2. Layla

My knees go weak at the sight of that gorgeous, hunk of a man walking next to my brother.

Please tell me that the God-like creature who kissed me earlier is not my brother's best friend and roommate. If so, things just got really awkward.

Damn it, I wanted to kiss him a lot more and that's not going to happen.

"Layla!" Eric calls as he waves at me.

My brother and I may be twins, but we don't look alike.

Thank goodness.

His hair is sandy blond and his eyes are blue, as opposed to my brown hair and green eyes. I break eye contact with the hot guy and rush to hug my brother.

"Eric, you played amazing tonight. I don't think I have much of a voice left from screaming."

"You're my lucky charm, sis. Always have been."

"I do what I can," I tease with a mock bow. "I'm so glad I got to be here for this."

"Mom, Dad," Eric grins as he hugs both our parents.

"You two were incredible out there," Dad gushes as he hugs the hot guy too. "It was a bittersweet moment to know that the two of you will be rivals next time you play."

"Who knows, we may end up on the same team again," the hot guy chuckles.

After graduation, my brother will be playing for the Boston Bruins, his dream team. I can remember going to games with Dad as early as four years old. My father and brothers all played hockey, they passed that love on to my brother. I tried hockey because Eric did when we were little, but I fell once and decided I never wanted to do it again.

"Layla, this is Brock Bowen. Brock, this is my off-limits sister, Layla."

I roll my eyes and glare at my brother. Brock takes a step forward and extends his hand.

"Hey, Layla."

His voice is that deep gravelly baritone that makes your knees weak. His blonde hair and blue eyes make him look more like a surfer rather than a hockey player. My stomach flips just like it did when he talked to me earlier.

"Hey," I reply breathily.

I inhale and blow it out.

I cannot for one second show Eric that I think his friend is cute. He will embarrass me and then do everything in his power to keep us apart.

He's a great brother, but he's too overprotective.

Especially after he learned that Randy had been cheating on me for the last two years unbeknownst to me.

"I'm starving," Eric interjects.

"Pizza and beer?" Mom asks. "I think there's a great little place next door to our hotel."

"There is," my brother grins. He looks at his friend. "You coming with us?"

Say yes!

"I don't want to impose."

"Shut up," Eric chuckles.

"We're not accepting a no," my mom says.

"She's right," Dad interjects.

"Fine," Brock grins. "You riding with me?"

His eyes are darting between my brother and me, by the look on Eric's face, that didn't go unnoticed.

"Yeah, I will."

"We'll meet you there," Dad calls out as the boys head to an expensive sports car.

I follow my parents to their SUV loaded down with my suitcases for the trip. As soon as we're in the safety of the car my mother turns around and grins at me.

"That boy has a thing for you."

"Oh my God," I breathe as I roll my eyes. "Please don't."

"He's a good guy. He's probably the one man that your brother wouldn't throw a fit about."

"I'm not really looking for a man right now, Mom. I have to learn to trust myself after everything with Randy."

"I'm just saying, the best way to get over one man is to get under another."

"Mom!"

She and my dad are cackling at this point. I bury my face in my hands and shake my head.

Why do they have to be like this?

"Let a man hit on you, honey," Dad says. "There's nothing wrong with that."

I roll my eyes again and shake my head.

This should be fun.

We pull into the hotel parking lot ten minutes later. Eric and Brock pull in behind us. Brock makes sure to run ahead to open the door for Mom and me.

"Such a gentleman," Mom gushes.

We settle into the restaurant and the five of us talk and laugh over pizzas and beers. Dad and the boys are lost in hockey talk. I sit back and take it all in.

My ex had never been a controlling person, he never told me I couldn't do certain things. However, I felt that I needed to be with him at all times, so I missed out on a lot over the last few years. This being one of those things.

I used to be at every single one of my brother's games. I realize we went to two different colleges and it wasn't always feasible to go, but this was the last game of his senior year and the first game I'd been to.

It hurt to learn that Randy was cheating on me. It hurt to realize a lot of the things he'd told me were blatant lies. I spent some time going through and replaying it all in my head, but then I realized it was a waste of my time and energy.

"Sis, you want to come back to the apartment with us?"

"You're about to spend two weeks with me, aren't you worried you'll be ready to kill me after a day."

"Shut up," he laughs. "We have a spare bedroom, I have it set up for you."

My eyes dart to my mom's who nods. "Okay."

When we finish eating, we all head out to the parking lot where my dad unloads my things while Brock puts them in the trunk of his Camaro.

"You're sitting in the back, sis, there's no way I can get back there," Eric laughs pointing at the ridiculously small backseat.

I hug my parents goodbye and load into Brock's car. I'm quiet as my brother and his friend go through the game again. They're on cloud nine and it's nice to just watch them take it all in.

When we get to the apartment my brother shows me to my room and I hole up in there until I need to go to the bathroom. I walk out of the room at the same time Brock is walking out of his room.

He's sleep-rumpled and sexy in nothing but a pair of boxers. His abs are perfect, his whole body is like he walked off a billboard for an underwear ad. I lick my lips and sigh inwardly.

"Hey Layla," he breathes in a husky voice.

"Hey, come here often?" I say in a weird voice.

Did I really just say that?

"Only because I heard you get out of bed and was hoping to see you in some tiny little shorts and a tank top," he says as his eyes roam over me. "This is better than I imagined."

I roll my eyes as he tugs me into him and kisses me again without hesitation. My entire body is on fire as I feel him press me against the wall.

You cannot do this right now!

I pull away and he stares back into my eyes. "I'll stop because I want this to be more than a one-night stand."

He immediately turns and walks right back into his room.

What?

Why would he say that?

***

The next day, I get to know Brock better as the three of us hang out together. The following day, we load into his car and drive to Bar Harbor, Maine to begin working with Habitat for Humanity. With my brother and Brock about to go into the NHL, there are people all over taking pictures and asking questions about everything.

Our first day of working is hard, manual labor. My entire body hurts and I"m exhausted but for some reason, I can"t sleep. I decide to get up and walk along the beach.

I turn on my playlist of all of my favorite slow songs in hopes that it will soothe me back to sleep after the walk.

"Fancy meeting you here," a voice drawls behind me.

I spin around to see Brock grinning back at me.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Couldn"t sleep, thought the ocean would help."

"Great minds think alike."

"What"s your mind thinking about right now?"

"That I want you to kiss me again."

He grins widely as he takes a step forward, puts his hand on my cheek, and kisses me hungrily. I mold my body to him as his hands go to my waist.

It"s like we can"t get close enough to each other.

"All of me" by John Legend filters through my phone speaker and I'm lost in the words and the feel of him.

The waves crash against the shore, echoing the rhythm of our passionate embrace. We pull apart, our eyes still locked onto the others.

Brock traces his fingers along my jawline, his touch sending shivers down my spine. His eyes are filled with an affectionate spark that sets my soul ablaze. "I can"t believe I found you here," he whispers. "You shouldn"t have come out here alone, though."

"Maybe I knew you"d be out here too," I lie.

He chuckles and pulls me into another deep kiss. My stomach flips.

I want more. I need to feel him.

My hands go to his waist as I slide my hand against his length.

Holy shit!

His hands explore too, making their way to my breasts. He kisses my neck softly before tugging my shirt off. His mouth goes down to my boob as he kisses and licks while removing my bra.

I pull his hard shaft out of his pants, my finger and thumb running over the head. He tugs my shorts down, his fingers finding my wet core.

I suck in a breath.

"You"re so wet," Brock praises, his fingers delving deeper inside me. "You want me just as much as I want you."

His words send a shiver through me, my body responding to his touch, his words, his presence. I grip his dick tightly, matching the rhythm of his fingers against me.

"Fuck, I need to be inside you," he growls, his eyes locked onto mine. "Now."

He picks me up, walking towards the water"s edge, my legs wrapped around his waist.

He sits down and then lays back, allowing me to straddle his full length. His hands cover my breast as he fills me and I begin grinding down on him.

"You"re so beautiful," he breathes in awe as I look down to see him smiling up at me.

He sits up, his hands gripping my hips as he kisses me. He begins thrusting upward as I grind down harder.

Fuck!

Brock"s thrusts grow deeper, harder, driving me wild with desire. My nails rake his back as I cry out his name, my body arching closer to his with each passing second.

"Harder," I pant.

He doesn"t hesitate to continue slamming into me while pulling my hips down to meet him.

As the orgasm starts to build, he groans my name and pushes me further, his eyes locked onto mine. My body responds with a fervor I never knew I had, my walls clenching around him as he lets out a primal roar.

Our bodies shake with intense pleasure as he continues to thrust, my walls tightening around him, milking every ounce of pleasure from him. We collapse together, panting heavily, our hearts pounding in sync with the rhythm of the waves crashing against the shore.

"I can"t believe we did that," I manage to gasp between breaths, resting my head against his chest.

"I haven"t thought about anything else since the moment I laid eyes on you."

"What happens next?"

"We spend every waking moment together," he teases. "Without your brother knowing."

"Stellar idea," I giggle.

He leans his forehead against mine. "You"ve got me on my knees, Layla."

"My favorite Eric Clapton song."

"As it should be," he chuckles.

His hands go up to my face again before he kisses me hungrily.

"I"m not going to be able to keep this from your brother. I want to spend every second with you."

"We have to, he will lose his mind. He"s too overprotective."

"Where are you going to medical school?"

"Vanderbilt."

"It"s fate that I"m joining the Nashville Predators then."

"Seriously?" I gasp.

He nods as he smiles slowly. "It"s written in the stars."

I cock my head to the side and smile. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

He shakes his head. "There"s something about you, Layla. I haven"t figured it out yet, but when I do, I"ll tell you."

My heart flutters and I can"t stop smiling.

He knows all the right words to say.

"We should get back to the room."

"If I wasn"t in a bunk with a bunch of guys I"d bring you to my bed tonight."

"That wouldn"t be keeping it a secret from my brother," I giggle as I slowly remove him from me.

I stand and start putting my clothes back on. "I don"t want to keep it a secret."

"Will you trust me for now? Eric doesn"t do well with change. He"s pretty overprotective."

"I"ll trust you."

"Thank you," I breathe as I kiss him quickly.

He laces his fingers through mine and the two of us walk back towards the dorms we"re staying in. He takes me to the door of mine, kisses me, then hurries back toward his dorm.

Definitely worth taking a walk on the beach tonight.

I float into my room, fall into my bed and I"m asleep shortly after.