by Cat Johnson
"Keep counting, keep breathing. In for four. Hold for four. Out for four. Wait for four." He led her through the next round of breaths. "That's good. Keep going. You're doing great," he said, giving her hands a squeeze.
Off to the side, Dani actually looked impressed with him.
Imagine that? His smarty-pants little neighbor, who'd always acted like he was a dumb jock not worth talking to, was actually impressed by him. Wonders never ceased.
Meanwhile, when did Dani get hot? She hadn't looked like this when he'd been in school with her. Of course, that was a couple of years ago now.
Or maybe it was just that dress. As over the top as it was, it did some pretty great things to her tits. When exactly had she gotten those? He'd have noticed if she'd had them in high school.
She’d certainly filled out over the years. But he'd bet this month's pay she was still a smarty-pants.
It didn't matter. He wouldn't be around long enough to find out anyway. Right after this wedding was over, he was heading back to the base. Or at least, he would be tomorrow, which meant at least he could indulge in a few adult beverages at the reception today.
If there was a reception . . .
He turned his attention back to the bride. She looked worlds better as she continued to take deep measured breaths.
Damn. That SEAL breathing technique he'd read about actually worked. He'd have to remember that and use it himself one day.
He turned to Dani and tipped his head toward Jessica. She nodded looking as excited and relieved as he was.
Jessica blew out a breath and said, "How much longer do I have?"
Uh oh. This was it. The test. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. "About fifteen minutes." Closer to twelve but he rounded up for the sake of her nerves.
"I need to put on some lipstick." Jessica turned toward the mirror. "And oh my God. Look at my hair. Nothing a little hairspray can't fix, I hope." She reached for the bottle on the table.
Nick blew out a breath of relief and glanced at Dani—the newly grown-up version. She still looked enough like her old self it made him wonder why he hadn't paid more attention to her back in high school.
She shot him a smile, taking her from pretty to I'm gonna have to adjust my hard-on in my pants gorgeous.
Damn. He was sure paying attention to her now.
This day had definitely taken a few unexpected twists and turns, the least of which was this new version of the girl-next-door.
He wasn't complaining. It was turning out to be a good day. He’d have a few drinks, enjoy some nice scenery in the form of the maid of honor, and have the satisfaction of knowing he'd pretty much saved the day.
Hell, he’d just saved his brother's whole damn future.
Yeah, today was definitely gonna be one for the record books.
THREE
Dani had a feeling she wouldn't really breathe again until she heard her sister say, "I do."
Even as she stood in her officially assigned maid of honor spot off to one side in front of the altar, Dani braced herself. She watched her sister slowly make her way up the aisle to the strains of "Here Comes the Bride".
Jessica was definitely a flight risk. Her panic attack in the bridal room not even an hour ago that had nearly turned her into a runaway bride proved that.
Dani's gaze cut across the aisle to Nick. Their eyes met and he smiled.
Damn that dimple in his chin. And damn her weak knees as her mouth went dry.
He was as cocky as he was gorgeous—and he knew it. But she couldn't deny he'd saved the day by talking her sister off the proverbial ledge. She had to be grateful, even if she didn't want to add to his already high opinion of himself.
Besides, it wasn't like he was doing her a favor. It was Nick's brother who would have been left standing at the altar with no bride.
Dani shifted her focus away from Mister Wonderful, standing beside the groom in his capacity of best man. Instead she concentrated on her sister and the eternally long aisle.
Dang, she wished Jessica would walk faster. If their father knew how close he'd come to paying for a reception for nothing, he'd no doubt be hauling ass down that aisle and handing off Jessica to Michael before she changed her mind again.
This was too stressful. Dani should be at the beach with her friends, partying her ass off. Not standing there in the world's most uncomfortable shoes and worrying about whether this marriage happened or not.
Finally, Jessica reached the end of the aisle. Dani took the huge bridal bouquet from her, juggling to hold it along with her own.
Yup. She wasn't ever doing this again.
No, way.
If helping her sister plan this wedding had taught her anything it was that she was going to elope. And that she really and truly did not like weddings.
Maybe she was missing a gene or something because she'd never been all that into the whole wedding thing in the first place. But after this, she might actually loathe them.
Too much money. Too many flowers. Way, way too much tulle itching her legs and making it impossible to sit on a toilet.
Not to mention the overabundance of make-up. And hairspray. Ugh, her head was a hard sticky mess.
Then there were the relatives. God, don't get her started on the relatives. People they hadn't seen in decades had to be included on the guest list. The lists consisted of the dregs of not only her family but Nick and Michael's family as well.
Her gaze caught on Nick's Uncle Sal staring at the cleavage of the woman seated next to him. Ugh. If he stared at her or her sister's boobs like that, she was going to hit him with one of the giant candelabra flanking the altar. He'd deserve it.
She turned back to the bride and groom, relieved to see her sister and Michael were holding hands as the priest spoke.
Jessica would be Michael's problem now. Not hers. Thank God for that.
Nick's stare met Dani’s again.
He gave her a subtle thumbs up before he went back to clasping his hands together in front of him. She knew exactly what he meant. So far, so good.
Her lips twitched with a smile.
Cocky stuck-up jock though he was all through high school, it was still nice to have him as an ally today. Bearing the burden of her sister alone would have been too much.
Who knew? Maybe joining the Navy had changed him. He sure looked good in the uniform. Damn good . . .
"Who has the rings?" The officiant's question knocked them both out of their own thoughts.
Dani saw Nick's eyes widen as his brother turned to him. He hadn't been paying attention to the ceremony either. She smiled. Maybe he wasn't completely perfect after all.
He looked a little flustered as he reached into his pocket until he finally emerged with two gold bands in his palm.
The rest of the ceremony flew by and Dani realized that months and months of work and preparation were pretty much all for something that wrapped up in under half an hour.
But now, at least, it was time to party.
As the violinist—their mother's choice for music—played, Jessica and Michael hauled ass down the aisle, giving them a large lead. That figured. Now Jessica practically sprinted. Not before, when Dani really wanted her to.
But crap. She and Nick were supposed to be right behind the bride and groom. They had to catch up.
His hand was on her elbow as she took her first quick step. He leaned close. "Glad that's over."
Dani blew out a breath. "No kidding. After that I need a drink."
It had been a very stressful day, and it was still early.
"That can be arranged." He grinned.
"I'm not of age. Neither are you," she reminded. Though that hadn't seemed to matter when he'd arrived with a mug full of booze to calm down her sister.
"The bartender and I have bonded. We're good. Besides, we're the best man and maid of honor. That gives us a special dispensation. And even if it didn't, the uniform goes a long way to getting me what I want."
She bet it did. Women
probably dropped their panties in droves for Nick in his dress uniform. And no doubt he'd taken them all up on their offer. Which was exactly why Dani needed to steer clear of him, even if he was being nice to her.
No way in hell was she going to be one of his conquests. He didn't give her the time of day when they'd been in school together. She wouldn't give him anything now. Certainly not that, even with as much as she'd like to go back to college in the fall without her V-card.
Even looking as mouth-wateringly tempting as he did today, Nick was not the man to do it. They'd have to see each other every family holiday for the rest of her life. Or for as long as her sister and his brother's marriage lasted.
Wow. Already predicting the demise of her sister's union on her wedding day. She really was cynical about marriage.
The welcome sight of a waiter bearing a tray of champagne greeted her at the end of the aisle. She hesitated. She was nineteen. Would the waiter say something if she took one?
Nick reached out and snagged two glasses, saying, "Thanks, dude."
He extended one toward her with a smile.
If he wasn't worried, neither was she. She grabbed it. "Thanks."
He nodded and held up his. "Here's to this thing being over soon."
She raised her glass to clink with his. "And to a few more glasses of this."
His grin widened. "Definitely."
FOUR
Three hours in and another hour to go.
Nick calculated the remaining time on his path across the dining room on his way back from the men's room.
He spotted Dani on the dance floor.
She was giggling so hard during the chicken dance, she lost her balance and started to windmill her arms as she toppled backward.
He leapt forward, reached out and grabbed her under the arms, steadying her just in time.
Luckily, he'd been near enough he could save her.
"Watch it. We don't want the image of you falling on your butt to be forever immortalized." He tipped his chin toward the guy manning the video camera.
Moving to the edge of the dance floor and out of the fray of wildly flailing party guests, she followed his line of sight and blew out a lip-flapping breath. "What's the difference? Me in this ridiculous dress will already live on in infamy."
"I don't know. It's starting to grow on me." That could be because of the ever-increasing amount of cleavage the strapless gown showed.
Dani rolled her eyes and, reaching for the bodice, hoisted it up. "You just like that my boobs are almost popping out. Stupid strapless . . . ugh."
Busted! He grinned at being caught and at her frustration with the dress. "Yup."
She frowned at him. "Just for being a pig, you can go get me another glass of champagne."
"I told you, they'll give it to you. Nobody cares you're only nineteen. It's a wedding. You're the maid of honor. Your father is footing the bill. They'll give you anything you want."
"And because you're the best man and in uniform, they'll give you anything you want, so go get me one." She planted one hand on her hip and narrowed her eyes at him.
It was so cute he couldn't say no. "Okay."
"Thank you." She nodded. "I'll be out there." She waved an arm in the general direction of outside.
"All right. Be right back."
By the time he found her hidden away in the garden, she had her shoes off and her bare feet propped up on the bench beneath the grapevine arbor.
"Comfortable?" he asked, setting his bounty down on the ground so he could lift her legs and sit on the bench with her.
He'd done one better than just a glass. He'd gotten two empty glasses and an entire bottle. Though that was likely due more to the ten-dollar tip he slipped the bartender than his uniform or status in the wedding party.
He set her legs on his lap and leaned down to grab the bottle and one glass.
"Those shoes are evil," she said in answer to his question.
He handed her a glass of the champagne and set the bottle on the ground again. Grabbing one foot in his hand, he pressed into the sole with both thumbs.
"Ow." She frowned but the wrinkle in her brow disappeared quickly. "Okay. That's pretty good, I guess."
He laughed. "Glad you approve. And don't blame the heels. My feet hurt too. It's just been a long freaking day."
"Mm, hm. Soooo long." She slid down lower so her head rested on the wooden arm of the bench.
"Isn't that wood hurting your head?" he asked.
"I don't have to talk to or smile at any relatives right now. That's what hurts my head."
He shook his head. "Come on. Sit up." He tugged on her arm.
"No," she protested.
He turned her by the shoulders, so she could lean against his shoulder. "Isn't that better?"
"No. Now you can't rub my feet." She pouted and slid down, leaning her head on his thigh as she stretched her legs out on the long bench.
"Can't have everything." He watched her lift up and guzzle the remainder of the champagne in her glass before plopping back down on him. "Thirsty?" he asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"You should probably drink some water."
She lifted one shoulder. "You didn't bring me water."
"Jesus." He cussed under his breath. "Demanding, much?"
But he had to admit she was cute enough to get away with it.
"I'm not half as demanding as my sister. Might want to warn your brother about that."
"Little late for that, I think." He snorted.
"Yeah, I guess so." She drew in a breath and he worked to—and failed at—keeping his gaze off her rising chest as she said, "You know, you're not as bad as I thought you were.”
A laugh burst from him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"You're not half as stuck up or as big of an asshole as I assumed you were."
He let out a snort. "Thanks, I guess.”
"Hey," she said softly. Gently.
"Yeah?"
She angled her head to meet his gaze. "You're actually pretty cool."
"Thanks. And you're not nearly as big of a dork as I thought you were. You're actually pretty cool too."
She nodded. “Thank you."
Her head was way too close to his groin. His own fault. He should have considered that before he suggested she lean on him.
He had one impulse only. To lean down and kiss her.
There were a dozen reasons not to do it.
She'd had a bunch of champagne. They were family now. He'd definitely have to face her again, over and over. They had absolutely nothing in common except for this wedding.
He had only one reason to do it—that he really wanted to—and that one thing trumped all else.
His lips were already on the downward path when she dropped the glass onto the grass and reached up. She pulled his head down the rest of the way with both hands, their lips crashing together with the force of her tug.
He shouldn't have been kissing her. And he really shouldn't enjoy it.
The warmth of her soft mouth beneath his had him second-guessing all that.
Hell, it was a wedding. This was what people did. They drank too much. Did stupid dances. And occasionally kissed people they shouldn't.
They were hidden from view of the dining room windows and he'd hear anyone walking toward them, so it wasn't like anyone could see them.
Resolved this was happening, he slid his tongue between her lips with a groan. She answered it with a sharp intake of breath before she broke the kiss and swung her legs to the ground.
Before he knew it, she'd gathered up the massive amount of fabric that comprised the skirt of her dress and was straddling him where he sat.
This was probably a really bad idea, even if the weight of her on his cock was the best thing he'd felt in a long time.
"Dani—" He didn't get the rest of his protest out before her lips were over his again.
He wrapped his hands around her ribcage to hold her still before he got even
harder, but the swell of her breasts brushing his thumbs did the opposite of what he’d intended.
She pressed closer and his need ratcheted up another notch.
All he could think about was how good it would feel to plunge inside her. Over and over again with her above him. And then with her beneath him. Or him behind her. God, he wanted her every way, plus some ways he hadn't even experienced yet.
Shit.
Bad idea. Bad idea. Bad idea.
So why was he still kissing her? And now he was cupping her breasts while fucking her mouth with his tongue like there was no tomorrow.
The problem remained there definitely was a tomorrow. And it was the brunch for the family members. Her parents. His parents.
Fuck.
How could Nick look at Dani’s father knowing he'd had sex with his daughter? It wouldn't be like Jess and Michael. He and Dani wouldn't be dating. He didn't want a girlfriend. Or a wife.
Maybe one day, but definitely not now.
He was on track to train to be a SEAL. That would take all of his concentration and time.
Besides, he was too damn young to settle down.
Just because his brother had dated the same girl forever didn't mean he wanted to do the same.
His mind raced as he pulled back from her mouth.
He ignored the tempting expression of pure need on her face as she leaned toward him.
Gathering all his determination, he said, "Stop," before he lifted her off and set her firmly on the bench next to him.
Her expression grew dark. "Why?" she asked, breathless.
"I can't do this."
Her dark brows drew low over her stormy eyes before she let out a huff.
"So, the geek's not good enough for the star of the football team after all." She let out a snort as she reached down and scooped up both her shoes and the bottle. "Have a nice life with your cheerleaders and beauty queens."
He could have told her it had nothing to do with who they were in high school and everything to do with who they were now, but she wouldn't have listened.
It was probably better this way anyway. With her mad at him, he wouldn't be tempted to change his mind. Sex with Dani would have been an epic mistake.
