Every night…
She glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly eleven, plenty early enough that she didn’t have an excuse not to go back to her bedroom. Shit. She bit her lip, hating that, for the first time in as long as she could remember, she wanted to spend the night with someone—and not just for another round of sex. She wanted to wrap herself up in his Southern goodness and fall asleep in his arms.
“Stay.”
She frowned at him. “What?”
“I can see your mind racing. Stay with me tonight. Let me hold you.”
His words so closely mirrored what she’d just been thinking that she smiled. “Okay.” After all, they’d taken some huge steps forward tonight. Leaving now felt like a betrayal of that.
So she let him draw her into his arms and laid her head against his chest. The sound of his heartbeat, slow and steady, stayed with her as she drifted off to sleep.
…
Regan woke up with a smile on her face. The blame for that rested solely on the naked man wrapped around her. All that tan skin and muscled shoulders and… She had better stop before she worked herself up again. After having sex no less than three times last night, she wasn’t sure she could take another round and still be able to perform her bridesmaid duties later today.
Brock murmured in his sleep and pressed his face into the crook of her neck, and she sighed. He might not have been part of her plan, but she was going to make room for him in her life anyway. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else at this point.
They’d talked a little last night in between making love—because it was making love. There was no other way to describe how he’d touched her and the deep level she’d responded on. He’d made her feel priceless and cherished and taken care of. It was no easy feat, but somewhere along the way, he’d sneaked past the barriers she had up to keep everyone out.
Just before they fell asleep, they’d decided to take it one step at a time. Maybe it would work out, maybe it wouldn’t… Okay, that was bullshit and she knew it. Now that Regan had gotten a taste of what it meant to have Brock in her life, she’d fight tooth and nail to keep him there.
But right now, she had bridesmaid duties to deal with. Kady and the rest of them were meeting for breakfast, and then to get their hair and makeup done, which meant she was already late. Again. She’d never worshipped being on time the way Christine did, but this showing up late was getting ridiculous.
She kissed Brock’s cheek and slid out from beneath his arm. Dressing quickly, she tried to calculate how much time she had to shower and get ready before she had to meet Kady. Not enough. Oh well, it wasn’t like she had to put a whole lot of effort into hair and makeup since they were getting both done professionally.
Regan slipped out of the hotel room, carrying her heels. She froze when she met Logan’s gaze, several doors down. His hair was mussed and his shirt was buttoned up wrong. His eyes went wide as Sophie ducked out of the room and laid a killer kiss on his lips.
Holy shit.
The little brunette disappeared back into the room and the door shut, but all Regan could see was the shell-shocked look on Logan’s face. He obviously hadn’t thought anyone would be out and about to witness what just happened. Then he gave a sheepish smile and the tension building between them broke.
She gave him a thumbs-up and turned for the stairs, relief making her feel as if her shoulders just lost a huge weight. Logan wasn’t any more interested in her romantically than she was him. If she hadn’t been so damn determined to show him what a great candidate she’d make for a life partner, she might have noticed that he had eyes only for Sophie. Though she never would have paired them up, obviously Colton’s little sister was bringing more to the table than met the eye if she was causing that look on Logan’s face.
I bet Sophie likes to camp.
Regan shuddered and hurried up to her room. She showered and changed in record time, not bothering to do more than blow her hair dry. Even though she knew it was silly, she couldn’t keep the bounce from her step as she strode down to the lobby.
There was no missing the small group of women in the bridal party. Kady looked a little shell-shocked, but the smile never left her face. Both Julie and Christine seemed just as happy—obviously the latter had worked things out with her man. Even Sophie seemed to shine a little brighter than she had when she first showed up in Colorado.
Or maybe Regan was seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses because she’d had the best sex of her life last night with a man whom she was already falling head over heels for.
Just thinking about Brock made her smile. God, she was ridiculous.
Julie caught sight of her and waved. “There you are. I thought we were going to have to send a search party.”
“Can we never talk about search parties again?”
Kady snorted. “It’s not every day resort guests get lost in the freaking woods. I’m sure the staff will be telling that story for years to come—and so will we.”
“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” Christine cringed.
“Serves you right for going into the woods. You’re lucky you didn’t get murdered by a squirrel.” Thinking back at her brush with death, Regan shuddered.
“I was more worried about the bears,” Christine said. “I think I was convinced Tyler was one at one point.”
Kady patted Regan’s arm. “Honey, I know this may come as a shock, but squirrels aren’t actually responsible for any deaths annually.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “Bears might be, though.”
Bears were the threat everyone worried about. Regan knew better. “Says you. I say they just covered up the murder. I’ve seen that YouTube video.”
Christine sighed. “I don’t know why I bother. You’ll never see the glamour of the great outdoors.”
“Because it doesn’t exist.” As the other women kept ribbing Christine about getting lost, she turned to Sophie, ready to stop talking about the nightmare being surrounded by trees was. “How was your night?”
Sophie blushed a deep crimson. “J-Just fine.”
“I’ll bet.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “He’s a really great guy.”
“I know.” Sophie shot a glance at Kady. “Can we not talk about this now? I don’t need my brother or the other two Amigos getting wind of it.”
“Sure.” Regan smiled. “I think they’re all going to be plenty busy today.”
“Hey, there are no secrets among friends.” Julie stepped between them and looped her arms about both their shoulders. “Let’s go get some food. I’m hungrier than a badger with a hangnail.”
“I swear to God, Julie, half the time I don’t know what the hell you’re even talking about.”
Chapter Sixteen
Brock hadn’t been to many weddings, but he suspected they
were all barely controlled chaos behind the scenes. Colton’s was no exception. They made it to the chapel with what he thought was plenty of time to spare, but most of the seats were already full.
Julie appeared as if by magic and gave him a push. “Bride’s mother.”
As he approached the woman who looked shockingly like Kady, he heard Julie murmur to Reed, “How am I supposed to concentrate when you look like a bona fide gentleman in your bow tie?”
The look on his friend’s face was one Brock had never seen before. He wasn’t brooding or sitting back and watching everyone around him. He was staring at Julie with something like wonder in his eyes. As if he couldn’t quite believe she was real.
Brock could sympathize.
Who knew that Colton’s happily-ever-after event would be the thing that sparked both him and Reed into their own happiness?
God, he was such a sap. But spending time with Regan last night was enough to put stars in the most jaded man’s eyes. The way she’d responded to him sexually, made him laugh, and challenged him… He barely knew which way was up right now.
Even waking up this morning alone hadn’t been enough to damper his good mood, probably because of the pile of panties she’d left on the nightstand—all tokens of their week together. It was a wonder she had any left to wear. Hell, maybe she hadn’t. He’d be sure to investigate that thoroughly at the first opportunity he had.
Brock delivered Kady’s mother to her assigned seat and walked back up the aisle. And there she was, standing between Julie and Christine and shining as bright as the sun. Regan caught him watching and winked, and it felt like his heart was suddenly too big for his chest. She excused herself and made her way over to him. “Hey there.”
“Hey, yourself.” This was the first time he’d seen her in flats outside the gym, and he found he kind of liked that she barely reached his shoulder. “What do you say that after the ceremony, we find a quiet corner and get into some trouble?”