Why did I let her slip away? I should have kept her in the first place. Now I had to go through several weeks of wondering what she would be like. She might be married to some other lucky bastard by now. Fuck. That would be my worst nightmare.
I shrugged my shoulders when I realized it wouldn’t matter if she were married to someone else. I had to have her. I had to get her for myself. No torture could be worse than seeing her with somebody else. I don’t think I could live in a world knowing some other guy was touching her skin and worshiping her curves when I couldn’t.
I wasted too many years with my head in the sand when I could have been enjoying myself with her. I shouldn’t have run the risk of her changing into something any less attractive and desirable. I nursed too many fevered dreams about her. I couldn’t cope if the reality didn’t match my fantasies.
How would I get through a whole weekend of wedding and family get-togethers with her and not let Charlie know there was ever anything between us? Messing around with Victoria in high school or around the college dorms was one thing. This was going to be a whole different kettle of fish. Charlie wouldn’t let me out of his sight. I’d be chained to his side for the whole weekend.
Thank God, he didn’t ask me to be his best man. Being his best friend and trying to sneak off with his sister at the same time was already more than I could handle.
4
Victoria
I smoothed my dress down my hips in front of the mirror and fixed my hair. Charlie didn’t tell me anything about the guest list, but I had a gut feeling Brady would be at the engagement party. I would make him regret he ever turned his back on me.
I pushed my bust up so my cleavage spilled out of my top. He always like that, and I could make him hard just throwing my chest around. I would make him wish we were still together. I might even twist the knife by hitting on some other guy at the party.
I strutted out into the sea of voices and bodies moving all around. The groomsmen stood in one corner with Charlie. Dozens of relatives filled the living room at my uncle’s house, but I didn’t see Brady anywhere.
I waded into the mix. People stopped to greet me on all sides. I hugged my relatives and introduced myself to people I never saw before. Half the people in the place belonged to Mandy’s family. I saw some of my own cousins I hadn’t seen in years and barely recognized. There were spouses of people who got married or moved across the country. There were some of Mandy’s friends from work. There was just about everybody, except the one person I kept searching for.
Why was I searching for him? I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. Maybe he wouldn’t come. Maybe Charlie forgot all about him. Why was I getting all fluttery in my stomach thinking about him? Brady Townsend was just another guy, another hard guy who wanted a nice piece of ass.
As I was just about to give up my search, I saw him. The crowd parted, and there he was, standing right next to Charlie. They laughed and slapped each other on the back just the way they used to. They talked with their heads together like seven years hadn’t passed since they saw each other.
At that moment, I knew I messed up big time making myself more noticeable to him. I never stopped wanting him. I wanted him now as much as I ever did. If he put out his hand and cocked his head to one side to invite me to slip away with him, I would do it. I would follow him exactly the way I used to when we were in high school. He could make me so dripping wet I couldn’t resist.
Icy cold slithered up my spine. I had to get away. I had to hide in the crowd so he wouldn’t notice me. I couldn’t run the risk of him seeing me in that dress, or I would be lost. I couldn’t have him scope me up and down. I couldn’t have those mesmerizing eyes trace my breasts and my hips and my thighs.
Forget about making him regret what he did. Forget the whole thing. I wished I never came to the party. I should have locked myself in my room at home and never gone near him.
Just then, my mom hustled up to me. “I need your help in the kitchen. We’re putting out the crab dip, and we don’t have any Tabasco sauce.”
I raced after her with my heart pounding in my neck. I would take any excuse to get away from Brady. What made me think I could ignore him? What made me think my feelings wouldn’t come rushing back?
He looked just as good as he ever did—maybe even better. The years were more than kind to him. They made him more commanding, more enticing. He got bigger, bulkier, more masculine than ever. Now that I saw him at the age of twenty-eight, I realized how young and awkward he was back then. He didn’t know what to do with himself.
Those eyes burned into my soul, even after I took refuge in the kitchen. Those eyes knew exactly what they wanted. They knew what they were looking at, and they knew what to do with it. Years of experience told him how to take his time, how to move in on his prey with infinite slow movements.
Those eyes kept me frozen like a deer in the headlights. They disintegrated my flesh at his touch until I fell at his feet in a puddle of panting desire.
My mom shoving the empty Tabasco bottle into my hand woke me from my reverie. “What are we going to do? We can’t serve crab dip without Tabasco.”
I bit my lip to contain my laughter. Of course, my mom would worry about something as little at Tabasco sauce. But this was my chance to get away from Brady. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll run out to the store and get some.” I would make any excuse to get out of here before I fell apart.
“Oh, would you, really?” she gasped. “Thank you so much, honey. You’re the best.”
Yeah. I’m the best. I’m the best at getting myself into situations I can’t get out of.
I tossed the empty bottle in the trash and raced for the door when a blocky figure barred my way. It was him. My heart stopped, and my breath stuck in my throat. He looked me up and down.
“There you are. I was hoping I would see you again.”
I ducked around him. “Gotta go. Crab dip emergency. Can’t serve crab dip without Tabasco.”
I raced to the door and ran out to freedom. I jumped in my car and fired that mother up. Now that I was outside, my dress made no sense at all. I would attract lots of attention at the grocery store, but who cared? I was out of there. I didn’t have to talk to Brady Townsend after all.
I hit the gas and swerved into the main road. Phew! I started to calm down on the way to the store, but once I got to the parking lot, I faced a whole new problem. A bunch of construction guys leaned against their truck fenders right outside the door. They unwrapped the sandwiches they just bought and ate their dinner. They laughed and joked and swigged their drinks out of the bottles.
Well, here goes nothing. I got out of the car and slammed the door. The noise attracted their attention, and their eyes bugged out of their heads when they saw me sashaying across the parking lot toward them in my dress.
At first, they just stood and stared. Then came the first wolf whistle and the catcalls. “Holy Mother of God! Will you look at that!”
“Hey, baby, come on over here and have dinner with me. You won’t regret it.”
My cheeks burned, but I couldn’t help smiling. I could throw it around for them, no problem. Anything was better than getting stared at by Brady Townsend. I wasn’t in danger of falling for any of these guys.
I strutted past them and paused in the door to throw one hip out to the side. I gave my ass a hard slap. “Take a good look, boys, ‘cuz you ain’t never getting a piece of this.”
I went to the store and got the Tabasco. When I came back, the guys were gone. I got in my car and started the motor, but I drove back to the house much slower than I left it. I parked outside and took my keys out of the ignition, but I didn’t want to go in.
Now, what was I going to do? I couldn’t exactly ditch the party when I carried the crucial Tabasco in my hand. I definitely didn’t want to go back in there, though. He would be waiting for me. Once he set his eyes on something he wanted, he didn’t back down. I knew that better than anyone.
Those eyes told m
e everything. He wanted me again. He wanted to pick up where we left off, and I couldn’t let that happen. I had to avoid him.
Maybe, just maybe, I could duck in, toss the Tabasco to my mother, and hit the bricks. Maybe he would be in the bathroom and wouldn’t see me, but what about Charlie? What about Mandy and all my family and all Mandy’s family? They would notice if the groom’s sister ditched the engagement party. Charlie would be furious and demand an explanation.
No, I had to go back in there. I had to face the music, and that meant Brady Townsend. I had the rest of the weekend to get through, and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I didn’t get myself under control pretty quick.
I could still pull this off. I got away from him once. I could do it again. I could be too busy helping my mom and talking to people to notice him. I would surround myself with strangers so he couldn’t touch me.
He couldn’t lead me off into a private room for you-know-what if I didn’t let it happen. Right?
5
Brady
I spotted her the minute she walked in the door. Holy fuck, that dress worked miracles on her. She looked even better than she did in high school. The dress hugged her curves, and her heels made her ass sway when she walked.
Her face showed the signs of maturity. She wasn’t a little girl anymore. She understood pleasure and pain. She understood the heart in ways she never did before.
Her eyes widened when she saw me looking at her. She still wanted me. She still craved the attention of my eyes slipping over her curves, but they didn’t respond the way they used to. I could tell something was stopping her, but I wouldn’t allow that.
Gravity hauled me toward her. I had to get near her, but she kept slipping away. She hurried to the kitchen, and a dozen women engulfed her. No way was anyone with a cock getting in there. She worked with her mother and her aunts to get the buffet on the table. Bodies surrounded her so I couldn’t see her.
A moment later, her mother came into the living room. “Come and get it, everybody.”
The whole crowd came at a run. Charlie caught my arm. “You’re with me, man. Don’t think you can run off and leave me high and dry.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
He dumped me in the chair next to him, so I couldn’t get away. I caught sight of Victoria’s dress flashing gold and shimmering down the table. I kept calm, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She spent the meal talking to other people. She never looked at me once.
Anger bubbled up in my chest. What was she trying to do to me? Didn’t she know what seeing her again would do to me? Didn’t she know how she drove me crazy? A guy couldn’t stand this much blood rushing to his nuts and cock without some relief.
Was she turned on right now? Did seeing her bring back old memories and old feelings, old desires? Did she ever dream about me the way I dreamed about her? I stole another glance at her, and she never once looked back at me. From the way she acted, anyone would think we never met at all. I could actually start to think she didn’t remember me.
How many guys did she play around with in the last seven years? Maybe some of them were ten times the lay I ever was. Maybe I was too young and stupid to make much of an impression on her. Maybe I squandered my chance to get close to her.
Charlie told everyone how funny I was. He told them all about the great jokes I used to tell, how I kept everybody rolling in the aisles. He kept nudging me in the ribs and telling me to tell everyone that joke about whatever. I didn’t feel like joking, though. I couldn’t get my mind to function.
Of everyone at that table, no one existed for me but her. She filled my whole world. I spent so much time dreaming about her, and here she was. She was just as enticing as ever. But she was out of my reach. She talked to other guys, but she didn’t flirt with them. Maybe they were her relatives. I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t think straight.
Charlie made some joke about me being preoccupied with my business affairs. Everybody laughed at my expense, but I didn’t care. If I could give them a laugh without taking my eyes off Victoria, I was happy. I didn’t want to talk to anybody right then.
Dinner broke up, and lively dance music bumped in the other room. Victoria hung back to help the women clear the table and put the food away. I lingered around in the doorway until I saw her coming back for another pile of plates. Then I moved in to murmur under my breath. “Why don’t you come outside for a walk with me when you’re finished here?”
She actually smiled. “I’d like that, but I have to help Mandy after this. We’re going over to pick up her luggage from the fitter’s, and then we have to take all the gifts to her place, and the bridesmaids are getting together to plan the bridal shower. Maybe another time.”
I started to say, “Okay, let’s make a time,” but she lugged her plates to the kitchen before I got a chance. Now I knew for certain she was avoiding me, and she did such a good job that I never got near her again.
What the fuck was going on? Why couldn’t we just pick up where we left off? I felt the same way about her, and now I knew she felt the same way about me. What was stopping her from migrating toward me the way I migrated toward her? She must have felt that cosmic pull bringing us together. She must understand it would happen one way or the other.
Charlie appeared at my elbow with some other reason I had to go back to the living room with him. I went along with it, but I kept glancing toward the door. I didn’t want to be there. I wanted to be somewhere alone with Victoria.
After several minutes of chatting with the other groomsmen, I caught sight of her heading down the hall. It was now or never. I made an excuse to the guys, and I hurried out to find her returning from the sunroom with a paper gift bag in one hand. It took all my strength not to kiss her then and there. I would have dragged her into a nearby room if I had my way.
I blocked her path again. “Come outside by the pool for a second. I want to talk to you.”
“I gotta go,” she replied. “Mandy’s waiting for me.”
I frowned down at her. “You’re not going anywhere until you talk to me. We haven’t seen each other in seven years, and you won’t look sideways at me. What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on. I told you I have to go. Mandy and all the other bridesmaids are waiting outside.”
“Why are you avoiding me? Why do you keep running off every time I try to talk to you?”
“Come on, Brady. You know I wouldn’t avoid you.”
God, her saying my name like that stabbed straight to my guts. I would give anything to get her to say my name again, and again. My insides convulsed in knots. I took a step toward her.
At that moment, Charlie’s voice interrupted me. “Hey, man. I thought I asked you to spot me on a game of Quarters, but you keep running off. What’s going on?”
I turned to answer. Quick as a wink, Victoria darted around me. “Gotta go. See ya later. Have fun with your game.”
I kicked myself, but I couldn’t show Charlie any annoyance. “Can’t it wait, just for a second?”
Charlie stiffened in the doorway. “What’s going on with you, buddy? Every time I turn around, you’re working in on my sister. What’s the big deal?”
I waved my hand. What was the point? She was already long gone. “I’m just trying to talk to her, but she keeps giving me the slip. I haven’t seen her in seven years. I just want to touch base with her, you know?”
Charlie took my arm. “She’s busy. You know how all this bride’s stuff is. Come and have some fun. That’s what we’re here for. You can catch up with her anytime.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, man. I’ll be back with you as soon as I can, but there’s something I gotta do right now. It’s important.”
Charlie frowned. “What could be more important right now?”
I got away from him as fast as I could. He would never understand about Victoria and me. That little tidbit could destroy our friendship worse than seven years of not talking to each other, but I couldn’t let her slip
away from me again. Now that I had her in my sight, I couldn’t let her go.
I raced down the hall, but I couldn’t see her anywhere. Brightly colored dresses glinted in the lights outside the windows. Car doors slammed, and women laughed. Motors roared, and the cars drove out of the driveway. She couldn’t be gone already. She couldn’t.
Then I saw her heading for the closet in her uncle’s office. That’s where everybody hung their coats when they first came in. Her leg flashed under her dress going through the door. Now was my chance.
I darted into the office. It wasn’t much more than a closet itself, with a desk at the far end and coats draped everywhere. They hung on hangers from the curtain rod and piled the desk and chair. I took one step into the room, shut the door, and locked it behind me.
6
Victoria
I spun around when I heard the lock click to find Brady standing right behind me. He stood so close the seething power radiated from him. How did I think I could ever avoid him? His fingers, those magical fingers, trailed off the doorknob when he took a step toward me. He towered over me in all his massive bulk.
He glanced down at my mouth, and the air stuck in my lungs. I couldn’t breathe when he looked at me like that, when he glided toward me on a cushion of masculine energy. He murmured low. “Put your coat down.”
I did my best to smile. “I told you I have to go. I have to help Mandy.”
“Mandy has plenty of people to help her. You’re not going anywhere.”
I opened my mouth to argue back, but my cheeks burned so hot I couldn’t form the words. He stood so close, so impossibly close. If he moved any closer, he would be right on top of me.
He breathed into my face. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you. When I got the invitation, all I could think about was seeing you again.”
Triplets Make Five Page 45
