did he do to her – sweet fuck all, that’s what.

  More silence.

  Cassidy: I know that look on your face, spill it.

  Ivy: Ethan said he was in love with me this morning. Said he’s been in love with me for a long time. Trey and I are just starting to connect. It’s complicated.

  Cassidy: Ahhh, well, it’s Ethan you really wanted to hurt, Trey was just a happy addition. I wish I could be there when you dump their sorry asses and they finally get what’s coming to them. Your plan was brilliant. Truly inspired.

  Trey froze; it felt like the blood in his veins had turned cold within him. A part of him wanted to storm into the backyard and demand answers from Ivy. But another part needed time to ponder what was being said, perhaps discuss it with Ethan first. Disgusted with what he’d heard and having no desire to hear more – he’d heard enough – he spun on his heel and made his way to the front of the house and entered through the front door. He’d pretend he hadn’t heard the women’s conversation and have a chat with Ethan when he got home.

  Then they’d deal with Miss Ivy Sullivan as a team. She wanted two boyfriends, well, now she had to deal with them as a team. She’d always been such a sweet, honest woman… How in the hell did she come to be so vindictive? It was sad and disappointing.

  Chapter 10

  Ivy

  “Did you hear that?” Ivy spun around on the bench and looked to the walkway that led around the side of the house to the front yard.

  “Hear what?”

  Getting up from the bench and walking across the backyard to the walkway, she peeked around the corner. It was deserted. She shrugged. “Nothing I guess, I thought I’d heard footsteps.”

  “I think it’s your imagination.” Cassidy motioned for her to come back to the picnic table. “So come on, so tell me, how are you going to do it?”

  The conversation was making her uneasy. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea, Cassidy.” She shrugged. “I mean, it seemed like a good idea at the time, but –”

  “What? I don’t –” Her expression turned to one of confusion, mixed with disappointment.

  Surprise Ivy got, disappointment – not so much. Why would she be disappointed? She didn’t have a horse in the race. What would it matter to her?

  “What aren’t you telling me, Cassidy?”

  Her friend frowned and lowered her gaze, staring at her hands.

  “Come on. Be straight with me. Whatever it is I won’t be mad, or… I don’t know.”

  Her friend took a deep breath in and slowly released it. “Okay. I’m really sorry, Ivy.”

  Ivy wanted to reach across the table and shake her friend for being so cryptic, but instead she covered her friend’s hands with her own. “What did you do Cassidy?”

  “Please, promise you won’t be mad. I made a mistake.”

  Ivy had no idea what this secret was but she was getting pissed. Really pissed. Cassidy wouldn’t be beating around the bush if it wasn’t something that would really upset her. “What. Did. You. Do. Cassidy?”

  “I slept with Ethan.”

  Ivy jolted upright as if she’d been invisibly slapped, pulling her hands from Cassidy’s. And in a way she had been. A thousand questions raced through her head as she stared at her friend. How could she? How could he? And how could they not tell her! She swallowed down her anger and hurt, taking a deep breath in and slowly releasing it.

  “So it was like a one-night thing? Like, when did this happen?”

  Cassidy’s gaze slid back to her hands. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t want to hear ‘I’m sorry,’ I want to hear when this happened,” she snapped, then silently chastised herself for letting her temper get the best of her.

  “After you left.”

  Well, I could have guessed that, Ivy silently fumed, getting more and more pissed at her friend’s reluctance to just give her the desired information. How fucking hard could it be to just fucking say what she wanted to know?

  “I mean, exactly. When. Exactly.”

  Cassidy shrugged. “Maybe a week.”

  Ivy received another sharp jolt of hurt. A week. A week! She’d poured out her heart and a week later Ethan was fucking her best friend.

  “We met at a club and he was upset.”

  “So you were his shoulder to cry on after rejecting me?”

  “He was pretty upset you were ignoring him.”

  “He broke my damned heart Cassidy! No wonder.” As she said the words she wondered if that was why Trey was so cold with Cassidy. He knew she’d been fucking Ethan and it made him uncomfortable. So three… Three people who claimed to c
are for her were keeping a big, fat, painful secret from her.

  Cassidy cringed. “I’m just saying, he was upset and we started talking and getting to know each other.”

  “How does it go from being friends and consoling each other to fucking?”

  She shrugged. “We were attracted to each other so we started seeing each other.”

  “Dating?”

  Cassidy gave her a sympathetic smile. “Sort of. We didn’t tell anyone ’cause we didn’t want to hurt you. But I felt you should know. We’re best friends and I couldn’t keep this secret any longer and didn’t want you to hate me if he was the one to tell you first.”

  Ivy huffed. “So why did you two break up?”

  Cassidy sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “He dumped me. He threw me away like a piece of trash when he got bored of me. Just like all the other women he’s ever dated.” A flash of venom shone in her friend’s eyes. “That’s why I’m glad you’re doing this. So they’ll know how it feels to be insignificant and tossed away after giving their heart to someone. Ethan never cared for me.”

  A part of Ivy was glad Ethan never cared for her friend – a sliver of juvenile satisfaction. She’d been hurting from Ethan’s rejection and the people she loved had found each other, comforted each other. It felt like such a betrayal.

  “We’re okay, aren’t we Ivy? I wanted to tell you, but I was scared you’d hate me. I know how in love with him you were.”

  Am. I still am. Ivy sighed. She had no idea how to process this new information or what to do with it. Did it change the present? How could it not?

  “Does Trey know?”

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “How long did you two date?”

  “A month. Maybe.”

  Ivy chewed at her lower lip. A month. She would have fucked him at least a dozen times. She looked up into the window that belonged to Ethan’s former bedroom. Did they fuck in the room she told him she loved him in? He would have been in the process of moving at the time they dated. Did they fuck in the shower? Did he touch Cassidy in the same manner? Shampoo her hair? Caress her body? Just like he had with her… She wanted to know, but she didn’t. The details would kill her.

  “What are you thinking, Ivy? Please talk to me.” Cassidy reached across the table and took her friend’s hands. “You’re over him, right? So it doesn’t matter… Right?”

  Ivy forced a smile onto her lips. It was such a forced smile her face actually hurt from the action. “Of course. It’s fine. We’re good.”

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Ethan

  “Is Cassidy here?” Ethan asked as he walked into the house and was greeted with Trey, who cornered him in the foyer.

  “Yeah, she is.”

  Fuck, Ethan groaned inwardly. He figured he’d run into Cassidy eventually, it’s not like Portland was a very big city, but was hoping it was later rather than sooner.

  He gripped the back of his neck and attempted to loosen the knot that was beginning to form. “Where are they? What are they talking about?” Ivy hadn’t mentioned his dating Cassidy so he assumed Cassidy had kept their deal and not said anything. He’d planned on telling Ivy, but the time just wasn’t right. She’d just stopped hating him and things were beginning to work for them. He wanted to make sure he was on solid ground with her before rocking the boat.

  Trey’s mouth formed into a tight line and his brow furrowed. He was angry. “It’s all a game, Ethan.”

  “What?”

  “A game. I don’t know the details, they didn’t know I was listening and I left before I got caught eavesdropping, but I heard enough Ethan.”

  Ethan pulled off his jacket and hung it in the coat closet, confused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, man.”

  “I mean, Ivy is fucking with us.”

  Ethan’s frown deepened. “Fucking with us?”

  “As in she set this whole thing up. She came home just to make fools out of us by making us share her. Apparently she plans on dumping both of us. Cassidy knew about it so I would guess this is some little plot they hatched up together.”

  The whole thing sounded so ridiculous that Ethan laughed. “Ivy wouldn’t do that.”

  “I know what I heard, man.”

  “Then you heard wrong.” Ivy wouldn’t do that. Period. He had no desire to even indulge in the notion. Ethan made an attempt to move past Trey, but Trey blocked his path.

  “I know what I heard. Cassidy seemed excited over the idea and Ivy didn’t deny it.”

  “I know Ivy. She’s a kind, smart, beautiful woman. She would never do that.”

  “You knew Ivy. KNEW. We’re different people now and it’s not exactly all that farfetched to think that perhaps she’s changed as well. For all we know she has some boyfriend on campus and we’re just the entertainment for a few weeks. Come home, humiliate us, then go back to her life with some college frat douche.”

  Ethan slowly shook his head. He couldn’t even conceive of the notion. Yes, it was strange that she suddenly wanted them both. Yes, she did seem to move quickly. Yes, she did seem to forgive him without giving him too much grief… All of those things when put together did seem a little odd. But to think Ivy was plotting against them? Bullshit if he’d ever heard it.

  “Is this some sort of play for her?”

  Annoyance flashed in Trey’s eyes. “What? Play for her?”

  “Yeah, you want me to go off the handle, accusing her of some crazy conspiracy theory to humiliate us so she’ll go running to you, because… surprise, surprise, Ethan’s an asshole – yet again.”

  “Look, I’m not saying we ambush her. I’m saying we discuss it with her. And just to remind you, I was the one to embrace this idea first. Not you. You’re the one that’s fucked in the head about it.”

  Ethan’s fists clenched at his sides as he fought to calm his temper. “I’m not…” He gave Trey a not-so-gentle shove out of the way and proceeded around him. “I need some time to think about this.”

  “I’m just saying we need to sit down and discuss this with her, man. Get the truth out and then decide how to proceed with this – together.”

  “Just give me a bit to mull it over.” He pushed past Trey and made his way into the living room, flopping down onto the sofa, pulling off his boots, kicking them under the coffee table and then flipping on the television. He wasn’t in the mood for Trey’s bullshit. If this was the kind of drama that was going to come from the three of them involved in a relationship then it wasn’t going to work. She’d have to make a choice, which was unfortunate since he was honestly beginning to warm up to the idea – despite the potential complications.

  Chapter 11

  Ethan

  But what if it was true…

  “I’d buy that you’re just making this shit up to get Ivy and I fighting before I’d believe she’d do something like that,” Ethan stated, not looking over his shoulder when he heard footsteps entering the living room behind him, assuming it was Trey. He had no idea how much time had passed from the moment he sat down and now, if someone had tested him on what he’d watched on the television he would have failed the test miserably. If he were forced to guess, he’s say maybe a couple of hours.

  “Do something like what?”

  Ethan’s head spun around to see Ivy entering the living room. Where Trey or Cassidy had gone was beyond him. “Where’s Trey and Cassidy?” Not that he really fucking cared one way or another.

  “Cassidy went home. I didn’t know Trey was back from the gym yet.”

  Ethan turned back to stare at the television screen. Some sitcom was on. He didn’t know the name, had never seen it before that moment. “Yeah, he’s here. Was here. I think. I don’t know.”

  She walked into the living room and plunked herself onto the coffee table, directly in front of him, blocking his view of the screen. When his eyes met hers he groaned inwardly; it looked like she’d been crying. He knew why.

  Him. Again.

  He
’d fucked up. Again.

  Cassidy had been there, they’d been chatting. No doubt Cassidy spilt the beans on their brief relationship – although it was so brief he hesitated to even classify it as one. Even if Trey had been right, maybe he deserved whatever plan she had in the works.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She laughed, but it was a hollow, joyless sound. “Why did you do it?”

  He took in a deep breath and slowly released it. “Do what?” He felt stupid even asking the question, they both knew what, the words kinda just fell from his lips.

  “With my best friend. A week after I left. Was it not enough to break my heart, but you felt the need to rub my nose in how inferior I was? How unworthy? How could you?” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. The waterworks were about to start again.

  “I was stupid, Ivy. I was messed up. You were ignoring me.”

  Her eyes widened, filling with anger. “So you felt the best way to gain my attention was to give Cassidy what I wanted?”

  “We fucked, Ivy. A few times. It wasn’t a relationship, it was a release. A way to get you out of my head. Nothing more or less.”

  “It didn’t feel that way for her. You hurt her.”

  Ethan leaned forward, throwing his hands out to the sides in surrender. “Guess that’s what I do. I was an asshole. Am an asshole. I break women’s hearts for sport.” His jaw clenched as a fresh batch of tears streamed down her cheeks. He sucked at relationships. He wasn’t smooth like Trey, he didn’t always know the right things to say to make things better. “I didn’t promise her anything, Ivy. She knew I wasn’t ready for anything serious.”

  “And so you decided it would also be a good idea to keep it from me. All of you did. You, Cassidy, Trey. You all lied to me.”

  “When was a good time to bring it up, Ivy? When you hated me? When we were finally getting past what I did? When I was fucking you, with my best friend might I add? When would have been a good time to say ‘Oh Ivy, by the way, I had a fuck fling with your BFF, thought you should know.’”