Falling for the Other Brother

by Stacey Lynn Rhodes

  His hand made the familiar trip down to cup the empty side of his disfigured ball sac and he traced his fingertips along the scars. Trevor had nothing to feel guilty about, but Colin could still see the emotion in his eyes occasionally, and most of the time, he just let Trev do whatever made him feel better about it.

  Offering up his girlfriend was way over the top, though, and it was time this all stopped. Especially now that they both knew Colin was functioning again. He would never father any children—he ignored the small twinge of regret that thought provoked—but at least he now knew he could have sex again. The thirteen months since the accident had gone by without a full erection, even partial ones fading once they passed a certain point.

  Until last night.

  No physical cause had ever been found, but the psychologist said it was performance anxiety, a normal by-product of the severe and disfiguring damage his genitalia had suffered in the accident. The accident Trevor was convinced was his own fault just because he’d been the driver, and because he’d been the one to demand that they go home instead of sucking it up and waiting out the rain.

  If it was anyone’s fault, it was Colin’s for not putting the hastily packed tent bag in the back of the truck, instead of propping it on the passenger’s side floor between his legs. No, it was no one’s fault, just hydroplaning, but Colin knew if the situation was reversed, he would be just as likely to cling to guilt.

  Bypassing his suitcase, he instead raided Trev’s dresser and ended up with a long-sleeved T-shirt and what were likely Colin’s own favourite sweatpants. Apparently, Trev had ‘borrowed’ them. Colin rolled his eyes and shot a mock-irritated glance at Trevor’s still form.

  Klepto.

  Trev didn’t even move while Colin rummaged through drawers to find socks. He unplugged his phone from the charger and found it was morning. A bit early, but he had to start adjusting to the time change sometime, and who knew how many hours he’d slept? The whole time and date change made the mental math impossible, especially before caffeinating.

  Colin walked out to the kitchen, thinking to have some coffee and maybe try to find a newspaper, then stopped short at the sight of Erica perched on the counter stool, sipping her own steaming cup.

  He paused to watch her for a moment before she noticed him. In the soft morning light, she made a pretty—if a bit pensive—sight, gazing at some distant spot out of the window, the slightest frown creasing her brow.

  Wishing Trevor were here to smooth the way, but not wanting any time to go by before he made sure Erica wasn’t having any morning-after regrets, he resumed walking into the room.

  As she became aware of his presence, she opened her mouth to speak then narrowed her eyes. An unbidden grin came to Colin’s face as he realised she was trying to figure out which brother he was.

  “Morning, sweets,” he teased as he crossed the room to confidently drop a brief kiss on her lips, before turning to make a beeline for the coffee maker.

  “Morning, Colin,” she returned and smirked at him.

  He raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised she’d got it right so quickly. He put the coffee pod into the right compartment then pressed the start button. Nice that Trevor had gone more high-tech than the old school drip coffeemaker he used to have. “Okay, how’d you know?” He peeked in the fridge. Score—half-and-half.

  Erica didn’t look uncomfortable. Maybe she wasn’t too freaked out about last night, after all. “Trevor quit drinking coffee a few months ago. Said he was tired of having to try to find good coffee on the road.” A confirmed and happy addict, Colin shuddered at the thought as she continued, “I agree. Love it in the morning, myself. Plus, I know those are your sweats. He was pretty smug about swiping them, but he never really wore them, just hid them in his drawer.”

  I knew it. Once he had his coffee fixed, he took the other stool. “Nice investigative skills. You must be good at your job,” he praised, leaning in a bit closer, enjoying her slight flush as she shifted.

  She took a big drink of coffee before admitting, “To be honest, until you headed to the coffee machine, I wasn’t sure. It’s eerie—you look almost exactly alike. Well, with your clothes on,” she added in a rush.

  Ouch. Colin felt his smile drop at the reminder of his deformity. “Yeah, I guess it just takes one look below the belt to figure us out now,” he muttered bitterly. He stood to go.

  “No! Oh no, that’s not what I meant. Crap.” She reached out as though to catch him, distress all over her pretty face.

  Not particularly wanting to continue the conversation, manners nevertheless made him stop when she tentatively touched his arm. He waited to hear what she thought might make up for a direct hit on a very sensitive topic for him.

  “I wasn’t even thinking about that. Just your builds. You know”—she rubbed his arm soothingly, and Colin found himself enjoying the touch despite his upset—“Trev has to keep up his über-muscles for his job. Not that you’re not built,” she hastily added then smacked her forehead twice with the flat of her free hand. “Fuck, nothing’s coming out right. I’m usually a little more tactful than this.”

  The swear word had a smile tugging at his lips, that plus the fact that she seemed sincere about not having meant what he’d immediately jumped to conclusions about. “It’s okay.” He shrugged. “I shouldn’t have assumed you meant the worst.”

  “No, seriously. I sound like an idiot.” She was stroking his chest now, standing close, and damned if he wasn’t enjoying it. But in the light of day, he had to remember she was Trev’s girlfriend, not his. He took a step back and her hand fell away, as if she too had just realised what she was doing.

  “Jesus, it’s early. What the hell are you two doing up?” Trevor came around the corner bare-chested—with his ‘über-muscled’ torso on display—wearing a pair of silk sleep pants Colin had actually bought for him, intended to give to him as a gift.

  Which had been still packed in his suitcase.

  “You’re welcome,” he prompted sarcastically, waving a hand to indicate the pants. “Anything else in my stuff you need, just go ahead and help yourself.”

  “Thanks, I will.” Trevor smiled wickedly and turned to greet Erica. “Hey, sweets, good morning.” He gave her a lingering kiss, and Colin grew uncomfortable with the display. Why, he didn’t know.

  Yes, you do. Those sweats aren’t the only thing green in here.

  Relax, it’s just because she’s the first sex you’ve had in over a year.

  Colin thought about that, and it made a sort of sense. Erica smiled at Trevor and rumpled his bed-tossed hair. They were the couple, and it looked as if they were one that shared a good rapport. Colin was the third wheel and nothing more. Now that it appeared things were working down there, he needed to get out and find someone not taken.

  After one final kiss, Trevor finally let Erica up for air. “So, what did you think of my surprise?” He gestured to Colin, and Colin choked on the sip he was taking. What?

  Erica’s eyes went wide with shock and her mouth dropped open. “Sleeping with your brother was my surprise? You planned this?” she asked incredulously.

  Colin shook his head to negate the idea, feeling relief at being able to infer from Erica’s surprised reaction and questions that Trevor hadn’t set last night up somehow. It had been beyond confusing to wake up and have them both there, but evidently she’d joined him in bed thinking that he was Trevor, who had arrived after the fact.

  It hurt his brain to try to suss out. He took a large drink of coffee.

  “What? No.” Trevor frowned briefly, looking taken aback. “I mean, him moving back from Asia and you finally getting to meet him.”

  “Oh.” Erica exhaled, sounding as relieved as Colin felt. “Yes”—she turned a brilliant smile on Colin—“I’m very glad to finally get…to know…him.” She trailed off as the dual meaning hit her. Then the three of them laughed at the double entendre, and it looked to Colin like they might actually escape from the situation without too m
uch lingering awkwardness. “Although you could have mentioned he was your twin. You always just said ‘brother’. Not exactly full disclosure.” She lightly socked his arm with a small fist.

  “Ouch,” Trev overreacted playfully, rubbing his triceps. “Well, honestly, I really don’t think of him as my twin.”

  She raised a sceptical eyebrow, and Colin jumped in to defend his brother’s point of view. “It’s true. Mom didn’t want us to be known as ‘the twins’, or have people think of us as a unit instead of individuals. So she purposely never used the term ‘twins’, and I guess it carried over.”

  “That’s smart. She must be a very strong woman. And very lucky to have you both.” A tinge of sadness shadowed her eyes.

  Colin glanced inquiringly at Trevor and watched as Trevor stiffened and visibly withdrew.

  What the hell? Some sore point there.

  Before Colin could respond, Erica clapped her hands together as though to break the mood. “So!” She deliberately diverted the conversation, “If Colin was the surprise, what was the question you wanted to ask me? And it better not have been—’do you want to keep doing what you were doing?’” Her words were teasing, but the set of her shoulders betrayed her tension as she awaited Trev’s answer.

  “Ah. The question…” Trevor visibly turned up the charm in a way that Colin was all too familiar with. It was the way Trevor laid the groundwork for a big request or plan that he wasn’t sure would go over well.

  He shook his head. “Oh brother,” Colin muttered under his breath, then put on an innocent look when the couple turned to look at him. “Don’t mind me.” He headed to the coffee machine to make a second cup, since he’d gone through the first mug in such a hurry.

  “Well,” Trevor began, “with Colin moving back and this place being so small… I thought since we were at each other’s places overnight most nights we’re in town anyway, I could maybe just move in with you. At least until Colin finds a place.”

  Colin watched Erica digest this, appearing to struggle to control her expression. “Hey,” he chimed in, concerned about the warring emotions on her face. “I don’t mind sleeping on the couch for a while. It’s cool. Really.”

  Trev gave Colin a warning glance and he could read the intent just fine. Keep out of it.

  “It’ll be fun being roomies,” his brother encouraged Erica. “So what do you say?”

  Chapter Six

  In the end, Erica couldn’t do it.

  Damn it—you are so weak.

  So here she was the next morning, holding the door for Trevor and Colin as they made trip after trip back and forth between their cars and her condo with Trevor’s things. She thought of it as holding the door rather than helping with the move because the two brothers had declined every offer to help other than that.

  Surprisingly, Trevor had taken over the guest room rather than moving into her bedroom. She wasn’t sure what to think about that, other than perhaps he felt guilty about pressuring her into acceding so he decided to make it more about accommodation rather than their relationship status.

  It was somewhat of a relief.

  The guys left to make a trip for ‘one more thing’, though for what, she wasn’t sure. Trevor seemed to have more clothes than she did, and the guest room closet was already full, as was the dresser. They weren’t moving any furniture since Colin would be using it, and similarly, most of his work-out and sports equipment would be staying there since there was no reason to move it right away.

  Erica realised that she was thinking of this as a temporary thing and she hoped that Trevor’s choice of bedroom meant he felt the same way. She wasn’t sure how she would feel if he ended up expecting to sleep with her…

  And what the hell was she thinking anyway? He was her boyfriend—why wouldn’t he sleep with her?

  She didn’t like that Colin popped into her head. Not that she didn’t like thinking about him—more that she found herself thinking about him too often.

  Erica sighed and forced herself to go get ready for work.

  * * * *

  When she unlocked her front door later that night after a long day, she wasn’t sure whether to expect Trevor to be there or not. She hadn’t spoken to him all day, throwing herself into work to try to keep her mind off the myriad complications in her life.

  She stepped inside and instantly smelt the heady scent of garlic and Italian herbs and…seafood? She was surprised…and immediately hungry. In fact, she was salivating like a dog. Italian was probably her favourite type of food, but one she didn’t indulge in very often. The camera added pounds and pounds were exactly what she ate in pasta and bread when she gave in to temptation.

  Trevor must have picked up takeout from Gino’s or Carabba’s or somewhere.

  She smiled as she set down her purse, kicked off her heels then walked into the kitchen.

  To her astonishment, it wasn’t Trevor but Colin with his back to her. It was somewhat telling that she could already tell them apart at a glance. He was stirring something on the stove and the kitchen was a sort of controlled mess which proved that, far from takeout, this dinner was homemade.

  Trevor walked in from the dining room holding a bottle of wine. “Are you sure I shouldn’t chill—” He grinned when he saw her there. “Hi! Surprise! We made dinner for you as a thank you.”

  “We?” Colin turned around and raised an eyebrow at his brother, but he wore a smile.

  “I got the wine,” Trevor protested. “And I warmed up the… Oh crap, the bread!” He thrust the wine bottle into Erica’s hands then opened the small, separate warming oven. After grabbing the edges of the foil with his bare hands and flinging it onto the nearest counter, he looked up at them and winked. “Perfect.”

  The toasted garlic bread did look good. Erica smiled back at him then at Colin, who was shaking his head. “You lead a charmed life.” He banged the spoon on the side of the pan then set it down on a dish. “The pasta’s drained, so we can dish out. I didn’t see a big pasta serving platter…” He trailed off inquiringly.

  “I have no idea what one of those would even look like.” Erica wasn’t exactly Susie Homemaker. In fact, she hadn’t even realised she had a vegetable steamer, but Colin had opened the lid on one to reveal perfect looking broccoli. “How about we each just serve ourselves and carry our plates over?” she suggested.

  Colin looked a bit disappointed but Trevor immediately grabbed the stack of three plates from the counter and distributed them to the others. Wanting to soothe Colin, she moved to his side and lightly bumped his arm. “This smells amazing. What did you make?”

  “Just some linguine with clam sauce. It’s one of my favorites and not exactly something I ate while I was in China. Plus Trevor told me you love pasta…” He took her plate from her hand. “Let me dish you out at least. Do you want to go change into some comfy clothes? I know we caught you just as you came in and…well…”

  Erica looked down at her taupe suit and yellow silk blouse then at the sauce and grimaced. “Great idea. I’ll be right back,” she called over her shoulder as she hurried from the kitchen.

  She walked into her bedroom and had the weirdest thought about whether she should close the door. It was odd having two other people in the place while she undressed, but then again, after all that had passed between them, it would be sort of prissy to get modest at this point.

  “Arrgh,” she growled, frustrated with the lack of control over her own life.

  She left the door open and crossed to her walk-in closet. She loved its size, mostly because it was big enough to have room for her dressers so all of her clothes were in one place. More like a dressing room than just a closet. She even had a padded bench style seat to perch on to put on socks and stockings.

  Erica shed her suit and top and added them to her dry cleaning bag then hurriedly chose a pair of jeans and a soft, dark blue T-shirt, which she placed on the bench before sitting down. She began to roll down one of her thigh highs then heard a sound and glanced u
p.

  “Wow.” Admiration shone in Trevor’s eyes. He gestured for her to continue. “It’s like walking into a movie boudoir.” He winked. “I won’t say what kind of movie.”

  She arched her eyebrow at him, fighting a smile. He was really just too charming for his own good and didn’t need any encouragement. “Was there some reason you barged in here or were you just hoping to get a free show?”

  “Hmm? Oh—wanted to see if you would like red or white wine with dinner. Colin said it’s one of those meals that goes well with either so thought we’d give you the choice.”

  She finished the first stocking and started on the other. Erica could almost feel his gaze following her progress down her leg. A small, secret part of her wished that it had been Colin who had come to check on her and caught her undressing…but then, he wouldn’t just walk into her bedroom unannounced like his brash sibling.

  “What kind does Colin want? It’s kind of his special meal.” Erica stood and hesitated a moment then thought what the hell and unhooked her bra. As soon as the ambient air hit her warm skin, her nipples puckered.

  She reached for her jeans and her breasts swayed heavily as she bent and straightened. A glance at Trevor revealed a sexy smile curving his mouth. After stepping into the legs, she wiggled herself into the fitted and well-worn jeans as Trevor leaned against the door jamb and unabashedly enjoyed the show.

  “He chose red at first, then second-guessed himself. I think he really wants to impress you. He likes you.”

  Trevor stepped closer and trailed a finger down one taut bud, but his words were like a splash of cold water on her libido. Not only was there another person in the house, it was someone they had once included in their sex play and…and now what? Would they again? When she’d decided to roll with it, it had been with the knowledge that she and Trevor would be going their separate ways soon, but that hadn’t happened. Now Erica felt a bit as though they were…cheating on Colin, though that was foolish. Wasn’t it?

  She grabbed her T-shirt and dragged it over her head and down, wordlessly cutting off any possibility of sex. With a rueful smile, Trevor shrugged good-naturedly and turned around to lead the way back to the kitchen. When they got there, Colin was nowhere to be seen.