You May Kiss the Groomsman

by Samantha Chase

  Her hands covered his. “Believe me, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”

  For as much as he’d been thinking about this moment, now that it was here, he had to remind himself not to lose control. He hadn’t lied to the guys–he hadn’t hooked up with anyone since returning to civilian life, and before that it had easily been six months since he’d been with a woman.

  To say he was amped up would be an understatement.

  His hands twitched with the need to touch her everywhere and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her. Slowly he reached out and ran one finger along her jaw and then down the slender column of her throat. Her breath hitched when he toyed with the edge of her tank top and he held himself in check because he wanted to tear it in two just to bare her breasts to him.

  Slow…just…slow…breathe…

  “Daniel?” she whispered, and when he met her gaze, she gave him a nervous smile. “If you’re not comfortable with this or if you’d rather wait…?”

  He silenced her with a kiss. There was going to come a time when he was going to want to know why she second-guessed herself or why she never seemed to realize just how much he wanted her.

  But that time wasn’t now.

  Now, he planned to show her in great detail all the ways he wanted her.

  All the ways he’d fantasized about her.

  Slowly, he walked her backwards until her legs hit his bed and then he guided her down and covered her body with his.

  Fan-freaking-tastic…

  Having her in his lap last night was nothing compared to having her under him right now.

  Those gorgeous legs of hers slowly wrapped around him, tightly holding him to her–as if he were planning on moving away–and hummed with approval. They kissed like they were starved for each other and in some ways, he believed they were. For all the kisses they’d shared, these were different. There were no secrets or guilt between them–not anymore.

  Although he was seriously going to want an explanation for what the hell she was thinking by helping his brother out the way she was.

  But later.

  Again…later.

  He pulled back and breathlessly stared down at her. She looked good sprawled out in his bed, but she also looked very small and petite, and again, he worried about hurting her. Daniel knew he was a big guy–hell, his hand resting on her stomach seemed to span her entire waist.

  Licking her lips, she smiled up at him. “Hi.”

  His own smile was instantaneous. “Hi.”

  “So, um…I hope you don’t mind that I…you know…pounced like that.” Her blush was completely adorable and he reached up to caress her face.

  “Sweetheart, feel free to pounce on me anytime,” he said gruffly. “I’ve been fantasizing about it for weeks now.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “You have to know that, Josie. Hell, from the moment I saw you, all I could think about was how beautiful you are.” He swallowed hard. “That first night in the cafeteria and then dinner with…”

  “Please,” she quickly interrupted. “I don’t…”

  But he stopped her. “When I sat down beside you, I could smell your perfume and feel the warmth of your skin and…it’s all I’ve been thinking about ever since.” He paused and let that sink in. “So having you here in my bed is pretty much a dream come true.”

  “For me too,” she admitted. “You were so big and intimidating but…I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “I don’t know what all this means, but I do know that I’m tired of thinking about it and wondering about it and I’m sure as hell done depriving myself.” She slowly raked a hand through his hair. “Kiss me. Please.”

  “My pleasure,” he growled before claiming her lips again.

  And then he spent hours claiming so much more.

  It was after midnight and Josie was naked and curled up beside him–her legs tangled with his–and it was the closest Daniel had felt to peace in years.

  Possibly his entire life.

  It felt good to hold her and feel her soft lips placing tiny kisses on his chest. It was the wrong time to talk about anything serious, so he went for something light.

  “So, were you really afraid to trust your new security system?” he asked, placing a kiss on her forehead.

  “It’s not that I’m afraid to trust it; it’s more like I’m afraid it’s going to sense something,” she replied, resting her head on his shoulder. “I know the police would be notified and I’d be safe, but…I wasn’t sure I was ready for the possibilities, you know?”

  He nodded.

  “Plus, I knew that this was where I wanted to be. Here. With you. Like this.”

  And yeah, his arms tightened around her because he really liked hearing that.

  “Admit it,” she teased. “I shocked you.”

  That made him laugh. “Pretty much from the moment I laid eyes on you.”

  “Mmm…is it wrong that I like knowing that?”

  “Not at all.” They fell into companionable silence and he knew it was late and that he should probably let her get some sleep.

  “Daniel?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

  “For what?”

  She didn’t respond for a moment, and when she did her words shocked him. “For truly seeing me and caring.” Her soft sigh spoke volumes. “I know I have friends and family who love me, but sometimes…they only see what they want to see. I’ve spent a lot of time proving to everyone that I’m confident and independent and can totally take care of myself. And I can,” she quickly added. “But it’s been a long time since someone other than the girls have cared enough to look past that façade and tried to get to know the real me, so…thank you.”

  Damn.

  He kissed the top of her head. “I’m not really sure what to say to that.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just…I wanted you to know how much it meant to me that you took the time to…look.”

  It would be wrong to tell her he couldn’t help but look because he’d been instantly attracted to her. There was so much more to her and he wondered just how many others she had scared off with her big talk and big personality.

  “Can I ask you something?” he said carefully.

  “As long as it’s not about my relationship with your brother. For tonight I just don’t want to think about that.”

  Nodding, he said, “Fair enough.” But it was what he wanted to talk about so…

  Beside him, she yawned. “Would it be okay if we didn’t talk?”

  “Sure. Besides, I can tell you’re tired. Let’s get some sleep.” The room was already dark, and he did think about their leftover Chinese food sitting out on the coffee table downstairs, but…he’d deal with it in the morning. Hell, he couldn’t believe Josie hadn’t fixated on it already, but he was glad he distracted her. He closed his eyes and relaxed for all of ten seconds before he felt her move beside him.

  She kissed his shoulder before shifting and rubbing against him as she moved on top of him.

  So much for sleeping…

  Daniel’s hands gently grasped her hips but didn’t say a word. He let her set the pace and take what she wanted.

  And said a prayer of thanks that what she wanted was him.

  9

  “Forget all the reasons it won’t work and believe the one reason that it will.”

  Unknown

  It had been a long time since Josie had woken up with a man.

  Particularly one who was such a bed hog.

  She was practically hanging off the edge of the bed, but Daniel’s arm was draped heavily over her, holding her to him.

  It certainly wasn’t the worst way to wake up.

  Yawning, she gently pressed back against him and thankfully, he rolled over. She followed and snuggled close. It was early–barely six–and she seriously wished she didn’t have to go into work today. They’d barely
slept more than a few hours and the thought of going back to sleep was sorely tempting.

  And then his alarm went off.

  Dammit.

  She heard him moan before he rolled away and turned it off, but then he was immediately wrapped around her again, kissing her shoulder. “Good morning.” His voice was low and gruff and so damn sexy that she was already maneuvering herself over him.

  “Good morning to you, too,” she murmured before kissing him. The thought of morning breath floated through her mind but before she could pull back, Daniel’s hand was anchored in her hair, holding her to him as he deepened the kiss.

  That kiss turned into two and then more and before Josie knew it, she was pinned beneath him and loving every second of it. After that, it was a long time before she even thought about her breath or her hair or just how much of a mess she must look.

  “You have no idea how badly I don’t want to get up,” she said when Daniel rolled out of bed an hour later.

  “So don’t.”

  Josie watched in awe as he walked naked across the room to the en suite. She’d touched and kissed and been under every inch of that magnificent body, but this was the first time she was seeing him in the light.

  And he did not disappoint.

  If anything, she wanted to drag him back to bed and tell Leanna she wasn’t coming in to work today.

  Possibly tomorrow.

  And maybe even the day after.

  In the distance, she heard the shower go on and contemplated whether or not she should go home and use her own shower to get ready for work. She hated how she wasn’t selfish enough to take a day for herself, no matter how much she wanted to. There was no way she’d do that to Lea. With Skye out on maternity leave, it wouldn’t be fair to dump everything on her for a day just so Josie would stay in bed with the sexiest man she’d ever seen.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Daniel said from the doorway as he crooked a finger at her. “Come join me.”

  She was pretty sure her eyes were comically wide. “Um…you want me to take a shower with you?”

  He nodded.

  “Um…”

  “And I plan to take you in the shower, so…” he said as he walked over and scooped her out of the bed. Josie let out a small squeak because it was one thing to be naked in bed with him; it was quite another to be naked while being hauled away. In broad daylight. Was she really ready for him to see the mascara running down her face or for the unflattering lighting showing all her flaws in the shower?

  “Daniel…”

  “Oh, no,” he said as he placed her on her feet next to the massive shower. “We both have to get to work at some point this morning, so I’m merely trying to be efficient.”

  “Efficient? Seriously?” But even as she said the words, she was trying not to laugh.

  “Trust me. We’ll get a little dirty and then…” He leaned down and gently nipped at her ear before whispering, “And then I promise to get you very clean.”

  There was no way she was turning that down. Wrapping her arms around him, she looked up at his handsome face. “Neither of us should have the energy or the stamina for the getting dirty part of this.”

  “Sweetheart, I’ve been in the service for fifteen years. Trust me, I have the stamina to get us dirty all day long.”

  Oh, my…

  So many thoughts raced through her head–primarily, how badly she wanted to test that statement.

  You can’t do that to Lea. Be responsible!

  Responsibility sucked.

  Opening the glass shower door, Daniel gently tugged her with him until they were standing under the dual shower heads. It felt heavenly and was the kind of thing she usually needed to wake her up. But when he lifted her up and pressed her back against the tiled wall and rubbed against her with the most delicious rhythm, she knew this was way more satisfying than hot water.

  And could possibly become her new go-to way to wake up in the morning.

  He kissed all the musings right out of her head and she’d never look at showering the same way again.

  An hour later, they were in the kitchen and she knew she should get going, but Daniel made them coffee and asked her to sit with him.

  At the kitchen table, he studied the mug in his hand as he asked, “I think we need to talk about the elephant in the room.” Looking up at her, he added, “Care to tell me how it is that you’re engaged to my brother?”

  Inwardly, she groaned. There was no way to avoid the topic, but she had hoped to put off this conversation a little longer. Judging by the look on his face, however, that wasn’t an option. “No one was supposed to know,” she said quietly. “It was only going to be a marriage on paper.”

  He nodded. “And then we showed up in the middle of it and…”

  “Yup.” Toying with her own mug, she shook her head. “Things started snowballing after that.” Daniel was quiet for a moment and Josie took that time to sip her coffee and pray that he understood.

  “And why exactly did you decide to do this?”

  She told him all about Tyler’s job, the fundraiser, how having connections with the law firm could potentially expand her business, and the promotion. “Basically, he just wanted to tip the odds in his favor.” Shrugging, she explained, “I know this doesn’t make me sound particularly good, but…I don’t know…everyone around me was getting married and there was a small part of me that thought that maybe me and Ty would…”

  “Do you have feelings for him?” he asked, his voice almost deadly calm.

  Josie didn’t even hesitate. “No. None.” With a loud sigh, she went on. “I was feeling desperate and didn’t think things through. And then when I did, it was too late. Now he’s told his bosses and they’re offering some pretty sweet projects to Meet Me at the Altar.” She looked at him helplessly. “Then I met you and…”

  Did she really want to admit to having strong feelings to him right now? Like this?

  “And…?” he prompted.

  “And now I don’t know what to do.”

  If anything, his expression went from neutral to fierce and she didn’t know why.

  “Are you still planning on marrying him? Even just on paper?” he asked, his voice sounding gruffer with each word.

  “I…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

  All he did was arch one dark brow at her.

  “You have to understand…Tyler’s a good friend. There’s no way I could live with myself if I cost him his job.” She paused and tried to calm herself down because her heart was racing. “Plus…the list of proposals he just gave me from one of his boss’s wives would be huge for me and the girls. Can I really turn my back on an opportunity to grow the business?”

  His expression hardened and her nerves kicked up a notch.

  “What would you do if you were me, Daniel?” she demanded. “What if you had the means to grow your business? Suddenly you had leads that you wouldn’t normally have and you and your partners were desperately looking for? Would you turn your back on it?”

  “It’s not the same.”

  Her eyes went wide. “How?”

  He leaned forward, his eyes never leaving hers. “For starters, I would never use my personal life as collateral. There’s no way I’d sell myself for the sake of the business. I’d never ask my partners to do it and they wouldn’t ask it of me.” After a moment, he sat back. “And if Skye and Lea are okay with you doing business like that, then I’d have to say that I’ve lost respect for the lot of you.”

  Her heart sank at his words. Hadn’t Lea basically said the same thing to her? Why would she think anyone would see things her way or even understand her?

  With a curt nod, she gently pushed her chair back and stood. “Okay, then. I think we’re done here.”

  “Josie…” he began, but without a lot of feeling–like it was a token gesture.

  “It’s okay. Really,” she said and was thankful she was able to sound so calm. “I don’t know why I expected you to understand.” A m
irthless laugh was out before she could stop it. “Hell, I barely understand it myself.” Moving around, she picked up her purse and overnight bag. “Ty’s always been a good friend and he needed help. I guess my mistake was wanting to be the one to help him.” With that, she turned and walked toward the door.

  Inside, she was begging him to understand–to stop her–but he didn’t. She held her head high as she shut the door behind her and walked across the street to her house. Once she was safely inside, she tossed both bags aside, walked into her living room, sat down on the sofa, and screamed into a pillow.

  Then she cried.

  Long and hard.

  If he had even tried to talk to her rather than insulting her, Josie would have felt differently. But if he was that quick to pass judgement, then he wasn’t the man she hoped he was.

  Did she want to marry Tyler? No!

  Was she going to marry Tyler? Well…that was most likely going to be a no. She just needed to make sure he was okay first. Losing the business for Meet Me at the Altar would hurt–and set her five-year plan back quite a bit–but if everyone was against it, then there was probably a good reason for it. They’d eventually get to where she wanted them to be; it just wouldn’t be now with the help of Tyler’s firm. There were worse things that could happen, right?

  “I need therapy. Deep, intensive therapy,” she murmured. If only it were as simple as just telling Tyler no and going on her way. Her guilt would kill her.

  If her heart breaking didn’t do it first.

  The wrench slipped from his hands for the third time in as many minutes and Daniel picked it up and threw it across the room with a string of curses.

  “Someone’s in a mood,” Knox murmured with a smirk.

  Flipping him off, Daniel raked his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. They were assembling equipment at their new building for the gym. It should have been a fairly easy task. Unfortunately, he couldn’t focus for shit.

  He’d blown it with Josie this morning–spoke without thinking and then when he should have made things right, he let her walk away.