Page 68 of Messing With My Brother's Best Friends

Not towards him, but off the bed.

A sleeping Gage sensed my attempt and reached out and hauled me back.

Shit.

I was busting to go to the loo, but the urge to get the fuck out of this bed was hitting me far harder. Last night was all anger and angst, but now, in the clear, hard light of morning, the need to run, run, run was hitting me right in the chest.

I’d had sex with my brother’s best friends. They’d confessed everything, what they had planned, how they felt, and rather than talk that out, I’d thrown myself into their arms, kissing, and sucking, and fu— A jaunty whistle from deeper inside the house let me know what the source of the bacon smell was.

Van was cooking me breakfast.

The nail in the coffin was the sleepy kiss Gage pressed to the back of my neck. He rocked his body against mine, making clear how he’d like to spend the morning, even if he wasn’t awake yet. A low groan, his hands moving restlessly, I sucked in a breath and then pulled free.

“Ken…?”

Whatever he was going to say, it was quickly lost as Gage buried his face into the pillow. I froze to the spot, not wanting to wake the kraken and hear its declarations of love, right up until the point I heard him snoring again. Then, like a thief, I slunk into the bathroom, locked the door behind me, only stopping when I paused in front of the mirror.

I looked freshly fucked.

Not sure exactly what that meant, I just knew it was true. Whether it was the wild sex hair, the wide-open eyes, the reddened, swollen lips or the fact that I glowed slightly, but to me it was unmistakable. I let out a low moan, then leapt into the shower, washing up in record time before emerging dripping from the bathroom. When I dried up and managed to get dressed without waking the two of them, I thought I was in the clear. I felt a pang of guilt as I snatched up the van keys left on the dresser and shoved them in my pocket, but beggars can’t be choosers. I opened the bedroom door with all the stealth of a cat burglar.

Only to be met by a shirtless Van.

He looked up and grinned at me as he closed the front door, toting the newspaper in one hand.

“You’re up! Come and have some breakfast.”

“Oh, I don’t usually eat much in the morning…”

Lies. I’d eat my damn body weight in breakfast if I let myself, but whatever. I needed to get the fuck out, find somewhere quiet, and just digest—

“Coffee then.”

The paper was tucked under his arm, his very sizeable bicep popping as he reached out with his other hand and then pressed a kiss to my knuckles.

“I can grab one on the way.”

“Kendall…” He said my name in a gently chiding tone, slapping one hand down above my head as he leaned in. Van smelled like sun and pine trees and some kind of spicy body wash, and again, I wanted to press my face into his armpit and have a good sniff… and what the fuck was that? My thoughts came in a hysterical tumble as he tilted my head upwards. “You’re freaking out.”

“What? No. No, I’m not.” I sounded just like I did when I was eight and was trying to stand up to my brother. Great.

“Yes, you are. I know you, remember?” Those blue eyes of his, they were soft and knowing and full of gentle amusement and right then I wanted to jump into those turquoise depths like I had his pool. “I know all your moods. The way you get this little line between your eyebrows when you worry.” His finger smoothed the skin there. “How the muscles around your eyes start to tighten.” Another light touch, forcing the muscles to relax. “And I know that things changing abruptly always makes you uncomfortable.”

“Does not.” I hissed and then shook my head. “Am I regressing? Is that what will happen when I’m around you guys? I’m going to turn into an eight year old saying ‘nuh uh!’ over and over. Maybe I’m having a bloody aneurysm.” The heel of my palm pressed against my temple. “Or—”

“You were forced to deal with three blokes who didn’t know how to treat you the way you deserved.” He shook his head. “Four, if you include Finn. You were left for years feeling like the people who should’ve been protecting you weren’t safe.” The newspaper dropped to the floor with a flutter. “That no one was in your corner.” Another arm came to rest by the other side of my head. “But that changes now. You know how we feel, what we want, but all three of us agreed we’d need to spend some time earning your trust then, and that’s still true now.”

He ghosted his across mine—just enough to make them tingle then follow his, wanting more. Instead, he just smiled.

“So come and have some breakfast and a coffee, and then I’ll take you to work.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I cut the hair off your favourite Barbie doll,” he said, “so yeah, I do.”

“That was you?” When I pulled myself to my full height, he just grinned. “I loved that Barbie! She had beautiful waist length hair and—”

“Promise to get you a new one if you come and have breakfast with me,” he said, pulling away to saunter down the hall. Those trim hips and that perfectly formed arse had my feet moving without thought.

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