I twirled the big envelope between my fingers. I didn’t tell him I hadn’t opened it yet. What was the point when I already knew the details? “I got it. Mandy already asked me to be one of her bridesmaids.”
“And what did you say?”
“What did I say? Of course, I said yes. What sort of a clod do you think I am?”
“Thanks, Sis. I knew I could count on you.”
“So, who all did you invite?”
“What do you want to know that for?”
“I’m just curious. Did you invite any skeletons out of your closet?”
Charlie hesitated. I could just see his face, and he wasn’t smiling now. “You know I don’t have any skeletons in my closet. I just invited friends and family. Mandy doesn’t want any drama at the wedding, so it’s not gonna be a big grand to-do. You know how it is.”
“Yeah, I know how it is. I better call her to discuss all the wedding details. I’m really happy for you, Charlie. I know Mandy’s gonna be great for you.”
“She already is. I’ve never been happier since I got together with her.”
“I know, bro. I’ll talk to you later.”
I signed off with him. How much can you really talk about a wedding with a guy? I punched my speed dial to get Mandy on the line. After the initial excited screaming, we settled down to talk about the dress fittings, the cake, the decorators, the honeymoon plans—everything.
Mandy was the best thing that could have ever happened to Charlie. Since they started dating, I was lucky enough to get hang out with her too, and since then we had become really close.
“You have to come with me to the pick out my dress, Victoria,” Mandy said excitedly. “I couldn’t face all the choices without your style sense.”
“I’m all over it, sister,” I told her. “When do you want to go?”
“How about next Tuesday? And I want you to come over and take a look at the flower magazines. I get confused by all the choices. I need your practical head.”
I laughed at her. “My practical head could still choose something you don’t like.”
“No, no. That would never happen. You always make the right choice.”
Always? Maybe not always. Especially when it came to guys. Charlie didn’t say anything, but I couldn’t help wondering. Did he invite Brady Townsend? I know they haven’t spoken in a while. Maybe they fell out, and Charlie cut him off.
“Hey, Mandy,” I breezed, “do you know everybody on the guest list?”
“Just about. Why?”
“Did Charlie invite anybody you don’t know?”
“He invited some people from work, and he invited your cousins from Indianapolis. I don’t know them. He invited a few of his old bowling buddies—don’t ask me why. He had a laundry list of social acquaintances he wanted to invite. I didn’t even look at the list. I just let him invite whoever he wanted. I got my friends on the list, so I didn’t make a federal case about his peeps. You know?”
I sighed. “Yeah, I know. I was just wondering if he told you anything about who he invited.”
“He tried, but I got lost once he started to explain them all. I’m sure I will get to know them all eventually.”
I listened with half an ear while Mandy rambled on. Charlie never found out about my fling with Brady, and I could never come right out and ask him if he invited Brady to the wedding without raising his brotherly suspicions. What would it be like to see Brady again?
I never met any guy who turned me on as he did. For years, he was nothing but Charlie’s dopy friend. His couldn’t stop making those moronic jokes to save his life. He and Charlie went to high school before me. By the time I got there, Brady had started lifting weights and packing on the muscle. Holy hell did he get hot. He could make the girls pass out in the hall when he went to his locker. Every girl on the block wanted a piece of that. Girls used to break down crying if he smiled at them.
His straight brown hair fell over his soft hazel eyes. His mouth twisted up when he smiled or laughed, and his jokes improved, so he always made everybody laugh. He liked to get everyone in a room watching him.
All of a sudden, he started noticing me, too. Every time I turned around, I caught him staring at me. He would lose track of his train of thought when I walked into the room. I suppose it was inevitable we would wind up trying each other out.
Once it started, it just wouldn’t stop. We did it all the time, in every possible way, as long as Charlie didn’t find out. Brady kept finding ways to see me, even after all three of us went to college. His eyes made me so wet and tingly all over. He used to track me down so he could corner me into some shadowy place. He’d have his hands all over me before the first kiss.
Then, almost overnight, he just dropped the whole thing. He didn’t call. He didn’t come by the house. He just vaporized off the face of the Earth, even when he was still around.
I could kick him in the nuts for the way he dumped me like that. He didn’t even have the balls to say he didn’t want to see me again. I got really sad about it at the time. I always wanted to see if the thing between us would turn into something more, but he never gave it a chance.
I made the mistake of sending him a few friendly texts, just to ask how he was doing and if he wanted to get together sometime. He never even responded to them, the prick. That’s how much he cared about me. I was nothing but a hole for him to jack off in, a nice ass for him to stare at.
I thanked God Charlie never found out. He would have a guy’s nuts on a platter if he wiped his ass with his sister like that. Charlie couldn’t stand anybody being rude to me or not respecting me. He threatened guys with the shotgun if they looked at me the wrong way. He took the whole overprotective brother thing to the next level.
Maybe, just maybe, Charlie found out about us messing around. Maybe that’s what drove a wedge into their friendship, too. The more I thought about it though, the more I didn’t think that was possible. They stayed friends for years after Brady, and I stopped seeing each other. Their friendship sort of tapered off, but not until long after I left the picture. I was too proud to come right out and ask Charlie what was going on with Brady.
Brady probably found somebody else. He could have any girl he wanted with the snap of his fingers. He probably spotted some hot ass on the street and got distracted. He didn’t want to screw around with his best friend’s little sister anymore.
Well, screw him, too. I went out and jumped three other guys just to show I could. I forgot all about him—right up until I got that invitation in the mail. Then it all of the emotions I blocked came flooded back. I couldn’t stop thinking about meeting him in the hall outside his dorm room. He would check to see if anybody was around, but he couldn’t stop kissing me. He would hustle me into his room and pin me against the door.
I used to love the way his shoulders flexed under my fingers when I slipped my hands under his shirt. He used to suck his breath through his teeth when I raked my fingernails up his stomach. He used to grunt under his breath when he contracted his abs to shove his hips against mine.
Would he still be like that? Would he still be tall and big-shouldered and hot as hell? I would have loved to find out. I would have loved to see those magnetic eyes of his, just one more time. Not to do anything with him, of course. I could never do anything with him again after the way he treated me.
None of that was going to happen at the wedding. I could guarantee that. Charlie probably didn’t even invite him. Even if Charlie did invite him, Brady might not show up. He might not care about Charlie anymore. He might be so far out there in left field he could turn his back on his oldest friend and never blink twice.
If he did show up, I might have to stand around and watch him hit on some other girl. Chances were he went right back to not even noticing I existed. I would do better to ignore him completely. I made up my mind to keep my expectations low. Non-existent, to be exact. Then I wouldn’t be disappointed.
3
Brady
&nb
sp; Charlie answered the phone. “Hello.” The minute I heard his voice, my heart started pounding. Same old Charlie.
“Hey, man. It’s me. It’s Brady.”
He exploded on the other end. “Brady! Hey, man! Dang, it’s good to hear from you.”
I struggled to keep my voice calm, but I couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. “I had to call to congratulate you, man. It’s wonderful news, and I will definitely be coming to the wedding.”
“You will? Wow, that’s great. I wasn’t sure if you would make it.”
“Of course, I’ll make it. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m just sorry I’ve sort of fallen off the face of the Earth these last few years. I’m a putz.”
“Forget it, man. You’re coming. That’s the important thing. You’re still in town, aren’t you?”
“Yep, I’m here.”
“Good. Then you can come to our engagement party next Saturday.”
“I’d love to. Where is it?”
“At my uncle’s house in Silver Lake. You remember the place?”
“I remember.”
“Be there at two, and since you’re in town, I know its bit out of the blue, but I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind being one of my groomsmen. What do you say?”
You could have knocked me over with a feather. I picked my jaw up off the floor, and my voice wouldn’t work right. “Man! I’m stunned. I never thought....”
“You never thought what? You never thought you would still be my best friend after you’ve been a stranger all these years? I never stopped caring about you, man. You should know that.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I never stopped caring about you, either, man. You’ve never been out of my thoughts for more than a few hours in all the years. I’ve been wandering alone out here in the cold. I would be honored to be your groomsman, and I will definitely come to your engagement party. Thanks. I mean, really, thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”
If he got as choked up as I did, his voice gave nothing away. “Great, and we’re having the bachelor party in Vegas, so I’m definitely going to need a good man in my corner for that.”
I burst out laughing. “Jesus! Tell me you don’t have strippers and beer kegs and all that fraternity stuff lined up.”
He laughed, too. “I don’t know what’s lined up. My older cousin Sam is my best man, and he’s got the whole thing planned out in secret. Him and his buddies are gonna pick me up at my house and drive there. I have to be blindfolded, and they’re taking me off to their underground dungeon.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. “Then you definitely need a man in your corner. I’ll make sure you don’t get the alien probe or anything horrendous like that.”
“Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”
I got serious. “I’m really happy for you, man. I can’t wait to meet your girl.”
“You’re gonna love her. Everybody loves her, and she and Victoria have had their heads stuck together for six weeks. I’m also not allowed to see the dress or the cake, and I’m not allowed to see Mandy for forty-eight hours before the ceremony.”
My guts twisted in knots when he mentioned Victoria, but I couldn’t come right out and ask about her. She would be at the engagement party. I would see her there.
I would definitely not love Mandy as much as I loved Victoria. Who wouldn’t love a girl as sexy and feisty and smart as her? Of course, I couldn’t tell Charlie that, though.
“I’ll see you Saturday,” Charlie was saying. “We’ll catch up on everything. It’s gonna be great to see you. It’s gonna be just like old times like you never left.”
“I can’t wait. Talk to you soon.”
I hung up, and that was the end of my workday. I spent the rest of the daydreaming about over Victoria.
What would it be like to see her again? She would flash me her bright eyes across the table. Her eyes would wander down to my mouth and neck. My eyes would wander down to her bright red lips and her cleavage rising and falling with her breath.
That body, those eyes, those lips—I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I had to see her. I had to get her alone just one more time. Once I saw her, the chemistry would take over. I never had any doubts about that.
I was glad I lived in the same town as this wedding. I had my own place to take Victoria once I got my hands on her. I needed a quiet room overlooking the city. I needed a nice clean white bed to undress her on.
I felt my pants tighten as thoughts about bending her over on the bed raced through my mind. Fuck. There I went getting hard thinking about her again. Nothing would satisfy me but her. Come to think of it, nothing ever had. No woman ever captivated me since the last time I saw her. When was the last time I saw her? I couldn’t even remember.
I didn’t know how to appreciate her back then. All I cared about was my cock. I didn’t know how to savor every inch of her glorious self. I didn’t know how to enjoy the ache of needing her or dreaming about her, or that tightness in my balls only she could satisfy.
Man, I needed her right this minute. I needed her on her knees in front of my office chair. I needed to see her immaculate breasts hanging over when she crawled towards me. I needed to see her eyes burning with erotic fire when she unbuckled my pants; her lips pouting and her nostrils flaring with pent-up desire.
I needed to feel her hands gliding up my legs to my crotch. I needed to feel her warm flesh all over my chest and her white arms around my middle. That woman made me weak in the knees, but she never used her power. She cuddled close and made herself tiny and vulnerable to me. She always let me overpower her and collapsed into me like vanilla ice cream dissolving on my tongue.
Why did I let her slip away? I should have kept her in the first place. Now I had to go through several weeks of wondering what she would be like. She might be married to some other lucky bastard by now. Fuck. That would be my worst nightmare.
I shrugged my shoulders when I realized it wouldn’t matter if she were married to someone else. I had to have her. I had to get her for myself. No torture could be worse than seeing her with somebody else. I don’t think I could live in a world knowing some other guy was touching her skin and worshiping her curves when I couldn’t.
I wasted too many years with my head in the sand when I could have been enjoying myself with her. I shouldn’t have run the risk of her changing into something any less attractive and desirable. I nursed too many fevered dreams about her. I couldn’t cope if the reality didn’t match my fantasies.
How would I get through a whole weekend of wedding and family get-togethers with her and not let Charlie know there was ever anything between us? Messing around with Victoria in high school or around the college dorms was one thing. This was going to be a whole different kettle of fish. Charlie wouldn’t let me out of his sight. I’d be chained to his side for the whole weekend.
Thank God, he didn’t ask me to be his best man. Being his best friend and trying to sneak off with his sister at the same time was already more than I could handle.
4
Victoria
I smoothed my dress down my hips in front of the mirror and fixed my hair. Charlie didn’t tell me anything about the guest list, but I had a gut feeling Brady would be at the engagement party. I would make him regret he ever turned his back on me.
I pushed my bust up so my cleavage spilled out of my top. He always like that, and I could make him hard just throwing my chest around. I would make him wish we were still together. I might even twist the knife by hitting on some other guy at the party.
I strutted out into the sea of voices and bodies moving all around. The groomsmen stood in one corner with Charlie. Dozens of relatives filled the living room at my uncle’s house, but I didn’t see Brady anywhere.
I waded into the mix. People stopped to greet me on all sides. I hugged my relatives and introduced myself to people I never saw before. Half the people in the place belonged to Mandy’s family. I saw some of my own cousins I hadn�
�t seen in years and barely recognized. There were spouses of people who got married or moved across the country. There were some of Mandy’s friends from work. There was just about everybody, except the one person I kept searching for.
Why was I searching for him? I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Maybe he wouldn’t come. Maybe Charlie forgot all about him. Why was I getting all fluttery in my stomach thinking about him? Brady Townsend was just another guy, another hard guy who wanted a nice piece of ass.
As I was just about to give up my search, I saw him. The crowd parted, and there he was, standing right next to Charlie. They laughed and slapped each other on the back just the way they used to. They talked with their heads together like seven years hadn’t passed since they saw each other.
At that moment, I knew I messed up big time making myself more noticeable to him. I never stopped wanting him. I wanted him now as much as I ever did. If he put out his hand and cocked his head to one side to invite me to slip away with him, I would do it. I would follow him exactly the way I used to when we were in high school. He could make me so dripping wet I couldn’t resist.
Icy cold slithered up my spine. I had to get away. I had to hide in the crowd so he wouldn’t notice me. I couldn’t run the risk of him seeing me in that dress, or I would be lost. I couldn’t have him scope me up and down. I couldn’t have those mesmerizing eyes trace my breasts and my hips and my thighs.
Forget about making him regret what he did. Forget the whole thing. I wished I never came to the party. I should have locked myself in my room at home and never gone near him.
Just then, my mom hustled up to me. “I need your help in the kitchen. We’re putting out the crab dip, and we don’t have any Tabasco sauce.”
I raced after her with my heart pounding in my neck. I would take any excuse to get away from Brady. What made me think I could ignore him? What made me think my feelings wouldn’t come rushing back?
He looked just as good as he ever did—maybe even better. The years were more than kind to him. They made him more commanding, more enticing. He got bigger, bulkier, more masculine than ever. Now that I saw him at the age of twenty-eight, I realized how young and awkward he was back then. He didn’t know what to do with himself.
March Heat: A Firefighter Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 21