by Amie Knight
But Oliver was in a league all of his own. I didn’t have anything on him. The cut of his black tux was so damn perfect, you could almost see the outline of all his beautiful muscles. My mouth started to water at the thought of those muscles beneath my hands only months ago. I wanted to rip his bow tie off with my teeth. This was becoming more and more of a problem when I was around my Winnie.
He must have had his thick hair cut because it was tame and styled and I wanted to muss it with my fingers. I wanted to run my hands all through it and then let them continue their exploration farther south.
My stomach did little flip-flops every time we took a step and his hip brushed the side of mine. He was holding my arm, but you would have thought he was caressing my inner thigh with what my thoughts were. I was going to hell.
His smell wasn’t helping either. It was typical minty Winnie with a hint of cologne that I swore he was wearing just to torture me and, trust me, it was working. Overtime.
I held his arm tightly. We were getting close to the front of the room and I knew soon I was going to have to let him go. His green-brown eyes glanced at me quickly and he gave me a half-smirk that said he might know what I was thinking. I didn’t think he knew at all. Unless he was thinking that I was thinking about him with no clothes.
It seemed like forever since that night in Level Up, but no matter how I tried I couldn’t get him out of my mind. And the more and more I thought about it, the more I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, I just needed to give in and let Oliver have me. And I could have him, too. It was what we both wanted, so it was the logical answer to our problem.
He was a playboy himself and I was sure he didn’t want any commitment. Maybe once we had each other, all this terrible longing and thinking of him would go away. And clearly he wanted me. He told me as much that night at the shop.
Before we parted at the front of the altar he looked at me and I shot him a wink that had his forehead crinkling with worry. I almost laughed as I made my way to stand in my spot at the front of the room next to Ella. She looked gorgeous in her pink princess gown and tiara and my heart melted whenever she looked over at Luk and smiled.
I stood at the front of the room nervously, scanning the audience for the most important man in my life, when I finally spotted him and Amor about six rows back on Scarlett’s side. I gave him a small grin and he blew me a kiss.
When the wedding march started to play, my eyes were glued to the back of the church as Scarlett came through the double doors. Time seemed to stand still for the whole room as she made her way in. She looked positively stunning and I thought maybe I could take a little credit for that since I’d helped her pick out that amazing dress whose empire waist showcased her sweet baby as much as it did her.
She looked straight ahead at Luk and I couldn’t help but cut my eyes to him occasionally, too. And the look in his eyes, the tears standing in them told me all I needed to know about the man who would soon be the newest member of my family. That man worshipped my best friend and the ground she walked on. It was written all over his face. And my girl looked the happiest I’d ever seen her.
She cradled her baby bump in one hand and her flowers in the other and I thought of how soon she’d have a baby. Life was changing so much and Scarlett was getting everything she deserved. I’d be an auntie soon.
I sniffed and dabbed at the corner of my eye. I caught Oliver looking at me with raised eyebrows.
I mouthed, “I have something in my eye.”
He smiled wide and went back to watching Scarlett approach Lukas.
The rest of the ceremony was beautiful and went off without a hitch. Afterward, I rode with Pops over to the NFL stadium for the Cougars, the team Luk played for. Beautiful white tents scattered the football field and a DJ pumped out music while everyone mingled and danced. My first order of business was a drink.
Pops, Amor, and I headed to the bar. Mason stood there, drink in hand, looking quite debonair and tall. So damn tall. I didn’t notice until I was beside him how big he was. Ella was perched next to him like a bodyguard and I thought it was pretty damn cute.
“You looking at me?” Mason asked with a smirk.
“Yep,” I said, popping the P, being extra cute. I really liked Mason. He was damn good-looking, but I didn’t have eyes for him tonight. “You and your date are pretty cute.” I nodded toward Ella.
Mason looked at Ella sweetly. “She’s the belle of the ball. Ain’t that right, Ells?”
“Yep,” Ella answered.
After we finished two rounds of drinks and did some mingling, Pops surprised me with a tap on the shoulder. “May I have this dance?” he asked with a bow and I bit my lip to keep from laughing.
“Of course you can,” I answered, placing my hand in his as he led me to the floor. He spun me around with one hand before he enveloped me in his arms. Feeling a bit lightheaded from the alcohol, I giggled.
“You’re a good dancer, Pops.”
He gave me a cocky grin. “Of course I am. How the hell do you think I get all the ladies?” Speaking of ladies, he gave Amor a wink over my shoulder.
“You should be dancing with her, ya know?”
“I will. I wanted to give my Hazey a turn first. You’re my favorite girl anyway.”
I leaned forward and rested my head on Pops’s shoulder. It wasn’t easy since he was so much shorter than me, but I was making it work. I closed my eyes for a minute, thanking God for every second I still got to spend with this crazy ass man.
“Can I cut in, Mr. Price?” I heard Oliver’s voice and I popped my eyelids open to find him there right behind Pops, with a gentle hand on Pops’s shoulder.
“Of course, Oliver.” Pops moved back and let Oliver move in, and I could immediately smell him.
There was no formality with Oliver. He brought me all the way in by my waist and wrapped his arms there so we were pelvis to pelvis. I ran my hands up the front of his torso before wrapping them around his neck. He swayed me from side to side.
“Hey, Winnie,” I said low, so only he could hear.
“Hi, Hazel.” He smiled down at me like he had done at least a million other times, but today that smile made my knees weak and my skin prickle.
I didn’t know if the few drinks I’d had gave me liquid courage or if the man had finally broken my brain with his ridiculous sexiness, but I had a plan and it may have been a crazy one. But I was going forth with it.
“I’ve been thinking, Oliver,” I said seriously, looking him dead in the eye. I couldn’t let him for one minute think that this was a joke. Because it sure as hell wasn’t. I needed him to put his penis inside of me before I died and this was no laughing matter.
He squinted at me and pursed his lips before saying, “This sounds dangerous. Tell me. Did you decide to start a drug smuggling ring with all the marijuana in your backyard?”
I looked around us, panicked someone had heard him. “Shhh, Winnie. Are you crazy? And no. Pops found someone to come get it all. Hopefully it will be gone by this weekend.”
After I’d raised hell about us all going to jail for three hours both Pops and Amor agreed to get rid of it.
Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Who’s coming to get it?”
“He said he knew a guy.” I shrugged.
“What guy?”
I shrugged again. Who the hell knew? But I was guessing it might be the same guy who he had gotten the greenhouse from in the first damn place. But I was over this conversation because I really needed to talk to him about my idea.
I pushed my hands that were around his neck into the back of his hair, running my fingers through it as I tried to redirect him. “I need you to focus on my idea right now.”
With pink cheeks he said, “Okay, what’s this brilliant idea?” He was already putty in my hands simply from me caressing the back of his head. My plan was going to work. I just knew it.
I smiled at him sweetly, continuing to butter him up. “So, you know how you like me and I like
you?”
He blinked hard. “Okay. What do you mean by like? Are you talking about like as friends or like as more?”
I nodded slowly. “Good question. I’m talking about like as in want to have sex with each other.”
“Oh.” I could tell by the shocked look on his face that he wasn’t expecting that.
“Yeah. So we both want it. Both of us are experienced.” I swallowed hard before finishing my sentence because as I was proposing all of this to Oliver, I couldn’t stop thinking about his hands on my breasts, his mouth at my nipples, the mind-blowing orgasm I knew he could give. Because he’d already given me an amazing one and it had been over my clothes. Oh, man, the things he would be capable of if we were naked. “I think we should just do it.”
Oliver looked half apprehensive, half confused when he asked, ”Do what, exactly?”
I wrapped my arms tighter around him and brought my lips to his ear. “It, Winnie. We should have sex.”
His body froze on the dance floor. All pretenses of swaying or moving completely stopped as he looked down at me like I’d lost my mind. “You want to have sex with me?”
“Yes. But could you keep it a little quieter? This is private stuff, you know.” The man was trying to announce our soon to be sex life to the whole damn room.
“Now?” he questioned, eyes huge, face red.
“Well, not right this minute, Oliver. Right now, we’re in a public place.” Unless he wanted— “Oh, unless you’re into that. Then sure, right now is fine.”
He stared at me for about ten seconds more before he muttered, “Will you excuse me?” And then he stepped off the dance floor and left me standing there alone.
Well, hell. That didn’t go as planned at all. He’d looked terrified at the prospect of a sexual encounter with me and I couldn’t for the life of me understand why. Hell, we’d almost had sex just a few months ago.
I walked over to the bar and ordered another drink. Because what the hell? This was my best friend’s wedding and I’d just asked her brother to have sexy times with me. He’d basically run off like sex with me was the worst thing in the world.
That hadn’t hurt my ego or my heart at all, I told myself as I ordered a fruity cocktail.
I sipped the cocktail through a straw, and by sip I might have meant chugged. Fuck me, this night wasn’t going well.
“What are you drinking?” Mason asked, walking up beside me and leaning against the bar.
“My sorrows away.”
“Well, I happen to be pretty damn good at that. I think I’ll join you.”
Shrugging, I said, “Suit yourself.”
He motioned the bartender over. “I’ll have a Jack and Coke.” And then he gave me a long look before saying, “This doesn’t have anything to do with Oliver, does it?”
I turned to him, one hand on my hip and one hand holding my drink. “What makes you say that?” I asked with snark.
He laughed low. “Oh, come on, it’s not like you’re even trying to hide it. You two are always giving each other eyes and sneaking off together.”
“We do not sneak!” I denied.
Grabbing his Jack and Coke from the bar, he took a sip. “Whatever you say.”
“Okay, well, this is what I say. It’s none of your business about me and Oliver.”
“Touché,” he said and took a small sip of his drink.
Two more drinks later and I was sitting at a table with Mason three sheets to the wind and telling him my entire life story. Well, really Winnie’s and my life story.
Mason sat there, attentive as all get-out and a complete gentleman as he listened to my drunk ramblings. I couldn’t figure out why the guy was still single. I mean he was good-looking, an NFL player, and nice to boot. He should have landed himself a lady a long time ago.
When I finally finished telling him my story, he looked like someone had rode him hard and hung him out to dry. I didn’t blame him. Oliver and I were a lot.
“Wow,” he said, scratching at the blond stubble on his chin. “Y’all have a lot of history and it sounds to me like Ollie’s in love with you.”
I jumped back. “What? No. I think he just wants to have really hot sex with me.”
I would deny that Oliver was in love with me for as long as I could because that really was a line we couldn’t cross.
“That, too.” Mason laughed out.
With drunken feet I stood up on my heels, wobbling a little. “Well, it’s been good chatting, Mason. You’re a nice dude and all, but I have to go find Oliver.”
Mason held up a fist of solidarity. “You go get your man, sister!”
That’s right. I marched around the room looking for my Winnie. I had something to give him. Newsflash. It was me.
I was fucked. Really and truly. And nothing in the world quite said fucked like hiding in the bottom of a coat closet from a girl who wanted to have sex with you because you’d made her believe that you’d had lots of sex so it wouldn’t be a big deal at all.
But it was a huge deal because I’d never even kissed another woman besides Hazel. And she needed to know this, especially since I was pretty sure she wanted to take things to the next level.
I got a message on my phone and opened it up. It was spam, but I liked the light from it, so left it on and set it on the floor. I had to sit here and come up with a plan to tell Hazel everything.
It looked like she possibly was ready to move forward in our relationship. Or was she? I thought again about our conversation on the dance floor. She’d proposed sex. But she hadn’t mentioned anything about love. Was she just trying to use me for a good time? Or did she really actually want anything more from me?
I probably should have stayed and asked those questions instead of running to the very first place I could find where I could hide. This damn coat closet.
So, basically I had a ton of questions and even more fessing up to do. I wondered how Hazel would react to the news. The thought made me feel sick. Because I knew for a fact she was going to run. It was her MO.
While I was thinking of all the ways I could tell her without freaking her the hell out, the coat closet door swung open and scared the shit out of me.
Lukas stood there looking as shocked as I was that I was sitting in the bottom of the coat closet.
“Hey, Luk.” I tried to play it cool like this was no big deal. I didn’t want to explain shit to him.
“What the hell are you doing in here?” he asked.
I pushed my head out the door and looked around before pulling it back in. “I’m hiding from Hazel.”
“Why?”
I knew no man could ever understand why I’d hide from the gorgeousness that was Hazel, but I was too damn embarrassed to explain it all, so I just sat there staring at him.
“Spill it, Ollie. I don’t have all damn day. My wife is waiting on me.” He was getting annoyed with me. But I’d been annoyed with him plenty. He was winning me over slowly but surely. But he had, in fact, knocked my sister up before marriage and now she’d moved in with him and was cooking him all my meals. I just wanted him to get out of the damn doorway before Hazel found me and invited me over to dinner occasionally. Was that too much to ask?
“Fine,” I growled. “I’m hiding because imavirgin,” I said as quickly as I could.
“What?” he asked, looking completely confounded.
He needed to get the hell out of here before someone spotted him talking to the crazy groomsman in the closet and reported me to Hazel. “I said, Hazel wants to have sex and I’m terrified because I’m a fucking virgin. There! Are you happy? Now, close the fucking door!”
He was giving me a look that said he thought I was a complete liar. I was hoping that Hazel didn’t give me the same look when I told her the truth.
“Luk!” I heard Hazel call out and I snapped back against the wall in the closet and held my breath like she could hear me breathe when I knew she couldn’t.
“Close the door,” I whispered in a panic.
/> Luk grabbed my sister’s purse and his jacket quickly and slammed the door shut just in time.
“Hey, Hazel.” I heard him say through the door and I pressed my eyes closed, praying I wasn’t about to get caught. She wouldn’t think I was so sexy anymore, if she found me in the bottom of a damn closet.
I heard Hazel ask, “Have you seen Ollie?”
“Who, me? No, I’ve been with Scarlett all night. Why? Do you need him?” Jesus Christ, Luk was a terrible fucking liar. He was going to get me caught. I banged my head on the wall behind me. Fuck.
“Yeah, there’s something I’ve been wanting to give him.” Holy shit. I knew exactly what she wanted to give me and, believe me, I wanted it, but under the right circumstances. We had shit to talk about first.
“Maybe he went home for the night.” I heard Luk say through the door.
“Okay, well, thanks.” I heard the tap of Hazel’s heels leaving and breathed out a long sigh full of relief.
I sat in the bottom of the closet for another thirty minutes and I might have even Googled how to tell someone you love you were a virgin. It wasn’t much help. It was just a bunch of random ass people giving advice and none of it seemed good enough for Hazel.
I finally found my balls and climbed out of the closet, determined to tell Hazel the truth and then confront this sex thing head-on. I only made it about ten feet when I ran into Mason and Hazel. She was clinging to his arm and I almost snatched her away and punched him until I saw his face.
“Thank fucking God.” He gave me help-me-please eyes. “Look, Hazel. I found Oliver.”
“Oliver, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she slurred out and let go of Mason’s arm for two seconds and almost fell flat on her face.
I grabbed her before she bit the dust and pulled her into my side, helping her stand.
Mason held up his hands in front of him like he was done with this bullshit. “You got her, bro?”
“Yeah, I got her.” I hefted her up some more so I didn’t drop her and glanced down at her looking at me. “You are so drunk.”
