Double Trouble

MADISON

Alice gaped like a fish. “I…I…”

“Save it,” Madison said, shaking her head, then wrapped her arms around Ezra’s waist as they walked inside.

“Please tell me she’s not ~that~ blonde,” she whispered. “The one Levi…”

But the way he scratched his head and looked around guiltily made her laugh. “Really, Ezra? You too?”

“What can I say? You know us! Anyway, why are you here so early? And why are you wearing ~that~?”

His attempt to change the subject was almost funny, but the way he looked at her outfit—a comfortable cropped gray sports top and matching gray yoga pants—set her teeth on edge.

“These are my workout clothes, and I’d like to point out that I’m wearing more than most of the girls here.” She gestured around the gym.

“Yes. But you’re my little sister.”

“Ezra, I’m twenty-one.”

“Still my little sister.” He shrugged. “At least I’ve got people to look after you when I’m not around.”

Another sore spot. “Right. Which brings me to why I’m here so early. I woke up, and guess who was the first person I saw? Ethan. And I’ve got to say, he still manages to annoy me.”

“Oh yeah? Well good thing there’s a lot of punching bags available.” Ezra winked at her before backing away. “Speaking of, I have a one-on-one training starting, so I better go. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure. I’m gonna be around.”

Leaving her stuff on one of the benches, she collected her hair into a bun, switched her music back on, and walked out into the gym, ready for her morning workout to clear her mind.

But it didn’t take long for her to realize it wasn’t doing the trick.

She couldn’t get that dream out of her mind. Could still feel Ethan’s hands spreading her thighs, Levi’s lips against her neck…

She shook her head. This was totally fucked up. They were ~off-limits~. Her brother’s best friends. The annoying duo that loved to tease and torment her.

She’d grown up with them. And as weird as it might sound, she’d never once had these kinds of thoughts about either one of them. So why was this happening ~now~?

And to have feelings for one of them was bad enough. But both?~ What’s wrong with you, Madison?~

The alarm indicating the end of her workout went off, bringing her back to reality.

She’d been so focused on her thoughts she hadn’t been aware how quickly the time was passing. But her sweat and sore muscles were proof of how hard she’d pushed herself.

She glanced around the gym. Ezra was on the floor with a client, Liam was at the new location trying to sort out the delay with the grand opening, and she hadn’t seen either of the twins working out.

So she decided she could sneak into the private changing room for a shower.

Once inside, she stripped and wrapped her body in a towel and, with her music still on, walked to the showers.

She froze the moment her eyes crashed into a naked male body—so perfect, like it had been sculpted from marble. Her mouth went dry, and she pulled the earbuds from her ears.

He was turned away from her, his arms above his head while he washed himself off, but the tattoo on his back—a snake curled around an arrow that ran precisely down his spine and pointed to his perfect backside—gave him away.

~Levi.~

She tried to be smooth and tiptoe backward, but unfortunately for her, Levi turned his head before she could escape.

“Didn’t like what you saw?”

Swallowing, she squeezed her arms around her breasts to keep the towel from slipping down. ~Of course~ she’d liked it—probably way too much.

“What? Oh, sorry. I had no idea you were here. I had my music on, so…I didn’t hear the water running.” She could feel her cheeks heating up and turned her face away so he wouldn’t see.

“Not a problem.”

She heard him step out of the shower, grab a towel, then walk in her direction.

“Safe to look now.” His deep, warm voice sounded too good to ignore.

Keeping her arms over her breasts, she slowly turned back—and couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of him.

Water dripped from his wet curls down his sharp jaw, and the rivulets that flowed down his neck and chest and onto his abs were almost begging to be touched.

He looked like a Greek god risen from the sea.

Her gaze followed a drop of water as it ran down his stomach to the edge of the towel wrapped around his divine hips.

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” he murmured, taking a step closer. “And nice towel, by the way.”

The way he was taking her in was so intense, so in his head, that her throat tightened.

She managed to mumble “Thanks,” then headed toward a shower.

She’d only taken a few steps when Levi’s voice, low and hoarse and full of something new, forced her to stop.

“Are you about to give me a show, Madison?”

Without turning, she said, “Sorry. Today’s show went to Ethan.”

She hurried to the shower and turned the water on full blast before he could say anything else. And when she peeked over her shoulder, she was both relieved and disappointed to see that he’d gone.

***

Madison tried, and failed, to stifle a huge yawn.

“I swear, I’m gonna murder them,” she muttered.

She’d been lying on this outdoor sofa at the edge of the pool since early morning. On a ~Saturday~.

A lot had changed while she’d been gone, but one thing sure hadn’t: the boys’ stupid Friday night ritual.

Ever since she could remember, her brothers and the twins had made Fridays their big night out.

But apparently, once she’d left for college, the nights ended with them bringing the party back here, with girls they picked up in the bars.

And last night was no exception. Drunk and way too loud, they’d woken her up when they stumbled in, then made it impossible for her to get back to sleep.

So she’d gone for an early morning swim and was now catching some rays before the heat got too intense.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming text, and a smile spread across her face when she saw it was her best friend, Sam.

~Guess I’m not the only one up early.~

Sam

Girl, I can’t wait to see you. There’s so much that we need to talk about!

Madison

Oh trust me, there is

Madison

So 7pm at Green Bay? Bonfire starts at 8

Sam

Sure! I’ll get the sexy bikini out, I really need some action!

Madison

As usual

Madison

See you later and BE ON TIME

Unfortunately, she also had a bunch more missed calls and a string of unread messages from Daniel.

She should probably ignore them, but curiosity got the best of her.

She scrolled down to the most recent ones.

Daniel

I know I’ve been a dickhead but I’m a man I have NEEDS and you’ve been so fucking frigid all our time together a fucking stuck-up virgin who wasted my best years of college

Daniel

Jo caught me at a moment of weakness which wouldn’t have happened if you cared about me at allll

Daniel

Sorry about my latest texts. I was drunk…I didn’t mean any of it. Please call me back. I love you

Daniel

Are you seeing someone else already? Is that why you aren’t answering me? Is the guy who picked you up? I thought you were better than that

Daniel

WHY AREN’T YOU ANSWERING ME? You can throw away our whole relationship because of one silly mistake!

He was starting to scare her a little. So she went into her contacts and blocked his number.

Leaning back against the pillows, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

Between getting the house back in order, her brothers treating her like a little kid, and Daniel’s continued attempts to get back together, her first week home hadn’t been the relaxing break she’d been hoping for.

Not to mention, her sexual frustration had reached an all-time high.

After her half-naked encounters with Ethan and Levi on Monday, her dreams had only gotten more intense. And the worst part was, she’d had no one she could talk to about it.

Thank God Sam was coming back into town today.

“Someone had an early morning.”

She didn’t even need to open her eyes to know who the voice belonged to. And even if she ~hadn’t~ recognized it, the deliciously musky scent carried over by the wind would have given him away.

“Trust me, Ethan, if some idiots had used their brains before throwing a party at five a.m., I’d still be asleep.” Her tone was calm and even, though she seriously felt like punching him.

She kept her eyes closed, but she could feel his shadow block the sun across her belly as he moved closer.

“Hmm, well…sorry about that,” she heard him say. “I guess some things never change.”

“Noted. I mean, I can’t say I’m entirely surprised. Or mad about it.”

“Is that so?” he murmured, closer to her ear than she’d expected. “Because you seem a little mad to me.”

She could feel his breath brush her cheek, and the only thing she could think to do was open her eyes.

Ethan was crouched down right beside her, his bright emerald eyes firmly on hers.

She didn’t look away. “I’m not.”

Two could play that game.

“Besides, don’t you have company waiting for you?” She tilted her head to the side. “I was trying to relax, if you don’t mind.”

This seemed to amuse him. “Well, I’m sure Levi is taking good care of her. But yeah, you’re right. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can.”

He leaned over to kiss her forehead as her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

~Her?~

She wasn’t an idiot, she’d heard the rumors about the twins’ sexual habits. Her brothers had even confirmed them. But being faced with the reality was something else entirely.

“God, what’s wrong with you two?” she muttered as Ethan stood up. She tried to look disgusted, but the truth was, she’d dreamed of being that girl so many times in the last week she’d lost count.

Knowing that someone else was with them, right now, someone who was ~not her~, made her jealous. And angry. Though she knew she had no right to be.

Ethan just winked before standing up and striding back to the poolside room the twins stayed in when they slept here.

Groaning, Madison got up and walked over to the pool. Her skin was sweaty and flushed, and a swim sounded like a great idea right now.

She undid her hair and let it flow down her back, then simply stood and stared at the water for a minute, lost in daydreams.

It was hard to believe she’d once been afraid of the water. So much so she’d had nightmares about drowning.

She’d almost forgotten, but it had been the twins who’d eventually taught her to swim, slowly over time, showing remarkable patience for teenage boys.

And as she’d gotten more comfortable in the water, the nightmares had become less and less frequent.

Shaking away the memories, she dove in and swam underwater to the opposite side, reveling in the cool water against her overheated skin.

When she surfaced, she heard noises coming from the twins’ room—and what sounded like a woman moaning.

She swam closer.

The slider doors were open and the blinds pulled back. And though she had a pretty good idea what was going on in there, her mouth still dropped open when she saw them.

Ethan, on his knees behind a girl on all fours, thrusting in and out of her.

Levi on his knees as well, but in front of her.

Doing the same thing to her mouth.