The Boy Next Door

Chapter Sixteen

Of course, they’d already explained that it was for her own safety-as well as theirs, since they seemed convinced Colton would have their asses if she managed to end up hurt-but that didn’t mean she enjoyed being held hostage in her own home. Nor did she enjoy the constant bombardment of thoughts centering around the unconscious male in the hallway and what he just might do when he finally woke.

When she failed to respond to Cullen’s obvious attempt at distraction, he tried again. “You know, when I was little I broke my arm and Colton… he was the only one who didn’t laugh when I passed out… after I woke up of course.”

“He didn’t laugh at you when you broke your arm and you think that makes him a nice guy?” Was this how normal sibling relationships worked? If so, then she was suddenly glad her parents hadn’t had anymore children.

Cullen, of course, didn’t seem to see the problem. “Well, yeah. I mean, even Dad laughed at me. ‘Course,” he scratched his head. “That may have had more to do with what I was wearing than anything else, but-”

Part of her wanted to protest that his father shouldn’t have been laughing no matter what Cullen had been wearing at the time, but she simply had to know! “What were you wearing?” Curiosity had her sitting on the arm of the couch beside him when his cheeks flushed bright red as he ducked his head.

“That-” Cullen cleared his throat, reaching over to smack Luca in the back of the head when he snickered. “That really isn’t the point of this conversation, so I don’t really think I-”

“He was wearing a hot pink, leopard print thong.” Ian, who hadn’t said more than ten words since he’d been forced to remain where he so clearly did not want to be, smirked at his brother’s embarrassment, laughter lightening the deadened dullness that had seemed to completely take over his incredible blue eyes. Alas, as quickly as that laughter had appeared it vanished, making her wonder if it had ever really been there in the first place.

But it was what he had said that really caught her attention…  Well, that and the pillow Cullen launched at Ian’s head. Given that he had to throw it over her head in order to reach his brother, it was just a bit difficult to miss.

“Wait, I’m sorry, you were wearing a-a pink…” Laughter snuck up on her so quickly she couldn’t stop it and before she knew it she was choking on the multitude of questions she wanted answers to. Like why, or how he’d even gotten his hands on a… a hot pink leopard print thong. Samara dissolved into laughter all over again at the thought.

“That’s not even the best part,” Luca cracked a grin, jumping from the couch when Cullen lunged for him, ignoring his threats of bodily harm as he moved so that the coffee table stood between them. “Do you want to know why he was wearing the thong?” He waited until she nodded before he continued. “He thought-”

“Luca, I swear to God, I’ll-”

“-it would make him fly when he jumped off the roof.” Roof came out on a higher pitch than she would have thought him capable of thanks to the impact of Cullen’s body colliding with Luca mid-air, sending them both sprawling onto the floor.

The brothers rolled, growling, fists flying, on the sparse expanse of floor between the coffee table and tv until Luca straddled Cullen’s chest, lifting his fists into the air with a triumphant “Ha, ha!”, followed by a squawked, “Ack! Not the face! Not the face!” when Cullen took the opportunity to swing what looked like claw-tipped fingers at Luca’s eyes.

And while her conscience swore amusement was the last thing she should be feeling given that she still had no inkling where Colton had been taken or why, she couldn’t control the laughter Cullen and Luca’s fight inspired.