Torn Between Two Brothers (4 page)

“Well no, not
everywhere.”

Lauren looked
down sheepishly and took a moment to really think about it. It
occurred to her that the signs were all there, she’d just ignored
them. In bed Garret’s touch was tender, slow, and achingly gentle,
the antithesis to the way Adam made love to her, in fact.
Physically his cock was a bit longer, driving into her so deep it
made her womb clench. But he wasn’t as thick as Adam’s whose girth
made her feel so deliciously full and satisfied it was all she
could do to remember her own name. Although they were brothers, and
were built alike, everything about them was different, right down
to the way their cocks filled her and brought her to orgasm. But
she’d been too excited to find Adam home during the week, and too
lost in the haze of lust to give those differences much thought at
the time.

“So was he any
good?”

“Shi,” Lauren
admonished. “What kind of question is that?”

“Never mind. I
don’t need to ask. The look on your face says it all and to be
honest I’m as jealous as hell. That guy was smoking hot.”

Lauren planted
her elbows on the table and rested her forehead in her palm. “I
have to tell Adam.”

Shi waved a
dismissive hand. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes. I do,”
she said adamantly. If she didn’t she’d never be able to live with
herself. “You know I do.”

“Come on,
Lauren, Adam probably has his own harem of women at every airport,
and probably a few flight attendants too. Monogamy is a thing of
the past.”

Lauren shook
her head and whispered under her breath. “And this is how my best
friend tries to console me.”

“I just don’t
want you to beat yourself up over this.”

“You’re wrong,
you know. Adam’s not like that.”

“Look, it was
an accident, an honest mistake. You thought you were crawling into
bed with Adam. How can he fault you for that?”

“Garret said
the same thing.”

She gave a
knowing grin. “Oh did he now?”

“Yes, he did,”
she shot back. At least both she and Garret realized they owed it
to Adam to tell him the truth.

“So tell him
then.” She shrugged, took a sip of her latte and leaned back in her
chair. “He’ll understand, and if he doesn’t then maybe he wasn’t
the guy for you.”

Lauren’s
stomach knotted as she took a moment to think things over. What Shi
didn’t understand was that Adam was the man for her. They were so
good together and she was crazy about him. “Maybe you’re
right.”

“Of course I
am, and it’s not like you’re going to sleep with Garret again
anyway, right?”

Ripples of
sensual pleasure moved through her at the memories of last night.
Her pulse raced as she thought about all the delicious things
Garret did with his tongue, the way his hands caressed her with
unfettered hunger and need. Want ripped through her and she
shivered in response. Almost violently. Then she thought about how
he was there in the morning, there to share breakfast with her,
walk to work with her, fulfill a deep seated need inside her, one
Adam wasn’t able to achieve, through no fault of his own.

Oh God, what
was she thinking?

She shook her
head to clear it and noted the strange way Shiloh was staring at
her.

“What?” Lauren
asked.

“Oh boy.”

“Oh boy
what?”

Shi shook her
head. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Before Lauren
could press, Shi glanced at her watch and jumped up. “I’m running
late. Drinks tonight?”

“No. Tonight
I’m going straight home so I don’t get into any more trouble. Adam
comes home tomorrow night and I need time to figure out the best
way to tell him about the mix-up.” Lauren grabbed her briefcase
then reached for her purse but when her hand came up empty her
heart jumped into her throat.

“Oh, no.”

Shi turned
back. “What?”

“My purse. I’d
been in such a hurry to leave the scene of the crime this morning,
I grabbed my briefcase but forgot my purse. I left it at Adam’s
condo.”

Shi clicked her
tongue. “Well, well. Looks like you might be getting into some
trouble tonight, after all.”

Lauren bit her
lip. “Maybe he won’t be there.”

“And if he is?”
she asked, grinning.

“If he is, I’ll
just get my purse and leave.”

“You sure
that’s what you want to do?”

“Yes,
positive.”

“I don’t know,
Lauren. Seems to me like you’re torn between two brothers.”

Yeah, and that
was the problem. She was a one man kind of woman but feared that if
she ran into Garret, a guy who was sweet, kind, gentle and
completely irresistible, her common sense would pack a bag and head
south and she’d find herself breaking all the rules.

T
he day passed without incident, and fortunately
Lauren had been so busy with patient care she didn’t have a moment
to stop and think about her salacious night with Garret or how Adam
was going to take the news.

She was
currently just checking on her last patient of the day. Once
finished, she planned to go to Adam’s, grab her purse and make a
quick escape.

Just as she
jotted her last note in Mr. Johnson’s chart, a very sexy, very
familiar voice sounded in the doorway. She turned, and her heart
leapt at the sight of the gorgeous man smiling at her, the last man
she expected to see at her workplace at the end of a very long day.
But it also reminded her how much she missed Adam and how lonely
she was through the week.

“When do you
get off?”

Her mind put an
erotic spin to his words and despite herself she felt her pussy
clench with want.

She gripped the
bedrail and tried for casual. “Now, my shift is over.”

“Good. Dinner
is almost ready.”

“Dinner?” She
crinkled her nose and stared at him. “What are you talking
about?”

When the nurse
came in, Lauren handed Mr. Johnson’s file over to her and tried not
to concentrate on how good Garret looked leaning against the
doorjamb dressed in low slung jeans and a leather jacket looking
like sex incarnate.

“I made us
dinner.”

She lowered her
voice as she pushed past him and stepped into the hall. “I’m not
having dinner with you Garret.”

“Why not? You
have to stop by to pick your purse up anyway.” He hurried his steps
to catch up to her.

She walked into
her office, spun around to face him and countered, “If you knew I’d
left my purse then why didn’t you just bring it?”

He drove his
hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth like a naughty
school boy caught in the act. “Then I’d have nothing to use to
coerce you back with now, would I?”

She looked at
him and his grin was so mischievous and so damn sexy, it was all
she could do to stay focused. “Come on, Garret,” she said, feeling
her resolve soften around the edges. “Did you really make me
dinner?” Somewhere deep inside the idea of sharing a meal with him
both thrilled her and warmed her. Unless she went out with Shi for
drinks she didn’t normally have companionship through the week.

His voice
dropped an octave and took on a sexy undertone when he said, “Yeah,
I made your favorite.”

She planted her
hand on her hip and realized that Garret seemed to know an awful
lot about her. Had Adam been talking out of turn? “Okay, so tell
me, how do you know what my favorite is?”

He grabbed her
coat from the hook behind her door. “I’ll tell you that over
dinner.”

“Garret…”

Dark eyes moved
over her face and sent ripples down her spine. “Come on. It’s
dinner. Nothing else. You need to eat, don’t you?”

“Well,
yeah.”

“Then after
dinner we’ll just hang out, watch TV or something. I’ll keep my
hands to myself. I promise.”

She stared at
him for a long moment, and didn’t know what to make of him.

“Please…” He
grinned and added, “I’m not above begging.”

She blew a
resigned breath and said, “You’re incorrigible.”

Apparently that
was all the encouragement he needed. He grabbed her hand and gave a
gentle tug. “Good. Then let’s go.”

As she walked
through the hospital halls with him and took the elevator to the
main lobby, she gave herself a moment to think things through and
rationalize her actions. It was just dinner and nothing else. What
could sharing a simple meal hurt?

Okay, so yes,
Garret might look good enough to eat, but her thoughts weren’t
going to go in that direction because she was a grown woman and she
did
have willpower. She could do this. She could hang out
and have dinner with Garret. After all, if she wanted to remain in
a relationship with Adam, she’d have to spend time with his brother
sooner or later. They might as well try to get over the awkwardness
of last night, sooner rather than later. Besides, he’d gone through
so much trouble to prepare her favorite. Shrimp and scallop
linguine wasn’t that easy of a meal to whip up. And really she had
no reason to rush home. But once dinner was done she’d grab her
purse and head for the train. Simple, really.

Thirty minutes
later after enjoying a nice evening walk with Garret, she found
herself sitting across from him, the lights in Adam’s condo low,
the ambiance romantic.

Garret placed
her food in front of her and her mouth watered as she looked at the
plump shrimp and juicy scallops swimming in her favorite, creamy
primavera sauce.

She adjusted
her napkin and grabbed her fork. “This is really nice of you,
Garret. And much better than the frozen dinner I was going to toss
in the microwave.”

Taking a seat
across from her, Garret laughed and she couldn’t help but think how
enjoyable their walk was, how easy he was to be with, or how nice
it was to share dinner with someone other than the channel six news
broadcaster.

Over the course
of the meal they talked, and she got to know Garret a little
better. She learned that on weekends he was a world class race car
driver who ran on excitement and adrenaline, and during the week he
liked to take things slow, which accounted for the easy, gentle way
he made love to her. His lovemaking might be wonderful and tender,
but truthfully it was no less potent or fulfilling than Adam’s.
They both brought different aspects to the table and somewhere in
the back of her mind she couldn’t help but think, separate they
were still both amazing men but a combination of the two made the
perfect package.

Garret also
told funny childhood stories about Adam and all the trouble that
always seemed to find the Wilson boys during their teen years. He
was charming and humorous and as she relaxed into conversation,
sharing her own stories, the night seemed to get away from them
both. So much for her plan to just eat and run.

After dinner
they shared a glass of wine on the sofa, while a movie played on
the television, and as exhaustion pulled at her, she stretched and
glanced at the window. She cringed when she thought about the cold
bleak walk to the train ahead of her.

“I should
go.”

Adam took her
wine and put it on the table. “It’s cold and the roads are
slippery, Why don’t you just stay?”

“Adam…” she
warned.

He lifted his
hands up, palms out. “I told you I’d keep my hands to myself and I
always keep my promises.”

She angled her
head and eyed him suspiciously.

He laughed.
“You can take the bed.” He patted the sofa. “And I’ll sleep
here.”

He leaned
toward her and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her.
She tensed in response. But instead of pressing his mouth to hers,
he grabbed the pillow from the floor and fluffed it up before
tossing in onto the sofa, proving her really was a gentleman at
heart.

So then why did
she have a knot of disappointment swelling in her stomach? Over the
course of the night as she got to know more about him, both sharing
childhood stories, he didn’t so much as even try to seduce her. She
wasn’t sure why that bothered her so much. It wasn’t like she was
going to sleep with him again. Then again it wasn’t like she didn’t
want to, either.

Oh boy, she was
in big trouble here. She loved the excitement of her relationship
with Adam, the wild way they made love and how he catered to her
every need on the weekend when he was home, but couldn’t deny that
she liked a quiet weekday evening topped off by soft lovemaking
with his brother equally as much. A riot of emotions churned inside
her and she shook her head to clear it.

“You okay?”
Garret asked. He stood, reached for her hand and hauled her to her
feet.

“I’m fine,” she
lied as she made her way to the bedroom. Alone. “Just tired.”

“Sleep well and
when you awake, I’ll have your breakfast ready for you.”

She glanced
back over her shoulder and when she caught him tidying up behind
them, she wondered how she ever thought she could share a simple
meal with Garret, because there was nothing simple about a guy like
him.

Shiloh was
right. She really was torn between two brothers.

A
fter a fitful sleep, it took great effort for Lauren
to get her head on straight. She woke to fresh coffee and pancakes,
and during easy breakfast conversation, they forged an intimate
connection and she feared that her interest in Adam’s brother went
deeper than just sex.

After they
cleared the dishes, Garret walked her to the hospital. Determined
to put her feelings for him out of her mind, and berating herself
for actually feeling them in the first place she buried herself in
her work. At the end of her busy day, Lauren rushed home, needing
to get her thoughts together before she met up with Adam, who would
likely be calling her any minute now. God, just thinking about him
had her heart racing and her mind spinning. She cared a great deal
about Adam, loved him really, and she was determined to make things
right between them.