Once a Bridesmaid Read online

  “If you’d like.” She smiled at him, wiggling her toes on the carpet before pulling the empty bins out of the closet. She packed the totes as he brought the decorations to her. Working together, they packed everything up and piled the bins in her car in less than a half an hour. When it was done, she brought over two bottles of beer and, handing one to him, sat down on the sofa.

  “Thanks for your help.”

  “No problem.” Kyle sat next to her, sipping his beer.

  “Your eyes match the bottle.” She smiled and shifted closer so their thighs pressed together, warm in the cool room.

  “Uh, thanks, I think.” Kyle looked over at her, inhaling her clean citrusy scent like a tropical beach after a storm. She leaned closer to him, her eyes intense on his before dropping her gaze to his mouth with a smile. She moved away to sip her beer and he had to stop himself from chasing her with a kiss. He tapped his fingers on the beer bottle. Was she flirting with him or just being nice? He’d been out in the field so long his flirting skills were rusty. Okay, who was he kidding? They were non-existent in traditional situations like this. He could totally be reading this wrong.

  “You always hear of people with green eyes but usually they’re just blue.” Lauren laid her head on the sofa back and looked over at him. “Yours are really green.”

  “Your hair is really red.” Kyle flushed at the stupid line. As the heat crawled up his face, she smiled at him. “I bet it’s pretty in the sunshine, I mean.”

  “Thanks.” She ran her fingers, cool from the frosty beer bottle, up his bare forearm and Kyle’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. Maybe he wasn’t reading this entirely wrong.

  “You can probably take that off now.” He pointed to the no-longer-flashing headband. She patted the top of her head and then laughed as she pulled the dickey boppers off, shaking her glorious hair free. He liked her laugh, a husky, warm sound. She tossed them onto the coffee table and picked up a scrunched up piece of white tulle from the floor. “What is that?”

  “A condom veil.” She tossed it on the table, too. “Most brides love the chance to go a little wild just before the big day.”

  “You all know how to party.” Kyle shifted towards her, a fraction of an inch. “How about you, Lauren? Like to go wild sometimes?”

  “Sometimes.” She turned towards him, her eyes watchful in the dim light of the room and a smile flirting with her full mouth. “So, does Mrs. Photographer mind you being out so late, partying with the girls?”

  “I’m not married. Don’t even have a girlfriend.” He turned toward her as she stretched, cat-like and mysterious, his heart picking up speed. She piled her long hair on top of her head, rolling her head around her neck as she did. He wanted to kiss that long, enticing neck and bury his fingers in that fiery hair before finding out what she’d taste like. “And Mr. Professional Bridesmaid?”

  “Nope. I’m a single lady.” Lauren dropped her hand to his thigh. “But you’re right. I do know how to party. Sometimes, I’m even wild.”

  She leaned close enough to kiss him, pressing her soft breasts against his upper arm, her breath, smelling of cinnamon, ghosting over his lips. She gave him plenty of time to pull away before she pressed her mouth to his, a quick, teasing kiss. She leaned back, her eyes meeting his, and smirked, slow and seductive. This close, her freckles became apparent. Kyle wanted to trace them with his tongue, connect them like constellations blooming over her skin.

  Lauren plucked the beer from his hand and placed both their bottles on the coffee table with an audible click, loud in the quiet room. She stood, grabbing the hem of her black shirt, the sparkly rhinestones flashing as she moved. Her hardened nipples poked against the thin fabric of the shirt and Kyle swallowed hard, swiping his shaking hands on his jeans.

  “Tell me now if you’re not up to partying.”

  All parts of Kyle were definitely ready and willing to party. He managed only a quick nod. She tugged the shirt over her head, revealing her creamy skin, dotted everywhere with freckles, and her full, rosy-tipped breasts, a few shades darker than her lips. She straddled his lap, catching his shoulders for balance as he settled his hands on her hips. She threaded her fingers into his hair before lowering her mouth to his, sucking his lower lip and nipping it, making his blood race through his veins.

  He groaned and pulled her close, grinding her against him, palming her round bottom. The stiff tulle of her skirt rustled between them. He slid his hand up the scratchy fabric until the cool silk of the satin bow at the back pressed against his palm. He tugged the end of the ribbon and slid his hand inside the waistband, over the silky, smooth skin of her lower back, kissing her all the while. She tasted of sugar, like the cupcakes they’d served—sweet, tempting and addictive.

  Lauren pushed off his shoulders to pull her skirt from between them, tossing it carelessly to the floor, revealing high cut panties in lavender lace, covering soft, auburn curls at the apex of her thighs. Kyle moaned, desire and arousal pounding through him, making him feverish and hot, ready for her. She tugged at his t-shirt, skimming her palms up his sides, over his ribcage, and pulling the shirt free over his head before flinging it aside. She dipped her head to kiss him again, her breasts pillowed against his chest, as her hair cascaded around them in a shimmering fiery curtain. She kissed him, deep and drugging as he cupped her lush bottom, sliding his fingers under the edge of the lace to tease her satiny skin.

  She fumbled with his belt buckle, tugging the top button on his jeans open before wiggling her hand inside. She wrapped her hand around him, stroking, her clever thumb finding all the right pressure points, tearing a gasp from him. He dropped his head back with a groan as she stroked him, running her thumb over him, smearing the drops of wetness she found there and experimenting with just the right pressure to make him moan, shiver, and shudder against her.

  She shifted back on his lap, dressed only in lace and moonlight. With shaking fingers, he eased her panties down her long legs before stroking through the titian curls at the center of her. He trailed his fingertips over the gratifying slickness there before bracing her thighs open on his denim-clad hips and sitting up. He reached for the messy pile of tulle and nabbed one of the condoms—a bright blue that made him chuckle as he rolled it over himself.

  “If you make a light saber joke…” Lauren teased and he laughed again, pressing against her entrance. She shut her eyes, grabbing at his shoulders as he pulled her hips against him, slipping inside her slick, tight heat. After a few awkward, messy thrusts, they found their rhythm. She threw her head back as she rode him, her hair tossed over her shoulders like a trail of flames. He wanted his camera in his hands to capture how gorgeous she was. Instead, he tried to memorize the image instead.

  She pulled his hands to her breasts and he cupped them before bending to taste the tips. He slid his hand down her belly to her sex, his fingers circling her. In just a few more thrusts, she arched up, her nails clawing at his shoulders as she clenched around him, hot and wild. He took another mental snapshot of her, before burrowing deep and following her over the edge into bliss. He buried his face in her neck, breathing hard, his hips jerking as he emptied himself into her.

  She rolled away to lay on her back on the sofa. Kyle rid himself of the condom before straightening his pants. He relaxed back on the sofa, as she trembled through the aftershocks of her release. He wound his fingers with hers, brushing a kiss over the back of her hand. Lauren opened her lovely eyes and smiled at him.

  “We have the party room for another hour,” Lauren said. “Think we can use up all the condoms on that veil?”

  “I don’t know about all the condoms,” Kyle said, his voice husky. “But I’m willing to give it the old college try.”

  Lauren smiled, already feeling far more relaxed from her dizzying release. She sat up, wrapping her arms around Kyle’s neck and pulling him close for a few lazy kisses that quickly turned intense and deep, their tongues tangling together. As she moved, he watched her breasts sway, his apple
-green eyes dark with desire, the intensity in his gaze making her a little dizzy.

  She pressed a quick kiss to his mouth and then kissed her way down his neck, sucking on his earlobe on the way past. He groaned as she stroked her way down his muscled torso, loving the feel of his sweat-slicked tanned skin beneath her fingers. The cowboy stripper earlier was all oily muscle from hours in the gym whereas Kyle’s muscles came from natural exertion, firm without being obvious.

  Lauren slipped from the sofa to kneel between his legs. She played with a long scar across his ribs, wondering how he’d gotten it as she licked at the raised line. Like most of her conquests, she wasn’t planning to get to know him any further than the next hour or so. Still, it looked like it might have been from a severe injury, faded now to petal pink.

  She trailed her hands up his hard thighs, pushing his legs apart as she palmed the obvious bulge at the front of his pants. She popped open the buttons on his jeans, slowly parting them one by one to bare the thick length beneath. He fisted his hands on the sofa but let her set the pace. She blew a cool stream of air over his shaft, making his stomach muscles contract from the sensation. She wrapped her lips over just the tip of him, lapping at the salty drops she found there, before sucking the pillowy head into her mouth.

  He gasped, his eyes falling shut as his head fell back, lost to the pleasure she gave him. She chased her hand down his length, tormenting him with her tongue as she bobbed her head, humming softly. The sweet-salty scent of him mingled with the taste of him, making her that much hotter and wetter. Reaching into his jeans, she rolled his balls in her fingers, still teasing him before pulling off with a pop. She wanted him inside her again.

  Lauren grabbed a red neon condom from the veil and rolled it slowly over his generous length. She crawled up to straddle him, leaned back, and braced her palms on his knees as she slowly sheathed him inside her. He slid his hands up her thighs, parting her, his fingertips teasing her in slow circles as she pumped on top of him, ready and aching for release.

  After a few minutes of slow, grinding thrusts, she leaned forward, using his wide shoulders for leverage as she pumped, loving the feel of him inside her, filling her. She set a punishing pace, his fingertips digging into her hips as he slammed up into her. When she slid one hand down to rub herself, he knocked her hand away.

  He circled her slowly, in time with his deep thrusts, one hand slipping up her torso to tease her aching breasts. His hands never stopped their gentle torment as she climaxed once, and then again, before he found his release. She collapsed upon his chest, their harsh breathing echoing in the quiet party room.

  “Still not done with you yet.” She groaned, wanting the blissful exhaustion only incredibly passionate, animalistic sex could bring.

  “You’re definitely going to kill me.” Kyle pressed kisses to her shoulder blades. He rolled her onto her back and tugged her to the edge of the sofa, the leather cool against her bottom and making her wriggle. Kyle slid off the sofa and knelt between her legs, his gaze intense in the dim light. With a slow smile, his long, warm fingers slid up her thighs as he tugged her legs open.

  He lowered his head to taste her skin, running his tongue up her trembling thigh, nipping at her hip before lingering over her center. He sighed, his breath a warm rush over her slickness and she let her knees fall apart, giving him ready access to her. Instead, he kissed his way up her other thigh, teasing her slowly as she squirmed and rocked her hips up.

  Kyle parted her, flattening his tongue and using it to drive her wild, his fingertips stroking her entrance, before crooking his fingers and slipping. He bent to his task making her moan, high and breathless. After a few minutes of his delicious torment, she grabbed at his dark hair, as she clasped him to her, pressing herself against his lush mouth, her cries echoing around the room as she shuddered against his lips.

  She opened her eyes when he sat next to her on the sofa, her heart still thrumming in her chest from the intensity of her multiple releases. She felt much less stressed now, boneless and blissful, as the last pulses of her release faded. He grinned at her, a crooked half-smile that made her breath catch, and she smiled lazily back.

  “If we’re going to use up the rest of those condoms, I’m going to need some energy,” Kyle finally said. He took her hand, running his thumb over the back. “I know a place that serves great waffles. We could…”

  She shook her head, tugging her hand out of his and holding up a palm. “No need for that, champ. I don’t eat breakfast with my hook-ups.”

  “What’s that mean?” He asked, his eyes widening as his whole body stiffened.

  “I don’t date.” Lauren stood, rummaging around for her t-shirt. Time to make her exit.

  “You don’t date at all?” Kyle’s brow furrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Not since college.” It was too bad, really. They’d been molten hot together, but better to make a quick, clean break. Lauren pulled on her top, realized it was inside out when the rhinestones scratched her bare chest and pulled it back off again. Kyle looked suddenly perkier until she yanked the shirt on again so quickly that she ripped it at the neck.

  “What happened?”

  “That’s a really long story and it’s already late. Suffice to say that, though I had a great time tonight, there’s no need to call me in the morning, or anything.” Lauren grabbed the violently pink tutu and tied it around her waist. She should never have packed her jeans in the car. “I mean, don’t be offended. I had a great time with you. You’re wonderful in bed. Very talented. But, I don’t like to get attached.”

  “Well, in that case, I can do casual.” Kyle grinned as he stood, picking up his own t-shirt. “Are you free tomorrow night? Just for some more sex?”

  “Long dry spell?” She laughed at his honest, hopeful question. “No thanks, Kyle. I don’t do repeaters.”

  “Repeaters?”

  “I learned a long time ago that I never wanted to be tied down. It’s better this way.”

  “I don’t see how.”

  “You would if I stuck around.” Lauren grabbed the condom veil, her undies, and her car keys before he could even get his shirt on. “It was nice meeting you, Kyle. See you around.”

  Chapter Three

  Friday night found Lauren huddled in the doorway of the New Canton restaurant as frigid raindrops spattered her shins and toes from the leaky dark green awing. She stepped back even further, pressing against the door and burying her bare hands in her coat pockets. Not only had she forgotten her umbrella, she’d forgotten her gloves, too. Scatterbrained. Erin had been gone four days and Lauren hadn’t been so stressed since the week before she’d dropped out of law school.

  Erin would never get caught in a vestibule, shivering in her cocktail dress, without an umbrella. In fact, her roommate, best friend, and boss possessed no less than four different sized and color-coded umbrellas stacked in an elegant stand next to their front door, where they did no one any good at the moment. When Lauren left the apartment, she’d been on the phone gossiping with Erin’s brother, Dylan, about Erin’s blossoming relationship with the mysterious and intriguing Matthew Westbrook and hadn’t thought to check the weather.

  Though the sky had been overcast then, the sun still pierced through the gathering oyster and pearl clouds. Living on the upper curve of Cape Ann on Massachusetts Bay, just a bit north of Boston, she should be used to sudden sea squalls coming in. Usually the storms disappeared as quickly as they appeared. But this one, hurling down chilly December rain in sheets, showed no sign of relenting. Lauren sighed. At least it wasn’t snow or, even worse, ice.

  She’d be soaked to the skin in seconds if she ventured out in the downpour. But if she waited much longer, she’d miss the start of the rehearsal, no doubt causing the bride’s bitterly divorced parents to go into full bickering mode. Her stomach clenched and she rubbed at the headache brewing behind her eyes. A sudden pain shot through her jaw. She was grinding her teeth again.

  She
shut her eyes, sucking in a deep breath of the rain-soaked night, trying to calm and center herself. She blew out her breath, bracing herself to venture out in the rain, and opened her eyes to see Kyle’s handsome face, framed by a black umbrella. He stood, just under the edge of the awning, watching her with those intense bottle-green eyes that had haunted her dreams for the last three nights.

  “Lauren?”

  “What are you doing here?” Lauren blurted. She hadn’t expected to run into Kyle.

  “I live here.”

  “In Apple Harbor?” Lauren’s heart sank. She’d had no idea he lived so close to her. She preferred to never see her hookups again but she’d have no way to avoid him now in their small town. Lauren shifted back in the tiny vestibule but there was nowhere for her to go. Standing less than a foot in front of her, Kyle blocked the cold December breeze, his body heat warming her.

  “Yeah. I’m staying with Joe and Leigh.” Kyle cocked his head to the side, “You okay?”

  “Just waiting for the rain to stop.”

  Kyle peered back over his shoulder, around the umbrella. “You could be in for a long wait.”

  Lauren chewed her bottom lip. “I’ve gotta get to Mamacita’s before 7:30.”

  “Didn’t like the food here?”

  “No, I just came from an engagement party. I’ve gotta get to Mamacita’s for a rehearsal.”

  “You are a busy bridesmaid, aren’t you?”

  “I can’t wait for Erin to get home and take over,” Lauren said, shivering. “This is way too stressful!”

  “Let me grab my takeout order and I’ll drive you there.”

  Lauren shook her head. “Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that…”

  “It’s like two streets. I think my busy evening of eating pork strips and fried rice while watching ESPN can wait five minutes.”

  “Thanks, Kyle. I’d appreciate it.” In short order, he got his take-out order and ushered her into his still warm compact car. The rain drummed on the roof, the sound echoing, and the delicious smells of his food filled the car’s interior.