What have I gotten myself into?

Liam stared at his ceiling, not really seeing the crown molding or fancy light fixtures.

No, his brain was too busy reliving the smoking hot moments from his office. Who would've guessed that ice cold Ayumi could be so frickin' hot? Drunken night time sex in his laundry room was one thing – his office had been nothing but the cold, sober light of day. When she'd stuck her hand down his pants, he'd thought he'd died and gone to heaven.

Before things could get really interesting, though, he'd had to put himself to rights so he could deal with the fire department. He was so busy with that and with Brie kicking up a fuss, he hadn't gotten back to his office until over an hour later. Ayumi had been long gone by then, but she'd left him a present.

Her panties hanging from his desk lamp.

He'd shoved them into his pants and then had sent her a filthy text message, telling her in detail what he planned on doing with her panties. She'd sent him one back almost immediately – just one line.

“To be continued.”

A day later, though, and nothing had continued. He hadn't heard from her that first night, which hadn't been so bad because the club had been swamped, he hadn't gotten home till almost four in the morning. But the next day was quiet. He found himself staring at his phone, willing her to text. He wasn't going to chase after her, she was the one who had approached him, after all. But he also didn't like dealing with blue balls for two days straight. He needed to know the extent of their rules. Were they allowed to sleep with other people? Was he allowed to just show up at her place for a booty call? Or was this all just a game to her? Something to be done only on her time, on her terms.

Maybe she was right, maybe this was a bad idea.

“Shit.”

Liam was pulled out of his thoughts at the sound of his brother stumbling around. He lifted his head enough to see that Landon was in the kitchen, rubbing his shin.

“You're just getting in?” Liam asked, propping himself up.

“Yes, Mom, I'm just getting in,” Landon's voice was snide.

“You were gone before I left this morning,” Liam ignored the nasty tone. “What did you do all day?”

“Negotiated world peace. Stopped a van full of nuns from going off a cliff. Went down to the Pier and got a blowjob from some UCLA chick,” Lan replied.

When he opened the fridge, Liam got out of bed. He stretched his arms above his head as he walked up to the island, then he slid onto a stool. Watched as his brother drank lemonade straight from the carton.

“Sounds like a productive day. Anything on the job front?” he dared to ask. Landon was temperamental at the best of times – one never knew if he was going to shrug something off, or go into a rage.

“No, but I guess I'd have to actually look for one first,” Landon replied, putting the lemonade back and closing the fridge.

“Dude,” Liam sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. “You can't sleep on my couch forever. I could talk to Wulf, maybe he can move Brighton of the place next door and you could have that apartment? I mean, you do own the building.”

Landon seemed to ignore the comment and started getting ready for bed. His jacket and t-shirt were dropped on the kitchen floor. While he walked, he undid his belt and fly, letting his pants slide to the ground while he moved and stepped out of them.

“I've got a plan,” he finally replied, digging into a pile of blankets on a chair. Liam got up and walked over to stand next to him.

“Really? I hope it's better than what you've got going right now.”

His brother turned around and they stared at each other for a moment. The only light was coming from outside, a street lamp below the window. It hit both of them from the side, lighting up Landon's right side and Liam's left, making them look like two halves of the same whole. Of course, being a twin felt normal to Liam. Everyone else found it neat or fascinating or unusual, but to him it was just life.

He knew they made quite the pair. Just over six-foot-three, lean and lanky, tone and fit. Active lifestyles and blessed genetics had kept them in shape all through school, then Landon had gone off to run around jungles saving lives, and Liam had continued surfing until the club had taken up too much of his time.

Whenever they were together, they stood out. Turned heads. And now that Landon had cleaned up and gotten a hair cut, they looked more alike than ever. Almost indistinguishable. Even Tori had mistaken Landon for Liam on more than one occasion, and he considered her one of his best friends – that's how identical he and Landon really were.

Being twins, they'd grown up very close. Best friends all the way through middle school. High school is when things started to change. Landon's brains and excellent grades had alienated Liam from him and his family. Liam's ease with his classmates, and girls in particular, had alienated him from his brother. By the time they were seniors, they hardly spent any time together. And after they graduated, they went their separate ways completely.

Liam had bummed around California for a while, surfing up and down the coast. Landon had gone into medical school, racing through it and passing with flying colors. His scholastic feats made everything Liam did look pale in comparison. Everyone was in awe of Landon and his intellect. His boundless energy. His tireless effort in regards to his education.

Of course, Liam knew his brother's secret. Boundless? Tireless? Easy to achieve when someone was snorting cocaine like it was going out of style. And cocaine wasn't the only thing – Landon had almost gotten expelled after he'd been caught with speed. No one else knew, though. Liam was the only one who got to see that side of his brother. Phone ringing at three in the morning, a collect call from some far away jail, would he accept?

And he always, always did. No matter how angry he was, and no matter how many times he'd promised himself never again. It was his brother. So while everyone else treated Landon like he was the Second Coming, and Liam was just seconds, Liam was the one paying for bail. Liam was the one cleaning up vomit. Liam was the one shoving his fingers down his brother's throat.

And all of that without one single, solitary, tiny thank you.

“Can we have this conversation in the morning?” Landon groaned. “I'm fucking tired. Twenty-two year olds have way too much energy.”

Not half as much as twenty-seven year olds ...

“I'm serious, Lan. My couch isn't some hostel, I'm not Green Peace. Get your shit together, or ...”

“Or what?”

“Or I'm calling mom.”

“I'm calling mom,” his brother mocked him. “Do it. Her couch is more comfortable, anyway.”

“You're kind of a piece of shit, you know that?” Liam snapped. Landon nodded while he smoothed a sheet out over the couch.

“Yeah. Good thing I can pass for you whenever I need someone to like me,” he replied, laying down.

It was said in jest, but it was a secret fear of Liam's. That Landon would get so desperate some day, he'd impersonate his more established, successful brother. It was one of the main reasons Liam kept pushing for Landon to go back into Doctor's Without Borders. He didn't ever want to get to a point where he had to call the police on his own brother.

“That's not fucking funny,” he snarled. “I'm tired of being your babysitter. Between the club, and the bullshit with Katya, and the more bullshit with Brie, I can't take anymore.”

“You know what you need?” Lan said through a yawn.

“Enlighten me.”

“A fucking vacation. You used to be fun. Now you're an uptight working stiff. Get the fuck out of here. Go somewhere. Get laid by girls in different area codes.”

“Running away may work for you,” Liam snapped. “But it doesn't for everyone else.”

“Don't knock it until you've tried it, bro.”

And with that, Landon rolled over onto his side, turning his back on his brother. The conversation was done. There would be no getting through to him that night.

Liam stomped back to his own bed, grumbling as he crawled under the sheet. Normally, he loved his wide open apartment. He'd designed it that way one purpose – he liked open space. He liked airiness. He liked feeling like he was in the great wide open somewhere. Now, though, he would give anything for a wall between him and his brother. Just some distance. Just a little.

Just some distance ... like maybe a couple miles. A real fucking vacation. When was the last time? With Katya and Wulf? The vacation from hell?

His mind started spinning. Work was annoying him, life was shitty, and now he had a hard-on for a chick who thought of him as little more than a battery-less vibrator. Normally he'd be into that, but as he laid down and let his mind wander miles and miles away, he debated which he needed more in his life right then.

Sex, or personal space?