DILLON
“You can’t be serious?” I stare at my twin open mouthed.
Reeve drags a hand through his hair. “I am. I can’t do it.”
“Dude, you already signed the contract, and this is your big break. You can’t walk away from it.”
Air whooshes out of his mouth as he flops onto the couch and leans back, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t want to, but...”
“You don’t want to leave Viv.”
Reeve nods, his agony written clearly all over his face.
“You don’t want to leave Viv with me,” I add.
His eyes hold mine in place as he nods a second time.
I drop down onto the couch alongside my brother. “If I were a better man, I’d say go do your movie and don’t worry about me hitting on her.” Turning my head, I stare him directly in the eyes. “But I’m not and I won’t make a promise I have zero intention of keeping.” I’m done holding back. I can’t do it anymore. Reeve leaving clears the way for me to make her mine.
My brother narrows his eyes as his hands ball into fists at his sides. “Which is why I can’t leave. There’s a strong possibility one movie will turn into three. I could be gone for two years.”
“You’d really give up your dream for her?” I’m skeptical. Reeve has had his whole life plan mapped out for years and he’s regimented about his goals. Everything he does serves a purpose. Feeds into his agenda. Him throwing a curve ball like this has knocked me for six.
This is not Reeve Lancaster’s M.O.
I’m the reckless rulebreaker.
He’s the disciplined rule abider.
“Yes,” he says without hesitation. “Having a successful movie career will mean nothing if I don’t have her.”
A growl tumbles from my lips, like always when we get into it about Vivien Grace Mills. The girl next door has been our everything from the moment she took her first breath. “You’re assuming a lot there, bro. I don’t want to hurt you, but she’ll pick me. Deep down, you know it too. If you turn down this role, you’ll ruin your career before it’s even started, and you’ll have to watch as I make her mine.”
“Bullshit, Dil.” His nostrils flare as his hands clench and unclench. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve gotten into a physical fight over the girl we are both head over heels in love with. “I see the way she looks at me. She wants me as much as I want her. You’re delusional if you truly think she’d choose you. Vivien needs stability, and she knows she’ll get that from me.”
I put my face all up in his. “She looks at me that way too, asshole, and she doesn’t need stability. She wants to be spontaneous and have fun, and she knows she has that in me.”
We glare at one another for a few beats before Reeve sighs. “I don’t want to fight with you, Dillon.” He grabs the back of my head, pulling his brow to mine. “You’re my brother. I love you. I don’t want her to come between us.”
My anger disappears on the spot. I clasp the back of his head. “I’d die for you, broski. And I don’t want to fight over Viv either, but this can’t go on.”
We separate and stare at one another. “No, it can’t. We’ve been torturing ourselves for years and it’s not getting any easier,” he says.
“We need to tell her.”
Reeve slowly nods.
“We need to tell her now.” I climb to my feet. “You can’t pull out of the movie until you know where she stands. Then you can make an informed decision.”
Reeve stands. “We’re really doing this? We’re really asking her to choose?”
I scrub my hands down my face. “There is no other option. We both love her and neither of us can walk away. It’s always been her call and it’s time we faced up to it.”
***
We’re both quiet, locked in our thoughts, as we walk side by side to Viv’s house. Both sets of parents left this morning for a weekend getaway, so at least we’ll have privacy to talk and to handle the consequences. One of us will be walking home on a cloud while the other will be nursing a broken heart. It’s a shit situation, but the heart wants what it wants. Despite my bravado, I’m worried. What if she doesn’t pick me? Reeve is definitely a safer bet. He’ll be a model boyfriend, and he’ll worship the ground she walks on. I’m a wildcard. A known troublemaker. I’m not sure I’m model boyfriend material but I’ll sure as fuck try the best I can because Vivien deserves the world, and I want to give it to her.
Audrey is coming out of Viv’s house as we approach the door.
“Hey, guys.” She gives us a quick hug, one at a time. “Our girl’s out by the pool. You must be telepathic. She was planning to call you to come over.”
As if. When she’s not with Audrey, we spend every spare minute with her. It’s senior year and we’re all crazy busy with school, study, and extracurricular activities. Band practice for me. Drama lessons and coaching for Reeve, and Vivien is currently doing a dress design course and a creative writing class. But outside of our commitments, all our downtime is spent with our dream girl.
“Tell Alex we’re not sure about tonight,” Reeve says, leaning against the wall.
“Oh?” Audrey’s brows knit together. “I thought it was already decided. Viv’s looking forward to the party.”
“Our plans could change.” I’m not sure if any of us will feel like partying after we have this conversation.
Audrey shoves her oversized sunglasses up onto her head and scrutinizes us, her gaze moving from my face to my twin’s. “You’re up to something.” She purses her lips. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing to concern your pretty little head about, Tinker Bell.” I pat her on the head, and she scowls at me.
“Knock it off, assface.”
She hates my pet name for her. So, naturally I use it all the time.
Reeve grabs my arm, shooting me a warning look. “He’s a dick. We’ll get Viv to call you if our plans change.”
“Okay. Bye.” She skips down the steps as my brother drags me inside Vivien’s house.
We stride through her house like men on a mission, and I wonder if Reeve is as nervous as I am. I almost slam into his back when he halts abruptly at the door that leads outside. “How are we going to play this?”
I shove past him and smirk. “Leave it up to me,” I say as I push through the door.
“Dillon,” he hisses, stalking after me. “We need to plan what we’re going to say.”
“Nah.” I blow a kiss in Viv’s direction when her head lifts and she spots us walking across the patio area toward where she’s stretched out on a sun lounger. “This is definitely a time to wing it.”
Reeve curses me under his breath, but he gives up protesting. He knows what I’m like when I get an idea in my head. “Fucking hell,” I murmur as we get closer and I see the two-piece bathing suit she’s wearing.
“Is she trying to kill us?” my brother says in a low voice.
Vivien’s suit is new. There’s no way I’d have forgotten that skimpy number. It’s black with a gold trim. The bikini top barely conceals her incredible rack, and the bottoms barely cover her pussy. My dick hardens behind my shorts, but that’s nothing new. Vivien is stunning, and I’m constantly fighting hard-ons when I’m around her.
“Seems like it,” I reply just as we reach her.
“Hey.” Her face lights up as she smiles at us. “I was hoping you’d drop by.” She lifts a cocktail glass in the air. “The rents are gone and I’m getting in the party spirit early. Want me to make you one or grab you a beer?”
“Beer sounds good,” I say. I think we could both use a little Dutch courage.
She hops up, with the drink in hand. “Coming right up.” Leaning in, she kisses me on the cheek before doing the same to my brother. “I’m glad you’re both here. We’re gonna have the best weekend.”
My skin tingles from her lips, and we stare at her ass as she walks off. Her bottoms are a thong and I can’t drag my eyes away from all that bare flesh.
“Fuck me. Like seriously?” Reeve adjusts himself in his shorts as my erection tries to poke a hole through mine.
“I want to sink my teeth into her ass and leave marks all over her.” I rub my aching dick as we watch her disappear into the house.
“You’ve got issues.”
“Bite me.” I walk off after her, deciding it’d probably be better to have this conversation inside. I glance over my shoulder. Reeve is still rooted to the ground in a daze. “Come on. We’ll talk inside.”
Viv is uncapping two beers when we walk into the kitchen.
“Nice bathing suit,” I say as my eyes latch onto her bare cheeks. My cock is leaking precum and twitching with the need to drive between her thighs.
Her cheeks are slightly red when she turns to face us, and I know she totally caught both of us ogling her ass. “It’s new.” She cocks her head, acting demure as she hands me a beer. “You like it?”
“I love it,” Reeve says, skimming his eyes over her tits. “You look hot.”
Her cheeks darken as she hands him a beer. Vivien is an intriguing mix of innocence and fire. It’s all part of the appeal.
“You always look hot. You could wear a trash bag and I’d still want you,” I say before swallowing a mouthful of beer and purposely ignoring the daggers my brother is sending my way.
Her eyes pop wide.
“We need to talk to you, princess. You might want to sit down,” I say.
Reeve pulls out a stool, and Vivien climbs up onto it looking a little dazed.
“There’s no easy way to start this conversation,” Reeve says, clearly ignoring the part where I said I got this.
“We love you,” I blurt, cutting across him. “And not in a friendly or brotherly way,” I add.
“What Dillon means is...”
“We want you. You’re the only girl either of us have ever wanted and—”
“What about Hazel?” Vivien interjects.
I frown. “What about her?”
“You must have wanted her if you asked her out.” Hurt splays across her face and she’s not fast enough to hide it. Reeve looks like he wants to slice my head off with a machete, and I get it. I know I fucked that up spectacularly.
Pain spreads across my chest. “I didn’t want her. I, ah...” I rub the back of my neck.
“Tell her. We might as well lay it all out.” Reeve drills me with a look.
“Don’t hate me, princess, but I only asked Hazel out to make you jealous.”