Falling for the Groomsman (Wedding Dare #1)(18)
Author: Diane Alberts

He snorted. “Oh yeah. You know it.”

“Is that why you slept in? Were you fitting in with one a little bit too late?”

Tyler pointed his muffin at her. “That’s enough of that talk, little sister.”

“I’m not your little sister.”

He swallowed a bite. “Might as well be after this wedding.”

She laughed. “I think I’ll pass. I heard how protective of the girls you are.”

“Who told you that? Let me guess. Kady.”

She smiled, her eyes on the crowd in front of them. When she caught sight of Kady standing with the other bridesmaids, she waved good-bye to Tyler and headed toward the bride-to-be.

Alone, he scanned the crowd. He spotted Christine’s red hair instantly. She had her back to him, but he could tell by the way she stiffened that she knew he’d arrived, even if he hadn’t caught her watching. She laughed at something the tall, dark-haired Brock said, and he stiffened.

Oh, is that how she wanted to play? Did she think he would get jealous because she was flirting with another man—a man could take what she offered and thank her with the flawless Southern charm that only a man like Brock could pull off?

Well, shit. It was f**king working.

She belonged to him.

Maybe he should cut out even earlier than he’d been planning. Escape before Kady realized he’d shown up. He’d find a nice quiet spot, camp out, and relax. Christine stood across the group, talking to Kady, and he stood alone, standing on the edge of the crowd. He finished off his muffin and double-checked his bag for supplies. Being an Eagle Scout had ingrained some lifelong habits in him.

One of those? Never go on a hike unprepared for anything and everything to go wrong. He found his lighter, water bottles, vodka, a few protein bars, flashlights, and a sleeping bag. He dug deeper and snorted. So, he still had bunch of condoms from the last time he used this bag, but his compass was nowhere to be seen.

Eagle Scouts hadn’t taught him that one.

He heard a loud sigh and glanced up, squinting into the sun. Christine stood in front of him, tapping her foot impatiently. She looked as if she were ready to skin someone alive, and from the looks of it? That someone was him. “Yes?”

“According to your sister, we’re partners,” she said, hands on her hips. “I wouldn’t suppose you had anything to do with that, would you?”

“No. I’d been planning on sneaking off alone.” He looked down at his itinerary, determined to ignore her attitude. Looked like he was getting his wish without even having to try. Him and Christine off in the woods alone. “But I’m not exactly complaining about the change of events, either. I can’t wait to spend some more time reconnecting. Learning more about you. Last night was eye-opening for me. How about you?”

She opened her mouth and closed it; her cheeks flushing, she snatched the paper out of his hand. “There’s nothing more you need to know about me besides the fact that I’m not a big outdoors person. I hate bugs, especially spiders, and am terrified of being eaten by a bear.”

“I thought investigative journalists weren’t scared of anything,” he said, eyeing her. “Isn’t that a job requirement?”

“I’m not…except that stuff.” She shrugged and squinted down at the list. “Anything else? I’ll face it with nothing more than my fists.”

“Why did you decide to become a journalist anyway?” He seized the slip of paper back out of her hands and headed for the woods. “Last time we talked, you wanted to be a doctor.”

She pressed her lips together. “After my parents were killed by a drunk driver who was never caught, I decided I couldn’t live with other people going through that uncertainty. That pain. So I decided to do something about it.”

His chest tightened at how helpless she must have felt. “I’m sorry. I can’t even imagine how shitty that must have been for you.”

“It was very shitty.” Her lips twitched into a small smile, but she quickly dipped her head to hide it. But why? He loved her smile. She should stop hiding it from him all the damn time. “So I decided to become a journalist to help solve mysteries. I briefly toyed with being a cop, but it wasn’t for me.”

Fuck no. He didn’t like the idea of her being shot at. “That’s quite the life change from a sorority girl.”

“I never wanted to be one in the first place.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “I only joined because my mom wanted me to. After she died…well, there was no getting out of it without feeling as if I’d let her down. Plus, I had the girls.”

That was probably why she didn’t talk about it much. All the other girls had brought up their sisterhood numerous times, but he hadn’t heard Christine mention it even once. “So you’re not proud of your sorority sister status?”

“I’m not ashamed of it or anything. Nothing so drastic as that.” She bit her lip. “It was a piece of that part of my life, and that’s it.”

“I get that,” he said, thinking about the time he’d let her down by running away from his feelings for her. He wished he could go back to that night. React differently. Not leave her. He reached out and squeezed her hand before forcing himself to let go. “We all have those moments in life.”

She didn’t pull away from him at contact. It was ridiculous how f**king happy that made him. She fell into step beside him, and he stole a glance at her. Her cheeks were flushed, and she studied the ground as she walked. Her toned legs took small yet steady steps, and he remembered all too well what it felt like when he’d been in between them. Now, he just needed to figure out how to get back there…and if he was lucky?

A way to get to her heart, too.

…

Christine tucked her hair behind her ear, her heart racing. Last night had been a surprise, to say the least. It had also changed her plans a teeny-tiny bit. She no longer wanted to keep her hands or tongue to herself. No, she wanted him.

Rekindle an old flame might not have been on her list, but it was time to face the facts. She wasn’t over Tyler, and wouldn’t be over him until she got her fill of him. That had to be what this whole obsession thing was all about. In order to get over him, she needed to be under him several times. She might have thought it was too risky before, but not anymore. She could keep her heart safe and her body naked…or whatever.

She swallowed the hysterical laugh threatening to escape. This morning, she’d even written it on her list: Rekindle an old flame. It was official. Make out in an elevator had been crossed off her list, and so had Get payback on Tyler. She conveniently ignored how much her list revolved around him ever since they’d kissed in the elevator. As if that hadn’t been enough, he’d blown her mind in his room, too. Funny how a life-shattering orgasm could change a girl’s perspective.