Always Delightful: A Romantic Comedy (Always Series Book 1)

by Shayne McClendon

  Until I did the final fitting the night before, it wasn’t strapless. That was a last-minute subtraction from Ava.

  “I’ll give you the condensed version. The two of them were going at it doggie-style in my bed. What no one knows but me – and now you – is the fact that she was the top.”

  Diversion accomplished. Jack tried to speak but nothing came out as his lips opened and closed.

  I carried on. “There was nothing remotely sexy about it. Kind of the way I imagine hard-core science nerds are with their first porn.”

  His laughter ricocheted around the three-level building and I knew I could listen to it all day.

  “My reflex reaction after recovering from a moment of confusion was bursting into hysterical laughter I wasn’t able to stop for several minutes. It was that funny.”

  Jack wiped at his eyes.

  “I threw their clothes over my balcony to the pool area below and shoved them into the hallway naked.” Draining the last of my drink, I added, “I wished them luck.”

  “You ran to the balcony to watch them, didn’t you?” He could barely speak around his laughter.

  “They took the fire stairs to the first floor. I got video of the whole thing.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “Of course I did.”

  Lifting the hem of my dress, I took my phone from the garter-style holder I bought for the day. No way was I going to miss an opportunity for photos.

  I noticed Jack’s eyes lingered on my exposed leg. Oddly, it made me feel a bit shy and I didn’t know why.

  I covered it with a wink. “Watching them scramble down four flights of stairs buck naked was so good. I won’t lie.”

  Pulling up the video, I lowered the sound. Turning the phone in his direction, I hit play.

  At his ear, I whispered, “Noticing my sister was still wearing the strap-on as they hit the pool area was fucking priceless.”

  Shaking with laughter so hard there was no sound, he bent over, tears running down his face as he watched the recording.

  When it reached the end, he handed me the phone and pulled me to him for a tight hug. He was still giggling.

  “Brilliant. Absolutely fucking brilliant, Petra.”

  Jack smelled so good it made my mouth water.

  Chapter Six

  I was called for another photo and may have growled as Jack released me and took my glass. He continued to laugh in short bursts that made me giggle crazily.

  I faked my smile in one photo, ruined two others out of sheer spite, kicked the happy bride in the shin when no one was looking, hissed in her face, and returned to my seat.

  He had a fresh drink for me when I returned to his side.

  “Was it terrible for you, Petra?”

  “Less than you’d think and directed more at my sister. I mean, come on.” I watched Ava slap away Kevin’s hands as they posed again. “I get his motivation but didn’t get hers.”

  “How can you not? She wanted to do one thing before you did. Wanted to be better than you in some way.”

  I took a long sip of my much-needed alcoholic beverage. “Eventually, I probably would have married him because I was bored and tired of getting the questions about a husband. Witnessing my sister give it to him in the ass saved me from myself.”

  Jack choked on his drink and I slapped him on the back.

  My mother appeared at my side. “Darling, come with me for five minutes. I apologize, Jack.”

  “No need.” He stood with a small bow. “I see where Petra gets her exceptional beauty, Ms. Andreadis.”

  “You charming man,” my mother murmured.

  It was a rare feat for a man to make me speechless. “Thanks. I-I guess I’ll see you later, Jack.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  My eyes widened and I gestured to the party. “Shouldn’t you mingle or something?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  When he said nothing else, I gave him a smile and followed my mom. “Is something wrong?”

  “Yes, Petra. I know your sister snipped off your straps and I couldn’t get the seamstress here until a few minutes ago.”

  An older woman smiled as we entered the bridal suite. “Hello, miss. I’m going to quickly sew in a halter for you. It will give you a lot more confidence.” She made a face. “There’s nothing I can do about that color or cut.”

  “Keeping my boobs inside the bodice is a huge plus. Thanks.”

  It took her ten minutes to affix a life-saving bit of fabric that looped around my neck and attached to either side of the top seam. The moment I stepped back in the dress, I felt better.

  Mom pressed her cheek to mine. “We’ll try not to return the favor when you marry one day.”

  “No promises,” I murmured.

  “Understood.” She smoothed my black hair that the stylist twisted into a complicated up-do earlier. “You’re striking no matter what you’re wearing. Go have some fun.”

  I tilted my head. “Have you talked to Jack before?”

  “Briefly. Don’t keep him waiting, darling.”

  Stepping back into the ridiculously high heels I loved, I returned to the main floor. Jack sat a few feet from where I left him at a small table.

  He stood with a smile when I approached. “Ah. A precaution against wardrobe malfunction. Not one I’m certain I prefer if my male lizard brain is being entirely honest.”

  He pulled out a chair and bent to say at my ear, “I’ve bribed the wait staff to keep them coming. You were in the middle of telling me your reaction to our siblings’ dreadful behavior.”

  More than a little flustered, I watched him settle in the other chair. We were close enough to speak privately.

  “Where was I?” I smiled as the waiter placed fresh drinks between us and sipped mine gratefully.

  “That you’d have married my prat of a brother out of boredom but watching your sister peg him saved you from choosing a life of supporting his worthless ass.”

  It was my turn to choke on my drink. I blotted my eyes as I laughed. It felt wickedly good.

  “The entire ordeal made my already antagonistic relationship with my sister worse. I’m not angry, hurt, or otherwise unstable. You know, unless you count what I was born with.”

  “It’s the same between Kevin and I.”

  “I can imagine.”

  “Does it make you nervous about future relationships?”

  “Oddly, no.” I shrugged. “I didn’t love him and the moron was incapable of listening in bed. Last time I’ll do that.”

  A long silence ensued that gave me time to replay what I’d said in my brain. Yeah, you just referred to your sex life with his brother.

  Finally, he leaned closer and whispered, “Last time you’ll consider marriage or last time you’ll have sex?”

  I lost it again because I’m she who possesses no dignity in public. From the corner of my eye, I watched Ava pull an irate Kevin to the second floor.

  “Bad sex but marriage is likely a no-go, too. My aunts worry I’m not wife material because I’m incapable of dealing with a man’s stupid shit.” I lifted my glass. “I have to agree.”

  Twinkling gray eyes roamed my body from head to toe. “I like you, Petra. You’re the most honest person I’ve ever met. How the fuck did you get suckered into being maid of honor?”

  “My mother’s homemade yogurt. It might sound crazy but I can’t live without it.”

  As if the statement made perfect sense, he nodded. “Moms. Mine threatened to share stories from my childhood on Facebook. When she showed me the pictures she planned to upload with her posts, I caved like a little bitch.”

  “I really need to buddy up to your mom and get the dirt.”

  Over his glass, he winked. “That’s what I did.”

  “My mom sold me out?” I asked jokingly. “I don’t believe it.”

  “Believe it. Moms like me.”

  “They don’t like me. I tend to break their fragile sons.”

  “Sounds ominous b
ut I’m a hardy sort so I’m sure my mother will adore you. It’s strange that you didn’t meet her in all the time you dated Kevin.”

  I tapped the side of my glass with my nail. Clearing my throat, I tried to figure out how to respond.

  A big smile spread over his face. “You had no intentions of staying with him. Therefore, no desire to meet our mother.” He laughed. “It’s a shame since you’d probably be the only woman one of her sons brought home that she liked.”

  “Oh,” I groaned. “I highly doubt that. I’m inappropriate at the best of times.” I lifted one shoulder. “He didn’t offer and I avoided the subject.”

  “We weren’t introduced either,” he reminded me.

  The observation made me laugh. “Why in the hell would he put himself in the same room with you? I barely tolerated him without such a comparison. In fact, I’m fairly certain my sister is currently kicking herself.”

  “Thank you for the compliment.”

  “Oh, you’re welcome.”

  “Ava is vapid, greedy, and silly. Everything about her is surface and easy to pick apart.” I was shocked at the keen observation. Jack shook his head. “When my mother blackmailed me to be part of this train wreck, I agreed on one condition.”

  “I’m breathless with anticipation.”

  “I’d stand up as best man for the weasel if,” his eyes locked with mine, “she didn’t say one word about me scooping up the only woman he ever dated who made me envy him.”

  Unusually flustered at the thought of being scooped up by someone like Jack, I tried to come up with a witty response and failed. “Thank you.”

  “You showed true class appearing here today, Petra.” He held out his glass and we toasted. “To shitty siblings and being forced as the oldest and smartest to make excuses for them.”

  “Preach.”

  We released long-suffering sighs at the same time and eventually worked ourselves into another round of laughter.

  “You’re gonna ignore the fact that I attended this wedding to get you in my clutches, aren’t you?”

  “Yup.”

  “I can work with that.”

  The waiter arrived with more drinks and we settled into a comfortable silence as the deejay for the reception started upstairs.

  I had an internal shudder. “Let’s wait to go up. I have no interest in faking another smile during their first dance and I know Mom will be watching me.”

  “She knows you’ll trip the assholes if they get too close.”

  “Accurate.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t marry the little shit. My mom stalked you just in case you turned out to be a serial killer.”

  “Still a possible career choice. I waffle between that and Ultimate Fighting.”

  “Damn it. You’re in marketing? What are you waiting for? Get in the ring and lose some teeth or start taking out the stupid people. We can pool our lists and I’ll drive.”

  The two of us talked and laughed until we couldn’t hold our glasses or remain upright.

  Bent over our knees, clutching our stomachs, we laughed.

  Chapter Seven

  When we were certain the initial traditions were done, we went upstairs and started dancing.

  Jack took me in his arms with a confidence I’d rarely experienced from men in such a situation.

  As he pulled me snugly to his torso, I was only three inches shorter. “I love your shoes.”

  Holding back my smile, I murmured, “I promise I won’t be the least bit upset but…are you a gay male by chance?”

  He spun me out and pulled me back roughly. I felt evidence of his erection against my low stomach.

  “Nope.”

  “You really like my shoes?”

  “Love them. Most women who wear heels so high can barely walk in them. You give the impression you could run.”

  “I could but only if something was chasing me. Otherwise, I don’t run.” I smiled down at the sparkly black heels. “This is my favorite pair. With the dress, I needed to wear one thing I loved that made me feel better.”

  “You’re beautiful, Petra. Flawless skin, astounding green eyes, and,” his eyes dipped to my cleavage and back again, “assets that make my hands itch.”

  I tried to ignore the fact that the words sounded sincere when he said them. They also meant more than they should have after knowing him mere hours.

  “You’re a boob man then, Jack?” I asked softly.

  “Tsk. No, no, no. I’m a man who loves every luscious inch.” In my mind, I reminded myself that I had more inches than most women. “Petra.”

  I met his heart-stopping gray eyes and registered his hand massaging my shoulder, down my arm, and around my waist. He held me firmly, his fingers petting a back that always felt too padded and sides that seemed too thick.

  His other hand lifted my chin higher as he stroked his fingers along my throat. “Your skin is like fucking satin.”

  Brain-locked, I noted Ava and Kevin watching us from their table. A building filled with three hundred people celebrating their wedding and they couldn’t take their eyes off their siblings.

  It made me wonder.

  “Did my mother ask you to do this?” I was so turned on I could barely form a coherent sentence.

  “I think you know better,” he answered roughly. “Do I like that those selfish bitches seem genuinely jealous? Yeah, I do. I’m petty like that. It has nothing to do with the filthy thoughts I’m having about you in my head.”

  A slow song drifted through the air and he gathered me closer. At my ear, he said, “I promised myself to behave. I’m a dirty, dirty liar.”

  I chuckled, wrapping my arms around his shoulder and back.

  Lifting his face, he whispered, “Having you touch me back makes me feel less like a creeper.”

  “No, you’re totally still a creeper.”

  “I have a reputation to uphold.”

  “I shan’t sully it.”

  “Brazen wench.” He bent and dropped a warm kiss beneath my ear. “Don’t stop dancing with me, Petra.”

  We didn’t leave the dance floor for more than an hour. Slow songs, fast songs, and all the hellish wedding songs like Electric Slide and Chicken Dance…we danced them all.

  In my entire adult life, I’d never felt the true focus of a man.

  I’d never spent so much time with a member of the opposite sex who truly listened to what I had to say with interest.

  Much less one who seemed genuinely sexually attracted to me as a person. It shook my entire foundation.

  Jack never let me go, didn’t look around at the other women in attendance, and never tired of talking.

  It felt amazing to simply enjoy the dancing, the conversation, and the laughter without judgment or sly remarks about my weight or women in his past.

  At one point, he called me evil and meant it as a compliment.

  My heart was all aflutter.

  He held me firmly, even a bit possessively if I was being honest, and I was determined to enjoy every second of a night that could have easily been filled with pain and humiliation without his company.

  I wanted to remember what to look for in the future.

  The bride and groom soaked up adoration and participated in the wedding traditions without their best man or maid of honor because Jack and I didn’t give a single fuck.

  When the music stopped for a few long-ass, drunken speeches from guests, he escorted me to the table I’d forgotten we had. He twirled me into my chair and took the seat beside me.

  “I can’t believe they seated us next to each other.”

  “They didn’t,” he said. “I moved the place cards when you went with your mom earlier.”

  “Thinking ahead. I like it.”

  “We’re the only decent people in this shit show of a wedding party. It was only right we sit together.” He scooted his chair closer. “Let’s torture them.”

  “You have my attention.”

  Reaching out, he stroked his fingers over m
y hair and my breath caught. “Is it naturally curly?”

  I nodded slowly. “It took an hour for them to work it into a smooth style.”

  “It’s so soft.” Tracing my brows, he said, “Everything about you is lovely and dramatic.”

  “Thank you.” I inhaled carefully. “You’re gorgeous.”

  He grinned. “Thank you.” His thumb dragged across my lower lip and he straightened with a low growl. “I keep touching you and I won’t stop.”

  The fucking possibilities with this man.

  Food was placed in front of us and we talked while we ate. Rather, I attempted to maintain an intelligent conversation as my hormones raged out of control.

  As soon as the music started again, he pulled me back to the dance floor.

  Wrapping his arm around my waist during another lag, he selected some grapes from the fruit bar on the way to our table.

  Seated to one side of Ava and Kevin, Jack lobbed grapes at his sibling. His aim was impeccable.

  Kevin attempted to ignore it at first. He turned red, got flustered, and hissed at his older brother.

  Jack pretended not to notice.

  Suddenly, Kevin stood and stomped across the room to a woman I assumed was their mother.

  She frowned, bit her lip, and appeared to struggle not to laugh. Then she turned and walked in our direction.

  “He snitched. Shit, here she comes. Act natural.”

  I caught Kevin’s eye as he returned to Ava’s side and mouthed pussy baby at him. His mouth dropped open in shock. My sister looked ready to have one of her fits.

  Jack glanced up in feigned surprise as his elegant mother stopped on the other side of our table.

  “Hey, Mom. This is Petra Andreadis. This is my mother Courtney Welch.”

  “It’s wonderful to finally meet you in person, Petra. I’ve heard so many fascinating stories.”

  “Oh, I can imagine, Ms. Welch. I wish I could tell you they were all lies,” I said with a smile. “Your dress is stunning.”

  Their mother was in excellent shape and oozed class. She had a very Connecticut in summer look about her.

  “Forgive me, darling. I need to speak to my oldest and supposedly more mature son for just a moment.” I watched her take a deep breath before turning to the man at my side.