"If I didn't know better, Mr. Brand, I would say you are trying to turn me on with your French, bateau mouches, and double aphrodisiacs."

"I am the aphrodisiac," he whispered.

I almost spit wine everywhere. That was not the response I expected.

Our laughter filled the empty streets as we walked back to the car. We had too much wine, food, and crème brulee.

"I'm turned around. I think it's time we call a taxi," he said.

I walked with my arm around his waist as we stumbled and tried to steady one another. A taxi zipped across the street and screeched to a halt in front of us. Not sure why it was so damn hilarious. The wine had made me overly giddy.

Luke gave the driver directions in French. More narrow streets and close calls, then he paid the bill, and we exited. The world rocked as we stumbled down the sidewalk. The key just wouldn't fit in the door. Damn, we really had drunk way too much.

Once inside the flat, Luke leaned his shoulder against the wall to steady himself, and I did too. All jokes and laughter faded.

"What?" I said.

Luke moved closer without reverting his eyes. Silent words passed between us, and the world seemed to stand still. I sucked in a deep breath ready to interrupt the exchange, but before I could, he leaned over and kissed me. His lips were soft, and I got lost in the moment before I realized what the hell was happening. I forced myself to pull away from him. The taste of berries and smell of alcohol left our mouths. All I could do was stare.

"I can't do this," I whispered.

"I'm sorry. I… I don’t know what came over me."

"No, I'm sorry. I don’t know if I gave the wrong impression or—"

"Jennifer." He swallowed and continued. "I've been wanting to kiss you since the last time I saw you. I've dreamt about exploring your body, laying you down on that bed and making sweet love to you."

"Luke."

"But I love my brother, and you do too."

He placed his lips on my forehead. That was as close as we would ever be. After tonight, I would make a note to keep my distance so as not to give mixed signals.

"I'm an idiot," Luke said. Guilt of what happened washed over him. I walked away from his warmth and from him. I changed into my pajamas and climbed into bed. My world continued to sway as I closed my eyes.

"I'm definitely an idiot," he said, and slipped under the blanket.

I rolled over and looked at him. "Stop it."

"I'm a masochist. I love being around you, but when I am, it's torture."

"That's messed up."

"You know what I mean." There was a long pause. "But that's the way the cards fell. I know Finnley and you were made for one another. It's obvious."

I just stared at him as he talked. He gave me a side glance and rolled his eyes.

"You can't tell me that when I talk about him it doesn't make your heart skip a beat."

I opened my mouth to say something but he interrupted me. I really didn't want to talk about this.

"I can see it on your face."

"Finnley… is something else. A mystery. An enigma. Someone that I want to figure out like a puzzle. Someone who purposely pushes my buttons to the extreme."

"It's more than that. And it should be, he's a great person. Under his hard-ass persona, he's a huge softie. You'll see. He makes me look like I'm the dick of the family."

"Whatever."

"I swear to it."

"Pffft."

"I could tell you stories that you would never believe. He loves old movies and music. Forrest Gump is one of his favorites. He actually cried when he first saw it."

"It's the music. Everyone cries during that movie."

"Oh, until the age of twelve he slept with his teddy bear. When he met his first wife, he wrote stupid love songs that he played way too loud and even called to tell me how he was the luckiest man on the planet, daily. It was disgusting."

The look on my face must have told Luke everything. How the hell could I compare to that?

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's alright. I know he loved her, a lot. I just wonder if he is really ready to move on and try again or—"

"He is, or he would have never pursued you the way he has. That's why it's so wrong for me to even think about you in any other way than my brother's girlfriend. He has been unhappy for so long that I could never be the one to take that sliver of happiness away."

We both stared up at the ceiling, neither one of us said a word.

"You know, Father wanted to adopt Finnley. Give him his last name since he raised him from the age of two."

"Really? Why didn't he?"

"Because Finn said it wouldn't be right to erase his real dad's name. He is the only Felton left. I think that's why he was so excited to have kids. I can't wait until you meet the brother that I know. If you like him now, you'll fall in love with him. I've heard he's addicting."

Fall in love. Addicting.

I laughed to hide my feelings. Finn clouded my mind, made my body beg for him even though he was a thousand miles away.

"When will you talk to him?"

"Don't know. I need time to focus on me. I haven't done that since my parents' death."

"Understandable."

I yawned, and Luke did too. The wine pulled my eyelids shut. I rolled over on my side, and we lay back to back.

"Goodnight, Jennifer."

"Night," I somehow responded before I completely drifted off to dreamland.

I woke to the sound of eggs sizzling and the smell of bacon. Luke stood in the kitchen wearing cotton pants that loosely hung on his hips. I rolled over and watched him crack eggs, neatly stack bacon, and pour orange juice in tall glasses. He placed his breakfast masterpiece on the little table by the window and walked to the bed to wake me, but I was too busy smiling.

"Please tell me you're not a Susie homemaker too," I said.

"I'm not. But I can cook a mean breakfast."

I rolled out of bed and zombie'd my way to the table. My head hurt, the worst kind of hurt too, wine-hangover hurt. I needed to stop drinking so much. My body hated wine in large quantities.

Luke handed me two aspirin with my orange juice, and I took them graciously.

"We drank way too much," he said, then made our plates.

"Oh God, I know. So happy we didn't do anything stupid."

"Should have," he said.

I rolled my eyes, but I didn't know if he was joking or not.

Someone once told me that a drunk man's truths were a sober man's lies, whatever that means. But I knew that Luke wouldn't do anything out of respect for Finnley. I could strip down naked and beg him to fuck me, and I know for a fact that he would deny me. Might be hard, but he would. I had no doubt about that.

"I know you've officially friend-zoned me," he said.

I took a sip of my orange juice. "You've been friend-zoned for a looooong time, Luke. But that's cute you just realized it."

"You must not be a morning person. Just don't become a little Finn," he said.

I lifted my eyebrows. "I should be saying that to you."

"That's not fair considering he's older than me, and you know, we are brothers."

"Uh-huh." I laughed.

We finished our food, perfect crispy bacon and fluffy eggs, and Luke carried the dishes to the sink.

I stared out the window at the people on the sidewalk below. The noises of the movement from the street below seeped in and all I wanted to do was discover Paris.