Page 20 of The Brothers Next Door

“Have we tormented you enough for one night or would you like to do something else now that dinner is over?”

The last thing I wanted was the night to end. “I’m up for anything.” Sure there was some awkwardness, but it was getting less awkward with each passing moment and I was enjoying being with them immensely. The last thing I wanted was for the time with them to end.

~*~TT~*~

Darrin

“Don’t worry about me, you two have some fun.” Nate ushered me and Layla into the line for the Cyclone, a staple ride at New York’s Coney Island.

“I feel bad…” Layla looked over her shoulder at Nate, who gave us both a wave as we made our way along the line.

“Don’t be. He’s always hated rides, especially the thrill rides. I was able to get him on the tea cups when we were at Disneyworld, about fifteen years ago.”

“But you love them?” She grinned at me, her love and excitement for the rides mimicking my own. It was nice to be with a woman who seemed to have a fearless streak.

“The wilder the better.”

“I wish you two had mentioned that. We do live in New York and there’s plenty of other things to do in this city. Coney Island is only one of thousands of things.”

“He’ll be fine, he’s a big boy. Besides, I’m sure he’ll want to show you his prowess by winning you a teddy bear or something.” Placing a hand at the small of her back, I ushered her forward. I really didn’t need to guide her considering there were wooden rails doing that, but I wanted to. Her body had such feminine curves and she smelled of rose. It was taking all of my restraint not to pull her into her into my arms and taste her lips again.

It proved first impressions were not always correct. Though in her defense, she had thought I was my brother who blew her off with a thank you note. Under those circumstances it made sense she was shooting me dirty looks and trying to escape my presence. But that was all straightened up now, which led me to another concerning problem…

I liked her.

Layla was the first woman since Gabriella that I was genuinely interested and intrigued with. I wanted to get to know her and not just as a friend, but more intimately. I wanted to explore the connection we had the other night and feel the electricity that jolted my dick into full alertness.

But she was Nate’s girl.

Though was she really? They’d fucked… But Nate fucked different women all the time. A minimum of one new one per week. None of his playthings ever became relationships. While I—fuck, the whole family for that matter—hoped he would want to settle down eventually, he still prided himself in being the playboy. Layla was just another girl to my brother, but to me it could be so much more. And I had a feeling she wasn’t the type of girl to be just fun when he wanted it. Sure, she’d fucked him that first night, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want more from him.

Or maybe me.

Everything had happened so quickly. It hadn’t even occurred to me that she had mistaken me for my brother when she arrived at my place and kissed me. Mind you, the pain killers I’d taken about a half an hour prior hadn’t helped, I was sure. It should have been the first thing that sprang to mind. When we were young we used to get mixed up constantly, and we each kissed our fair share of each other’s girlfriends. The girls were none the wiser. We were immature teenagers then. But it hadn’t happened in so long, and I’d completely forgotten it could happen now. Coming to the front of the line, we were placed in the first car and the bar was secured into place on our laps.

Once the remainder of the cars were filled, the ride coaster began moving. Up, up, and up, making click, click, click noises as it climbed until it hit the starting peak. Layla glanced over at me and smiled, excitement gleaming in her eyes as she clutched the bar.

We hit the tipping point and the car lunged forward and down, its speed increasing as it hit the bottom of the first dip. She squealed, her smile wide. As we hit the second summit, the ride came to an abrupt stop, making a loud screeching sound, and we were jolted forward in the seat. I groaned, winded, as the bar dug deep into my stomach from the sudden stop.

Looking over at Layla, I could see that she was also winded. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Her brow creased as she looked over the side of the car. Workers were running around frantically beneath the tracks. “That doesn’t look good at all.”

“It’ll be fine. Stuff like this happens all of the time.”

“Uh-huh.” She redirected her gaze from the ground, upwards, and her smile returned. “We couldn’t have asked for a better night to be stuck here, though. The night is clear, stars are out. It’s actually kind of romantic.” She looked over at me and her smile turned coy.

“It is.” Her eyes gleamed in the light and her lips were plump and lush. They were extremely inviting, with a faint shine from the lip gloss. I wanted to kiss her again. Would that be wrong?

“Don’t be alarmed, everyone,” came an announcement. “We’re going to have the coaster going in no time. We just had a little mechanical issue. Rest assured, it’s nothing serious.”

Nervous chattering erupted behind us.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course.” She shrugged. “Who wouldn’t want to be up here for a few minutes looking down at this view.”

“The woman a few cars down who’s hyperventilating, for one,” I offered. Despite the anxiety attack the woman seemed okay, and it wasn’t like I could do anything about it considering I was firmly strapped in.

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