by Boone Brux
“Enjoying the party?” Kyle hopped onto the chair next to him and grinned. “I think it’s the third one my parents have hosted.”
“Having a great time.” Jamie couldn’t help but smile back. Kyle barely looked old enough to drink, let alone get married, with his freckled cheeks and copper-colored hair. “What’s not to love about free booze?”
“I hear that.” Price Lyons, one of the groomsmen, pushed between them. In college his blond-haired boy-band look had garnered him a lot of attention from the ladies. He was as resistant to marriage as Jamie. “Gin and tonic, please.” He rested his elbows on the bar. “So, am I the only one who thinks Dani is looking good?”
“Yeah, she is.” Lincoln Fisher joined the group, towering over all of them. He’d earned the nickname Latin Romeo, even though he was shy with women. “I guess breaking up with Jamie does that to a girl.”
“Ha, funny.” Most of the women he’d dated weren’t out for a lasting relationship. He made sure of that. “And where are your dates, exactly? Oh right, still in the box at home.”
“Are you kidding me? If I brought a date I’d miss out on the whole horny bridesmaid thing,” Price said.
Jamie furrowed his brow. “Horny bridesmaids?”
“Groomsmen always hook up with the bridesmaids.” Price picked up his G&T, drank a fourth of the glass, and then nodded. “It’s like an unspoken rule.”
“That’s true.” Lincoln pointed a finger at him. “It happened to Larry Looper.”
“Larry from the fish market?” Jamie asked. “Dandruff guy?”
“Yeah. So if Larry got laid, you know we will,” Lincoln said. “Thank God Roxy’s friends are hot.”
“Excuse me.” Kyle leveled his gaze on Linc. “One of those friends is my sister. Hands off.”
“She’s a bridesmaid, man. Fair game.”
Kyle growled.
“Maybe I’ll test the waters with Dani.” Price smirked. “You don’t mind, do you Jamie?”
He shouldn’t mind, but he did. Telling the guys this would unleash a shitstorm of ribbing. Didn’t keep him from wanting to punch Price in that smug face of his. “You wouldn’t have a chance with her, Lyons. She’s too classy.”
“We’ll see about that.”
The thought of Price making any kind of move on Dani pissed Jamie off. He scowled into his drink, trying to rein in the urge to slam his friend against the bar and make him promise to leave her alone. There was also the unspoken rule that you didn’t dip in the same pool your friends had. His eyes cut to Price. Would he really make a play for her, or was he just messing with him?
The truth was, it didn’t matter. She was better off without him, and according to Roxy, was already seeing someone. Would she be bringing him to the wedding? He took a swig of beer, but the liquid left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He hadn’t thought seeing her would be this hard. Everybody getting in his business—giving him shit and getting him worked up—wasn’t helping. He loved being home, but there was such a thing as too much friends and family. In Florida he was a loner and had worked hard to maintain it. Back in Seattle they wouldn’t allow that.
“You know she has a boyfriend, right?” Unable to resist, he added the jab, hoping it would shut Price up.
His shrugged. “What difference does that make? I don’t want to marry her, just bang her.”
“You’d never have a chance,” Jamie said.
Price shrugged again. “We’ll see.”
Kyle jabbed a finger at the group. “If you guys screw things up with one of Roxy’s friends she’ll make my life hell.”
“That’s why”—Linc draped his arm around Kyle’s neck, towering over him by four inches—“I don’t get serious with the ladies.”
Jamie held up his fist, and Lincoln responded with a knuckle bump.
“One day all three of you will fall in love.” Kyle’s mouth turned up in a satisfied smirk. “And I will be there to make your lives miserable.” Kyle tipped back his beer, swallowed, and set the empty bottle on the bar. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my fiancée.” He stood. “You know, the woman I don’t have to get drunk to have sex with me.”
“Better him than us,” Lincoln said.
“Amen to that.” But as the words left Jamie’s mouth, his thoughts turned to Dani.
They’d been friends in college, and it had progressed to more. For a while, he’d bought into the happily-ever-after lie. Then his parents split and things got ugly. Neither of them had liked Dani. His dad, because she wasn’t connected enough to help the family business. His mother, because she made him happy.
When Dani had said she loved him, it had sent him into panic mode. Love was a lie, happy endings a fantasy. Cutting things off before he hurt her more had been the right thing to do. Telling himself that didn’t make him feel any better about it. And seeing her again made his reasons seem like lies. He set his glass on the bar. “I’m outta here.”
“Leaving so soon?” Lincoln asked.
“Yeah, it was a long flight.” Plus he had a lunch date with Dani. Getting back to his house and relaxing had a lot more appeal than trolling for tipsy women. “But hey, good luck.” He pointed. “The Weston sisters seem particularly friendly tonight.”
When had partying become so exhausting? A quiet night at home was all he wanted. Without waiting for his friends’ responses, he wound his way through the partygoers. Once outside, he took a deep breath.
Tomorrow was important. He had to make things right with Dani. Tell her the truth, and then maybe, one day, they could be friends again.
His cock tightened thinking of her with her dress hiked up, leaning over his bike.
Yep. Just friends. You keep telling yourself that.
Chapter Three
A chime pinged when Dani pushed open the door to the tux store. Soft music drifted from speakers in the ceiling, and the smell of flowers filled the space. She checked her watch. Jamie’s appointment was at eleven. By waiting until eleven fifteen she figured he’d already be here, getting fitted for his tux, and they’d avoid that awkward encounter where she’d have to pretend to be super casual about meeting him. It had taken a severe talking-to in the mirror and the looming reminder that keeping Jamie occupied was for Roxy’s sake—the sake of her marriage and future—to get Dani out the door.
She hadn’t expected her gut-wrenching reaction to seeing him again. Not only was he still gorgeous, now he had a golden tan and all those lovely muscles from working in the Florida sun. Plus, the way he’d held her when they danced had sent such a strong pang of longing through her it actually hurt. For that one dance, she could almost pretend things were as they’d always been between them—almost, if she wanted to be a complete idiot.
“May I help you?” A young dark-haired man sauntered toward her. Everything about the guy was impeccable. Not a hair out of place. Not a wrinkle in his suit.
“I’m meeting Jamie Kingsland. He’s here for his tux fitting—the Honeycutt-Bennett wedding.”
“Of course.” The man extended his hand, and when she accepted his greeting, he clasped her palm between both of his. “He’s getting changed.” A smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “I’m Adam, the owner. I’ll be doing Mr. Kingsland’s fitting.” He tugged her toward a beige slipper chair. “Have a seat. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Champagne perhaps?”
She’d had enough champagne last night. “No thank you. I’m good.”
“I’ll just go check on Mr. Kingsland.”
The sway in Adam’s walk suggested his taste leaned more toward Jamie than her.
After a few minutes, both men exited a room at the back of the store. The breath slammed to a screeching halt in her chest. The white shirt pulled tight across his pecs, accentuating the vee of tanned skin and sun-kissed hair. Her mouth went dry.
The guy could wear a paper bag and look great. So flippin’ unfair.
“Hey.” Jamie’s blue eyes leveled on her. “Have you been waiting
long?”
“Just got here.” She repressed the sigh threatening to escape. To the untrained eye, the tux didn’t appear to need any adjusting, the material hugging his best features. “Looks good.”
He turned toward the wall of multiple mirrors and examined his image. “Really?”
“The cut is perfect for you.” Adam ran his hands across Jamie’s upper back, smoothing the material. “With a little adjustment it will be perfect.”
“Good.” Jamie tugged on his sleeves, looking slightly awkward.
“Where did you get all those muscles?” She shifted and crossed her legs.
“What do you mean?” His brow pinched. “I always had these.”
“Trust me—” She paused for effect. “You didn’t.”
“Are you saying I was wimpy?” He scowled at her.
“Not wimpy—really.” As long as she’d known him he’d never been wimpy, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. “Just not as buff.”
He grunted and refocused on his reflection.
“I think we need to take it in right here a bit.” Adam knelt and fiddled with the seam at Jamie’s outer thigh. The material pulled tight across his rear end. “Maybe a quarter inch.”
Her gaze zeroed in on Jamie’s tight buns. Yeah, those were nice—and always had been. The memory of wrapping her legs around him and gripping his firm cheeks sent a flood of heat through her body.
Stop it.
“What do you think?” Adam looked at her.
She held up her thumb and index finger. “Maybe a little more.”
He scowled at her for a few seconds before tugging the material tighter. “How about that?”
She motioned for a bit more and with a pinched-lipped smirk, Adam complied.
“I can see you in the mirror, ya know,” Jamie said. “And if you make these any tighter everybody at the wedding is going to get an eyeful.”
Busted.
“I agree.” Adam gave Dani a gentle but chastising look before turning back to Jamie. “You need to be comfortable.”
“Okay, but you’ll be disappointing a lot of women at the wedding.” Her job was to keep him occupied, not flirt. “And some men.”
Jamie’s gaze narrowed, but she returned her sweetest smile, ignoring the way her body hummed with awareness at being so near to him.
Ordinarily, he would have had some smart comeback, but Adam shimmied to kneel in front of him and ran his hand up the inside of Jamie’s left thigh. His body stiffened, his eyes growing wide. “Careful with those pins.”
The tailor tilted his chin and smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m a professional.”
Dani bit her lower lip in an effort to repress a laugh.
Jamie’s gaze cut to Dani’s reflection again. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “You have no idea.”
“If I had my way, Kyle wouldn’t need these monkey suits.”
Her smile evaporated. There it was. The whole reason Roxy wanted her to keep him away from Kyle. “Well, luckily it’s not your wedding.”
“You can say that again,” he said, his eyes riveted on Adam’s nimble hands.
Seeing Jamie again had stirred up feelings she’d finally harnessed to a manageable level. She’d thought about him last night and again this morning. Maybe there had even been a sliver of hope that once he saw her he’d realize his mistake. Stupid. Really stupid. Nothing had changed.
She didn’t reply to his comment, and he didn’t seem to notice. Her phone vibrated against her thigh. She dug in her purse and pulled out the device. “Hello.”
Roxy’s cheerful voice chirped through the phone. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Fine.” Her answer sounded stiff, and she mentally ordered herself to relax. “I’m with Jamie. He’s getting fitted for his tux. Then we’re going to lunch.”
“That’s great, but we’ve got a problem. He and Kyle are supposed have a few beers tonight and catch up. You need to come up with an idea so that doesn’t happen.”
“Just a second.” She stood and pressed the phone to her chest. “I’ll be right back.” Not waiting for either man to answer, she slipped out the front door. “What am I supposed to say?”
“I don’t know.” Roxy’s voice raised an octave. “But if those two start drinking and talking, Jamie will put crazy thoughts into Kyle’s head. You know how susceptible he is to suggestions.”
Despite her friend’s plea, Dani had no clever ideas for distracting Jamie. “I don’t know, Rox. He won’t bail on Kyle to do something with me.”
“I’ll work Kyle from this end.” Her voice turned sultry. “I know the perfect distraction. All I need you to do is figure out a way to keep Jamie busy tonight.”
She had no doubt Roxy would handle Kyle, but what the hell was she supposed to do with Jamie? Her top teeth chewed her bottom lip as she ran through the options. After a few seconds, a heavy sigh. “Fine. I have no idea what to do, but I’ll try.”
“You’ll figure it out. You always do.” Roxy hesitated. “Thanks, hon.”
Dani peered through the glass, watching Adam turn Jamie this way and that. Her heart did a little flip. A year ago, this would have been a dream come true. Jamie getting fitted for a tux—maybe even their wedding. Any enjoyment over their outing today bled away. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“You okay?” Roxy asked.
“Yeah.” She bit back a sigh. “Call ya later.”
She ended the call. When she’d agreed to distract Jamie, she thought keeping him interested would be the hard part. If only. Instead, it was the memories of their time together that were being pesky. Little things she’d forgotten about—the dimple in his cheek, the way he pressed his hand to her lower back when they danced, how easy it was to talk to him. The faded memories sharpened, bringing their past into focus. She’d been naive to believe they were on the same page about their relationship, moving in the same direction. But even looking back, there had been no red flags to warn her.
Though they hadn’t lived together, they may as well have. They spent all their free time together and rarely fought. During the time they’d dated, he had always been there for her, and she’d been certain he loved her as much as she loved him.
Yep. Never in her life had she been more wrong. It was going to take a miracle for her to come out of this unscathed emotionally. The things she did in the name of friendship.
She entered the store and stopped beside the chair. Her stomach erupted with a protest of hunger.
“We’re all finished here,” Adam said.
“Good thing.” Jamie pivoted to face her. “I think I need to feed her.”
She placed a hand on her hip. “Well, I don’t maintain these womanly curves by starving myself.”
“And such lovely curves they are.” He winked at her. “Be right back.”
Thank God he headed to the dressing room, because Dani’s mouth sagged open for a second before snapping shut. Suggestive comments and winks did things to her insides—happy, tingly things she didn’t want to admit she liked.
This is for Roxy. This is for Roxy.
Just say no. You can’t do this again.
Ten minutes later, they were on their way to a small café that had been one of their favorite places when they dated. Though the decor hadn’t changed, the situation bringing them there couldn’t be more different.
They claimed a small table by the window so they could enjoy the sunny day, and she perused the menu, trying to act as if the situation weren’t awkward.
“I’m ordering the bleu cheese bacon burger.” He set his menu at the edge of the table. “Are you getting your usual?”
Her gaze narrowed at him over the top of the menu. “Do you remember my usual?”
“The chicken avocado sandwich.” The corner of his mouth crooked up as if he was pleased with himself.
“I’m impressed.” But secretly it hurt. Deep down, it killed her that he remembered these things. It was wrong. This was all too e
asy. Hanging out with him like old times. So. Very. Wrong.
The dimple in his cheek deepened when he smiled. “Good.”
She lifted the menu so he couldn’t see her blush. “That burger looks good, too. Now I don’t know what order.” She peeked around the edge at him when he didn’t say anything. The smile still played around his mouth. “What?”
He shrugged. “I’m glad we’re doing this.”
“What? Eating?”
“No.” His blue eyes were steady. “Spending time together.”
His confession surprised her. A twinge of guilt pinched her conscience. “Uh-huh,” she said. This was for Roxy. Seeing her opportunity to suggest another outing, she set her menu on the table and folded her hand. “The fun doesn’t have to end here.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Really?” Mirroring her, he rested his arms on the red-and-white tablecloth. “What did you have in mind?”
“I’m going on a tour of underground Seattle tonight. Want to come?”
“Sounds fun. I haven’t been there since I was a kid, but…”
She knew what he was going to say and headed him off. “That’s fine. I can go alone.”
His brow furrowed. “That area isn’t safe at night—or ever, even if you are on a tour.”
“I’ll be okay.” Despite his premade plans, she could see the conflict of letting her go alone etched on his face. “This is one of the few nights there’s nothing planned for the wedding, and I want to get out and do something fun.”
“A tour by yourself is fun?”
“Well, I’d planned to with, um, a friend.” Her eyes rounded. Roxy had said she’d go, but now she’d be busy with Kyle. And she didn’t want to sound like a complete loser. “But the friend had to cancel. It’s a fascinating place, and I’ll admit, I like to be scared sometimes.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s a rush.”
“Scared is one thing. Foolishly unsafe is another.” He shook his head. “Your friend shouldn’t let you go by yourself.”
Undoubtedly it wasn’t the wisest thing to do, and if he stuck with his plans to see Kyle, she wouldn’t go. But she couldn’t let him know that. When they’d dated, he always looked out for her. It was one of the reasons she’d fallen so hard for him. Her family was far from supportive. Actually they were far from a family unit at all. Though Jamie had complained about his overbearing parents meddling in his affairs, she’d secretly been a little jealous. Her mother and father were practically nonexistent in her life, always too busy for more than an occasional dinner when they were in town, which was ridiculous since they only lived about thirteen miles from her. She’d more or less raised herself. That’s why she clung to her friendships with such ferocity. “Then come with me.”