Long and Hard: A Bad Boy Box Set

by Lulu Pratt

  “We’ll all be a big, happy family,” he said.

  Yeah, everyone except me. I would head back home to Dallas after the wedding, and with my best friend and my father figure gone, what would I have left? My parents were divorced, my mother was traveling the globe now that her kids were out of the house, and I didn’t have my sister anymore. Thinking about Jenna drove a sharp pain into my chest, and I pushed away the thoughts of my little sister, gone forever. I would go home empty-handed, and everyone else would stay behind, happy. This wedding idea was bullshit.

  Carter’s phone rang, and he smiled when he looked at the screen. “I have to take this,” he said and walked away from us for privacy.

  “With a face like that, I can guess who it is,” John said. “Have you met Abigail?”

  I nodded. “Carter introduced me last week.”

  “And? What do you think?”

  “She seemed okay, I guess,” I said.

  “But?” John prompted.

  I glanced at Carter who was far enough that we couldn’t hear his conversation and he couldn’t hear ours.

  “I think it’s a mistake,” I said frankly. “He barely knows this girl. She seems nice and all, but they’re all nice at first. How the hell can he be happy? How can he know he’ll be happy forever if he knows nothing about her?”

  John nodded. “I’m sure more people feel that way. Do you know how her family feels about it? Did Carter say?”

  I shook my head. “He didn’t tell me about her family, but I met her friend. The girl doing the wedding. She’s right on board with this, set on creating the perfect wedding for Abigail.”

  I didn’t tell John what I thought about her, that she was fucking annoying and I had wished from the moment I’d met her, she would just shut up. She had been gorgeous with light hair and blue eyes, and when introduced to her, I had thought the cliché of the two best friends hooking up would be beautiful. But she had been all about romance and fantasy, and it had been irritating. She had condoned the whole damn idea.

  “I think Abigail is a nice girl. She might be good for Carter. We can’t know that she won’t,” John said.

  I nodded. “You’re right. But Carter can’t know, either. Not this soon. They haven’t even been together for a year, and half the time they were dating, she was traveling all over the place. They met on the plane, you know. Does she give all the cute guys on her flights her number?”

  John laughed as if I was trying to be funny. I wasn’t.

  “Give Carter some credit. He’s always had good taste in women.”

  I couldn’t argue with him on that, but I wasn’t happy. This wasn’t about Abigail taking him away from me, either. Sure, I was pissed off that he wanted to move here for her, leaving me behind alone. But it was about his happiness, and I was pretty damn sure he was throwing it away for pretty blue eyes and the Californian beach blonde hair.

  John sighed, looking at Carter who was smiling, kicking at nothing on the grass. He was in a different world while talking to Abigail.

  “I know it’s all a bit sudden,” John said. “And I wouldn’t have jumped into something so quickly. Hell, Deborah and I dated for four years before we got married, but we were high school sweethearts.” He sighed again. “If this is what Carter wants, we can’t do anything other than be happy for him. After everything he’s been through, he deserves that much.”

  I agreed. Carter had been through hell and back, and he deserved a shot at forever. But I wasn’t sure he should have searched for it in Abigail.

  “So, we should just let it slide?” I asked

  John shook his head. “We can offer our concerns, but Carter’s old enough and mature enough to decide for himself. Maybe when you kids were young, I would have put a foot down. My role as a caregiver is over. I’m not here to tell him what to do. All I can be to my son now is a friend. You should be too.”

  John’s words were wise, as always. But I didn’t share the same sentiment. John could believe he had no right to interfere with Carter’s decision to marry so soon, but I wasn’t going to let him make the mistake of his life. I was his best friend, and it was my job to look out for him.

  “So, tell me about this wedding coordinator,” John said. “Will she be able to pull it off so quickly? The date they set is soon.”

  I nodded. “Two months. It’s ridiculous. But she looks confident about it. She’s already throwing ideas around. I hope it doesn’t turn into a circus.”

  John laughed. “You’re too skeptical. Anyone who can pull off a wedding that fast has to know what she’s doing. I think I’d like to meet her.”

  I wanted John to meet her, so he could see what I saw. I wanted him to realize everyone was on some kind of trip thinking this was going to work out. Even Carter, who had always been so sensible, was caught in a spell of sorts if he thought this was going to work out.

  “I guess you’ll meet her soon enough,” I said.

  “Is she good-looking? A date for you, perhaps?” John asked and nudged me with his elbow.

  I rolled my eyes. Was she good looking? Hell, yeah. Light hair that she wore on her shoulders in a long bob. Curves in all the right places and she rocked them when she walked. Hazel eyes. But a mouth on her and an attitude that rubbed me the wrong way. It was the perfect combination of sexy and irritating, so I couldn’t forget about her and got angry every time I thought about her.

  I hated women like that. Dangerous, all of them.

  “He’s headed back,” John said, and I noticed Carter had ended his call. “Have a little faith in him. This is hard enough as it is.”

  “Sorry it took so long,” Carter said. “Abigail ran through a couple of wedding things with me. What did I miss?”

  Of course, she did.

  “We were talking about how likely it is to rain today,” John said, looking up at the sky. Clouds had gathered in the distance, but it didn’t look like rain clouds at all.

  “I think we’ll be fine,” Carter said. “We’ll run through the rest of the course in no time.”

  “With your swing?” I joked. “I don’t think so. Might be here all weekend. We can bunk in one of those ditches you’re leaving behind. It will offer us shelter for the night.”

  “Your jokes haven’t improved since college,” Carter said.

  “Neither did your swing,” I countered.

  Carter swore at me, happily produced a string of colorful words, and John and I laughed. These were the best of times. It was a pity this was the last time we would be able to do this for a while. If Carter moved to Austin, I wasn’t going to see him nearly often enough to make time for senseless banter. We would see each other only over the holidays. We would catch up on all the important things, and all that would be left of the time we had together was reminiscing about the good old days.

  If Carter were getting married to a woman I agreed with — there had been a time in his life when I had been more than happy for him — it wouldn’t have bothered me so much. But everything about this was wrong, and no matter how I felt about it, if Carter had set his mind to it, he was going to do whatever he wanted.

  At least John agreed with me that it was a little too fast. It was better than nothing. John would support Carter no matter what, but at least I knew I wasn’t the only one being sensible.

  We finished the hole and walked to the next. Carter complained about having to walk so far in the sun, and John and I ripped him about it. I watched Carter carefully as we played and joked, and I had to admit that my friend did look happy.

  Happiness was the only thing I’d ever wanted for him, but it was too good to be true. That was what worried me. What if Carter got married, and he realized he’d made a mistake? It wasn’t as easy to say, “I don’t anymore” as it was to say, “I do.”

  Maybe Carter needed an eye-opener, something that would show him how silly all this was. Maybe he needed someone to step in. As his best friend, I owed it to him to look out for him.

  Chapter 1

 
; CALLIE

  “SO? HOW MUCH did you miss me?” Isaiah asked when he joined me in the office on Friday night. He had been away for the week because I’d sent him on several training courses. Isaiah worked as my assistant and my stand-in best friend when Abigail was away. He was open about his sexuality, had a flair for fashion and decoration, and loved a wedding as much as the next girl did.

  “God, I missed you more than you’ll ever know,” I said.

  “Music to my ears. Sometimes, I think you know exactly what to say to lure me back here.”

  He came to me and kissed me on the cheek. “What can I do?”

  “I’m drowning in administration,” I admitted.

  Isaiah sat down on the other side of my desk and picked up one of the bride files closest to him. He flipped it open.

  “You haven’t sent her a quote. It’s already Friday,” he said.

  I shot Isaiah a look that suggested I wasn’t in the mood.

  “We’ll shape this up in no time,” Isaiah responded. I was his boss, but I didn’t think he was intimidated by me at all. I didn’t think he was intimidated by anyone. He was a character who’d never fit in anywhere and was proud of it. He liked being different, and because he was so comfortable with who he was, people tended not to judge him. He was one of those rare homosexuals who had never found a reason to hide who they were.

  “You look stressed,” Isaiah said. He was feeding me information as I typed up and sent the emails.

  “I am,” I said. “I overloaded myself.”

  “Honey, you have a knack for that. You should get a boyfriend.”

  I groaned. “Do I look like I have time for a boyfriend?”

  “Then, at least get laid.”

  I laughed. “Incidentally, I need a boyfriend for that.”

  Isaiah shrugged. “Really? Doesn’t work that way for me.”

  “That’s because you’re filthy.”

  Isaiah laughed. “Not all of us can be innocent and dedicated. The world needs balance.”

  Isaiah had been the only male to apply as my assistant, and I had hired him on the spot. I had been through women all day who had told me they believed in happily ever after. I wasn’t in the business of happily ever after. I was in the business of happy for that day. Isaiah had understood what I was all about, and I let him drown himself in lace and glitter and romance. Win for me. Win for him. Win for our clients.

  “Are you going to pretend this doesn’t exist all night?” Isaiah asked, holding up Abigail’s bride file.

  I sagged in my chair. “I was hoping I could avoid the topic, yeah.”

  “Now you have to tell me everything,” Isaiah said. “It’s all a bit sudden, isn’t it?”

  I nodded and brought Isaiah up to speed. In the four years he had been working for me, he’d come out with me and Abigail a couple of times, and he knew her well enough to know what I was going through when I explained how bizarre the situation was.

  “Is he a hottie?” Isaiah asked when I told him I’d met with them for the initial planning process.

  “He’s taken,” I responded.

  “So, he’s gorgeous,” Isaiah confirmed.

  “The best man is hotter.” I chuckled. “But he’s a real dick.”

  “Right up my alley.”

  I shook my head. “You’re always two steps ahead of me. I just can’t keep up with you, Isaiah.”

  “Stop it, or it will go straight to my head,” Isaiah joked. His smile faded. “You’re not happy for Abigail?”

  Isaiah knew me too well. This was what happened when I worked with a man more in touch with my feminine side than I would ever be.

  “I think it’s a bit quick, but I don’t know how long she’s known him. We didn’t have a chance to chat. Grayson, the best man, is a nightmare. He’s a jerk, set on shooting down every idea I have. I don’t know why this guy is in such a bad mood, but he really hates the idea of his friend getting married.”

  “Jealousy?”

  I shook my head, thinking back to the encounter with Grayson.

  “He doesn’t care for Abigail. Something else is up, but I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this guy without being rude. I don’t want to ruin it for Abigail, but he was already testing my patience, and it was just one meeting.”

  Isaiah nodded. “The attractive ones are the hardest to deal with.”

  I smiled. “This is not about his looks.”

  “Really? Tell me it would have been just as hard if he was butt ugly.”

  I shook my head, still smiling.

  “What would you do if you were me?”

  Isaiah waggled his eyebrows at me, and I blushed.

  “It is because he’s hot. I knew it!”

  “I’m not joking, Isaiah,” I said, blushing harder.

  Isaiah chuckled. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll stop joking. You’ve had difficult clients before. I know you know what to do.”

  He was right. I’d had many difficult clients in the past. But they had all been taken, and I hadn’t been as attracted to any of them as I had been to Grayson.

  Of course, they hadn’t been as annoying, either. But that was probably because he had been so hot.

  “This I what you’re going to do. You’re going to be professional because you’re the bigger person, and you’re going to be firm. You know what you’re doing, and he’s a measly best man who will only be in your life for one event and that’s it.”

  I nodded. “You’re right.” I was the professional. I knew what I was doing. I had countless successful weddings behind me, and if anyone knew Abigail and what she wanted, it was me. Definitely not an idiot who’d only just met her.

  My phone rang, interrupting our call.

  “Callie!” Abigail cried over the phone. “I’m out on the town tonight, celebrating being back!” She sounded like she’d had a bit to drink already. “You have to join me.”

  “Are you drunk already?” I asked.

  “No, but I will be soon, so if you don’t come out right now, you’re going to miss out.”

  I laughed. “I’ll be right there. Text me where you are.”

  The line went dead.

  “Abigail invited me out,” I said. “Let’s finish up here.”

  “I hope you’re not planning on going out without me,” Isaiah said. “I haven’t seen her in too long, either.”

  I shook my head. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  We finished the most urgent emails before we locked up and headed out. Abigail had texted me the name of the place where she was, and Isaiah and I climbed into a cab.

  We climbed out at the Garage, a cocktail bar that was in a former parking garage. The place was dark and modern with the unfinished feel of the place adding to its atmosphere. It was full tonight, and Isaiah and I pushed through the crowd to the bar before I texted Abigail that we’d arrived.

  “There’s not a lot of talent here tonight,” Isaiah said, looking around. “Except that cutie at the bar. Damn, that’s a hot one.”

  I looked where he was shamelessly staring and rolled my eyes, groaning.

  “That’s him.”

  “Who?” Isaiah asked.

  “The best man. Grayson.”

  Isaiah raised his eyebrows. “Damn, girl. If that’s who you were talking about, I don’t blame you for being attracted to him.”

  I laughed. “I’m not attracted to him.” When I looked at Grayson again, I had to retract my words. He was so hot, I had to admit I was attracted to him. He wore his dark hair back, and it looked like he’d merely run his fingers through it. His dark eyes slid around the room. His face was perfect, a square jaw, straight nose, prominent eyebrows. But he was a dick, and it didn’t matter how hot he was if he couldn’t behave.

  “I need a drink,” I said, signaling the bartender. “I had no idea he would be here too.”

  “I’m with you on that,” Isaiah said. We each ordered Sex on the Beach. Isaiah clinked his glass against mine when it arrived.

  “To ho
t dates,” he said.

  “Callie!” Abigail squealed behind me and wrapped her arms around me. “You made it. And Isaiah, you stud! I had no idea you were coming. You have to meet my fiancé.”

  Isaiah glanced at me before Abigail pulled him away and introduced him to Carter. Isaiah looked him up and down before shaking his hand.

  “It’s a pleasure,” he said, and I didn’t want to know what he was thinking. Abigail joined me at the bar and ordered tequila.

  “We have to have a shot together,” she said.

  I didn’t argue. I hadn’t been out drinking with Abigail for far too long. When I looked up, Grayson was staring at me. His eyes were drowning deep, and he didn’t break eye contact for a second. I looked away, irritated.

  “I didn’t know Grayson was here,” I said to Abigail.

  “We couldn’t leave him at home. It’s not fair,” she said.

  As if we had summoned him by speaking about him, Grayson made his way to us. I saw Isaiah staring and introduced himself.

  “You’re the assistant?” Grayson asked, and I could see him openly judging Isaiah. Isaiah didn’t seem to mind, but I was upset right away. Why was he being so rude? We weren’t even talking about the wedding, and he was being intolerable.

  I walked up to Grayson and pulled him to the bar.

  “May I talk to you for a moment?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Grayson said.

  “Can you not be a jerk tonight? We’re all here to enjoy ourselves.”

  Grayson shrugged, sipping his drink. It was some sort of amber liquid.

  “I don’t know. Can I?” he asked. “Why don’t you just relax, sweetheart? Enjoy yourself. A beautiful woman like you shouldn’t be so uptight.”

  My stomach clenched at the compliment, and I fought a blush. I didn’t want to blush because of him. I didn’t want to like the words that came out of his mouth. It was all a game. He knew how charming he was, and he was using it against me.

  I rolled my eyes. He was so annoying. I had to remind myself of that and not focus on how magnetic he was. It had to be the alcohol. Being this close to him was disconcerting. I could smell his cologne, and it was intoxicating, threatening to erase how irritated I was with him. But I wouldn’t let it change my mind. I wouldn’t let his charm and his looks win me over.