Double Take Seduction – by Lisa Rayne #4
He chuckled. “Alright, I probably deserved that. Let me make it up to you. How about drinks. We could head to a bar around here or shake things up downtown in the Power & Light District.”
“Yeah.” Justin strolled up. “That sounds like a good idea. Let’s all go.”
Julian gave Justin a look loaded with a coded message she couldn’t decipher followed by a shoulder shove. “I wasn’t inviting you.”
Mac joined them. “Why not? I’m in.” Her voice was a bit tight, and she frowned at Julian. “Any particular reason you’re trying to edge me out of my night out with my friend?”
Loosely wrapping his arm around Mac’s neck from the back, Julian pulled her against him and rocked her from side to side.
When she struggled to get out of his grasp, he gave a soft laugh and wrapped his other arm across her abdomen to keep her trapped.
Settling down, she grasped the forearm around her neck with both hands.
He gave her a tender peck on the temple. “Nobody’s trying to edge you out, Kenzie Bear. Don’t get tiffy. Of course, we’ll all go.”
Mac’s face softened when Julian’s lips touched her skin, and her eyes squeezed shut for the briefest of seconds.
Had Ryder not been watching closely, she would have missed it.
For all the brotherly stories she’d heard about the twins before she’d moved here from Southern California, this interaction between her best friend and her friend’s surrogate sibling made Ryder question just how brotherly Mac truly saw Julian Kane.
“Yeah, yeah.” Mac wiggled out of Julian’s grasp. “Ryder and I will go change and meet you guys at the sports bar off North Cosby Avenue.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Julian give his brother a barely perceptible nod. Justin smiled at his brother, a forced smile, and responded with what appeared to be a subtle shake of the head. She was certain—almost—that another silent message had just passed between them.
She glanced at Mac, who also watched the men.
Mac’s lips pressed into a thin line. Without another word to the twins, she grabbed Ryder’s arm and said, “Let’s go. I’ll meet you at your place after I change, and we can ride together.”
It didn’t take Ryder long to change, and she was ready when Mac pulled up. When she got in the car, Mac was unusually quiet. They drove in silence for a while.
Finally, Ryder had enough. “What’s going on, Mac?”
Her friend glanced briefly at her then fixed her eyes back on the road without a response.
“Come on, Mac. You’re never this quiet. At least, not for this long. What’s up?”
“It’s nothing,” Mac replied, pulling into the bar’s parking lot. “We’re here. Let’s just get inside. It’s a Thursday night. It’ll be packed and difficult to find a table.”
When they walked in, she immediately saw Justin standing at the bar.
He had changed into black slacks and a silky, black, button-down shirt that was open at the neck.
He wore black from head to toe, and the size of his shiny dress shoes made her think about that urban legend correlating a man’s shoe size to the size of something far more interesting than his feet.
Apparently sensing her attention on him, he turned and looked straight at her.
He gave her that slow, easy smile, and her stomach flipped.
After saying something to the bartender, he walked over to them.
He greeted Mac with a kiss to the cheek.
Surprising Ryder, he angled sideways and grazed her cheek with a kiss as well.
His cologne smelled scrumptious. It took all her willpower not to wrap her arms around him and search out that scent on his skin. Maybe starting with that hollow at the base of his throat.
“Justin,” she said in simple greeting, instead.
“Good evening, ladies,” he said, looking solely at her. “We found a table in the back.” He motioned Mac ahead and slipped a hand lightly to the small of Ryder’s back. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, “You look amazing.”
Her insides turned liquid, but she managed to keep her composure. “What, this old thing?” She ran a hand down her dark-orange, body-hugging dress with spaghetti straps and winked at him. “Just something I threw on.”
His eyes followed her hand movement and continued down her bare legs to her clear, acrylic stilettos. A deep, raspy hum of appreciation sounded in his throat. When they reached the table, Julian glanced up at them, and Justin removed his hand.
Before he could move away, she grabbed his forearm and pulled him to her. “By the way, so do you.” At his questioning look, she pressed up on tiptoes to whisper for his hearing only, “Look amazing.”
When he pulled back, the naked desire in his eyes matched the heat she’d felt upon first spotting his stylishly clad frame at the bar.
“Y’all gonna sit down or just stand there staring at each other?” Julian quipped.
Without responding, Justin pulled out a seat for her next to his brother and walked around to the seat on the other side of her to sit down at the round table.
Drinks arrived shortly thereafter. When the waitress sat a blackberry bourbon sidecar in front of her, she stared at it perplexed.
Looking around the table, she searched out an explanation.
Finally, her eyes lighted on Justin.
He shrugged. “I texted Kenzie. She said it was your favorite.”
Gorgeous and thoughtful. She was in so much trouble. She could get addicted to this, and that didn’t square with her plans. Gorgeous worked well for a roll in the hay—or two. But thoughtful and addictive and intriguingly intense could make a girl want to hang on.
She picked up the drink and took a sip. “Hmm. It’s perfect.”
His pretty green eyes watched her, and they looked two shades darker. She wasn’t sure if it was the dim light or whatever he was thinking about as he stared at her lips.
Julian cleared his throat noisily.
“Okay!” Mac jumped up. “I’m hitting the dance floor.” She grabbed Julian’s hand. “Come on, Jules.”
The table went through a round of appetizers and several rounds of drinks.
Julian sat back in his chair nursing a beer after having danced with Mac and taking several dances with Ryder.
His arm laid casually along the back of Mac’s chair, but he stared thoughtfully at Ryder.
Justin had slipped into silence after Ryder’s spin around the dance floor with his brother. Even Mac had gotten quiet.
No longer having much fun, Ryder stood. “I’m going to hit the ladies’ room. Mac, come with.” When they reached the hallway for the restrooms, she turned on Mac. “Are you mad at me? Or the twins? Or ... what? ”
Mac just stared at her.
Ryder’s hands squeezed the strap of her crossbody bag. “I know you’re upset about something. We’ve always been straight with each other. Shoot me straight now.”
“Justin is attracted to you.”
I certainly hope so , Ryder thought.
“And so is Julian.” Mac pulled on a few of the curls tumbling from her bushy pineapple topknot.
Now that Ryder did know for sure. He hadn’t been exactly subtle about it. “So ...” She felt the need to tread lightly here after seeing Mac together with Julian at the volleyball game, but she’d been the one to demand they shoot straight with each other. “That bothers you?”
“Yes! You can’t do this, Ryder. Not with them.”
“Hold up.” Ryder’s hand shot up. “Do what? And what do you mean with ‘them’? I thought we were talking about Julian.”
Mac sighed and leaned against the wall. “They both like you, and you can’t get in the middle of them.”
“I don’t want in the middle of them. I just want ...” She hesitated, not sure she should admit even this. “One.”
Mac tensed. “I know he’s a flirt, and he’ll gladly take you to bed if you’re willing, but if you’re just looking to get laid tonight, don’t do it with Julian.”
Shoving past her friend, she muttered, “He’s not the one I want.”
Mac followed her into the restroom, mouth hanging open.
“Why do you look so surprised?” Ryder asked in a hushed voice.
“I—” Mac straightened and moved out of the way of a pair of women exiting. “Jules tends to be more ...” She waved a hand. “You know,” she said in an equally discreet tone. “You’ve been around him tonight. Justin’s more laid-back and generally goes unnoticed when Jules is doing his shtick.”
“Jules’s shtick is fun and all but doesn’t exactly equate to irresistible. I noticed Justin first, and there’s something about his quiet intensity that ... gets to me.”
Like they say, still waters run deep. And she wanted to know just how deep.
Mac relaxed at her admission. “It doesn’t matter. He won’t date you, and he’ll be hurt if you sleep with Jules.”
“Why won’t he date me?” Ryder had sensed a spark between them. Hell, he didn’t even have to date her. She’d settle for one night. She hadn’t gotten her fill of the endorphins she’d been chasing to forget about the standoff with a certain ex.
“Jules met you first, so he’s the one who gets to date you.”
“Say what?” Surely, she hadn’t heard that right. “Did you miss the part where I said I’m not interested in Julian?”
Mac huffed out a big sigh. “It’s this thing they do. Basically, the first of the guys to meet a woman gets dibs on dating her. And she’s strictly off-limits to the other unless the first twin expressly states he’s not interested.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? The women don’t get a say in any of this?”
“No.” Mac shook her head. “It has to do with them unknowingly dating the same woman once in college. But that’s not my story to tell. Suffice it to say, since the rule has been in place, they’ve never pursued the same woman. Not even come close.” She gave Ryder a meaningful look. “Until tonight.”
Shit. She felt the likelihood of her second round of endorphins slipping away. “So what you’re saying is Julian has dibs on me?” Just expressing that aloud made her want to cringe.
Mac nodded.