Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Suzie
The soft hum of conversation fills the venue as I stand at the edge of the room, sipping a flute of champagne I have no intention of finishing. The wedding ceremony was beautiful and perfect. Exactly what Ethan and Cole deserve. I cried through most of it, especially when Ethan's vows had left everyone in the room a teary mess.
But now? Now I'm just drowning in confusion.
Pete has a boyfriend. A damn boyfriend . The same man who had shattered my heart into a million jagged pieces. And to make it worse—Dexter is hot. Too hot. The kind of hot that makes my skin hum with electricity whenever he's near.
I glance across the room and catch sight of Pete and Dexter standing close together at the bar, chatting like they belong to each other in a way that feels too easy. Too real. Pete leans in to whisper something to Dexter, and the sight of them sends an unexpected pang through my chest.
I force my gaze away and my stomach flips with emotions I can't quite name, nor have any interest in naming.
Our initial reunion and meeting was weird and for lack of a better word... awkward.
"Stop staring," Annie's voice teases from my side, drawing my attention back to the present, and making me jump. My best friend hands me a fresh drink, grinning mischievously. "Or make a move if you're going to look at them like that."
I scoff, taking the glass. "A move? On who?"
Annie gives me a pointed look. "On either of them, both of them? I'm in a happy relationship with two bisexual men."
I pull a face and my friend holds up her hands in apology.
"No! I'm not saying you need to look for a relationship with them, but I have sex with my two men on the regular. And honey, it's hot. "
This time I pull a face for a whole other reason. "Annie! Babe! Overshare."
My friend giggles before bumping my hip with hers. "All I'm saying is, it won't hurt to take those two handsome men for a ride. And who knows, you might get Pete out of your system with one last romp."
I groan, slumping against a nearby column. "He's my ex, remember? Not exactly move-making territory."
Annie smirks. "Why not? It just means you know what will work, and what won't." She nods toward the bar. "And they've both been eyeing you up just as much as you have them. You sure you're not interested?"
Before I can respond, the object of our conversation turns and locks eyes with me again. Dexter. His sharp blue gaze pins me in my place, a lazy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. My heart skips a beat, heat flooding my cheeks.
"Oh my goodness, Annie," I mutter under my breath, shifting nervously. "I hate you."
"You, best-friend-of-mine, love me," Annie replies, clearly delighted by the whole situation.
I take a steadying breath, forcing myself to look away from Dexter. The last thing I need tonight is to give them any ideas.
As the evening wears on, I float through the reception in a haze of emotions. I make polite small talk with relatives and friends and then down another flute of champagne. I shouldn't be drinking to calm my nerves before stealing yet another glance at Pete and Dexter whenever they're nearby.
I hate how my body reacts—how just the sight of Pete stirs up old memories, good and bad. And Dexter? He's a whole other problem. One I definitely didn't expect to have. The man is sex walking and every time he catches me staring he smiles or winks.
By the time the first dance starts, I'm vibrating with tension.
I watch Ethan and Cole sway together in the center of the room, their faces lit up with happiness. Pride fills my chest as I take in my happy brother. I'm so grateful he found someone like Cole. Someone who understands him, loves him, and will stand by him.
And yet, I can't seem to shake the weight pressing on my chest.
"Want to dance?"
The low, familiar voice sends a jolt down my spine. I turn to find Pete standing behind me, his hands shoved awkwardly in his pockets.
My throat tightens. "What do you want, Pete?"
He hesitates for a moment, then glances around the room. "I believe I asked for a dance? Can we talk? Just for one song?"
"Why?" I cross my arms, wary. "So you can just get in my face again?"
Pete winces at my words, guilt flickering across his face at the reminder of the night a few months ago, when we ran into each other at a club. Annie was working through her own issues, and while she was on a tear, getting way too drunk and hiding from us, Pete had shown up because Ethan had let slip we were at a local hot spot. "I deserve that. Look, that night, I wasn't in a good place. I'd just had a fight with Dexter and I was… well, I wasn’t in a good place."He repeats himself, then shrugs.
I hold my hand up to stop him. "Look, I don't need to know about your lovers’ spats."
At this, Dexter appears at Pete's side, looking amused. "I told you she'd bite your head off," he says, nudging Pete with his elbow.
Pete shoots him a look, but Dexter's grin doesn't waver. Instead, he turns his attention to me.
Oh, be still my beating heart.
No. I'm serious. Calm the fuck down, Suzie.
"For what it's worth," Dexter says, his gaze sliding over me with open curiosity, "I think you're kind of incredible."
I blink, thrown completely off balance by the unexpected compliment. "Excuse me?"
Pete sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "This is not how I expected tonight to go."
"Oh really?" I snap, the words spilling out before I can stop them. These two idiots have taken me on one heck of a rollercoaster in the last few minutes alone. "And how exactly did you expect it to go, Pete? You show up at my brother's wedding with a boyfriend, and then expected you and me to be best friends?"
Pete opens his mouth to respond, but before he can say anything, Dexter steps forward, placing himself squarely between us.
"Okay," Dexter says, his tone firm. "That's about enough of that. Let's not turn this into a shouting match in the middle of Ethan and Cole’s reception. We don’t need to say things we might regret later." He frowns, his words coming out as low growl, and the affable man from thirty seconds ago is gone.
And I'm even more attracted to this dominant version of Dexter.
I glare at him, a mix of frustration bubbling to the surface. First at my emotions for running the show, but more so at the two men in front of me. "Why do you care what I do or don’t regret?"
Dexter's frown softens as he smiles. There's something in his eyes—something warm and understanding that makes my heart skip. "Because you matter to Pete . And believe it or not, that means what happens here, between the three of us now, matters to me, too."
The words hit me like a punch, knocking the air from my lungs.
For a moment, the three of us stand there, tension crackling between us like a live wire.
And then, before I can think twice, I take a step forward, right into Dexter's space, and kiss him.
I'll just blame it on the two glasses of champagne, shall I?
It happens so fast, I barely have time to register the way his lips feel against mine. Warm, soft, and far too good.
Pete makes a strangled sound beside us, and then suddenly his hand is on my arm, pulling me away from Dexter.
"What the hell, Suzie?" Pete's voice is a mix of anger and disbelief, but there's something else there too... Is that interest?
The emotions rolling through me are such a mess, I can't get a handle on anything, let alone a thought. "Don't ask me to explain it," I breathe, my pulse racing.
And then, not allowing myself to think it through, I grab Pete's shirt, pull him closer, and kiss him too.
The moment our lips meet, the world tilts on its axis. It's different from the kiss with Dexter—familiar in a way that makes my chest ache, but charged with something new. Fresh. Exciting.
When I finally pull away, both men stare at me, stunned into silence.
"Oh my word," I mutter, running a hand through my hair. "What the hell did I just do?"
Dexter chuckles softly, breaking the tension. "Well, that was unexpected. But not completely unwelcome."
Pete shakes his head, a dazed smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You've always been full of surprises."
I step back, my heart hammering in my chest. I’m not sure whether to laugh, cry, or run for the hills.
But one thing's for sure—things just got a whole lot more complicated.