“You’re worried about him losing his manly muscles?”
She sputtered with laughter. “I’m more worried about finding mine right now. Am I going to be this sore every time?”
Ian’s lips brushed her ear. “Are you as sore as you were the first time we fucked?”
Her body tightened. Her hands went to his hard waist. “No.”
“Same thing with the gym. It’ll get easier, I promise.” His dimples were back, marking both cheeks. “You’ll learn to love it. You’ll wake up craving it. You’ll think about it all the damn time. When do I get to work out? Ian, pleeaaase make me do push-ups. Oh God, I need more.”
Diana blushed. “You talk a good game.”
“I’m more than talk, baby.” Ian kissed the corner of her mouth.
Yes, they were in public. But leaning against the Jeep with Ian standing over her, his body inches away, felt private. A world just for the two of them.
Diana took his face in her hands and pulled him down for a real kiss. Ian’s mouth opened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, one hand going to the back of her head, sucking her lower lip into his mouth, turning her insides to mush. All her senses went into that kiss.
When they parted, Ian looked down at her with a dazed smile.
“What?” she murmured.
“I still can’t believe it.”
“Me neither. I can’t believe we’re together.” She ran her palm over his damp hair. “But it’s so right.”
“So fucking right.” Ian kissed her again, lightly. He unlocked the Jeep and opened the door for her, jogging to his side when she climbed in.
As she settled into the seat, still dizzy from the kiss, she decided not to point out that Ian hadn’t given her an real answer about Brendan. What happened between the twins was their business. Even if a small, insistent part of her still wanted a share.
Ian pulled into the lazy evening traffic.
“You’re almost driving carefully,” she spoke up.
“I know, right? Me and the speed limit are getting acquainted.” Ian turned on the radio, but he kept the volume low.
They rumbled down one street after another, music pulsing through the car. As Ian rounded a corner, Diana’s heart leapt into her throat. Not because of his driving — this had to be the slowest Ian had ever taken a corner — but because the pleasant neighborhood streets now looked a little too familiar.
Up ahead was her house, all lit up with both cars out front. In the side yard, her dad crouched over the flowerbeds. Next door stood the O’Brians’ house, the garage door open. All her nerves went on alert.
“This is the someplace private?” she asked in disbelief. “You’re taking me home?” She gripped Ian’s leg, and his muscles tensed under her touch. But he just laughed, braked sharply and veered into the O’Brians’ wide driveway.
“Wait here. Don’t get in trouble.” Putting the Jeep in park, he jumped out. His long legs streaked toward the porch.
“Hey!” she called. Ian waved and pulled the front door closed.
Diana leaned back against the passenger seat, her heart thumping. People were mowing their lawns, sitting on their porches, strolling down the sidewalk. Her throat was dry. She reached for her water bottle.
Of course she wouldn’t hide. If anyone noticed her in the O’Brian brothers’ Jeep, she was ready to deal with raised eyebrows about good girl Diana Cooper and the sweat-soaked tank top plastered to her curves. Not to mention her flushed cheeks and messy hair…
When the DiStefanos’ door opened across the street, her stomach lurched.
“Damn you, Ian,” she muttered. She slid down in one long stretch until she was crouched on the floor.
As her breathing returned to normal, she rested her head against the seat. The black leather was smooth, and the car smelled like both the twins: salt, cologne, and aftershave. There was an undertone of beer that might have decorated the back seat at some point. Slowly, she began to relax.
The twins loved this car. Countless times, she’d ogled them from her window as they worked on the Jeep, stripped to the waist in hot weather. Sharing a car had never seemed to bother them.
They’d never guessed she was spying on them, either. Except for one morning in high school…
It was the fall of her freshman year. The twins were juniors, and she hadn’t had the nerve to talk to either of them since the epic fail of her ride with them on the first day of school. Ian’s license was still suspended and would be until February, as she learned from eavesdropping on Mrs. O’Brian’s mournful conversations with her mom. Whenever the twins drove by, or climbed into the Jeep at the end of a school day, Brendan’s easygoing frame filled the driver’s seat, while Ian slouched in the passenger seat.
But this morning, as Diana headed outside, buttoning her jean jacket and adjusting her bulging backpack, she spotted Ian in his driveway. He stood in front of the Jeep, tinkering under the hood.
His breath made white puffs in the October air. He wore an expression of total focus, one she’d never seen on Ian. Brendan was nowhere in sight. The only clues to Ian’s identity were his messy hair and lithe movements. She wasn’t close enough to check for the freckle under his left eye, but oh shit, she wanted to be. So badly.
The morning was chilly, and she tucked her scarf more firmly around her neck. But Ian looked completely at home in a ragged T-shirt and fraying jeans. His feet were bare. She couldn’t believe he wasn’t shivering.
As she lingered in her own driveway, holding her bike by the handlebars, the clock ticking toward her first class of the day, she stared openly. The lines of Ian’s shoulders were perfect. The lettering on his T-shirt was almost gone, impossible to read. His back, bent over the car, was so smooth. What would it be like to touch that back? Fascinated, she watched as he stroked the hood of the Jeep like a favorite pet.
Of course she’d been noticing both twins for awhile now. Having…thoughts about them. But always from the safety of her bedroom. She wasn’t prepared for Ian to glance up.
From a few feet away, he took in the bob she’d just chopped, her colorful chunky scarf, her backpack heavy with books, and the oversized glasses perched on her nose. His eyes flicked from her to the Jeep, sending a mocking message: Want a ride?
Like she’d ever get in a car with him. With or without a license. She valued her life, thank you very much. Not that Ian meant it, anyway. She managed a sniff in his direction before she tore her gaze away.
Then she unsteadily climbed on her bike, praying he wasn’t watching her, praying that he was, and sped through the neighborhood toward the brick high school, thinking righteously about how late Ian was going to be, if he even showed up at all.
Now, she shifted position and propped the back of her head against the seat. A long scratch scored the ceiling of the Jeep. There had to be a story behind that. There was a story behind everything with the twins.
“I wish I’d talked to you, Ian,” she said to the ceiling. “Just one hello. I wish I hadn’t been so scared.”
In the distance, a door opened and closed. Footsteps came toward the Jeep. She climbed out of her crouch and straightened up.
“Where were you?” she began indignantly. “…Oh.”
A twin leaned against the open driver’s window, wearing a striped button-down with the sleeves rolled up. The collar was open, showing tanned skin.
“Hey, cutie.” He smiled down at her. The setting sun deepened the cleft in his chin.
This was Brendan. The signs were obvious. If nothing else, the “cutie” was a dead giveaway. He’d given her that nickname about twenty-four hours after she got together with Ian. Coming from him, the word put her squarely in little-sister territory.
“Hey yourself.” God, Brendan was the last person who should make her blush, but her cheeks felt hot.
“How come you’re hiding?” He looked like he was trying not to laugh.
She waved Brendan to lean in the window. Instead, he opened the door and slid into the dr
iver’s seat, closing the door behind him.
“My parents still don’t know,” Diana whispered in his ear.
“About you and Ian?” His smile broadened. “Figured.”
“I’d like to keep it that way for now.”
Brendan stretched out his legs, leaning back comfortably. “You’re going to have to tell them.” His voice was reassuring, but Diana stiffened.
“I will. Soon. It’s not like I’m ashamed.” She spun the radio dial, bouncing from station to station.
“Easy there.” Brendan’s hand closed on her wrist. “Pick a song and stick with it.”
“Control freak,” she teased. The contact made her skin prickle. Brendan laughed and let go.
“Have at it.”
She played with the dial to have something to do, because honestly, she didn’t know what to do with Brendan. Every morning when they hugged hello, she repeated the same words to herself: Brendan equals brother.
“It’s just so much easier with no one knowing about us,” she said quickly. “Me and Ian, I mean.” Brendan nodded understandingly. “I tell my parents I’m going to be out with my friends. They say, have a great time, we’re glad you’re enjoying yourself after all your hard work in high school. We’re glad we have a daughter we don’t need to worry about. Then I go out with my friends. I come home after my parents are asleep, Ian meets me in my backyard — you know about that part — and we…well. Yeah.” She let go of the dial and straightened her tank top.
Brendan looked at her innocently. “What do you do, Di?”
“Listen to records.” She gave his innocent expression right back to him. “Talk. Look at the stars.”
“Ian’s not a big talker.” Brendan’s dimples were on display. “At least, not out of bed.”
She wrinkled her nose. “He is with me.”
Hazel eyes flickered. Then Brendan cocked his head. “The sneaking around isn’t bad for an amateur.” He rested a hand on her shoulder. “But you need to go big or go home. Push it more, or tell your parents.”
“What?” She stared at him. “Uh-uh. This is perfect. If they find out, I’ll lose all my freedom. And if I push it more—” she broke off. “I’m not risking that.”
Brendan turned the radio dial until it landed on a mellow station. He hummed along for a minute, then winked at Diana.
“Secret’s safe with me.”
“Better be.” Diana shot a glance at the closed front door. “What’s Ian up to?”
“Dad’s talking to him. It won’t take long.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, cutie.”
The soothing tone was pure Brendan, and so was the squeeze on her shoulder. But Ian would tell her the truth, pretty or not. She’d hoped Brendan was heading in that direction too.
Crossing her bare legs, she smoothed down her shorts. The red satin had ridden all the way up, wedging into the vee between her thighs.
“Where are you going tonight?” she asked quickly.
“Out.” Brendan flashed his dimples. “My ride’s on its way. I figured you guys would want the Jeep.”
“Thanks,” she murmured. She shouldn’t feel guilty. The twins were used to sharing, had shared for years.
“Don’t sweat it. Ian hasn’t used the car all week. He needs to take you out already.”
“It’s not his fault. I haven’t let him out of my backyard.” As confident as she meant to sound, her face was warm.
Brendan chuckled. “I bet you haven’t.” Reaching over, he pulled her hair. The tug on her ponytail was all big brother, but her body felt the pressure in one long wave.
“Well, have fun, wherever you’re going tonight.” She flicked his collar, trying to breathe normally. Brendan equals brother. “I feel underdressed. I wanted to surprise Ian at the gym, so I showed up like this.” Brendan’s startled expression sent a little curl of pride through her. “He trained me really well.”
“I bet he did. You’re in good hands, Di.” Hazel eyes moved to her legs. God, she really was tugging the hem of her shorts down now, inviting his gaze. “Cute outfit.” His smile was friendly, without the tease she’d begun to see from Brendan, but she felt close to nude again.
“It’s what everyone wears to work out. Didn’t you know?” One sneeze and Marissa’s white tank top would unravel completely.
“Mm-hm.” As Brendan studied the patches of sweat under her arms, his dimples deepened. “Looks like Ian worked you over.”
“Not even close,” she retorted.
When he raised his eyebrows, her cheeks went hotter, and she stretched up both arms to hide her blush.
“Oooh…ow,” she groaned. Her body felt like it had been run through a wringer. “Somehow I have to be able to walk by Monday. I promised Ian I’d work out with him twice a week.”
Brendan chuckled. A large hand closed on the back of her neck, massaging where the ache began.
“Is that the right place?”
“One of them. There are about a million.”
“We’ll start here, okay?” He smiled at her.
As Brendan rubbed her neck in slow circles, Diana’s eyes slid closed.
“That feels so good,” she confessed.
“Nothing wrong with that, Di.” The smile in Brendan’s voice was clear.
“I didn’t say there was— oh,” she sighed.
He’d found a tender spot where her neck met her shoulder. Brendan’s touch was so relaxing, she didn’t feel any need to open her eyes.
It was just a friendly massage. Affectionate, nothing more. Fingers slipped under her tank top, kneading her bare back.
“I probably pushed myself too hard,” she mumbled. “I wanted to show him I could do everything.”
“We already know you can, cutie.”
God, the “cutie” may have been all little sister, but there was a world of history behind that “we.”
“You’re too nice.”
“Di, remember when I said that when you graduate, you can do anything you want?”
“Mm-hmmm.” All her limbs were loosening. She leaned back into Brendan’s palm. “That was a long time ago. We were all in high school.”
He kneaded her neck. “When are you going to believe me?”
“Right now.”
“Good. Bend over.”
The command was so casual, she obeyed before she knew it. Brendan’s hands moved over her back, pushing up her thin tank top to find all her knots, melting every tight place that he touched.
And where was Ian, anyway? What could he possibly be up to in the house?
She blew out air and sat up abruptly, trapping Brendan’s hand between her back and the seat.
“You guys said this wasn’t weird for you.” She looked into bright hazel eyes. “But it’s weird for me.”
Brendan’s movements stopped. He stared up at the ceiling of the Jeep for a long minute, then back at her. Outside, across the street, a lawn mower started up.
“It’ll be okay, Di.” Easing his hand out of her tank top, he patted her shoulder. “You guys are in love. It’s so fucking obvious, you won’t be able to hide it for long.”
“But I want to,” she said quietly. She couldn’t read Brendan’s gaze.
“Maybe you can, but Ian won’t. He’s wanted you forever.”
“Yeah.” Butterflies began to flutter in her stomach again, and her heartbeat accelerated. “That. I’m still wrapping my head around that.”
Brendan gave her shoulder a squeeze and let go. “It’s always been you, Di. It’s not like we talked about it, but whenever you came up, he acted different.”
“Really?”
“Come on.” Now his pleased smile was back. “Remember the time you slept over when we were kids? Ian put fake spiders in your bed, and you put a caterpillar in his Cheerios? He kept the caterpillar. He put it in a jar with some leaves. He poked holes in the lid and everything.”
“That was ten years ago. You’re making that up.”
/> “Ask him. I came into our room the next day and caught him talking mushy to it.”
“You didn’t.” Diana started to laugh.
“You know how Ian’s ears turn red.” He winked at her.
“I’ve seen it once or twice.”
“He got embarrassed.” Brendan’s innocent look said he couldn’t imagine why. “Let it go in the backyard right after that.”
“Why didn’t he just tell you the truth?”
“That’s the part I don’t get.” Brendan shrugged. “It’s the part I never did get.”
Diana let out a long exhalation. “I kind of get it. I haven’t wanted to tell anyone about us because it’s too private. Maybe Ian felt that way too.”
“I’m not ‘anyone,’ Di.” Brendan’s tone was mild, but he was looking right at her, all the charm gone. His intense expression could have come straight off his brother’s face.
Impulsively, she grabbed his hand. “I’m really glad you’re my big brother,” she blurted. “I don’t know what else to say.”
Her front door opened.
“Diana!” her mother called. Diana started. Both her parents were coming down the front path, passing their own car to head for the Jeep.
“And Brendan!” Mrs. Cooper added as she came closer, sounding profoundly relieved.
When Diana turned to Brendan, she saw why: he’d cranked the charm back up, giving her parents a dimpled smile like seeing the two of them made his whole evening.
Both her parents glanced from her to Brendan. They looked surprised, but pleased, as she and Brendan dropped hands.
“Hi, Mom,” Diana said quickly. “Hi, Dad.”
“Please.” Her mother beamed. “Don’t let us interrupt.”
“We were just finishing up,” Brendan said smoothly.
“Didn’t you say you were out with your friends tonight, Diana?” Her father looked confused as they reached the Jeep, while her mother was saying “It’s so nice to see the two of you together.”
“I’m about to meet up with them,” she lied. Her heart was pounding. “Brendan’s going out too. We were just talking.”
“Well, don’t let us interrupt you,” her mother repeated. “Brendan, how’s your job going? I heard from your mom that you’re volunteering at the mayor’s office on top of your internship? How do you find time for everything? And here we thought Diana was busy. Did you know she’s doing groundbreaking research?”
The Girl in Between Page 4