Seducing the Bridesmaid

by Katee Robert

  “Scarlett, that’s the best plan I’ve heard all day.” She ran her hand up his chest and adjusted his tie. “You look quite dapper, by the way.”

  “Only the best for Colton and his woman.” Though if she kept looking at him like that, he’d promise to wear clothes like this every day for the rest of his life. It didn’t make any sense. He’d only known this woman a few short days, but already, he couldn’t imagine his life without her. Brock opened his mouth to tell her exactly that, but Julie’s voice rang out. “It’s time. Everyone in their places.”

  The ceremony passed in a blur. Kady cried and Colton choked up, and then he swept her into his arms and laid a movie-ending-worthy kiss on her. Everyone was so happy, it was a wonder the flock of birds flying overhead didn’t break into song like in the fairy tales.

  He shook his head at the idiotic thought and offered his arm to Sophie as they met at the altar and walked down the aisle behind Tyler and Christine—who was still limping but only slightly.

  They barely made it through the doors when Julie sprang into motion, ushering the wedding party out of the room and down to where the reception was being held. The entire room was done up with blue, with a long table at the front for them.

  “Hustle, people. Punctuality gets you past the pearly gates.” She caught Reed’s eye, and paused. “On second thought, let’s just have a good time and toast the happy couple.”

  As people filed into the room, Brock looked for Regan. It would be a little bit before they started in on the toasts and other shit, and he wanted a few minutes alone with her.

  His good mood dampened when he caught sight of her leaning against the wall behind the bridal party’s table, her gaze fastened on Logan’s face. As he watched, she laughed and leaned in to touch his arm. It was a casual touch, a propriety touch. A touch between people who had been intimate.

  Holy fucking shit.

  His stomach sank, even as he tried to tell himself that he was blowing things out of proportion. Logan was a friendly guy. Just because he was smiling down at her like that didn’t mean he’d had his hands on her.

  He started toward them, still trying to convince himself he was being irrational. Brock got within hearing range in time to hear Regan laugh again. “I never figured you for a backdoor guy.”

  Backdoor guy? What. The. Fuck?

  Logan actually fucking blushed. “I’d rather people didn’t know about it just yet.”

  “Don’t worry, sweetie. It’ll be our little secret—especially when you seem to take such pleasure in it. And that good-bye kiss? Good Lord, I needed a cold shower, despite what I’d just been doing.”

  The pit in Brock’s stomach got deeper. There wasn’t a good way to interpret that. He’d thought Regan was finally feeling the same way he did, but she’d gone and stuck to her plan like she always seemed to. Logan. Logan was always the goal.

  Not Brock.

  Logan smiled, oblivious to the fact that Brock’s world was breaking apart around him. “It was a fantastic kiss, wasn’t it?”

  The rushing in Brock’s ears drowned out whatever else they said, and he was glad for it. He’d thought Regan got up early to meet with Kady and the rest of the bridesmaids. He never would have guessed she’d sneaked out of his bed and gone into Logan’s.

  Christ, that hurt. It hurt more than the girls who cuddled up to him in high school telling him he was never the one they wanted, more than his father’s constant comparisons to his coming up short against Caine, more than anything he’d experienced, because he wasn’t expecting this. Last night she’d talked about caring for him. He should have known that nothing she felt for him would get in the way of her plan to seduce Logan. He was such a fucking fool.

  Unable to stand the sight of them, laughing and sharing each other’s happiness, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. He wouldn’t make a scene here, not when it was Colton’s day, but he wanted to shake her and yell until this ugly feeling inside him dissipated. How the fuck hadn’t he seen that she was still hung up on Logan? He’d stupidly believed she was as into him as he was into her.

  He wanted to break something.

  “Brock!”

  Even though he knew it was selfish, he relished the coming confrontation. Regan’s skin was flushed and he eyed her mouth, trying to decide if she’d been kissing Logan or not. Brock cursed himself for torturing himself thinking about it. “What do you want?”

  …

  Regan froze in mid-step. There was something wrong with his voice. Gone was the laid-back Southern gentleman, replaced by something angry. Just go with it. Figure out what’s wrong. “Uh, you mentioned dark corners and trouble, so I thought that’s where we were headed.”

  In all their arguing and bantering and bickering, she’d never seen Brock look so cold. His dark eyes gave nothing away, and the grin she’d come to crave was nowhere in sight. For a moment, she thought he would just walk away without another word, but then he stepped forward, the move so aggressive, she stumbled back. “I have a question for you, Regan. The entire time we were fucking, were you planning on how to use it to your advantage in snaring Logan?”

  “Snaring Logan?” What the hell was he talking about? Hadn’t she just thrown her whole plan out the window for him? He knew that. “What are you talking about?”

  “I just can’t get over how well you played me. Here I was, thinking that there was actually something between us, and you always intended to use me as a jumping-off point to get to the real thing you wanted. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not the first time someone used me as leverage to get to a better man.” He dragged a hand down his face. “But I didn’t expect it from you. I thought… “ He broke off and pressed his lips together. “Never mind what I thought. It’s over. Have a nice life.”

  She was so shocked, she let him get half a dozen steps away before she raced after him. “Oh, no you don’t. You don’t get to march out here, throw a tizzy, and then take off before I get some fucking explanations.”

  He jerked his arm out of her grasp. “I can do whatever the hell I want.”

  “Brock, wait!” She reached for him again, nearly losing it when he stepped out of reach. “Please don’t walk away. Can’t we just talk about this? Please.”

  Ice was warmer than his expression. “There’s nothing left to talk about.”

  Just like that, he was done. Here she was, ready to go to her knees and beg him—keep freaking begging him—not to leave her. And he wasn’t willing to see reason. “Why are you doing this? I was willing to make this work. I was willing to compromise my goddamn plan for you!”

  He flinched like she’d reached across the space between them and slapped him. “Compromise. I’m a fucking compromise to you.”

  “That’s not—”

  “Enough, Regan. I don’t want to hear it. I’m done.”

  Hurt spiked through her, its poisoned barbs sinking deep. She wrapped her arms around herself as he stalked away. “So that’s it, then? You’re going to drop me like yesterday’s trash over some imagined slight? It’s not my goddamn fault that you have inadequacy issues from your dad being an asshole. How about trying to actually fight for something you care about instead of throwing up your hands and pretending you don’t give a fuck about anything?”

  He stopped at the corner and gave her a glare so scathing, she actually shrank in on herself. “I give plenty of fucks, Regan. Just not about you.” Then he was gone, walking around the corner and out of her life.

  Her throat closed and she pressed a hand to her mouth as she searched for an empty closet, bathroom, somewhere to hide so she didn’t break down in the middle of the hallway. The ladies’ restroom was the closest door and she practically sprinted in there, nearly taking Sophie out in the process.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” Regan’s breath shuddered out, but she fought down the burning in her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. Not here, not now. Not over a man who wouldn’t even sit down and talk to her about whatever the hell his pr
oblem was.

  “That’s okay. I really didn’t want to leave the restroom anyway.”

  She looked around. For a bathroom, it was pretty nice—but she doubted Sophie was hiding in here because of the decor. Pathetically grateful for the distraction, she focused on the other woman. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you out there with your guy?”

  “Logan’s hardly mine.” Sophie wouldn’t quite meet her eyes. “He was only spending time with me as a favor to Colton. The good news, for you, is he’s no longer stuck entertaining the groom’s shy little sister. He’s all yours. Go for it.”

  She didn’t want him—she probably never had. Beyond that… “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but a man doesn’t ask his best friend to sleep with his baby sister.”

  “But—”

  “And, seriously, that scorching kiss I got an eyeful of this morning when I walked by your room was nobody’s version of a favor. No one can fake chemistry like that.”

  A line appeared between Sophie’s brows. “I don’t know…”

  “Yeah, you do. Deep down, a girl always knows.” She’d kissed plenty of guys, and not a single damn one had made her feel a portion of what Brock did. Of course, look where she ended up—hiding in the bathroom, doling out relationship advice like she was Dear Abby. The truth was, she had no right to tell Sophie to go get her man. Regan couldn’t even stick with the plan she’d relied so heavily on. She’d known going off the deep end with Brock would bite her in the ass, but she never would have guessed that he’d sucker punch her like this.

  God, it hurt.

  Realizing Sophie was still waiting for her to explain, she dredged up the last strength she had. “Look, sweetie, that man is crazy about you. Take off the underdog cape you wear around like a security blanket, because it doesn’t fit at all. You caught Logan’s eye all on your own, and now you need to decide if you want to keep it. But if you ask me, only an idiot would let him get away just because the idea of being with him is scary. I don’t know you very well, but you don’t strike me as an idiot. Don’t prove me wrong.” She stepped back and held open the door.

  Sophie stared up at her, positively shell-shocked, and Regan didn’t know whether to laugh or strangle her, but at least the little brunette was moving toward the door. She almost groaned out loud when Sophie paused at the threshold and looked back at her. “You coming?”

  “I’ll be along.”

  Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Are you okay?”

  Regan raised her chin and forced a smile. “Always.” Now leave so I can have my breakdown in solitude.

  It was only when she had sole ownership of the bathroom that Regan let herself slump down onto one of the chairs situated in the corner.

  As she thought back, replaying the conversation with Brock, word for word, the pain inside her only got worse. He hadn’t been willing to talk, hadn’t stopped to wonder if maybe he was overreacting, hadn’t even paused when he accused her of using him to get with Logan. Maybe she had been to begin with—and she’d been pretty honest about it—but her plan went up in flames the second they had sex.

  It just took her a few days longer to realize it.

  But Brock didn’t care. He looked at her and saw every single person who’d ever accused him of being lazy, stupid, and less than his brother. So he’d thrown the baby out with the bathwater, because he was more willing to walk away than realize maybe there were people in the world who actually found him amazing in his own right.

  There wasn’t a damn thing she could do to convince him of that, though. He’d played judge, jury, and executioner on their fledgling relationship, and she hadn’t even been given a vote. She’d begged him not to do this, and it hadn’t make a bit of difference.

  This never would have happened if she’d just stuck with her damn plan.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Brock had never been as grateful for a 6:00 a.m. flight as he was the morning after the wedding. His goddamn brain was rebelling, offering him dozens of images of Regan and Logan wrapped up in each other. Would she make the same noises for him that she did for Brock? Would she beg him to touch her, too? Would they lie in bed and laugh about what a fool he’d been to think he actually had a chance with a woman like her?

  He rubbed a hand over his face. Fuck. He was making himself crazy over this shit. She was just a woman. What did it matter if she preferred Caine 2.0 to him? He needed to let it go and move on with his life.

  Except he couldn’t stop obsessing about it.

  By the time his plane landed in Nashville, he was ready to volunteer for a lobotomy. Anything would be better than the memories plaguing him, mixing in with the images he was so sure were happening right now.

  He made it to his car before he broke down and grabbed his phone. It only rang once before a sleepy voice answered. “What do you want?”

  “Colton, I…”

  Instantly, all sleep was gone from his friend’s voice. “Give me a second.” He murmured something to Kady and there was a rustling sound as he got out of bed.

  Holy shit, he was the worst friend ever. Colton just got married last night, and here he was, calling him because he couldn’t turn off his fucking brain. “Never mind. Call me when you get back from your honeymoon.”

  “Nice try. You wouldn’t have called for nothing, so spit it out. What’s going on?”

  Now that he had Colton on the phone, he didn’t know how to put the clusterfuck of the last few days into words. “I fell for her, man. Regan. And she was only using me to get close to Logan.”

  “Yeah… I don’t think so. Pretty sure Logan only has eyes for my little sister.” His tone conveyed exactly how thrilled he was with his friend hooking up with his little sister.

  Brock shook his head, trying to catch up. “Then he’s an even bigger piece of shit than I’d guessed because he was with Regan yesterday morning.”

  “Uh, no he wasn’t. Where the hell did you get an idea like that?” Colton sighed. “No, don’t bother answering. I have my suspicions. You heard something you didn’t like and took off without getting the full story.”

  Because she said being with him was a fucking compromise. Like he was a goddamn runner’s up trophy. “I—”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  Knowing he wasn’t going to like the coming question didn’t change anything. He had called Colton, and he had to listen to whatever it was his friend had to say. “Yeah.”

  “When are you going to grow the fuck up and get over your shit? Seriously, Brock. You’re thirty-two, and the majority shareholder in one of the most successful nonprofits of our generation. And you’re still so butt-hurt about your dad being a dick that you hide behind your underachiever mask and pretend you don’t give a fuck about anything. Well, I’m calling bullshit.”

  Brock stared at the dashboard, gripping the steering wheel with his free hand so tightly that his knuckles were white. Was Colton right? He hadn’t exactly put himself out there, but it was because every time he had in the past, he got kicked in the teeth for his efforts. After a while, even he was smart enough to stop trying. “I don’t need his approval.”

  “You’re right. You don’t. So why are you still letting his opinion of you rule your life? Your brother does that and how happy is he? I know what it takes to run a corporation—Logan is living that shit right now—and he’s drowning. I’d bet a hell of a lot that it’s doing the same to your brother.”

  He’d never thought of it like that. Caine was the lucky one, the one who lived the charmed life. He’d never counted the potential costs before. “He seems happy enough.”

  “Maybe he does, but so do you.”

  The messed-up part was that Colton was right. He’d been playing at being happy for a long time. Faking it. Hell, the only thing in his life up until the wedding that kept him going was the Blue Boat Foundation, and he operated under total secrecy there. “She doesn’t want me. Not really. She must have realized Logan was interested in Sophie and compromised.”
/>
  “Jesus Christ, will you listen to yourself? I might not know her that well, but even I know Regan Wakefield doesn’t compromise for anyone. If she was with you, then it was because she wanted to be. Take some fucking responsibility and stop with the pity party. Do you care about her?”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to deny it, to take the safe route. But he’d been doing that his entire life. Maybe Colton was right and it was time for a change. He took a deep breath and told the truth. “So fucking much.”

  “Then go get her. You think Kady and I had an easy go of it? We didn’t. We had to fight to get where we are, and I had to decide that I wasn’t willing to let her walk out of my life. Are you willing to let Regan walk out of yours? Because that damn well would be a compromise for her. Hell, maybe she’ll settle down with some CEO type who will want her to be a stay-at-home mom and pop out kids for him.”

  A life like that would kill her, slowly and surely. She loved her work, lived for her work. She needed a man who appreciated that and supported her. A man like him. Not to mention the thought of her with someone else made him want to rip the steering wheel off and toss it out the window. “You’ve proven your point.”

  “Good. Then I’m going back to bed with my beautiful wife. Call me and let me know how everything turns out.”

  “Will do.” He took a deep breath. “And…thanks. I know it’s not always easy to tell the hard truths.”

  Colton paused. “In that case, I have one last piece of advice. Tell Reed about the foundation. He deserves to know.” He hung up before Brock could come up with a response. It was just as well. He had a lot of thinking and planning to do. He might be falling hard and fast for Regan, but he knew better than showing up on her doorstep without some kind of plan in place. She was a woman who lived for plans, which meant he needed one of his own.

  …

  Regan finished her presentation and turned to the man at the conference table. “Those are the top three candidates I have for the job. Is there one who caught your eye?”

  The CFO of Geofit Enterprises stroked his mustache, staring at the now-blank screen. “Bring them all in.”