“Scarlett, that’s the best plan I’ve heard all day.” She ran her hand up his chest and adjusted his tie. “You look quite dapper, by the way.”
“Only the best for Colton and his woman.” Though if she kept looking at him like that, he’d promise to wear clothes like this every day for the rest of his life. It didn’t make any sense. He’d only known this woman a few short days, but already, he couldn’t imagine his life without her. Brock opened his mouth to tell her exactly that, but Julie’s voice rang out. “It’s time. Everyone in their places.”
The ceremony passed in a blur. Kady cried and Colton choked up, and then he swept her into his arms and laid a movie-ending-worthy kiss on her. Everyone was so happy, it was a wonder the flock of birds flying overhead didn’t break into song like in the fairy tales.
He shook his head at the idiotic thought and offered his arm to Sophie as they met at the altar and walked down the aisle behind Tyler and Christine—who was still limping but only slightly.
They barely made it through the doors when Julie sprang into motion, ushering the wedding party out of the room and down to where the reception was being held. The entire room was done up with blue, with a long table at the front for them.
“Hustle, people. Punctuality gets you past the pearly gates.” She caught Reed’s eye, and paused. “On second thought, let’s just have a good time and toast the happy couple.”
As people filed into the room, Brock looked for Regan. It would be a little bit before they started in on the toasts and other shit, and he wanted a few minutes alone with her.
His good mood dampened when he caught sight of her leaning against the wall behind the bridal party’s table, her gaze fastened on Logan’s face. As he watched, she laughed and leaned in to touch his arm. It was a casual touch, a propriety touch. A touch between people who had been intimate.
Holy fucking shit.
His stomach sank, even as he tried to tell himself that he was blowing things out of proportion. Logan was a friendly guy. Just because he was smiling down at her like that didn’t mean he’d had his hands on her.
He started toward them, still trying to convince himself he was being irrational. Brock got within hearing range in time to hear Regan laugh again. “I never figured you for a backdoor guy.”
Backdoor guy? What. The. Fuck?
Logan actually fucking blushed. “I’d rather people didn’t know about it just yet.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie. It’ll be our little secret—especially when you seem to take such pleasure in it. And that good-bye kiss? Good Lord, I needed a cold shower, despite what I’d just been doing.”
The pit in Brock’s stomach got deeper. There wasn’t a good way to interpret that. He’d thought Regan was finally feeling the same way he did, but she’d gone and stuck to her plan like she always seemed to. Logan. Logan was always the goal.
Not Brock.
Logan smiled, oblivious to the fact that Brock’s world was breaking apart around him. “It was a fantastic kiss, wasn’t it?”
The rushing in Brock’s ears drowned out whatever else they said, and he was glad for it. He’d thought Regan got up early to meet with Kady and the rest of the bridesmaids. He never would have guessed she’d sneaked out of his bed and gone into Logan’s.
Christ, that hurt. It hurt more than the girls who cuddled up to him in high school telling him he was never the one they wanted, more than his father’s constant comparisons to his coming up short against Caine, more than anything he’d experienced, because he wasn’t expecting this. Last night she’d talked about caring for him. He should have known that nothing she felt for him would get in the way of her plan to seduce Logan. He was such a fucking fool.
Unable to stand the sight of them, laughing and sharing each other’s happiness, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room. He wouldn’t make a scene here, not when it was Colton’s day, but he wanted to shake her and yell until this ugly feeling inside him dissipated. How the fuck hadn’t he seen that she was still hung up on Logan? He’d stupidly believed she was as into him as he was into her.
He wanted to break something.
“Brock!”
Even though he knew it was selfish, he relished the coming confrontation. Regan’s skin was flushed and he eyed her mouth, trying to decide if she’d been kissing Logan or not. Brock cursed himself for torturing himself thinking about it. “What do you want?”
…
Regan froze in mid-step. There was something wrong with his voice. Gone was the laid-back Southern gentleman, replaced by something angry. Just go with it. Figure out what’s wrong. “Uh, you mentioned dark corners and trouble, so I thought that’s where we were headed.”
In all their arguing and bantering and bickering, she’d never seen Brock look so cold. His dark eyes gave nothing away, and the grin she’d come to crave was nowhere in sight. For a moment, she thought he would just walk away without another word, but then he stepped forward, the move so aggressive, she stumbled back. “I have a question for you, Regan. The entire time we were fucking, were you planning on how to use it to your advantage in snaring Logan?”
“Snaring Logan?” What the hell was he talking about? Hadn’t she just thrown her whole plan out the window for him? He knew that. “What are you talking about?”
“I just can’t get over how well you played me. Here I was, thinking that there was actually something between us, and you always intended to use me as a jumping-off point to get to the real thing you wanted. I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s not the first time someone used me as leverage to get to a better man.” He dragged a hand down his face. “But I didn’t expect it from you. I thought… “ He broke off and pressed his lips together. “Never mind what I thought. It’s over. Have a nice life.”
She was so shocked, she let him get half a dozen steps away before she raced after him. “Oh, no you don’t. You don’t get to march out here, throw a tizzy, and then take off before I get some fucking explanations.”
He jerked his arm out of her grasp. “I can do whatever the hell I want.”
“Brock, wait!” She reached for him again, nearly losing it when he stepped out of reach. “Please don’t walk away. Can’t we just talk about this? Please.”
Ice was warmer than his expression. “There’s nothing left to talk about.”
Just like that, he was done. Here she was, ready to go to her knees and beg him—keep freaking begging him—not to leave her. And he wasn’t willing to see reason. “Why are you doing this? I was willing to make this work. I was willing to compromise my goddamn plan for you!”
He flinched like she’d reached across the space between them and slapped him. “Compromise. I’m a fucking compromise to you.”
“That’s not—”
“Enough, Regan. I don’t want to hear it. I’m done.”
Hurt spiked through her, its poisoned barbs sinking deep. She wrapped her arms around herself as he stalked away. “So that’s it, then? You’re going to drop me like yesterday’s trash over some imagined slight? It’s not my goddamn fault that you have inadequacy issues from your dad being an asshole. How about trying to actually fight for something you care about instead of throwing up your hands and pretending you don’t give a fuck about anything?”
He stopped at the corner and gave her a glare so scathing, she actually shrank in on herself. “I give plenty of fucks, Regan. Just not about you.” Then he was gone, walking around the corner and out of her life.
Her throat closed and she pressed a hand to her mouth as she searched for an empty closet, bathroom, somewhere to hide so she didn’t break down in the middle of the hallway. The ladies’ restroom was the closest door and she practically sprinted in there, nearly taking Sophie out in the process.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” Regan’s breath shuddered out, but she fought down the burning in her eyes. She wasn’t going to cry. Not here, not now. Not over a man who wouldn’t even sit down and talk to her about whatever the hell his pr
oblem was.
“That’s okay. I really didn’t want to leave the restroom anyway.”
She looked around. For a bathroom, it was pretty nice—but she doubted Sophie was hiding in here because of the decor. Pathetically grateful for the distraction, she focused on the other woman. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you out there with your guy?”
“Logan’s hardly mine.” Sophie wouldn’t quite meet her eyes. “He was only spending time with me as a favor to Colton. The good news, for you, is he’s no longer stuck entertaining the groom’s shy little sister. He’s all yours. Go for it.”
She didn’t want him—she probably never had. Beyond that… “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but a man doesn’t ask his best friend to sleep with his baby sister.”
“But—”
“And, seriously, that scorching kiss I got an eyeful of this morning when I walked by your room was nobody’s version of a favor. No one can fake chemistry like that.”
A line appeared between Sophie’s brows. “I don’t know…”