It was a close call, but Avery was fine.
I grabbed her around the waist and lifted her, twirling her around. “You scored the winning run!” I yelled as the rest of our team rushed on the field to issue hugs and congratulations. I set her down, and she threw her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her, hugging her, and I couldn’t help what I felt in that moment. Holding Avery in my arms was fucking unreal.
It was heaven.
I wanted more of it.
I definitely wanted more than one night of it.
She pulled back and looked at me. Something changed as our eyes locked. Suddenly no one else was on that field, and I had the strong urge to kiss her.
I wanted to feel her lips on mine as we celebrated our victory.
But it was all wrong, so I glanced away as I let her go, opting to man-hug the guys in celebration before shaking hands with the other team.
Our victory hug was just one more moment I was mentally collecting in my memory box of Avery Peterson.
CHAPTER 5
I rolled my eyes behind my sister’s back at Avery. I watched as she stifled a giggle. My sister was always a handful, but make her the bride and she was unbearable with the amount of attention she required.
Quinn was going on and on ad nauseam about the agenda for the next day as we stood in the hotel lobby after the wedding rehearsal. My stomach was growling and I was ready for the awesome dinner scheduled to follow.
“We get it, Curley Q,” I muttered.
“I just want to make sure,” she said, her voice full of anxiety.
I threw my arm around my sister. “Everything will be fine. I will take care of any issues.” It was my job both as best man and as brother of the bride to ensure everything ran smoothly. And by ensuring everything ran smoothly, I really meant that it was my job to make sure we got our money’s worth out of the open bar at the reception.
The bridesmaids looked to me gratefully. I wouldn’t have kicked any of them out of bed for eating crackers, but only one held my attention. And it happened to be the same one who had been holding my attention since Quinn and Reed’s engagement party. It was probably poor form to hit on a bridesmaid in my sister’s wedding, but I wasn’t exactly known for behaving when it came to women.
I thought back to Avery’s words at the engagement party, to the night when I almost kissed her at her car, and to our victory celebration at home plate.
Somehow I convinced myself it wasn’t really all that bad of an idea to hook up with her. I had to get her out of my system.
I just needed to wait until after the wedding.
Then she would be fair game.
I felt her trying to catch my eye again, but I didn’t give in.
We didn’t need any wedding day drama, after all.
We headed toward the restaurant in the hotel for dinner, or, as I liked to look at it, the reward for dealing with the wedding rehearsal. Little placards sat at each place setting, and I found my name.
The bridal party sat at a large round table. Reed and Quinn were seated beside one another, and the rest of the bridal party formed a circle around them in the order of where we would stand the next day. I was between Reed and one of his friends from Wisconsin, Paul. They’d played ball in college together, so Paul and I talked baseball when Quinn finally stopped talking about the wedding long enough to give us the chance. Another groomsman, Dean, sat on Paul’s other side. Apparently he’d gone to college with Reed, too.
I’d rented a hotel room for two nights, and I had nowhere to go that night. While I didn’t want to deal with a hangover on the day of my sister’s wedding, I figured a few extra drinks wouldn’t hurt anything. I had nowhere to drive and all I had to do was press the elevator button for the ninth floor.
I was feeling good by the time dinner was served. And by the time we had finished our rainbow trout with potatoes, I was starting to get loud.
I wasn’t exactly drunk, but sober had left about two hours earlier.
And with my sobriety went the whole idea of not hooking up with a bridesmaid. Suddenly it became a rock solid idea.
The more beer I consumed, the more fuel was added to the heat between us.
Quinn and Reed stood when they finished eating to talk to family and friends at other tables. That left a vacant seat beside me.
I turned toward Paul to continue our discussion of which teams sucked the most in Major League Baseball when I felt a hand on my arm.
“Grant, I need your help.”
I turned toward the voice purring like a kitten in my ear and locked eyes with the same gorgeous brown ones that had been glancing in my direction all night.
I grinned and her face lit up. Somehow my smile tended to have that effect on women, especially when I turned it on full blast.
“What can I do for you?” I grabbed my bottle and took a long drink of my beer. It gave me something to do while I thought up my next line.
“Veronica and I got some stuff to decorate the bridal suite tomorrow. We need your help getting into the room.”
I thought quickly. “I’ve got it covered.”
“Thanks, Grant,” she said, squeezing my bicep.
I liked her hands on me.
I wanted more of that.
“Anything else I can do for you?”
“I can think of a few things.” A wicked smile broke across her face.
I raised an eyebrow in her direction.
I reasoned with myself through my beer-induced haze. I didn’t have a date for my sister’s wedding. I had decided to go solo because my choices weren’t very appetizing, for one, and for another thing, bringing a date to a wedding sent all the wrong messages to women.
Women loved weddings because they loved seeing the bride, they loved making judgments about everything from the flowers to the cake, and they loved the idea of happily ever after.
Apart from the false sense of hope, I wasn’t about to bring some random girl to meet my family.
I’d never brought home anyone to meet my parents, including Rachelle. I was intensely private about my personal life, although my sister had gotten a pretty good idea of what I did in my spare time. She’d stayed with me for a while when Reed had been living with me.
But not bringing a date meant my dance card was essentially empty barring the requisite bridal party dances. And that meant I’d have plenty of time at the reception the next night to get to know Avery.
Unless, of course, she was bringing a date to the wedding. I wasn’t sure how to ask that question without sending the wrong message.
Avery broke into my thoughts. “Save me a dance tomorrow, okay?”
I lowered my voice and leaned in toward her. “I’ll save you more than a dance, Avery.”
She stood and pushed in her chair, and then she leaned down, giving me an excellent view of her tits spilling over the top of her dress. “I’ll be looking forward to more than a dance, then.” She smiled wickedly and walked back to her chair.
“You catch any of the game last night?”
Paul was talking to me, but my mind was still on Avery’s words as I watched her walk away.
Fuck it. Fuck manners. I wanted her and she wanted me. It was going to happen.
But for my sister, I’d wait until after the wedding. As much as I wanted to throw Avery over the very table where we were sitting, I’d hold off. I’d be the good older brother and let my sister shine on her wedding day, and then I’d fuck Avery stupid.
Paul was going on about some play from the game the night before, and I was paying absolutely no attention to him. I shook my head to clear it. I registered that he was having a conversation with me while I was focused on what it would be like to slide my cock into Avery.
The waitress came by with dessert, interrupting our very one-sided conversation. Quinn and Reed took their seats again and I ordered a cup of coffee to filter the beer. Everything was back to normal. Well, almost everything.
The problem now was that I couldn’t stop glancing acros
s the table at Avery.
She was engrossed in conversation with Veronica. I studied her face for a minute. She was a beautiful girl. No, beautiful wasn’t a strong enough word. She was gorgeous. Stunning, really. Her hair was long and blonde. She laughed at something Veronica said, and I watched as her eyes lit up. Her eyes darted to mine for a second, and I saw something change in hers.
They went from sweet laughter to something much, much hotter.
She caught me staring, but I wasn’t ashamed. I held her eyes for a moment, and this time she looked away first, back to her friend.
She’d definitely gotten my attention.
The rest of the dinner was a blur of gifts and thank yous. I had to hand it to Reed; his groomsman gifts were some of the best I’d ever received, and I’d taken part in quite a few weddings. I had more flasks and engraved pint glasses than I knew what to do with, and I hadn’t actually used a flask since college.
He handed me a silver bucket with “Grant’s Beers” engraved on the outside, and the bucket was filled with beer and a few other gifts including a Cuban cigar, a bottle of Red Breast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey, a bottle of wine, and a subscription to a Bacon of the Month Club. The bottle of wine had a label on it with an engagement photo of Quinn and Reed along with a picture of an owl and their names.
I watched as the bridesmaids opened their gifts, too. Quinn had gifted the jewelry she wanted them to wear the next day along with a spa certificate and a bottle of the Quinn and Reed wine.
All in all it was a great pre-wedding celebration. I forced myself to cool down by sitting with my parents and drinking water while Quinn made the rounds with Reed. I managed to avoid eye contact with Avery for the rest of the night, opting to leave her wanting more.
I headed up to my room solo, certain it was for the best. It was the only way to ensure I’d have no regrets the next morning.
I took a quick shower and settled into bed, finding I couldn’t sleep because I was too horny.
I could think of only one solution to that problem.
As I palmed my cock, I thought about Avery and her smile. I thought about how the next night, it would be her hands, her mouth, her pussy wrapped around me instead of my own hand. We’d just talked about how we’d be doing more than dancing the next night, and I think we both knew what that meant.
Just when I was working up to a fantastic, very much needed release, I heard a soft knock on my door.
Motherfucker.
I pulled on my boxers and a pair of shorts, doing my best to hide my straining erection. I glanced through the peephole to see who the offender was, and I wasn’t surprised to find the very girl I’d just been imagining as I pleasured myself.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to let her finish the job.
I opened the door and leaned against the doorjamb, gazing at her. I saw her eyes flick down to my abs, a bit lower, and up to my chest quickly before meeting my own eyes. I just continued to gaze at her, waiting for her to speak.
“Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey.”
“I, um, didn’t get a chance to say goodnight.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So you came all the way to my hotel room just to say goodnight?”
She nodded. “Yes.” Her voice was soft and sexy, and my already hard cock somehow tightened up even more.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re a terrible liar?”
She nodded and tucked some hair behind her ear. “Yeah. I’ve gotten that before. Are you going to invite me in? Or should I plan on standing out here all night?”
I leaned back, granting her an entrance.
She walked into the room and glanced around. I followed close behind her, and she turned and opened her mouth to say something.
Her words were lost as my mouth came crashing down over hers.
She stiffened momentarily as if I’d surprised her, but then she moaned and wrapped her arms around my torso. Her nails scratched across my back, and from that one motion, I knew she’d be an animal beneath the sheets.
I pushed my erection toward her hips, prompting another loud moan.
Our tongues twisted hotly together, her lips and her body soft beneath my fingertips.
I grabbed her upper arms in my hands and pulled back from our kiss.
Her big brown doe eyes looked up at me in confusion.
“Why are you stopping?” she asked breathlessly, those powerful eyes full of lust.
I shrugged and she moved back toward me. I gazed down at her, wishing I could but knowing I couldn’t.
I sighed in utter frustration. “Believe me, I don’t want to stop. You’re fucking hot as hell and I want to slam you onto my bed and fuck you all night. But my sister is getting married tomorrow, and I don’t want to do anything that might fuck up her day.”
Avery’s lips turned up into a smile. “Despite what they say, Grant Carpenter, you’re a pretty damn good guy.”
“Who exactly talks shit about me?”
She shrugged. “Just an expression.” She shifted and pushed her tits toward me. I wasn’t sure if it was just the way she was standing or if she’d done it on purpose, but all I could think about was burying my face between them.
“Stop staring at my breasts.”
“Stop shoving them in my direction.” I smiled. “Sorry. Was I that obvious?”
She nodded.
“You’ve got quite the pair on that sexy body.”
It was her turn to smile. “Thank you.” She started walking toward my door, and I automatically followed her. She turned with her hand on the door handle. “So if not tonight, what about tomorrow?”
“I’m one step ahead of you, Avery.”
She raised an eyebrow and I stalked toward her. She backed up against my door.
I leaned one of my arms on the door above her head and grabbed her around the waist with the other. Her hands rested on my chest.
“You have only one choice for tomorrow night,” I said, pressing a kiss to the sweet skin on her neck.
“What’s that?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly as my lips kissed a path from her neck to her lips.
“Your room or mine.” My mouth found hers once more.
Her lips immediately parted for me, and this time her hands tangled in my hair as I thrust my hips toward hers.
If kissing was this good, I knew the sex would be out of this world. I didn’t know much about Avery, but I had gathered from my sister’s talks about her that she tended to play the field.
Well so did I, so the more I thought about it, the more hooking up with her seemed like a really fantastic idea.
Just like the first time, I pulled away from her. She looked supremely disappointed, and I felt it as well.
“Tomorrow, then,” she whispered.
“Tomorrow,” I repeated, and then I pressed my lips to hers once more and opened the door.
After she left and I bolted the lock behind her, I wondered what the fuck I had been thinking.
I had a raging hard-on, and I had just let the solution to my problem walk out the door.
I tossed and turned after a lonely one-on-one session with my cock. I couldn’t stop wondering why I hadn’t just fucked Avery, why I hadn’t allowed her to stay. Even if we hadn’t fucked, we could’ve fooled around a little. Instead I was alone, miserable, and horny, even after I released the pent-up desire pounding inside of me.
*
I woke up on the day of my sister’s wedding. I was happy for Quinn and Reed. It was cliché to say they completed each other, but seeing the two of them together really did show me it was possible to find light in the dark. It was possible to find love even when you didn’t want it, because neither of them had been looking for it when they found each other.
I thought about Rachelle for about the millionth time over the past few weeks. It must’ve been the wedding bringing back so many memories of her, but I couldn’t seem to get her out of my head.
I showered and shaved, fixed my ha
ir and brushed my teeth, and threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to head down to the hotel’s free continental breakfast.
And wouldn’t you know it? There stood Avery, looking like an angel as she studied the bowl of yogurt containers cooling over ice.
I sauntered up behind her, ready for the day ahead. I was excited because my sister was getting married, but I was also looking forward to spending the day with Avery. I was anticipating in particular how the day was going to end, but I loved the game we were playing, too.
“Good morning,” I said softly.
She jumped and turned to face me. “You scared the shit out of me, Grant.”
Somehow she took my breath away. Her hair and make-up were already done for the day, but she was wearing a button down plaid shirt and a pair of shorts. She looked beyond stunning. The night before at the rehearsal dinner, she was stunning. This version of Avery was out of this world. Her hair was pulled back, a mass of curls piled on top of her head. Her skin was flawless and accentuated with make-up that made her look both natural and gorgeous. I knew I was staring, but I couldn’t stop.
“Sorry,” I muttered. “Find any good yogurt?”
“I like strawberry, but there’s only peach.”
“Want me to run to the store to get you strawberry?”
She smiled flirtatiously. “You wouldn’t.”
“I’d do just about anything for you,” I wanted to say. But I didn’t.
Wait one goddamn minute.
What the FUCK was that thought about?
“Sure I would,” I said instead, and she smiled as she held up the peach one.
“I’ll deal with this garbage.”
I grinned. “Mind if I join you for breakfast?”
She made a face. “I have bridesmaid duties. I just came down to grab some food.”
“Better fuel up, baby,” I murmured.
She caught my drift. “I could say the same for you,” she said, lowering her voice as we both watched my parents walk into the room for breakfast.
I lowered my voice even more. “I’ve heard peach yogurt makes you come harder and longer.”
A light blush graced her cheeks, causing her to look a bit more innocent…something she was most certainly not. She reached into the bowl and grabbed another peach yogurt, grinned at me, and headed out of the room. She hugged each of my parents before disappearing, and I realized I had watched her walk all the way out.
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