by Steph Nuss
“Morgan?” I asked.
“Ooh, I like Morgan,” Elly said, gripping my hand tighter as the plane landed along the runway.
“Nope,” Maverick laughed. “You guys will never get it. You might as well just give up now.”
I opened my eyes as the plane continued to coast and exhaled the breath I’d been holding. Everything’s okay. We’re back on land. “I never give up on a bet.”
Harper shook her head smiling. “It’s only been a few hours and there are lots of names you guys haven’t guessed. You never know.”
“At least give us a hint,” Tessa begged from across the aisle.
“No way,” Maverick replied.
“If I know my sister, it’s probably something super weird that none of us would ever come up with besides her, so I’m not even going to try to guess what it is,” Carter said, looking at Harper.
She shrugged and proudly ran her hand over her small bump. It was obvious she was pregnant now, and Maverick was meeting her parents for the first time today.
Something positive: this weekend would be full of entertainment.
***
Once we arrived at the Jennings’ estate and put all of our belongings in the guesthouse, Paige and Tessa pulled Cash and me aside for a groomsmen meeting. Whatever the hell that meant.
“I have a question,” Cash said, raising his hand dramatically.
“Yes, Cash?” Paige said, rolling her eyes.
“If this is a groomsmen meeting, why are we the only two here?” he asked, looking around. “Why don’t Mav and Justin have to be here?”
“Because,” Paige started, “Maverick is meeting the grandparents of his child, and Justin could still be a virgin for all we know.”
I laughed. Justin Jameson may have been the quiet one in our group of friends, but he was definitely not a virgin. “Jameson is definitely not a virgin.”
“Nope,” Cash said, laughing along with me.
“Guys, I do not want to hear about Justin’s sex life,” Tessa whined, crossing her arms over her chest.
“So grow a pair and tell him how you feel,” I said. It wasn’t a secret that she had a thing for him. She was just too chicken shit to tell him, and our boy genius was too smart for his own good.
“What?” she said, shooting Paige a worriedly look. “I don’t—I mean, I don’t like him like—”
“Oh save it, Wilder,” I said, shaking my head at her. “You’re hot for Jameson. Do something about it.”
Cash nodded. “Yeah, guys like that sort of thing.”
“Tessa, do not take relationship advice from these two,” Paige said, glaring at both of us. “Can we get back to the topic at hand?”
Cash and I looked at each other, thinking the same thing: Paige needs to get laid.
“Yes,” Tessa started, “so, as you both know, this weekend is all about Carter and Elly. It’s their wedding, and we do not want anything to go wrong.”
“That means you two need to keep it in your pants,” Paige stated. “We do not need a pissed-off sister or a lovesick cousin chasing after either of you. It’s taken Carter’s mother awhile to accept Elly into their family, and we do not want either of you screwing that up for her by sleeping with any of his family. So, you are not allowed, I repeat, not allowed to sleep with anyone this weekend. Do you understand?”
“If my dick could flip you off, it would right about now,” Cash said, giving her the finger.
I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. All the women were wedding-crazed right now, so there was no point in trying to fight for my dick’s rights. “Fine. We won’t sleep with anyone.”
“Glad that’s settled,” Paige said as she checked her phone.
“Okay, now, we’ll grab Justin and give you guys a tour of the place. Then we’ll introduce you to Carter’s other sister, Bayler. She’s the bridesmaid you’ll be walking down the aisle, Fletcher.”
But what she really meant was, she’s the bridesmaid that’s off limits this weekend, Fletch. Fuck me.
***
After Paige and Tessa finished showing us the Jennings’ estate, which included tennis courts, a sand volleyball pit, and a huge pool, they continued our tour by taking us into the main house. I grew up surrounded by buildings and concrete in New York, so the Jennings’ home, with its acres of freshly cut grass and space, was a nice change of pace for the weekend. Not one room felt crowded or lacking in any way, and by the time they showed us the ballroom, I was ready to kickoff this wedding weekend with a beer.
“The ballroom also has a kitchen for catered events and special occasions,” Tessa said, waving us in that direction. “Bayler’s probably in there working on stuff for the wedding.”
We followed her into the kitchen and time just stopped. Everything Tessa and Paige said went unheard, and my balls tightened at the sight of the familiar blonde standing in front of me. She was in a pair of short, frayed jean shorts that gave Daisy Duke’s a run for their money, and a white midriff t-shirt that showed off every bit of her tanned skin.
“Hey, Bayler!” Tessa said, pulling her into a hug. “Paige and I were just showing the guys around and thought we’d introduce you to them.”
She’s Jane Doe.
The woman who was off limits was the same woman I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since I asked her to stay the night with me on New Year’s.
With a twitch inside my shorts, I thought, Like hell she’s off limits now.
“Hey, guys,” she said, looking at the three of us with that same killer smile I remembered kissing so thoroughly. Her gaze finally stopped on mine and then she did a double take, scanning her eyes over every inch of my body, not once but twice. Oh yeah, she remembered me. If I remembered that night like it was yesterday, I hoped she did, too.
Paige pointed to each of us as she stated our names. “This is Justin, Cash, and Fletcher. You’ll be walking down the aisle with Fletcher on Saturday.”
Bayler shook the guys’ hands and then offered me hers. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too, Bayler,” I said, emphasizing her name. I knew she’d given me a fake name on New Year’s, and for the last five months, I’d been trying different names on her from my memories in an attempt to figure out her real name. I even had my security guys scour my clubs in case she reappeared. It was pathetic, but I was dying to see her again. And here she was. She looked like a Bayler. She looked like trouble, but the good ones always were.
She broke our handshake first and looked at the others. “Well, I need to get back to the mints. They aren’t going to make themselves. It was really great to meet everyone! Can’t wait to celebrate this weekend!”
The group bid her a good-bye as she opened the walk-in cooler and stepped inside and let the door close behind her. Instead of leaving with everyone else, I hung back in the kitchen. I wanted to get her alone, so I waited for her to come out of the cooler.
***
Shit. Shit. Sshhiitt!
He was here, in the flesh, at my parents’ house. The greatest lay of my life, my New Year’s hookup, just so happened to be one of Carter and Elly’s friends! It was ridiculous how wet I got just seeing him again. Memories from our night together flashed through my mind as Tessa introduced the guys to me. But all I cared about was the guy I recognized; the one whose big, strong hands knew every inch of my body.
How was I supposed to stay away from him?
Harper had given me specific instructions for this weekend: do not hook up with any of the groomsmen, especially Fletcher or Cash; they’re the man-whores of the group.
Man-whore or not, I already knew how amazing Fletcher was in bed and seeing him again only made me want to experience him all over again.
But I wouldn’t. Harper was worried I’d screw something up by fucking one of the groomsmen, so I’d prove her wrong by keeping my panties on and still having a good time. I wasn’t exactly sure who she was watching out for, them or me, but either way, I knew this weekend wasn’t
going to be easy with him around. My lady parts were already like, fuck our rules! Let’s do him again!
Taking a deep breath, I moved over to the door of the cooler, since the cool air wasn’t helping deter any of my sexual frustration, and pushed it open. And there stood the cause of said frustration. Fletcher was leaned up against the kitchen counter looking amused with his arms crossed over his broad chest and his long, thick legs stretched out in front of him. He wore a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a faded blue tee that matched his beautiful eyes. His surfer-style dirty blond hair looked the same–not enough for a ponytail, but just long enough that he could push it back and make women drool. I remembered running my fingers through it and how soft it felt, which made my hands tremble at the thought of doing it again. Seeing him caused a whirlwind of emotions to storm through me. I couldn’t decide whether to be excited or upset. Need pooled in my belly as memorable tides of pleasure poured into my veins, but my mind wanted him gone. He still commanded the room and drew my attention to him, and that pissed me off.
None of my one-night stands ever stirred up these kinds of feelings after seeing them again.
“What do you want?” I asked, moving his attention from my chest to my face as I stepped out of the cooler and into the heat of his presence.
The last thing I needed was alone time with him.
“Wow, not a ‘Hello’ or a ‘Remember me?’ or anything, huh?” he stated, sporting an arrogant smile. He followed me as I grabbed ingredients for the mints I was making for the wedding. From behind, he caged me in against the counter with my back to his front and I felt a shiver run down my spine. His breath was warm and tingly near my ear as he continued. “I remember you. I remember how good you looked in that red dress, and how you looked even better out of it and in my bed. I remember—”
“Stop!” I snapped, turning to face him. I pushed him back and the smile on his face dropped. “We are not doing this. We are not rehashing that night, and it’s not going to happen again. Do you understand? I’m supposed to stay away from you this weekend.”
Staring back at me with a challenging glint in his eyes, he said, “You didn’t strike me as the type of woman who does what she’s told.”
Then he left.
Which should’ve made me happy, but it didn’t.
***
The following night after the walkthrough and rehearsal dinner, the bridal party was hanging out in the ballroom, listening to music and getting drunk. The whole evening I’d felt like someone was watching me. Whenever I peeked over at Fletcher, he was giving me his “I wanna fuck you” look, making me very uncomfortable with everyone around.
I hated that I liked having him look at me like that. With his baby blues tracking me, I felt alive and special and unbelievably turned on, like I was the only person in the room he gave a damn about. It was the same look he kept giving me on New Year’s, and look how that turned out. If I was going to get through this weekend and keep my promise to Harper, he needed to cut this shit out now. He had to stop looking at me. Plus, I didn’t want everyone else picking up on his stares or finding out about our historic one-night stand. They’d blow it into something it wasn’t. It was just sex. That’s it.
Bayler Jennings does not do relationships.
I watched as Fletcher exited the ballroom through the hall, and I quietly followed him as the rest of the gang listened to Harper and Maverick do a karaoke duet of “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, totally singing off-key.
Sneaking up behind Fletcher, I grabbed his shirt, tugged him into a nearby closet and closed the door behind us.
“What the—”
“Shut up,” I whispered, covering his mouth with my hand. Touching him in the dark did not help; it made my nipples pebble against my dress. I reached for the light switch and flipped it on. He shot me a wicked smile, and I shook my head. “You have to stop looking at me like that!”
“Like what?” he asked playfully.
“Like you want to fuck me!” I replied, running a hand through my hair. If I didn’t get some sort of release soon, I’d have to diddle my skittle.
“Then don’t wear shit like this,” he demanded savagely, running his finger under the strap of my dress. He took a step closer, boxing me into the corner. “And don’t drag me into a small closet.” He laughed softly, running a hand down my arm. “It makes you look as if you want me to fuck you.”
“God, you are so infuriating!” I sneered, shoving him away.
He laughed again. “I didn’t hear you deny it, sweetheart.”
I didn’t because it was true. Maybe I did subconsciously bring him into the closet with hopes of him shutting me up with a hot, deep kiss. Pinning me up against the wall and ravishing me until we were both spent. But none of that could happen, especially not here. “Just stop,” I murmured, looking away from him.
“I can’t,” he confessed, grabbing my waist. “I never thought I’d see you again.” I melted into his warm touch, and he pulled me closer to him, skimming his hands up and down my sides. “I can’t help but be intrigued by the fact that I’m seeing you now.”
I nodded silently, too tongue-tied to speak. He could be sexy and flirty one minute and sweet and loving the next; it was absolutely terrifying. Being in close proximity to him was not a good idea. One minute, I was admiring how beautiful he was and remembering all the things he could do with that magnificent body of his, those skillful hands, and that fucking mouth, and the next, I was remembering all of my rules.
Get it together, B!
“We should get out of here,” I said, reaching for the doorknob.
“Wait a minute,” he said, covering my hand with his, sending an array of goose bumps up my arm. He pulled my hand away from the door and stood in front of it so I couldn’t leave. “Look, your siblings are in love with my friends. We might as well get to know each other since we’ll be spending more time together.” He swallowed hard and ran a hand through his hair. “My last name is Haney. I’m an entrepreneur. I own a bunch of nightclubs and a bar I inherited from my grandpa. I don’t do relationships. I have rules just like you do. I don’t let women stay the night at my place, I don’t stay over at theirs, and I don’t sleep with any of the women who work for me.”
Learning more about him did help, but after hearing his rules, a question that had been haunting my thoughts for the past five months slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. “So, why did you ask me to stay the night?”
He sighed and smiled at me. “Because there’s always an exception to the rules, and I wanted to have you for breakfast the next morning.” His deep, sexy laugh erupted from him as he shook his head. “Honestly, I just wanted to spend more time with you. I wasn’t ready for you to leave.”
I smiled weakly at his sweet words as regret twisted in my belly. Why did I still feel bad about leaving? Guys wanted me to stay the night all the time, and I’d never cared to ask why until now.
“Tell me about you.”
I took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m a pastry chef. I just finished my internship here in Dallas, and I’m moving to New York next week. I’ve never been a relationship type of girl. I don’t do sleepovers and I never sleep with a guy more than once.”
The weight of the world lifted off my shoulders telling him my rules. I usually kept them to myself, but it was nice to actually talk about my independent lifestyle with someone who understood it. Harper and Carter knew about my rules, but they thought they were ridiculous. They didn’t get that I didn’t need a man or a relationship to make me happy. I didn’t need the heartbreak of losing a guy to make me more of a woman. I grew up watching Harper and my friends cry over guys who’d hurt them, and I vowed never to become that woman, crying over a broken heart.
“Friends?” Fletcher said, offering me his hand.
I looked up at him and nodded, feeling much better about being around him. “Friends.”
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, opening the door for me.
> We exited the closet and walked back into the ballroom where all the girls were up on the small stage getting ready to karaoke.
“BAYLER JENNINGS!” Tessa shouted into her mic. “Get your ass up here!”
“Yeah,” Fletcher laughed, nudging my arm. “Get your ass up there.”
“I will!” I stated proudly, walking backwards toward the stage. “Be prepared to be blown away, Haney. I kick ass at karaoke.”
I turned around and hopped up onto the stage with the rest of the ladies. “Okay, what are we singing, girls?”
“Well, we thought about doing the Spice Girls,” Tessa answered.
“We just can’t decide which song,” Harper said.
I looked through the book of music we had. We only had a few Spice Girls songs to choose from. “How about ‘Spice Up Your Life’? Remember their dance moves to that song?”
“Yes!” they cheered, with the exception of Paige.
“Paige, you can be a blond Posh Spice,” I laughed.
She shook her head and grabbed a mic. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“I can!” Elly said, throwing her arm around her best friend. “You’re my maid of honor. You have to do as I say! And I say, ‘Sing, bitch!’”
Harper got the song ready, since she was the only sober one, and we all took our places on the stage. The five of us stood in a row, a mic in each of our hands, but when the song came on, we all morphed into our favorite girl band, dancing and singing the words we already knew by heart.
Fletcher positioned himself in my line of sight, still looking at me like he wanted me to spice up his life.
Chapter Two
Carter walked Mrs. Jennings down the aisle as Mr. Jennings followed behind them. He gave each of them a hug and then took his spot near the wrought iron archway decorated in their wedding colors, peach and charcoal. The rest of us were in the guesthouse, waiting for the women. Go figure.
