The Boys Next Door (Excerpt)

Chapter 2

One of the twins leaned against the doorframe, wearing a pair of blue swim trunks and a big smile. Diana blinked, her eyes darting away, then back to his long bronzed body.

His smile was so welcoming that she began to relax. This was Brendan. The cleft in his chin — and the friendly smile — didn't leave any doubt.

"You're all alone this weekend," he said. She caught a whiff of beer on his breath, but he didn't seem drunk — just relaxed.

"You're not." She couldn't help sounding snippy. She had a life too. Brendan didn't have to assume that she had no friends — even if she was avoiding them right now to study.

"You shouldn't be, either. Come on over."

"No," she said quickly.

"No?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I'm studying for finals. Not all of us are done with school for the summer." God, why oh why did she have to get bitchy whenever she managed to talk to an attractive guy?

But Brendan just smiled more broadly. "All the more reason to come over. You need a break. Mom said you're going to Yale. We should celebrate."

Her heart was pounding, just like it had when he and Ian had taken her to school almost four years ago.

No. She couldn't handle the party next door. Thirty people she didn't know, college-aged, drinking and yelling and laughing. Her throat went dry just thinking about it. And here was Brendan, looking at her expectantly.

"Why are you inviting me over when we haven't talked in years?" she managed, doing her best not to stare at the floor — though she really, really wanted to.

Brendan had been hot in high school, but he was gorgeous now. His face was more chiseled, his body more filled out. His eyelashes were thick and dark, and a soft line of hair divided his hard abs and disappeared into his swim trunks. She forced her eyes to stay on his face.

He looked up at the doorframe, then back at her. "Can I come in?"

"Oh. Uh, sure. Sure." Quickly, she stepped back as he entered and closed the door behind him.

His arm brushed hers, and her stomach lurched. God, she was wearing a bathrobe, and she'd forgotten that until this second.

"I saw you watching," he said softly.

Blood rushed to her face. So the twin on the patio had been Brendan.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be sorry. I figured you were up in your room studying and wanted to have some fun. So go get your swimsuit."

Diana blinked at his authoritative tone. He was probably used to telling people what to do — telling girls what to do — and having them listen. The easy confidence in his stance made that much clear.

What's more, it was making her stomach lurch again. Her whole body prickled.

"I'll be right back," she heard herself say.

As soon as she made it up the stairs, she shook her head in shock. Had she lost her mind?

No way was she going over there, and no way in hell was she parading around in front of Brendan — or his friends, or definitely Ian — in a swimsuit. The last time she gone swimming, it had been with her family and she'd worn a giant T-shirt the whole time she'd been out of the pool.

Just out of curiosity, she pulled her swimsuit out of her dresser and tried it on to see if it still fit. It was a retro two-piece, yellow with red trim. The waistband was high, but the top showed plenty of cleavage. The bottoms laced up on both sides, ending in cute little red bows, and the top laced up the middle.