The Boys Next Door Ch. 07

Rolling onto her back, she stared up at the flaming wash of sunset across the sky. Smoke curled through the trees. A group of people were passing around a joint, further down the creek — people she recognized, people from school. She knew that smell now. She knew so much more, so why did she feel like she knew nothing?

After night fell and she'd made the walk home, Diana dragged a sleeping bag and her record player out to her backyard. This hadn't been a breakup with the twins. And there was nothing she needed to talk about with Ian. She was not going to drown her sorrows in the rocky road ice cream calling her name from the freezer. She was not going to find the record Ian had put on, when the twins had taken her way past anything she thought she could handle on graduation night, and hide it in the back of her vinyl bin. She was not going to frantically circle her clit and plunge her dildo into her pussy while she remembered gyrating between the twins in a crowded club and losing all control with them and a couple of hot girls, and she was definitely not going to keep her head under her pillow.

Whatever else was going on, the firm familiar ground and soft grass in her backyard were calm. Simple. As the air cooled down, she snuggled into her sleeping bag. Low music from her turntable unwound into the night, and the endless sky was the last thing she saw before her eyes drifted closed.

Lulled by cricket chirps and the notes of her record, nearly asleep, Diana heard faint splashing on the other side of the fence. Someone was swimming in the O'Brians' pool. Her eyes half-opened to follow the shape of Orion in the sky, imagining one sleek muscular body or the other plowing through cool water, hair slicked back. It was probably just Mr. or Mrs. O'Brian, out for an evening swim. But the splashes were there the next night and the next, soon after she turned on her record player, and they comforted her.

*******

As for the daytime? The problem with hooking up with the boys next door...was that they lived next door.

Monday morning, between bites of rice krispies, she glimpsed Brendan through her kitchen window: strolling down the O'Brians' driveway, unfairly hot in a crisp button-down shirt and tie, heading to his summer internship. She didn't wait around to watch Ian emerge a few hours later in athletic shorts and a tank top, off to work at the gym nearby.

Tuesday night, her friends wanted to know why she stopped in the middle of pumping gas and drove her mom's car away from the station with the tank still half-empty — and hey, wasn't that one of the O'Brian twins coming out of the mini-mart, snacks in hand, looking all edible? And did the twins ever end up taking her out to celebrate graduation?

"We got ice cream," Diana said quickly. "Nothing crazy happened. Very low-key." One twin, not two. Brendan, from the quick glimpse she'd gotten of his relaxed walk before she jumped back in the car. He'd spotted her too, opened his mouth to say something, and she had no plans of sticking around to hear it. She cranked up the radio, floored the gas, and tried not to remember Ian doing the same on Saturday night.

Wednesday evening, Mr. and Mrs. O'Brian came over for barbecue on the deck with her parents and Diana was forced to make friendly conversation before she left for a concert. She had to admit — once she'd pulled the pillow off her head on Sunday, she'd been going out. Having fun. Spending more time out of her house than in it, getting used to the strange feeling of free time. And it felt good, as long as she didn't let herself hear Brendan's coaxing whispers, or see Ian's eyes devouring her, or feel them both buried inside her as pleasure and need rocked her body.

But her ears pricked up when the O'Brians mentioned that Ian had been very quiet during the rare times they saw him at home. Of course both the twins were busy with their summer jobs, but this was unusual, and he didn't even seem to be talking to his brother.

"Brendan's always been the one person Ian listens to." Mrs. O'Brian heaved a long-suffering sigh. "If we need to get anything across to Ian, we go through Brendan." She shook her head. "I swear, his brother's the only reason Ian isn't wilder than he is."

"Diana?" Her father frowned in her direction. "Do you have something in your throat?"

"No, no," she coughed. "I better go." Hurrying out the door, she stopped herself from asking questions. But over the pounding music at the concert, and the dancing she was actually doing with her friends, she couldn't stop remembering that even though she'd called Ian a slut, the only person he'd touched on Saturday night had been her.

That night, she did bring her dildo out to the backyard. She'd taken it from her underwear drawer, nestled against the brown paper bag Brendan had brought through her window last week, her folded graduation speech about "surprising yourself," and the black lace panties Ian had ripped off her eager body when she'd said she wanted to get wild.

Bass still hummed through her veins. Through every twist of her hips at the concert, she'd felt Ian's hard chest brush against her breasts, Brendan's hard cock pressed against her ass. Yes...she was peeling off her dress, sighing with relief as she freed her full breasts from her lacy bra and massaged the sensitive curves under the open sky. And oh God, it felt so good to work the thick dildo into her waiting pussy, stroking her clit as she got wetter and more excited and the night air caressed her naked body. Ian was spanking her, every smack of his big hand making her soft cheeks ripple. Brendan was feeding her his silken cock. Sweet Jesus, a girl's soft tongue flickered over her cunt and the luscious weight of breasts filled her hands...she was tangled up with two muscled bodies in the dark treehouse as knowing fingers explored her pussy for the first time...she was alone with Ian in her bed, vulnerable but safe in his arms as they fell asleep together...oh God, she was so confused. She was so turned on. She could only hope the music from her turntable hid her moans as the splashes in the O'Brians' pool sent tingles through her body and her pussy convulsed tightly around the dildo, hugging its roundness in a long shuddering orgasm.

Thursday afternoon found Diana standing at the front desk of the gym near her house, actually talking about classes and drop-in fees and whatever the hell else you discussed at a gym front desk while she peered over the receptionist's shoulder at the machines and weights like the stalker she was. There wasn't any mistaking the sculpted slope of Ian's back as he bent over a female body on the floor, spotting her through a series of weight lifts. The casual play of his muscles and his obvious focus made Diana's stomach clench. Of course he was working with a cute girl, but from what she could see, Ian wasn't cracking a smile, though the girl offered him plenty. No dimples, no flirting, nothing but business.

She could be bold, right? After everything she'd done with the twins, it wouldn't be a big deal to bike home, wriggle into the only shorts she owned — a red satin thrifted pair that said St. Xavier High School on the side and that she never, ever wore outside the house — stroll back into the gym like she actually knew what those machines did, and inform Ian she wanted a little personal training. And then — oh fuck, what the hell then?

"I know, right?" The receptionist was giving her a meaningful look.

"Sorry?" Diana said, flustered.

"One word: yum. I know I shouldn't say that, since I work here, but..." She winked at Diana and tapped a few keys on her computer. "I think he has some openings. Not soon, but if you can wait a couple weeks, I can fit you in—"

Right. Diana shook her head. She was just another girl who drooled over Ian. She'd seen that he was alive and well, and that's all she needed to know. She didn't need any receptionist to do her a favor by fitting her in.

"His twin brother comes to work out in the evenings," the receptionist added. "Can you believe there are two of them?"

"Yeah." Diana cleared her throat. "As a matter of fact, I can."

*******

Friday, she went to the beach with her friends. All day. There were no O'Brians to be seen, or any of their friends or relations. Just endless sun and sky and sand and water. And she felt it all, because once Marissa spread out the blanket, Diana took a deep breath, sucked in all her courage, and whipped off her oversized t-shirt. For about five seconds, she wanted to shut her eyes tight and sink into the sand, feeling the salt air, the burn of the sun of her skin, and all the eyes on her.

Last Saturday night hadn't been a fluke. People hadn't just stared because she'd been with the twins. It made her dizzy to look around the stretch of sand and see so many guys glance away when she met their gaze — or not notice that she noticed them, because they were busy gawking at the generous swells of her breasts spilling over her yellow bikini top, or the soft curve of her ass, encased snugly in her high-waisted bottoms, or her smooth legs that felt nude like they never had before.

A piercing whistle split the air — Marissa.

"Put your shirt back on, hot mama. That's got to be illegal."

And Diana felt one hand actually reaching for her shirt, while her other hand stopped it. Instead, she took a deep breath. The sun felt good, the breeze across the tops of her breasts felt good, she was laughing now along with her friends, and if she was mostly naked, well, so was everybody else. An hour later, sand between her toes and everyone already reminiscing about high school, she was so relaxed that she flopped onto the blanket and closed her eyes.

A hand nudged her shoulder. Diana blinked sleepily, confused by the bright light coming through her eyelids.

"You should put sunscreen on, Diana," said a low voice. A shadow fell across her face. "You're already starting to burn."

Squinting, she tried to make out which twin's head loomed over hers. A pair of brown eyes came into focus. Not Ian. Not Brendan. Alex Noriega.

Oh Jesus. She was remembering now. Alex had caught her by surprise in Marissa's backyard, what, a week and a half ago, the night before graduation? She'd gotten high for the first time, she'd fended off his kisses, she'd giggled her way home, and Ian had sneaked in her window and made her forget it all. Felt like five years ago.

"Uh, thanks," she murmured, fumbling with one hand for the bottle of sunscreen she'd seen nearby while she reached for her glasses with the other.

"Want help?"

Help. That sounded good. She could use a lot of help right now. She was a little startled when a dollop of cream squirted onto her back, followed by Alex's hands rubbing it in, but she was too relaxed to argue, or to be all that embarrassed when she noticed his eyes on her flushed curves, or to make excuses when he asked what she was up to that night .

Six hours later, restaurant noise filled the air. Diana eyed Alex's lips as he sipped his Coke across the table. Her shoulders were red with the first sunburn she'd had since she was a kid, her dress was unbuttoned an extra button in front, and she felt loose, relaxed, and floppy from lying on the beach all day.

Determined to challenge herself, she ordered the messiest, drippiest burger on the menu. It was delicious, even though she was constantly wiping juice off her chin.

"So what do you usually do on weekends?" Alex's knee pressed hers under the table. This was really happening. After rushing headlong through every other possible first in the past three weeks, she was on her first date. And it was time to stop thinking that she should be in the O'Brians' backyard instead, snuggled between the twins, or that Ian should be the one sitting across the table from her right now, when she'd told him in the bitchiest way possible that she needed to be alone.

"You know." Diana tried to sound nonchalant. She popped a french fry in her mouth. "Study. Go to record stores. Participate in orgies."

Alex's mouth twitched. "You're kidding, right?"

"Yeah." She kept her face deadpan. Alex's leg against hers was very distracting. "I don't always make it to the record store."

Alex eyed her uncertainly over his burger. He wasn't sure she was joking. Or maybe he just thought she was nuts. "What about you?" she asked quickly.

"I, uh, I guess we haven't been going to the same orgies. I keep missing you."

"Sorry about that." She laughed, and he laughed too, looking relieved. This was good, right? Weird, but good. She was dipping her french fry in Alex's ketchup like she went out to dinner with guys all the time. They were actually making conversation. Alex was trying to focus on her face, but his obvious glances at the hint of deep cleavage peeking from her dress, accented by her sunburn, drove a curl of self-conscious excitement through her body.

Alex was cute, in a scruffy kind of way. Would he like it if she pulled his hair later? Ian had loved that, the harder the better, and Brendan hadn't minded either... Fuck it, she was not going to think about their thick hair under her fingers, or how she wanted the twins' hands in her own hair right now and all over her flushed body, soothing her prickling skin, or how, right when Alex asked about the literary magazine — did high school ever end? — she fought the urge to dig up all the secret poems she'd written over the years, hunt down Ian, and dump them in his lap.

"Want to see a movie after this?" she asked abruptly. Alex blinked, his Coke halfway to his mouth. Shit, he'd been right in the middle of talking about college. Where was he going, anyway? Brown. Or Duke, or some other one-syllable school, like she was. Before she could backtrack, Alex was nodding eagerly and asking what she felt like seeing.

The only logical next move was to suggest the action movie at the big cineplex nearby — the last kind of movie she'd normally pick. Alex looked a little surprised, but once they sat down in the packed stadium theatre, he dropped an arm around her bare shoulders. The warm weight made her sunburned skin tingle.

Explosions rocked the screen. Diana did her best not to jump. When she turned to Alex, ready to whisper a comment about the action, he kissed her.

Surprised, her mouth opened. His lips were softer than she'd remembered, his tongue hotter. Curious, she ran her fingers through his shaggy hair, and her glasses were in the way, and it was exciting and awkward at the same time. Alex seemed to like that. Now his hand was in her hair too, and their tongues kept brushing, and nervous arousal shot through her body.

But Diana couldn't keep her eyes from darting around. She could writhe between Brendan and Ian in a crowded club and not give a shit what anyone thought, but here? She was very aware of the people all around. Probably because Brendan wasn't handing her sweet bubbly drinks and Ian wasn't urging her to find things out with him. Had to be why.

And Alex was busy running a palm up her bare arm, his other hand cupping her head and pulling her closer. From the way he was rubbing her shoulder, getting lower each time, she just knew he was working up to brushing against her full breast. Should she let him, just because it would feel nice? What the hell was normal for a first date with a guy you barely knew? Brendan wasn't here to murmur softly, reassuringly, in her ear that she was so sexy, doing such a good job, and Ian— just feeling his hot gaze on her body, his look of need and desire, sent a soft moan from her mouth, right around Alex's tongue, right as his hand brushed the heavy swell of her breast. And she was this close to pushing her firm curve into his hand, aroused past awkward excitement now that she was feeling Ian's hands on her too...

Her breath caught when Alex's thumb rubbed the side of her breast. "So tell me about those orgies," he murmured.

Before she could decide on an answer, Diana's gaze landed on a pack of guys, sitting across the aisle and up a row. Surprise jolted her body. Her skin prickled. Quickly, she broke the kiss and pulled back.

"Everything okay?" Alex whispered.

"Fine," she whispered back. Not fine. Her pulse had skyrocketed. She tried to breathe. Two familiar muscled males, lounging in those seats, here to watch things exploding with all their friends. She should have taken Alex to see a nice drama with subtitles at the independent theatre downtown, where she could count on neither O'Brian twin ever walking in the door. "I just saw some people I know."

"You're afraid they'll see us?" Alex smiled teasingly.

"No, no, it's fine."

She'd spent enough time with the twins to read their body language, and she didn't have to be up close to know that the twin leaning back in his seat, relaxed and wearing a baseball cap, was Brendan, and the twin slouched next to the aisle, staring at them, was Ian.

Her throat dry, she stared back. Why did he have to watch? He probably got off on it. He probably hoped the entire theatre would break out into one giant orgy. And dammit, his unsmiling stare made her feel slutty in a way she never had before, squirming with pleasure between him and his brother, or even with her head clasped between a gorgeous girl's thighs while Ian sank into her eager pussy from behind and Brendan did God knows what with the other girl.

Trying to remember Ian as the kid who'd run around the O'Brians' house in Spiderman pajamas shooting his fingers at her like guns, instead of the too-handsome guy who'd ripped her insides out and stomped on them, she gave him her stoniest glare.

Unbelievably, Ian's lips twitched. She hurriedly turned back to Alex, but her own mouth was dangerously close to a smile.

When Alex's lips slid down her neck, Diana's eyes went back to the twin across the aisle.

There was a certain face Ian had made when they were kids and he wanted to get a rise out of her: eyes crossed so far they practically disappeared, nostrils flaring, tongue sticking all the way out and waggling obscenely. It never failed. He was making that face now.

Diana's sudden explosion of laughter turned every head in the two rows in front of her. Alex pulled away, staring at her too. Great. He'd been kissing her so nicely, and she'd just snorted in his face.

"Sorry. Sorry," she whispered, her face crimson.

"What's so funny?" Alex blinked at her like she'd grown three heads.

"Not you," she said quickly. "The movie. Bad timing. Sorry."

"You think buildings getting blown up are funny?"

Right. A monument had just detonated on the screen, debris flying everywhere.

"I have a quirky sense of humor." Gulping, she tried to get a hold of herself. How dare Ian try to ruin her date? For the rest of the movie, she refused to look across the aisle. God, she could barely focus on the screen or on Alex. She was actually whispering excuses when he tried to take her glasses off and kiss her again. And knowing Ian was watching, or not watching, and Brendan there too —

As soon as the movie was over, she practically dragged Alex out of the theatre. No, she didn't need to stay for the credits. But once they made it to the bright lights of the lobby, Alex said he'd be back in a minute and disappeared toward the restrooms.

Diana buried her face in the fountain for a long drink. She needed to think straight. Keep her cool. When she stood, wiping the dripping water from her chin, a twin leaned against the wall next to her. Hands in his pockets, eyes on her face.

Up close, Ian didn't seem to have gotten a full night's sleep in awhile. Still gorgeous, still athletic, but faint circles shadowed his eyes. His freckle stood out against his skin. She steeled herself not to care. More than likely, he was out partying 'til all hours, boozing and smoking up and getting women to spread their legs for him.