by Stacey Lynn
This gets my attention. She hasn’t mentioned her mom since the plane yesterday. “Have you checked in with her yet?”
“I tried calling Cara earlier, but she didn’t answer.” She flips her hand in the air as she heads down the hall. “I’m sure they were at the park or something.”
My lips press together. There isn’t much I can do to help and that makes my skin itch. I’m a helper. A problem-solver.
Lucky me, there are messages on my phone demanding my attention, which means I might not be able to help Willow’s issues with her mom, but someone else definitely needs me.
I flip through them, opening up a string from Caitlin first.
Surprise, surprise. Apparently, someone spilled the news about my date.
Your date is Willow?! From Java’s?! Awesome! *Fist pump*
This screws up my seating chart.
I roll my eyes. She’s being sassy. There is no seating chart, and at least I’m smart enough to remember this. I’ve listened to her ramble about her wedding for months now.
JK, the next one says. I want to see her!
Why are you ignoring me?
Oh God…you’re doing it aren’t you? My bad. I’ll stop bugging you.
If only I was doing it. But I’m laughing. Thank goodness for Caitlin and her ability to make everyone around her feel good. At least there’s not an issue with her wedding…like Jonas getting cold feet. I’d hate to have to strangle someone on her wedding weekend.
See you tonight!
It’s the last one I get from her so before I move to the next group of texts, most of them from Corbin, I type out a quick response.
Calm your tits. We were at lunch with my parents. Also, I like her so be nice.
I quickly flip over to Corbin’s string.
A few are from this morning, asking me if I was still surfing. When I didn’t answer he sent a few more, but it’s the last one I like the most.
Drinks before the dinner?
Willow’s voice is filtering down the hall from her bedroom and I don’t want to bother her if she is talking to her mom.
I type back a response to Corbin.
We’ve got wine coming to my suite. Drinks at our place? You and Teagan can head down if you want.
Be there in ten. His response is almost immediate. Room?
I type out where we are. I haven’t called room service yet, the buzzing in my phone having distracted me from that, so I place a quick call, requesting three bottles of wine and some light foods to snack on. Willow hasn’t seemed drunk from the daiquiris she had during lunch but I don’t want that to change.
She’s still on the phone, now laughing, and I’m more than curious who she’s talking to. I’m betting it’s not her mom. I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but she hasn’t told me much more about the friends in her life so I move slowly in her direction…my curiosity piqued.
She’s stripped out of her tank top and jean shorts from earlier and is now in even shorter shorts, with only thin strings that are tied together at her back and neck.
And holy crap. If I get a view of the front of her, I might wish I’d never invited Corbin down here. My hands itch to curve around her breasts, strip the colorful triangle fabric I imagine is covering her breasts to the side, and draw one of her nipples into my mouth.
It waters at the thought and I fight down a tortured groan.
“I swear, Cara,” she says. “Nothing’s happened, and stop pestering me.”
She tosses more clothes out of her suitcase and laughs. “Well, yeah, I’m interested.”
They’re talking about me. Having sex with me. I press my hand to my crotch harshly to stave off the erection.
Damn me and my big mouth telling Corbin he can come.
“You have Braxton,” she says. “Go jump him if you need sex. It’d be better than any story I can give you…which I won’t give anyway so stop asking.”
And I’m out. It’s one thing to listen to Willow tell her friend she thinks I’m hot and wants me, but I don’t need to hear details of her friend’s sex life.
I hurry to my room through the still-opened adjoining door and change into my own pair of swim trunks. If Willow’s going to show off her body on the deck over drinks, who am I to deprive her of an equally pleasing view? And I’m not being a dick. I work damn hard for my body.
She’s in her own living area when I return and holy hot damn, she definitely hasn’t put on her shirt. And now I get a view of that bikini, and yep, I was right…two triangles of bright floral fabric cover her tits. I freeze in my steps. Willow isn’t just beautiful or gorgeous. She’s beyond that. And yet even as I sense that she’s giving me parts of herself this weekend, there’s a lot to her she’s holding back.
Which means I have my work cut out for me with her. And it’s a challenge I am not afraid of.
My guess? The rewards will be greater than anything I’ve ever imagined.
If I take a step closer to her, Corbin might arrive when I’ve got a full-on woody and have stripped her naked.
Not a good idea.
“How’s your mom?”
Talk of moms usually does a good job of distracting anyone, but Willow’s gaze is still glued to my own body. I take a moment and let her look, flexing my pecs just to see her blush.
“What?” she asks, finally remembering I’ve asked a question.
“How’s your mom?”
“Oh…she didn’t answer, but Cara did, and she said things were fine.”
“That’s good, right?”
There’s worry in her eyes as I ask but she shakes it off. “I suppose I’ll find out in a few days, but since I could really use a break from worrying about her, I’m choosing to ignore it.”
Not a solid plan, but she’s not the first person I’ve known to avoid a problem.
“Corbin texted me. He and Teagan are heading down soon to have a few drinks with us and hang out before the dinner tonight.”
“Oh.” She glances down to her feet and back up. “I should probably go change, then.”
“Don’t know why you’d bother when I’m only wearing this.”
Her lips slide to the side. Gaze darts toward the windows. The deck is full of sunshine, which tells me she was hoping to lie out and get some sun this afternoon. Which works out perfectly.
“I’ll text them and tell them to bring their clothes for later. We can get ready here. Is that okay?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
I pull out my phone and unlock it. I type out the text telling them we’re in our suits on the deck and to bring clothes. “Okay?”
“Sure.” She shrugs and moves toward the kitchen, grabbing a bottled water from the fridge.
Sounds good. Corbin texts back. Talked to Caitlin. She’s coming down to meet your chick too.
Awesome. “Um. Caitlin’s stopping by, too.”
“Yeah, no.” She shakes her head. “Definitely putting on some clothes, then.”
She hurries around the counter toward her bedroom but I reach out and grab her wrist. “You don’t have to, Willow.”
“I’d feel more comfortable. At least with my cover-up on. Meeting your friends in practically nothing feels weird.”
“Why? I don’t have many clothes on, either.”
I pull her to me and she has to slam her hand onto my chest or fall directly into me. Her fingers curl into my flesh instinctively. Breathily, she’s almost at whisper level when she says, “Yeah, I noticed that.”
“I know.” I dip my head so my lips are at her ear. I linger there, brushing my lips along her ear, down to her jaw, whispering, “You almost gave me a hard-on with the way you were looking at me, and I liked it. A lot.”
“Oh.”
A knock hits my door and I’m not sure if it’s Corbin or room service but either way
, I’m cursing all of them. And my stupid ass for inviting people over.
“I’ll get that.” I kiss her cheek and move in the direction of the door. And when I check the peephole I’m not the least bit surprised to see Caitlin on the other side, Jonas wrapped around her, and both of them holding multiple wine bottles and food.
I open the door, already rolling my eyes. Poor Jonas. He has a lifetime ahead of putting up with her. “Hey, pipsqueak. Did you think there was a party or something?”
“Hell yeah, we’re partying! Some of this is yours. I tipped the waiter when we figured out where he was headed.”
She shoves her way inside, arms out to the side, bottles waving in the air. “Hey, Willow! Get your butt out here! I brought the wine.”
I shake Jonas’s hand. “How you doin’, man?”
“I’m great. It’s your friend that’s losing her mind these days.”
“Wedding plans?”
“ ‘Bridezilla’ doesn’t even come close. Which is weird because she’s always so laid-back.”
I don’t want to hear anything about how my friend lays back for Jonas. So I invite him in, pretend I didn’t make his comment into something gross and sexy.
I blame Willow and the semi she has me constantly sporting.
Then I find my redheaded friend before she can embarrass the hell out of Willow.
Chapter 16
Willow
Caitlin dances into the room with a smile as big as Texas and three wine bottles waving in the air. I’ve thrown on my cover-up, a lightweight poncho kind of thing that’s pink with bright purple hibiscus flowers on it. It’s sheer, so you can see my suit beneath it, but I’m at least more covered than in my shorts and bikini top.
“Hi, Caitlin.” This woman makes me nervous, despite her small size. For six months I’ve assumed she and Trey were dating, and now that I’ve learned they’re just friends, I don’t feel any less uncertain about her.
He’s walking her down the aisle, which means she has to be one of, if not the, most important people in his life. Girls get territorial when important men in their life find another woman, even if there isn’t a romantic attachment between the two of them.
“Wow!” She shouts, practically dancing to the kitchen counter and setting down the wine in the fridge. “That’s an awesome top. If we were better friends, I’d demand you let me borrow it for my honeymoon.”
She winks at me to show me she’s teasing, but I’m no calmer. “Where are you going for your honeymoon?”
“Hawaii.” She spins and braces her hands on the counter. “And I can’t wait. Ten days, the beach and ocean, and my sexy soon-to-be-husband. Speaking of…Jonas! Get your sexy butt in here.”
“Me and my sexy butt are here and you don’t need to shout. The entire resort can hear you.”
“Just wait until I’ve got more wine in me.”
Jonas’s almost-shoulder-length black hair swishes back and forth as he shakes his head. But the grin on his face tells me two things: he’s totally used to Caitlin’s personality and he’s completely in love with this wild woman.
“Wine,” Trey says, and he’s already moving toward the kitchen. “Willow, this is Caitlin and Jonas. I’ll kill Jonas if he hurts Caitlin and Caitlin’s batshit crazy so we can ignore both of them.”
“Nice,” Caitlin drawls, and there’s another knock at the door. “Oh, I’ll get it!” She waves her hand in the air and skips by Jonas, smacking a kiss on his cheek and a hand to his butt as she passes him.
“Sure, help yourself,” Trey says, digging through drawers and coming up with a wine bottle opener. “Because it’s your room and all…”
“Hey. Nice to meet you,” Jonas says, heading toward me. “And be warned, she’s on level twenty-five out of a scale of one to ten this weekend. Nerves and all that jazz, but she’s harmless.”
Of course he’d think so. I force a smile, pushing down my nerves. This is Trey’s crew. The gatekeepers. If they don’t like me this weekend, then I for sure won’t see him after this weekend ends.
Whoa. Seeing Trey after this weekend? It’s possible I’m putting the cart before the horse, and all that jazz.
“Teagan!” I can hear Caitlin’s shrieks clearly even though I can’t see her. “Come here and give me a hug, you sweet bestie friend of mine!”
One of my eyebrows arches and I glance at Trey, who’s pulling a cork out of a wine bottle. He grins at me. “It’s like she totally forgot she saw Teagan for breakfast.” Turning to Jonas, he continues, “How much has she had to drink?”
He holds out his hands, palms out. “None that I’m aware of. This is pure wedded-bliss expectancy.”
Trey shoves a finger in his direction, waves it in a circle, and scowls. “I don’t need to hear anything about your wedded bliss. I still have nightmares of seeing you in that towel.”
He shudders and Jonas laughs. “Dreams you mean, man. You loved it. Admit it.”
Trey pours the wine and ignores him as Caitlin and Teagan come into the room, Caitlin holding Teagan’s hand, bouncing happily on the balls of her now-bare feet.
As the wine begins to flow and the giggles grow louder, I shake off all of my unease and grin at Trey. I’m on cloud eleven. Trey’s friends are wild and crazy.
“Your friends are awesome.”
“Yeah, they are.”
And it occurs to me it’s been a while since I’ve had a group of friends like this. Other than Cara, my social circle had become pretty nonexistent over the last few years once everyone graduated college and moved on to bigger and better things. Plus my work keeps me at home most of the time, away from conversations. It’s harder than I thought it would be to make friends as an adult. I never realized how isolated I had become with Scott, either, but now there are moments I remember, of when I’d want to go out with friends and he’d convince me to stay home. Did my friends move on to better things or simply move away from me when I let Scott control everything? It’s a depressing thought, and one I need to learn from.
Trey’s friends are so much different, though, and I can’t imagine he’d ever pull something like that. Everyone is boisterous and kind, and has no problems shoving that kind of playful shit where you know it’s all in good fun. I would love to have a merry band of friends like these four people.
“Let’s go join them.” I grab Trey’s hand and pull him with me, completely aware of the looks we receive as we join them in the kitchen, and there are eight eyeballs zoomed in on our connected hands.
Trey holds me tighter and eventually we meet them at the counter, open the rest of the wine, and spend the rest of the afternoon sunning and laughing and talking on the deck, the girls mostly in lounge chairs, sunglasses over our eyes and hats over our faces—Caitlin, so she’s not a lobster on her wedding day, and the men in chairs around a nearby table.
I think it might be the best afternoon I can ever remember having, and I have Trey to thank for all of it.
* * *
—
Trey looks like a mixture of a man who’s ready to either step out onto the golf course or go a round in the boxing ring. His muscular body is clad in a pair of tan linen shorts with a white button-up shirt that drapes perfectly over his shoulders, tapering in at his trim waist. He looks so sexy, standing near the back of where the ceremony is going to take place, one hand in his shorts pocket, the other hand clasped on Corbin’s shoulder, as both of them smile and laugh with Caitlin. He looks sexy as hell whether he’s in sweats, suits, or his current outfit, and I can’t take my eyes off him.
His friends stay on our deck this afternoon for so long we don’t have any time alone after it’s time to shower and get ready for the rehearsal and dinner. My libido is an unhappy camper.
I want my hands on him, trailing over every inch of his perfect body. It’s impossible to tear my eyes off him from where I’
m sitting in a white chair already set up for tomorrow’s ceremony.
I still can’t believe he’s brought me to his best friend’s wedding, but I’m having a blast and I’m so glad I’ve made the trip with him.
The only thing ruining it is the current nagging worry in the back of my mind about my mom, but Cara has assured me things are under control.
“Well, hello, sweetie. Mind if we join you?”
Trey’s mom is in front of me, already sliding past me to get to her seat. Behind her is Greg, patting down his nicely styled black hair, grayed at the temples. “Of course.”
“Oh, good.” She pats my knee as she sits down next to me. “And I apologize for earlier today, dear. Sometimes Greg and I get so excited we get a bit whacky. Three boys…I have three boys and none are anywhere near getting married and having babies. This mama just wants some grandbabies to love on.”
I’m not touching the topic of grandbabies or marriage with a ten-foot pole.
“No need to apologize, Diane. I loved lunch today.”
And as long as Greg doesn’t fall back into discussing his balls, the rehearsal and dinner should be fine, too.
“It’s lovely out here, isn’t?” I ask, my gaze sweeping the veranda that’s decorated with a curved trellis over a raised platform. It’s incredible considering earlier today this same area was filled with lounge chairs and umbrella-covered tables while guests sipped their blue daiquiris and mojitos. Tomorrow it will be even more beautiful.
The rehearsal goes off without a hitch. Caitlin tears up when Jonas says his vows, but he had beat her to the punch, getting a bit teary-eyed when she walked down the aisle. And this is just a practice run. I can only imagine how emotional they’ll be tomorrow. Soon, the officiant is declaring them “not-quite husband and wife,” but they kiss anyway, to cheers of the few loved ones who are here watching.
In what seems like a quick whip of wind, we’re escorted to the rehearsal dinner where there’s a DJ playing contemporary pop music, a buffet is set up, and Trey is at my side, hand at my lower back, guiding me to the plates.