Sinners at the Altar (Page 48)

Eric grinned at him, knowing how much Jessica’s temper pushed all of Sed’s buttons—good buttons, bad buttons, and everything in between. It especially wreaked havoc on his lust button. “Which I’m sure makes her completely irresistible to you.”

Sed laughed. “I’m just glad her anger isn’t directed toward me for a change.”

“Do you want a little advice?”

“From you?” Sed laughed, and then his face hardened. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Put your foot down with Jessica’s mother. It’s your wedding and your reception; you should celebrate it with the people important to you.”

“I just want Jessica to be happy,” Sed said. “I don’t even need a wedding. It’s all for her.”

“Is she happy with her mother running the show?”

Sed made a sound almost like a growl. “Not at all.”

“So let her mom pick out the table decorations and the champagne, but make it clear that the guest list is yours. Don’t compromise. Put her in her fucking place.” It occurred to Eric how odd it was that he was offering Sed advice. Sed had never needed nor wanted his advice in the past. This wedding shit must really be eating the guy up if he was listening to anything Eric had to say.

“I still think you and Brian have the right idea,” Sed said. “Quick and painless.”

“Not quick enough. You realize I’d probably be married by now if your woman hadn’t decided Rebekah needed a veil.”

Sed pounded him on the back enthusiastically. “A thirty-minute wait isn’t so bad. Try putting up with this bullshit for eight months.”

“No thank you.”

“So what was her dad doing in here? Threatening your life? At least I have only one insane in-law to deal with.”

Eric shook his head, and his hand tightened over the rings still clutched in his fist. “He was welcoming me to his family. He’s a great man.”

“Well, Dave has informed everyone that he will be attempting to put you out of your misery on a regular basis, so be prepared.”

Eric chuckled. “He’s all talk. If his little sister is happy, he’s mush, and I guarantee his little sister will be happy. I’ll make sure of it.”

Another knock sounded on the door. “Yeah!” Sed called.

The door opened, and Trey peeked through the opening. “Did you finish having the sex talk with him yet?”

“Yep,” Sed said and climbed to his feet. “He now knows which hole to stick it in.”

“All of them?” Trey said.

“Yep, but we went over the proper sequence,” Sed said, giving Eric a hand up and another encouraging pound on the shoulder.

“Take the ass first, right?” Eric said, glad they were joking around. It helped with his gargantuan case of unexpected nerves. “And then it goes right in the mouth.”

“Repeat after me,” Trey said. “M-P-A. Mouth. Pussy. Ass.”

“P-A-M?” Eric asked.

“Not unless she likes the taste,” Trey said.

“M-P-A,” Eric said, pointing to imaginary body parts in the air. “Mouth. Pussy. Ass. Got it.”

“I prefer M-V-P,” Sed said. “I’m not much for A.”

“What’s M-V-P?” Trey asked.

“Mouth Vagina Pussy.”

“Aren’t V and P the same thing?” Eric said, scratching his head as if confused.

“Yeah, but I always take two goes at it,” Sed boasted. “First I make sweet love to the vagina. And then I fuck that pussy raw.”

Someone cleared his throat in the doorway.

“Hey, Mr. Blake,” Trey said, as if they’d been discussing the World Series MVP and not the one Sed frequented. “Is it time to start the ceremony?”

Eric could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Sedric Lionheart blush. It seemed he would finally get to use the fingers of both hands to record the activation of Sed’s blush-o-meter. He was so red Eric could have toasted a grilled cheese on the man’s face.

“Yes, it’s time to start,” Father Bl—Dad said before he shut the door again.

“Really smooth, Sed,” Eric said.

“Do you think he heard me?” Sed whispered.

“The entire church heard you,” Trey said.

“Oh God. I’m going to Hell for sure now.”

“Was there any doubt before?” Trey asked.

Sed chuckled. “Well, at least I’ll be in good company.” He wrapped an arm around Eric’s shoulders and escorted him out the door.

Eric scanned the pews.

Myrna, Aggie, and Jessica were seated in the front pew on his side. On Rebekah’s side sat Isaac, who stole a glance at Trey, stiffened as if someone had slapped him in the face, and then diverted his gaze to the front of the church where Mr. and Mrs. B were already standing at the altar. Jace was also up front waiting for Eric. He gave Eric an encouraging wink as Sed and Trey abandoned him to sit in the front pew with the women. Brian was nowhere to be seen. And neither was Dave, which Eric thought odd. His perplexity vanished—as did the rest of the world—when the massive double doors at the back of the church opened and a wheelchair whirred into the aisle. The first note of the wedding march wailed from an electric guitar that could only be under the skilled fingers of Master Sinclair. But even the sounds faded under the thudding pulse in Eric’s ears as he glimpsed his bride standing beside her brother’s wheelchair. Her lovely face was obscured by a gauzy white veil, but he could feel her gaze on his and he couldn’t look away or do anything as ordinary as breathe.