Page 12 of You Don’t Kiss Your Brother's Best Friends

“Because unnecessarily covering up even the tiniest bit of skin onthatbody,” he pointed at me, “would be a serious crime.”

Both of the other men groaned.

“Alright, maybe Icouldtake him back to Syria,” Bishop grunted. “But not tonight. Right now, I want to swim.”

The two of them finished stripping down to their boxers, then jumped right in. Kayden did a backflip that reminded me sharply of summers in my backyard. Bishop cannonballed.

“It’s better to wear that bikini than go in your clothes,” shrugged Andre, before they surfaced. He rolled his shirt over his head, and for the next few seconds, I was mesmerized by his long, striated body. Like the others, it was rippled up and down with taut, heart-stirring muscle. But in his case, it was also covered in black and gray tattoos.

“Besides,” he said, leaning in. He lowered his voice to a whisper that was both husky and suggestive, “you don’t want those panties gettingwetnow, do you?”

~ 7 ~

JOCELYN

The bikini was small — very small for someone with my unusually tall frame. It still fit, although barely. And it still covered all the necessary parts, while keeping my underwear neatly folded and dry.

“Get in here already,” shouted Bishop. “And do that dive thing you used to do.”

I ran happily across the tile and launched myself into the air, bending at the waist as I did. I touched my toes at the very apex of my dive, then snapped my body back until it was nearly vertical.

Then I slipped beneath the water, with barely a ripple.

When I surfaced again, all three men were clapping.

“Where’d you learnthat?” asked Andre.

“I took diving lessons when I was nine,” I explained. “This was after I told my father I hated competitive swimming.”

“Ah, so you broke his heart,” Andre smiled.

“Twice,” I shrugged. “Turned out I hated competitive diving, too.”

I dipped under again and launched myself the entire length of the pool, enjoying the warmth of the water and the soothing blue light. I waited until I was far from the othersbefore surfacing again. Floating on my back, basking in the moonlight, I extended my arms and stared upward through the center of the beautiful atrium.

For the first time in long weeks, I felt totally at peace.

The sky was calm, clear, totally serene. On the very fringes of my peripheral vision I could make out the shadow of distant mountaintops, framing a vast, open expanse of brilliant night sky.

My serenity was interrupted, of course, by Bishop and Kayden splashing me in the face.

“Do you really wanna die here?” I threatened them both.

“Maybe,” shrugged Kayden. “There are a lot worse places than this.”

Looking around, I had to agree. Between the mansion, the pool, and the surrounding landscape, it really was paradise.

“This place isreallyall yours?” I asked them skeptically. “C’mon. For real.”

Andre floated in, closing their little circle around me. In unison, they nodded.

“What the hell kind of dinner party is this, then?” I asked. Staring at the three sets of sculpted shoulders poking out of the water, I laughed absurdly. “Are you throwing a bachelorette party?”

I expected a trio of grins. Instead, they took turns looking at each other.

“It’s a very special dinner party,” Bishop said at last. “Hosted by some… high-level people.”

“So like a celebrity!?” I grinned, suddenly excited. “Is it abigcelebrity?”

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