Feeling anxious to get going, he turned to call out Tiffany’s name. But nothing escaped his lips. Everything came to a halt when he saw her.
She was standing there in a black swimsuit. It hugged her curves and hinted to the womanly figure underneath. She was pulling her hair up into a ponytail, exposing the length of her neck.
Realizing that he was staring, Jonathan dropped his gaze. After she finished putting her hair up, she grabbed a swimsuit cover and then glanced over at him.
“Ready?” she asked. Thankfully, not addressing the fact that he’d just been checking her out.
Good. That was the last thing he needed.
Worried how his voice would come out, Jonathan just nodded.
Tiffany threw a towel to him, which he caught and draped over his neck. Then he followed her out of the room and over to the elevator.
Tiffany filled the silence by recounting the events that took place during the final dress fitting earlier that day. Jonathan just stood there, listening to what she was saying and trying hard not to let his thoughts wander.
Which was tougher when she laughed and her nose crinkled. Or when her cheeks flushed from embarrassment.
Why hadn’t he ever noticed how beautiful she was? Or the way her dark hair accented her pale skin. Or how the light dusting of freckles across her nose made him want to run his fingers over them.
Whoa. Control your thoughts, Braxton, he scolded himself.
The last thing he needed was to find himself doing in real life any of things he was imagining in his mind.
That would make for an awkward conversation.
Thankfully, the doors to the elevator opened and Tiffany stepped out, not missing a beat as she continued her narration. Jonathan kept a reasonable distance from her as he listened to her story.
When they got outside, the wedding party cheered as they engulfed them. A few of the guys pounded Jonathan on the back, but he wasn’t really paying attention. Instead, he kept his gaze on Tiffany, who’d made her way over to the bar while talking to Heather.
“Geez, man,” Rob said as he walked up to Jonathan. He wore sunglasses and had a beer in his hand. “I need to know your regimen.” He waved at Jonathan’s chest.
Jonathan shrugged as he made his way to the bar as well. “It’s not much, man. Just lifting and a lean diet.”
Rob scoffed. “Yeah, right.”
Jonathan gave him a smile as he stepped up next to Tiffany. She glanced over at him.
“Miss me already?” She asked in a flirty tone. He wasn’t sure what to read into it so decided not to.
Jonathan shook his head. “Nope. Just thirsty.”
Tiffany laughed. “Right.”
Jonathan grabbed his sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them on as he ordered a beer. Then he turned, resting his arms on the bar. “I’m actually glad to get a break.” He glanced over at her and smiled. “You talk too much.”
Tiffany dropped her jaw. “I do not,” she said as she poked him in the ribs.
Jonathan shrugged. “Well, that’s your opinion.”
“What’s your opinion?” a deep voice asked, drawing Jonathan’s attention over to Trent, who was standing next to Tiffany with a wide smile on his lips.
Tiffany shrugged. “Nothing. Never mind.” The bartender brought her glass of wine and she took it from him and turned. She gave Jonathan a panicked look and then walked away.
Now alone with Trent, Jonathan glanced over at him. The strange urge to punch the guy rose up in his stomach.
“Good to see you again,” he said, reaching his hand over. He needed to do something before he acted on the feelings inside of him.
Trent glanced down at his hand and then took it. “Likewise.”
They shook for a moment before Jonathan dropped his hand. He reached over and grabbed his beer and took a long drink from it. When he was done, he glanced over at Trent, who was still standing there.
“So, how do you know the bride and groom?”
Trent’s beer arrived, and then he turned to face Jonathan. “We go way back. In fact, a lot of us go way back.” A knowing smile spread across Trent’s lips.
Jonathan cleared his throat as he pushed down the frustration that was rising in his chest. There was no reason to act rash. At least, not yet.
“Well, some things are best left in the past,” he said as his gaze made its way over to Tiffany. She was standing next to the pool, talking to Stacy. Her smile was infectious, causing Jonathan to smile as well.
“And you?” Trent asked.
Jonathan glanced over at him. “What?”
“How do you know the bride and groom.”
Jonathan took another drink. “I don’t. I’m here with Tiffany. Unless you didn’t know that.”
Trent shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me much.”
“Oh really?”
Trent glanced over at Jonathan. “Why? Does she talk about me?”
Jonathan straightened. There was no way he wanted to let this jerk know that Tiffany wasted any of her breath on him. He shrugged. “You may have come up once. When we were listing the greatest mistakes we’ve ever made.” He grinned over at Trent as he pushed away from the bar and headed over to Tiffany.
Before he talked himself out of it, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her against him. Tipping his lips toward her ear, he whispered, “Just go along with it.”
Tiffany had tensed at first, and then, as his words registered, she relaxed. “What’s going on?” she asked.
His skin tingled when she brought up her hand to rest it on his arms. His whole body heated from the intimacy they were sharing. And the fact that it was in front of all these people made it…real.
Shaking off those thoughts, he spun her around until she was facing him. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up until she was level with him.
Her eyes widened as—for a second—her gaze dropped down to his lips. His heart hammered in his chest as he thought about what that meant. Did she…?
Idiot. Don’t even go there.
“Just making certain people jealous,” he said as he lowered her to the ground and then dipped forward to kiss her forehead.
“Certain people?” she breathed as her hands remained resting on his chest. They felt as if they were on fire from the way his body was reacting.
Jonathan almost lost himself in how it felt to leave a trail of kisses from her forehead, down to her temple, until he reached her ear. Then, he forced himself to focus on her question. “Trent,” he whispered.
She tensed at the name, and he felt her turn her head as if she were searching for the guy. Not wanting to ruin this moment, he brought up his finger to her chin and gently turned her face back until her gaze met his.
“I’ve got this covered,” he said. He held her gaze as if he needed her to know that he’d always take care of her.
That was his job.
Tiffany studied him, her expression softening. She parted her lips, but nothing came out.
Allowing himself to throw caution to the wind, he let his gaze dip down to study her perfect lips. It wasn’t until now that he noticed how full they were. Or how completely kissable they seemed.
When he returned his gaze to hers, he saw confusion there. As if she too was trying to figure out what was happening.
Was something happening?
A hand landed on Jonathan’s back, breaking the hold Tiffany seemed to have on him. Glancing over, he saw Rob standing there.
“Don’t mean to interrupt, but we are starting a game of chicken. You guys in?”
Jonathan glanced over at Tiffany. She’d stepped back and was adjusting her ponytail as if they hadn’t just experienced a very intense and very confusing moment together.
“I’m in,” he said.
Tiffany pinched her lips together and nodded.
Rob whooped and pumped his fists in the air. “Awesome. Jonathan, you’re with Beatrice and Tiffany…” Rob glanced around.
Jonathan stared at him, trying to process what was happening.
Before Jonathan could ask, Rob said, “You’re with Trent.”
Jonathan finally found his voice as he reached out to grab Rob’s arm. “What? Why?”
Rob glanced over at him. “You can’t be on the same team as your significant other. It’s more fun this way.” Rob patted Jonathan on the shoulder while he winked. “You’ll be fine. Beatrice is light.”
Jonathan glanced over at Tiffany, who looked just as shocked as he felt. Was it too late to back out now?
“Hey, Jonathan,” Beatrice’s soft voice drew his attention over.
He nodded. “Hey.”
“This really is ridiculous. But I’m excited to be your partner.”
Jonathan nodded again, not sure how to interpret any of this. He couldn’t help but glance over at Tiffany, who was standing there like someone had slapped her in the face. It didn’t take long for Trent to saunter over to her and lean in.
He said something to her, but Jonathan couldn’t hear what. He strained to make out their words, but Beatrice was talking too loud.
Realizing that it was in vain, Jonathan gave Tiffany an encouraging smile and then glanced down at Beatrice. She’d finished talking, but Jonathan couldn’t remember what she’d said.
So all he could do was nod. When she didn’t react right away, he wondered if he’d made a mistake. But from the smile that finally emerged, he’d done something right—if only he knew what that was.
“Alright, first set of couples, into the pool,” Rob yelled out, raising his hand and motioning toward Jonathan, Beatrice, Tiffany, and Trent.
Jonathan nodded and cannonballed into the water. Beatrice was a bit daintier, slipping into the water from the edge of the pool. Jonathan wiped the droplets from his face and hair as he watched her walk carefully over to him. He studied her, not sure how he was going to get her up onto his shoulders without the chance of touching her somewhere he really didn’t want to.
Beatrice gave him a smile and then motioned toward the water. “Bend down maybe?” she asked.
Nodding, Jonathan sank down to his knees and turned so his back was to her. He felt the pressure of her hands on his shoulders. He bent down farther until her leg appeared in his peripheral. He helped hold her steady as she brought up the other leg.
He almost dumped her back into the water, but he caught her in time. His heart was pounding, but he finally straightened with her on his shoulders.
He waited in the middle of the pool for Tiffany to get situated on Trent’s shoulders. Her lips were pinched as she held her hands out. Trent was saying something to her, but Tiffany didn’t look like she appreciated what he was saying—or perhaps she just didn’t appreciate that he was talking to her at all.
Rob didn’t seem to pick up on her cool reaction to Trent. Instead, he clapped his hands and announced that it was time for the contestants to get ready.
Jonathan and Trent walked toward the center of the pool. They stood a few feet apart as Rob explained that there would be no cheating or eye gouging. Then he started to count down from three.
“Go!” he shouted.
Jonathan held onto Beatrice’s thighs, hoping that he could keep her steady enough to stay upright. It was taking all of his muscle and brain power to keep from slipping. Tiffany was strong, and it was showing in the way Beatrice rocked back and forth.
Cheers rose up around them when Trent slipped and almost took both of them down. But at the last minute, he caught himself and straightened up.
Just when Jonathan thought his legs were going to give out, a splash sounded. Tiffany was down.
Jonathan whooped and helped Beatrice slip off his shoulders and into the water. Tiffany had yet to surface. Worried something was the matter, he walked through the water over to where he could see her floating.
He was inches away from her when she popped back up. She pushed her hair from her face and then twitched as if she hadn’t expected him to be there.
“You okay?” Jonathan asked, reaching out to rest his hand on her shoulder.
Tiffany’s gaze dropped down to his hand and then back up to him.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” she said. Her voice was flat and definitely didn’t sound fine.
Had he done something wrong? Jonathan dipped down so that she would have to look at him. “You sure?”
Tiffany rubbed her forehead. “Yep. Totally fine. I don’t always need to be rescued.”
Jonathan studied her. The bite to her tone surprised him as much as her actual words did. “I really didn’t want to—”
“I said I’m okay,” Tiffany said as she pulled away from him and began walking through the water in the direction of the ladder.
A few seconds later, she was pulling herself out, and Jonathan couldn’t help but watch her. Something was up. She was definitely not being honest with him.
“She okay?” Trent asked.
Turning, Jonathan saw Trent standing next to him. He had a slight smile on his lips. Jonathan wondered if Tiffany’s sudden coolness had anything to do with him.
“Yeah. She’s fine.” Then Jonathan turned so Trent could feel the whole weight of his words. “Did you say anything to her?”
Trent placed his hand on his chest. “Me? What would I say?” Then he gave Jonathan a wink and pushed back against the water until he was floating on his back.
Jonathan wanted to follow after the guy and demand to know what he did to Tiffany, but Trent wasn’t worth it. Besides, he doubted that it would win him any points with Tiffany—who had wrapped a towel around her waist and was standing at the bar.
“We made quite a team,” Beatrice’s quiet voice drew Jonathan’s attention.
She was smiling up at him and her hair was glistening in the sunlight. She was really beautiful. Her smile melted his frustration a bit. Just because Tiffany was struggling with people here, didn’t mean he had to. Besides, Tiffany was being confusing, and Beatrice was sweet.
“We did, didn’t we,” Jonathan said, winking at her. “If they ever recognize this as a sport, we should try out for the Olympics.”
Beatrice giggled as she reached out and rested her hand on his arm. “We should. We’d definitely get the gold.”
“Oh, definitely.”
Beatrice held his arm for a moment before she reached up to squeeze out her hair. Then she glanced over at him. “Do you want to get a drink sometime? I mean, while you’re here?”
Jonathan’s stomach sank as his gaze flicked to Tiffany. She was watching them, but as soon as his gaze met hers, she turned her attention to the bartender. Her laughter was so loud that it could be heard where Jonathan was standing.
“I mean, just as victors. Not as a date.” Beatrice leaned in and gave him a soft smile. “I know you’re with Tiffany.”
Jonathan glanced down at her and then back over at Tiffany. When she didn’t look back, he shrugged off the way she was acting. They weren’t really dating, so what was the harm? Plus, Tiffany knew he was looking for someone. They’d talked about it before they got here.
It was just one drink. And going out with another woman might help him sort out the strange feelings that were growing inside of him. Feelings for Tiffany that he knew he was not supposed to be feeling.
At all.
So he gave Beatrice his best heart-stopping smile and nodded. “Sure.”
Chapter Ten
The bartender was saying something to Tiffany, but she couldn’t really understand. She wasn’t really listening. Trent whispering after the fight that she was never good at anything, plus seeing Jonathan talking to Beatrice, had put her in a foul mood. And as a result, she decided to strike up a conversation with Cody—the bartender—but he wasn’t really her type.
Well, with the way she was feeling about Jonathan, she wasn’t sure what her type was anymore. Cody seemed sweet. He was tall, with thick blond hair and a smile that spread across his face.
“I get off at seven,” Cody said, drawing her at
tention back to him.
His words didn’t quite register, so she leaned forward. “I’m sorry, what?”
Cody smiled, his blond hair falling into his eyes. He tipped his head and gave her a wink. She studied him. She didn’t want to go out with Cody. She didn’t even want to talk to him. But with her emotions the way they were right now, she wasn’t really in the right mindset to make a decision.
So she just smiled and took the margarita from him and sipped on it for a moment.
Cody jotted something down on a napkin and then pushed it over to her. “Think about it,” he said as he gave her a flirty smile and then headed over to take a rather plump woman’s order.
Tiffany nodded and crumpled the napkin up in her hand. She drank her margarita so fast she gave herself a brain freeze, but she wanted to be done before Cody returned. Leaving her glass on the bar, she turned and almost ran face-first into Jonathan’s chest.
She yelped as she pulled back. Glancing up, she saw him staring down at her with a very confused look on his face.
“What was that about?” he asked, reaching over and curling his fingers around her clasped hand.
She shifted and stepped to the side, hoping to deter any further questions.
Jonathan just tightened his grasp on her hand and pulled her next to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and dipped down until his lips barely touched her ear.
Shivers rushed over her skin as warmth erupted inside of her. She closed her eyes for a moment, reveling in the feeling of his body pressed against hers. Why was she reacting like this? Didn’t her body know that he was her friend? That their relationship wasn’t real?
If she allowed herself to feel the way she so desperately wanted to feel, she’d ruin the only relationship she’d been able to keep. And then she was just perpetuating her past. She always destroyed relationships with people she cared about. They left. They always did.
Trent had been right. She was an utter failure, and she was only going to continue failing. Jonathan wasn’t immune to her inadequacies.
Friendship Blooms in Honey Grove Page 8