Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Heat floods my cheeks. “I wasn’t objecting, either,” I mumble.
Kellan huffs. “I think you’re selling us short.”
“So, we’re agreed,” Oscar concludes, voice firm but polite. “All three of you are getting dressed, and we’re meeting Bryan and Callie in the lobby.”
Neither brother pushes back, exposing their intriguing hierarchy. Honestly, it tracks—Oscar stepped into this cold, while the rest of us had time to ignite, and he’s nothing if not loyal to my brother.
“Makayla, do you mind if I talk to my brothers alone for a moment?” he asks, giving me a soft, pleading look. Beneath it, I notice the same spark from earlier. The desire. The curiosity. It’s all there, but he is holding back.
I nod. “Of course.” The champagne-bubbly dizziness drains away, and I know the magic is gone. “This is my fault. I should apologize.”
“You will do no such thing. It’s not your fault,” Oscar says.
“No, no!” Alex quickly agrees, shaking his head.
Kellan adds, “There’s nothing to apologize for.”
“My brothers—and, by extension, you—got carried away. Our reunion should have happened differently, and I don’t want anyone doing something they’ll regret,” Oscar says gently. “After all, you’re still Bryan’s sister…”
I cut in. “That’s not fair. I’m in complete control and perfectly capable of deciding for myself.”
“I know it might seem like a good idea in the moment,” Oscar objects, doing his best not to be sidetracked by Kellan and Alex’s obvious nakedness. “But you really need to think about this.”
“When the three of you do this…” I falter, frustrated that I can’t articulate what I feel. “I thought it was all of you—together…”
“You thought right,” Alex says, kissing my hand.
Kellan lets out a rueful laugh, his gaze dropping. “Oscar playing voice of reason was not on my morning agenda.”
Suddenly the air thickens, a different kind of tension stealing over the room.
Oscar flushes and looks away. We’re at an impasse. The mood evaporates, and suddenly I need space. They aren’t rejecting me, but that’s exactly how it feels.
I step back, untangling our bodies. “I’d better get dressed.”
“Stay,” Kellan pleads. “We can start over—bring Oscar into the loop.”
“We can do that over lunch with Bryan and Callie,” Oscar bites back. God, he’s handsome. His confidence and stern edge send a whole new shiver down my spine.
“I’ll leave you gentlemen to talk,” I say, still smarting from the abrupt shutdown—and determined not to let Oscar off the hook.
This isn’t how I pictured reconnecting with him—or any of them. Instead of living my fantasy, I’m afraid I’ve wrecked it for good.
I retreat to my room, shut the door, and sag against it. Muffled voices seep through the wood. I pretend I can’t make them out—though I know exactly what they’re saying. Everyone’s angry at Oscar, and Oscar’s furious with everyone. If only he shared Kellan’s carefree streak—we could be tangled together right now, basking in the salt-licked heat of a mind-numbing afterglow.
8
OSCAR
“What the hell were you thinking?” I ask, my blood boiling.
I was already nervous about seeing her again after all these years, and this certainly wasn’t the reunion I had in mind. My brothers should’ve known better, too. Then again, in their defense, Makayla has grown into something breathtaking.
Dammit.
“We thought this over, brother—more than once. The more we talked, the more we… did,” Kellan says, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. “I’m not going to say Makayla started it, but come on—we’re all adults here. And you can’t deny it. Have you seen her?”
She oozes sex appeal. “Yes, I saw her.”
“It happened fast,” Alex concedes. “Oscar, she’s something else—I’ll tell you.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m all for sharing our love lives, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to hop into bed with every woman who comes along. And Makayla Dwyer is not just any woman,” I say, running my fingers through my hair. “She’s… Kay, man. OUR Kay.”
I really like her, which makes all this harder to swallow. Even when we were young, I could see how sweet and smart and funny she was. And now, I’m positive she is all of that and so much more.
“And our Kay was the one who hit the gas on all of it,” Alex says. “Oscar, I think you hurt her feelings just now.”
“All I did was slam the brakes on something that was clearly moving too fast. How the hell did it get to this? I thought you slipped out of the meeting to hit the ski slopes,” I say. “And can you please put on some pants?”
My brothers take a moment to slip into their rooms and return, each with a pair of sweatpants on.
I give both a stern look, but Kellan responds with a critical glare of his own.
“What’s your deal?” Kellan asks. “You barge in here and act like the principal.”
“You and Alex, of all people, know that precisely because of our personal lifestyle, we need to be particularly careful about who we let in,” I say.