The Bridesmaid's Best Man

by Susanna Carr

  She was ready. This time she was going to be dressed like the other women at the strip club. Instead of boyish and out-of-place, she would look fun and flirty. Sexy.

  She reached for the door and then dropped her hand. What was she trying to do? When Cole saw her, he was going to see this dress as a suggestion. An invitation. Would he see her choice of outfit as the first move?

  Angie bit down on her lip and looked back in the direction of the parking lot. It wasn’t too late to go home and change. She could always cancel. But deep down, she didn’t want to. She wore this dress with Cole in mind. She wanted him to see her as a woman. A sensual and confident woman who didn’t let a breakup sideline her.

  Angie opened the door and stepped inside the office. “Okay, Cole,” she called out from the waiting room. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Cole stepped out of his office. He was rolling down his sleeves and stopped abruptly when he caught a glimpse of her. His eyes widened. “Angie?” he said hoarsely.

  She saw the lust in his face. He wasn’t even trying to hide it as his gaze traveled leisurely from her eyes to her heels. Her skin tingled with awareness. She felt powerful and exposed at the same time. She wanted to please Cole but she felt like this dress was making a promise she couldn’t meet.

  Angie suddenly longed for the comfort of her jeans and T-shirts. She wanted to cross her arms and hide the thrust of her breasts. Instead she kept her hands at her sides. “Are you ready?”

  Cole slowly walked toward her. His jaw was clenched as his skin flushed. “I don’t remember that dress.”

  “My mom bought it for me last Christmas.” It was tradition for her mother to buy a dress and a makeup kit every year. Angie considered it a waste and always felt guilty for not using the gifts but her mother wouldn’t let her return them. “I may have to take a picture but I’m worried it would encourage her.”

  His gaze snagged hers. Her breath caught as she stared into his dark, glittering blue eyes. “You look...wow.”

  Angie swallowed hard. “Thank you.” She felt the tension whipping through him. He wanted her. He wanted to drag her against his body. She could tell he was restraining himself from touching her. Keeping a safe distance, as if he didn’t trust himself. “So, what are we looking for? At the strip club?”

  “I want to see where Heidi got hurt and decide if it was an accident or a crime. Maybe even come up with a possible weapon,” he murmured, distracted by her high hem and bare, toned legs. “Put together a timeline.”

  “Okay.” Angie resisted the urge to tug her dress down. “I still think Robin did it.”

  He nodded absently and then jerked to a stop as if he remembered something. “I also got Heidi’s blood results.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “My clients told me,” he said as his gaze lingered on her scooped neckline. “They’re taking her back home.”

  Her breasts felt full and heavy under his gaze. Angie couldn’t decide if she wanted to preen or turn away. “That’s good, right?”

  “It is.”

  He didn’t say anything else. “So what’s the problem?” Angie prompted.

  He shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind. “She hadn’t been drinking,” he said, not looking at her. “Apparently she’s been sober and clean for years.”

  “I wonder if Robin or Brittany knew that. I don’t think they’d seen her for a while.”

  “I bet they still view Heidi as a troubled sorority sister,” Cole said as he opened the door and gestured for her to go first. “One of them could have tried to make it look like a drunken fall.”

  “Let’s go test our theory.” She turned and her heel snagged on the carpet. Angie reached out and grabbed Cole’s arm. His muscle went rigid under her touch. “Sorry.”

  “Are you going to be okay in those heels?”

  “Probably not,” she admitted. She held on to his arm. Cole was solid and strong. She felt safe next to him. “I’ll just hold on to you, okay?”

  “Sure.” He reached for her hand and held it against his arm. “I don’t mind. Hold on as long as you want.”

  * * *

  COLE DIDN’T THINK he would last much longer. The music pulsed a primitive beat. Colorful lights streamed through the dark club. Well-endowed men wearing sequined thongs pranced on the stage and the crowd of women kept screaming for more.

  But none of that mattered. All he noticed was Angie. She sat at the bar on a high stool. Her dress had inched up and revealed more of her thighs.

  This was a test. He was sure of it.

  “What were we thinking?” Cole asked Angie as he stood protectively behind her. He had given every stripper a warning look when they tried to approach. They backed off but he knew it wouldn’t last much longer. “This is crazier than the bachelorette party.”

  Angie swiveled in the chair and her foot bumped against him. “Don’t worry, Cole. I’ll protect you.”

  “Very funny,” he said as he watched her cross her legs. He was mesmerized by the sensual and fluid motion. His body hardened and his heart pumped harder. Cole gritted his teeth when her skirt drew higher on her thighs.

  Angie tilted her head back and smiled. “We’ll see how funny it is when these women take one look at you and expect a lap dance.”

  “They will be disappointed. I dance exclusively for you,” he teased. Cole saw her smile dim. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Let’s consider the timeline. I remember Heidi coming up to us because she wanted a lap dance. She must have gone to the bar after that.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “She had come over when you were giving me a lap dance.” She blushed and looked away. “Heidi had money in her hand but no drink.”

  “But when we found her there was a drink on the ground next to her.”

  “It was a Britini. I’m told it’s the drink of the wedding. Would Heidi have ordered one to please Brittany?”

  “If so, she would want Brittany to see it.” He looked around the room. “Brittany wasn’t on stage the whole time. The attention was on the dancers. It would have been easy for Brittany to lose herself in the crowd.”

  “She wore a tiara and a bright red dress. Brittany would have been noticed,” Angie said. “And why do you think it was Brittany? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “They could have had a fight,” Cole said. “Or Brittany could have seen an opportunity and jumped on it.”

  “Robin was the one who really hated Heidi. She didn’t try to hide it.”

  “But it sounds like the wedding preparations brought forward a lot of hurtful memories. Remember, Heidi and Robin had been her tormentors when she first rushed the sorority.” He looked around the club. “There was nothing here that could be used as a weapon. Unless Brittany brought it and left with it.”

  “No,” Angie said as she reached for her drink. “Security checks the purses.”

  “Wait a second...” He looked at the tables near the stage. There was nothing on the tabletops except for purses and drink glasses. “The flowers.”

  “There are no flowers,” she said against the rim of her glass.

  “Exactly. There were flowers at the bachelorette party.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Angie rolled her eyes. “Brittany wanted the same flowers that would be at the wedding. You would not believe how expensive that turned out to be. It took forever to find the vases that she wanted.”

  “Were they heavy?”

  “They were metallic.” She paused and then raised her eyebrows. “Oh, I see what you’re saying. Yes, they were heavy enough to cause injury.”

  “Where are they now?”

  Angie shrugged. “Cheryl will know. She has a checklist for everything.”

  “Whoever did this had nerves of steel. Somehow she hit Heidi and then had the presence of mind to put the flowers back, leaving the scene undisturbed.”

  “You still have to find the vase.” Angie saluted him with her drink. “Good luck with that.”


  Cole saw a glimmer of sequins from the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Tiger, the most popular stripper in the club, walking toward them. Cole saw the appreciative look Tiger had for Angie. Cole grabbed her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Wait.” Angie clumsily set down her glass. “I wasn’t finished.”

  “Hey, lady.” Tiger stood in front of Angie and flexed his chest muscles. “How about a lap dance?”

  Angie stared at him. “Who, me?”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Cole had to fight back the raw, ugly emotions that poured through him. He felt possessive. Territorial. He helped Angie out of her chair and dragged her away. “No one gives this woman a lap dance but me.”

  “Cole? What is your problem?” Angie asked as she hurried behind him as fast as her heels would allow. “I could have taken care of that myself.”

  “I declined for you. You’re welcome.” And yet he wondered if Angie would have accepted the dance out of curiosity or attraction. His gut twisted at the thought.

  She tugged hard at his hand as they exited the building. The cold rain pelted them and they huddled together. “Cole, listen to me.”

  “Once we’re in the car.” He tried to shelter her as he guided her to the parking lot. Their shoes splashed in the puddles and Angie slipped. He put his arms around her, holding her securely against him until he got her safely in the car.

  “You don’t speak for me,” she said the moment he slid into the driver’s seat. “And you don’t have any claim on me.”

  “Yes, I do.” He wouldn’t let her deny that.

  “Because of last night?” she asked as she brushed her damp hair from her face. “That doesn’t mean we’re back on.”

  Cole rested his hands on the steering wheel. What would it take to get her back in his life? How many tests would he have to pass to make up for what he’d done? There were some things he knew he wouldn’t accept.

  “Did you want the guy to dance for you?” he asked accusingly. The idea sickened him. “Did you want me to watch? Give you dollar bills so you could have every stripper in there?”

  Her mouth dropped open. “No! I don’t want any of those guys. I—”

  “Good.” He reached for Angie and kissed her. Threading his fingers in her hair, he held the base of her head as he deepened the kiss. He needed to claim her. Brand her with his kiss. It was only fair—he was hers and always has been.

  Cole felt the soar of triumph when she softened against him. But then she went stiff and pulled away. Angie drew back in her seat. Her chest rose and fell as she glared at him. “What was that for?”

  “Come on, Angie.” He didn’t mean for his voice to sound harsh, but he was fighting a desperation he didn’t understand. He wanted Angie, but he wanted Angie to accept him, as well. “You want this as much as I do. It’s been a long time for both of us.”

  “And you think I would be an easy tumble in bed?” she asked, her voice rising with anger. “Because the guys told you I don’t date? That I haven’t looked at another guy since you left?”

  “I wasn’t thinking that at all.” But it had given him hope. He wanted it to be a sign that he could fix the mess he’d made. That they shared a bond that couldn’t be broken.

  “What are you thinking?”

  He shoved his hand in his hair. “That I want to drag you into the backseat, rip off that insanely sexy dress and—”

  “So you want me.”

  “Yes.”

  Angie didn’t look away. “Right now.”

  “Yeah.” Immediately, if not sooner. He was rock-hard and had been the moment he saw her in that dress. There would be no foreplay and no lingering touches. It would be a hard and fast ride the moment he sank into her.

  “And then what?” she asked. “What about tomorrow or the next day? How long do you plan to hang around until you walk away again?”

  Cole stared at her. Didn’t she see that he was still crazy for her? That he wanted to try again. He wasn’t planning to walk away again. It nearly broke him the last time. He didn’t have the strength to do it again. “I’m here to stay.”

  Angie crossed her arms. “Why?”

  “It’s very simple.” He pointed at her. “I want you.” He pointed at himself. “You want me.”

  Her mouth formed in a disbelieving smile. “That wasn’t enough before.”

  He scoffed at that statement. “I’ve always wanted you. From the moment I met you.” He had seen her in the gym and had been immediately thunderstruck. He had tried to impress her with his strength and speed only to discover she was just as strong and fast as he was. If she thought that would scare him off, it had the opposite effect. He had been more intrigued than ever.

  “But you went away and you stayed away,” she pointed out. “You didn’t contact me until you needed help on this case. Then you had to pretend to be hot for me. How do you think that makes me feel?”

  “I have no idea what’s going through your mind. You are driving me crazy. What do you want from me?”

  “I want the truth,” she said. “The whole truth.”

  He looked into her eyes. “You are everything I want in a woman.”

  She blinked, obviously not expecting to hear those words. “What do you want from me now?” she asked. “Forgiveness? Sex? Do you want to be friends with benefits?”

  He held her gaze as the fear pulsed through him. It was too soon to say anything but he had to take the risk. “I want another chance.”

  She lowered her gaze. “I don’t think I can do that again,” she whispered.

  He held on to the steering wheel and squeezed as the pain rushed through him. “Because I made one mistake.”

  “No, because I can’t be with a guy who won’t share his life.”

  “I just did this morning,” he blurted out in frustration. He shared something about his past and it did not go well. “Look at what happened.”

  “That was one time and you’re still holding back,” she accused. “You don’t trust me. Not enough.”

  “That’s not true,” he insisted. “I trust you more than anyone I know.”

  “You don’t trust me enough to talk about yourself. I don’t know about your past, I didn’t know about your dream of opening an agency and I don’t know how you feel about me. And I was with you for over a year.” She took a deep breath. “Cole, I’m done with this. This was a mistake.”

  Cole closed his eyes as her words ripped through him. He was not a mistake. “Angie...”

  “Just take me back to your office. I parked my car there,” Angie said. Her voice was dull and tired as she looked out the car window. “We got caught up in the pretense. Let’s forget this ever happened.”

  12

  AS COLE PARKED in the front of his office building, he felt the weight of this moment. He knew he had to do something or Angie would never be his again. Angie, the only woman he loved and if he were honest, still loved.

  Angie had been the most loyal person he knew. She didn’t agree with everything he did, but she was there for him. She cheered him on when he needed encouragement and gave him advice when he asked. When he made a mistake, she called him on it. This was a woman he wanted at his side. Yet he never thought she would reach the point where she called it off. But he had found her limit.

  That was his specialty. Driving people away.

  “We need to talk,” he said as he put the car in Park.

  “Cole, I’m done talking.”

  “It won’t take long,” he said as he watched her unbuckle her seat belt. “Just come into my office. There are a couple of things I need to tell you.”

  “Like what? About your case?” She exhaled sharply. “Face it, Cole. The whole thing was probably an accident. I can see how it happened after wearing these stupid heels all night. Heidi likely spilled her drink and fell. She hit her head. I don’t know why she was facedown. She could have tried to get up but failed.”

  “That makes sense.” His instincts told him some
thing different, but he had no proof. It was time to stop and move on to the next assignment.

  “Your case is over,” she continued. “Heidi’s family reconnected with her. You don’t have to investigate anymore. You don’t have to go to the rehearsal dinner or the wedding. It’s all good.”

  There was something about Angie’s voice that bothered him. She sounded tired. Disappointed. She sounded like she was giving up on him. “That’s not what I want to talk about,” he said, his voice rough as the fear clawed his chest. “Come on, let’s go inside.”

  Angie paused before she gave a sigh of defeat. “Fine. But you have five minutes.”

  He helped her out of the car. The rain was now a mist, clinging to their skin and clothes. Angie didn’t touch him or hold on to his arm as she navigated the puddles. She didn’t say a word as they walked into his office suite. She didn’t look around but headed straight for the other room, slapping the light switch as she entered.

  “Well?” Angie asked once he stepped into the room after her. “What is so important that we had to discuss it here?”

  He took a deep breath but it didn’t diminish the nervous energy coursing through his veins. “You’re right,” he said as he started to pace. “I didn’t trust you enough. I didn’t realize it until you said it just now.”

  Angie didn’t say anything. She stood by the sofa, arms crossed, as she watched him walk around the small room. She glanced at her wristwatch and the fear gripped him harder. He needed to explain himself and reveal his darkest moments, but he didn’t think he could do that under the clock.

  “I didn’t tell you some things about me because...” He floundered, trying to come up with the right words. He wasn’t much of a talker and what he said now would have a great impact on his future. “Because it would open some old wounds.”

  “It was more than omitting a few important facts,” she pointed out. “You lied to me. You led me to believe that you didn’t have a family. Why would you lie about something like that?”