Page 46 of Vegas with my Brother’s Best Friends

I gaze at her for a few moments, fighting the urge to go against my own words of wisdom. It’s hard to be on my best behavior when we’re alone together in bed. When she’s looking at me like she’s waiting for me to make a move.

“Find a movie,” I tell her before turning my attention to the flatscreen television mounted on the wall in front of us.

Cassidy grabs the remote off the nightstand and skims through the different movies available to watch. Her eyes stray back to me, but they’re not on my face. They’re on my bare chest.

“Were you swimming?”

“Everyone is swimming right now but you,” I reply.

Cassidy’s eyes dart away. “I hope you’re not getting my bed wet.”

“I mean…”

She swats at my arm, and I laugh, hearing a knock on the door at the perfect time. I get off her bed and open the door so that the dining server can wheel a small cart inside. As asked for, there’s a bowl of crackers and a can of ginger ale next to a glass of ice.

“Thank you,” I say as I grab some money from my wallet to tip him.

Once he leaves, I crack open the can of ginger ale and pour it into the glass, hearing it bubble and fizz. “This should fix you right up.”

“You think so?” she asks with an amused glint in her eyes.

“I know so,” I reply before handing her the glass and the bowl of crackers.

“Thanks,” she says before taking a sip. She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. “Oh, yeah. I really need the carbonation.”

I smile and push the cart out of the way before pausing, my eyes straying to the door of her room. I should probably leave now that I know she’ll be fine. There’s no reason for me to stay.

“I found this old horror movie we all used to like to watch. Are you busy? I wouldn’t mind some company.”

How am I supposed to tell her no? Especially when she uses that cheerful, hopeful tone of hers.

“Until someone blows up my phone asking where I am,” I tell her before sitting back down next to her. “No one should be coming by here, right?”

Cassidy shakes her head. “And if someone knocks, I just won’t open the door. I could be in the middle of a deep tissue massage for all they know.”

I do not need to be caught alone with her in her room. It’ll just look weird.

“Okay,” I say before relaxing next to her.

Cassidy offers me a saltine cracker.

I take it, our fingers brushing. “Tell me if you need anything else.”

Cassidy nods and sinks back into her pillows, her head leaning to rest against my shoulder as the movie starts.

This is fine. This is completely innocent.

Nothing is going to happen in this room that we’ll later regret.

Chapter seventeen

Chapter 17: Cassidy

“Just as good as I remember it being.”

Jackson chuckles as he lifts his head off mine. “Yeah, it’s a damn good movie. The sequel sucks, though.”

I roll my neck a little, loosening my stiff muscles from laying my head on his shoulder for so long. “I just pretend that it doesn’t exist.”