by Tessa Bailey
The single time Serena decided to blow off her responsibilities and go water-skiing with her friends at the lake, she didn’t make it home. Her sister had always gone out of her way to help people. Make them feel important. Loved. So when her sister had left a bonfire to retrieve her sweater from a friend’s docked boat and slipped and hit her head on the dock, why had no one gone to check on her for over an hour?
None of it was fair. None it made sense. If anyone deserved to pay for being selfish and irresponsible, it had been Julie. Not her sister.
Why wasn’t it me?
She’d spent four years of her life trying furiously to make up for it, all the while knowing nothing she did could take away the emptiness that went along with every thought of Serena. Her mother grieved to this day, wearing black and carrying around a picture of Serena with her, tucked into her handbag. Julie didn’t blame her. How could she? But she’d be lying if she said it didn’t weigh on her heart. Watching her mother break down every year when the anniversary of Serena’s death rolled around, seeing her father flounder helplessly with no idea how to comfort his wife, ensured that the pain remained fresh.
Last night, she’d revealed a major part of herself, the pain of losing her sister, to Reed. Combined with the intensity of their physical encounter, she’d felt close to him, even if just for the moment. So she’d reached out for him afterward, assuming he felt it, too.
Wrong.
If he came on to her again, she needed to remember how she’d felt when he shattered the notion that they were connected in any way. Yes, they’d been engaging in a temporary fling, but his words had been crude and uncalled for. She’d been hurt by them. Not an acceptable reaction when she’d gone into the encounter expecting only sex.
Now if she could just stop thinking about the way he’d touched her and every deliciously naughty word that had come out of his mouth, she’d be in excellent shape. Or maybe if this yearning, unfulfilled feeling would go away, which she suspected was a product of him refusing to put himself inside of her. Julie groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to focus on the pounding rhythm of her feet on the treadmill.
“Should have known you’d be up early, putting all us regular humans to shame.”
Julie opened her eyes to the sound of Regan’s voice. “It’s not early if you never went to sleep in the first place.”
“Word of advice?” Regan climbed onto the treadmill beside her. “When insomnia strikes, drink till you pass out.”
She laughed in spite of herself. “How are you handling running with a hangover?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Regan started to jog. “I’ve got to do something to work off this excess energy. My libido is running like a hamster on one of those little wheels.”
“There’s a picture.” Julie increased her pace. “Care to share who’s got your hamster all worked up?”
“Dropping the hamster reference now.”
“You started it.”
“Guilty.” Regan punched a button and broke into a run. “I’m not worked up, per se. Just a little itchy when I shouldn’t be. Know what I mean?”
“Too well, actually.”
“Oh! Really? Do tell.”
Julie’s pace faltered, suspicious gaze swinging toward Regan. Something about her tone was deceptively innocent. No one had ever accused Regan of being innocent. “Why don’t you start with the telling? You’re acting like a toddler with pudding on his face.”
“Please, Julie. Please, speak English. It’s way too early for me to translate Southern.” She sighed loudly, adding under her breath, “And I’ve heard way too much of that accent lately.”
“It’s a musical accent.” Julie nudged Regan in the arm. “I’m waiting for an explanation of your tone. You didn’t sound quite as sympathetic over my itchiness.”
“If someone walked in on this conversation, they would be seriously confused.” Regan sent her a sly smile. “I guess I was just wondering why Reed hasn’t gotten around to scratching your itch yet.”
Julie veered to the side, then righted herself. “How’d you know about Reed? Has he…has he been talking about it?”
“About what?”
“Regan.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, he hasn’t been talking about it, goober. Anyone who was in the same room with you and Reed that first night knows. You guys were two seconds away from wild, oh-God-I-think-I-see-Jesus sex.”
Julie lifted her chin. “I was talking to Logan the whole time.”
“Yes, but you were communicating with Reed in every way that counted. A little nudge was all you needed.” A flash of uncertainty crossed Regan’s face. “Right?”
Julie smacked the stop button and the treadmill screeched to a halt. “You switched the keys, didn’t you? I should have known. I assumed this whole time it was Reed.”
“He sure as shit didn’t protest.”
Her body reacted instantaneously, which angered Julie even more than Regan taking matters of her love life into her own hands. “Of course he didn’t. He has the manners of a tomcat on Sunday.”
“You’re going Southern on me again.” Julie punched a button and started an all-out sprint that had Regan raising her eyebrows. “Uh-oh. She’s madder than a wet hen.”
“Now who’s going Southern?”
Regan gave a firm shake of her head. “Correction. I’ve gone Southern. Now I’m going West. It’s like my own sexual version of the Gold Rush.”
“Panning for orgasms.”
“Couldn’t have put it better myself.”
Half an hour later, Julie shoved open the door of Spago and checked her watch. An hour to clean up and twenty minutes to shower before she headed to the scavenger hunt starting point to help Kady hand out lists to the participants. She rounded the corner of the empty lounge and came to a dead stop.
Lights had been taken down and placed neatly in their boxes. Banners were folded and stacked on a table. Centerpieces had been tucked into the packing crate marked “centerpieces” in her own loopy handwriting. Someone had obviously gotten up even earlier than she had to clean up on her behalf. Before she registered the obvious answer, a folded note caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she saw it had her name written on the front. Ignoring the accelerated pounding of her heart, she opened it.
If I were the kind of man who apologized for something he said, this may or may not be how I would go about doing it. Reed.
Julie reread the note five times before she realized her mouth had stretched into a goofy smile.
Chapter Ten
Julie checked her watch, smiling to herself when she saw that the scavenger hunt was set to begin right on schedule. No matter that her friends’ postures suggested the only object they were interested in hunting down was a cold, stiff drink. Kady stood beside her holding the stack of lists, preparing to pass them out to the amassing group of wedding guests. Julie had insisted that Kady compile the items to be hunted so she herself could compete. And win, if she had her way. More than happy to sip a latte and await the winner in Starbucks, Kady had readily agreed.
Christine stood beside Kady, fussing with her hair. Putting it up in a ponytail, then cursing and letting it back down. She looked hot under the collar about something, but Julie knew better than to ask. They’d often joked that the term “fiery redhead” had been coined on Christine’s behalf. Once she got started, they had a hard time calming her back down. Best to let that sleeping dog lie a spell, she decided.
All three of them raised a questioning eyebrow when Regan strolled up and joined them. Wearing a short dress that left little to the imagination and six-inch heels.
“You steal those shoes off a stripper?” Julie asked. ”Or are you planning on taking the drastic step of breaking your neck to avoid this scavenger hunt?”
“Actually I’m hoping to distract the competition.” Regan posed. “Jealous?”
“Concerned,” Kady corrected. “About your ankles. And your mental health.”
Regan
shrugged, already looking bored.
“Does everyone really want to avoid the scavenger hunt? I thought it would be fun.” She felt the familiar stab of disappointment in herself when everyone stayed silent. Don’t let it show. “Well, that’s just dandy.”
Reed sauntered up then, standing off to the side of the growing group, arms crossed over his chest. Against her will, every inch of Julie’s skin went hypersensitive. Lord, he looked ready for sin. An observation she resented. She didn’t want to observe him. Yet she couldn’t stop herself from cataloging every part of him. Cut biceps, adorned with tattoos, stretched the sleeves of his white T-shirt in a way that didn’t belong among the khaki and polo-shirt-wearing wedding guests. His dark hair was still damp from a shower. She knew from experience now that he would smell fresh, masculine, raw. That underneath that T-shirt and jeans, his body was poised, ready to be exerted. Craving exertion. Such a contrast to his deceptively casual pose. When their gazes met, rebellious heat curled below her waist.
No. She didn’t want this. Perhaps he’d partially redeemed himself by cleaning up after the party. Easing her burden. Leaving her that unintentionally sweet, uniquely Reed note. That didn’t mean she should excuse last night’s lewd comment so easily. Did it? Why did she want to?
Watching Reed, she held out a hand to Kady. “Hand me one of those lists, darlin’.”
Regan did a little dance move. “Aw, shit. Julie P on the prowl.”
Christine looked amused. Not to mention grateful for a distraction from whatever was obviously giving her fits. “Go easy on him. No one outmatches you when you’re holding a list of meaningless items.”
“Y’all are seeing things. I just need to clear something up, is all.” Julie ignored the round of snorts delivered by her friends and swayed toward Reed, trying for all the world to hide her nerves. At her unexpected approach, he narrowed his eyes, but otherwise didn’t move an inch. She lowered her voice so her friends wouldn’t overhear their conversation. “If you’re expecting a thank-you for acting as my cleanup crew, keep waiting. It won’t come. But in the spirit of goodwill I’ve decided to call us even.”
“Is that right, pixie?” He swept her head-to-toe with a blistering look. “I feel obliged to tell you goodwill is the furthest thing from my mind right now.”
Julie struggled for composure. She should turn up her nose and walk away. It’s what she’d been taught to do when a man overstepped his bounds. They’d gone way past that point, however. She couldn’t walk away just then for the life of her. “I’ve got a scavenger hunt to win. What’s on your mind is none of my concern.”
“Maybe. But you’re hoping I tell you anyway.” His attention dropped to her breasts. Julie’s face heated, somehow positive he was remembering what they’d done last night at the spring. It made her remember, too. His hands, his mouth. Things he’d said. “I’m thinking about how none of your friends over there know what I found out last night. That you’re a kinky little bad girl who likes to be creative. No one here knows. And I fucking love that I do.”
Awareness flooded Julie. As if her senses remembered what he could do for her body. The feelings he could elicit with a simple touch or a whispered dare in her ear. She forced herself to remember the crowd of people witnessing their exchange, including her friends, who didn’t often see her lose her cool. Friends who would notice immediately if she did. “Enjoy having your secret. Can I trust you to keep it?”
Reed’s eyebrows drew together, his voice dropped even lower. “Do you honestly think I would tell one single person? That the blond beauty queen goes off like a firecracker when you stroke her just right? Not a fucking chance, baby. I wouldn’t risk someone else trying to take what’s—”
“Stop it.” Julie’s face flamed hot. Her attempts to calm her pounding pulse failed. She couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, even though she knew if they were in the dark, she wouldn’t be able to get enough. They weren’t in the dark, however. And if she listened to him a minute longer, she would combust in front of everyone. Everyone who thought of her as the respectable do-gooder. The planner. The maker-of-pretty. It certainly wouldn’t be pretty when she burst into flames. “You’ve made your point.”
“Haven’t even begun.”
“I say you have.”
“Your legs look goddamn incredible in that skirt.”
Her rejoinder died in her throat and came out sounding like, “Guhhhh wham.”
An uncharacteristic smile shaped his mouth. “Ah, you gotta love a bilingual girl.”
“Oh, no. You don’t get to be funny, too.”
“Too?”
“Here you go.” She shoved the scavenger hunt list into his waiting hand and tried to hide her embarrassment with a saucy look. “Think you can keep up?”
“We both know I can keep it up.”
Julie spun on a heel and rejoined her friends, sure her face had turned the color of the devil. Sophie had joined the group since Julie left and now observed the building group of wedding guests with apprehension. Absentmindedly, Julie put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Wh-what did I miss?”
They all exchanged a look. “Uh, nothing, Twitchy-Eye. We were watching you have visual intercourse with Mr. Dark and Dangerous,” Regan responded drily.
“Hush up. You saw no such thing.”
“No, she’s right.” They all turned to Sophie. “I’ve only been here a couple minutes, but it was long enough to recognize first class eye-fuckery.”
Julie started, her friends breaking into unladylike laughter around her. “Sophie, I don’t want to speak too soon, but I think you’re starting to come out of your shell.”
Sophie shrugged. “So…you and Reed?”
Christine tucked a stray red hair into her ponytail. “I thought you were gunning for the best man.”
“Logan,” Sophie clarified. “Yeah, what about that?”
“I’d love to indulge all your curiosities, but I believe we’re running late—”
“So you’re not going for Logan?” Regan asked. “Nice. Best man’s back on the market.” She flexed her fingers and winked. “Game on.”
Kady sighed dramatically. “If you ladies are finished proving what a pack of shameless hussies you are, I’d like to pass these lists out and go sit in the air-conditioned coffee shop.” She winked at the group. “Colton’s been keeping me up late.”
“Oh, who’s the shameless hussy now?”
Kady laughed, so obviously in love everyone seemed compelled to join in. “Christine, would you mind pairing up with Tyler? I know you’ve had your differences, but I’m hoping you can take this opportunity to mend fences, so to speak? I just want everyone getting along at my wedding.”
Christine clearly wanted to object, but wisely didn’t question the bride. She nodded once. “Of course. No problem. Besides, we’re fine.”
Kady shot her a skeptical look, but kept silent.
“Ooh, Kady. Do me a solid and pair me up with Logan.” Regan waggled her eyebrows at Julie, who shook her head in response. “If you hear the forest rocking, don’t come a-knocking.”
“Sorry, he’s running late. I’m sending you out with Brock.” Kady eyed Regan’s shoes. “Anyway, Logan manufactures hiking gear for a living. If he saw you attempting to traverse the woods in stilettos, he’d probably have a coronary.” She smiled at Sophie and held out two lists. “Would you wait for Logan, Soph? I don’t want him to get here and have no idea what’s going on.”
“I…uh—” Sophie blushed beet red and started to reply, but Kady simply handed her the lists and moved on to her next target.
“Julie—”
“Oh no,” Julie cut her off. “I don’t need any deadweight holding me up. No partner for me.”
She plucked a list from Kady’s hands and sailed off before anyone could protest. No way was she giving her meddling friends the chance to pair her up with Reed. And they would. No question.
But as she entered the forest to retrieve the first item, she co
uld feel brooding hazel eyes following her every step.
…
A fucking feather. The second-to-last item on Reed’s list. He hadn’t even planned on participating in this ridiculous scavenger hunt, the prize for which happened to be some souped-up, bells-and-whistles coffee machine he wouldn’t be caught dead using. An hour later, he was ready to climb a tree and pluck a feather out of a damn woodpecker just to bring him one step closer to finishing. If Julie hadn’t handed him the list with a blatant challenge in her eyes, he would have tossed it in the nearest trash can and gone for a beer. Instead, he’d chosen to see the subtle tilt of her head and pursing of her pink lips as a thrown-down gauntlet. He’d had no choice but to take it.
Reed nudged aside a pile of pine needles with his boot, finding nothing but more pine needles. Edging around the tree, he found a feather stuck in the bark, but came up short when he saw a flash of pink enter his line of vision. Julie. Shoving the feather in his pocket absentmindedly, he watched with rapt attention as she bent over, revealing those long legs to perfection in her lightweight skirt. When she straightened again, she held a pinecone in her hand as if it were a winning lottery ticket, before shoving it into her tote bag.
“What exactly does a scavenger hunt have to do with two people getting married?”
She jerked around at the sound of his voice.
“Unless, of course, we’re searching for their lost minds.”
Blue eyes narrowed on him. “You know what you are? A sourpuss.” She started to bypass him on the trail, grumbling to herself. “Out here ruining everyone’s good time. Wouldn’t know fun if it bit him on his keister.”
In a replay of the night before, he strode after her. “Maybe our idea of fun is just different. That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have it.”
“Oh, I know your idea of fun.”