6. Avery
SIX
AVERY
The man sitting next to me won’t stop talking with his mouth full.
It was easy to ignore during the salad course when Italian dressing landed on my elbow after a lengthy, one-sided conversation about Civil War generals I did my best to feign interest in.
We’ve moved on to the cake, though, and the buttercream frosting from the three-tiered lemon and blueberry dessert is one enthusiastic exclamation away from staining my silk dress.
“How do you know the couple?” he asks. Crumbs spew from his mouth and end up on my nose. I blink, horrified. “Are you family?”
I grab a napkin and wipe my face. The woman across the table shoots me a sympathetic glance, and I’m kicking myself for not taking her up on the offer to escape to the bathroom twenty minutes ago.
It’s too late now.
I’m on a sinking ship, and I’m going to drown in a sea of regurgitated food.
“Soccer,” I say politely.
“Ah, soccer. A great sport. Did you know the rest of the world calls it football?”
“Fascinating.”
“What’s also fascinating are the rules. You’re familiar with the rules, right?”
“They tend to make sure we understand how to play the game before we’re allowed to kick,” I say.
Something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head and see Reid approaching our table. His jacket is shrugged off and his hair is a little messy.
With his tie half unknotted and the top button of his shirt popped open, he looks relaxed. Loose and laid-back, soft around the edges. Like someone I could have a whole lot of fun with.
“Hey,” he says when he gets close.
“Hi.” I tip my chin to look up at him. Pink cheeks. Crooked glasses and a grin from ear to ear. There’s a smudge of chocolate on his chin, right along the curve of his jaw, and I have no clue how that got there. Goodness , he’s cute. “How are you?”
“Just fine, thanks. How are you? How was the cake?”
“Probably the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
“I’m going to hope that means you thought it was delicious,” he says. “Otherwise, I’m going to offer my condolences.”
I smile. “Definitely delicious.”
Reid clears his throat. “About that dance.”
“Yeah?” I ask.
The reception has gone on for a few hours, and it’s been a blur of toasts, food, and music. Maverick standing on a chair, grabbing a microphone and demanding the couple kiss. A lot of love, enough to fill the entire room.
This is the first time I’ve seen Reid all night. The drinks are flowing more freely. The music is getting louder. People are starting to turn rowdy, and I wait with bated breath to hear what he’s going to ask.
“I was wondering if, uh, I could cash in on that now,” he says. His cheeks turn more pink, and I don’t think it’s the alcohol he’s been drinking that’s causing him to blush. “Or if you have a piece of paper where I can jot down my name and you’ll let me know when it’s my turn, that works too.”
“A piece of paper? Are we in the 1800s?”
“I don’t know.” He fiddles with his glasses then his tie. “I’m sure you’ve been propositioned a dozen times already. Maybe there’s a note on your phone with a list of names.”
“Not a single proposition. Can you believe it?” I smile at him. “Are you sure you can step away from your best man duties? Tonight is important, and I’d hate to pull you away from your friends.”
“They won’t miss me. When I last saw Maven and Dallas, they were making out behind a plant.” Reid shrugs.
“Okay. Let’s dance.” I stand and set my napkin on the table. I brush the lingering crumbs off my dress and smile. “That would be really nice.”
He offers me his arm. Our sides press together, and warmth radiates from him. I let Reid lead me to the dance floor. When we’re away from the table, I sigh in relief.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” I say. That guy was getting food all over me.”
“He spilled on you?” Reid stares at my dress, at the thin straps slipping down my shoulders and the way the material hugs my torso before fanning out over my hips. “Where?”
“He didn’t spill, he spat. There’s a drop of steak sauce between my boobs, and it’s revolting.”
His eyes bounce to the low-cut neckline of my gown and hold for the quickest of seconds before moving back to my face.
“You should’ve flagged me down sooner. I’m happy to be of assistance,” he says.
“You’re doing that a lot, I notice. Swooping in and saving the day.”
“I don’t think I’m doing anything. You’re just hanging out with the wrong people.” The overhead lighting dims. The atmosphere turns intimate. “Guys who don’t deserve your attention,” he says, looking at me.
My pulse jumps in my throat. “Who does deserve my attention? Anyone in particular?”
“We could start with men who don’t get food on your dress. Followed closely by dimwitted fuckwads who don’t want you to talk about things you’re passionate about.” Reid slides his hands around my waist. His fingers cinch in the soft fabric gliding against my skin, and I let out a shaky breath. “Is this okay?”
I drape my arms around his neck, linking us together like a key in a lock. “Now it is.”
We sway to the beat of a slow song then another, lost to the world around us. Each time we rock side to side, I swear we get closer.
“Spit aside, are you having fun?” he asks.
“I am having fun. The ceremony was wonderful.”
“Have you met their daughter, June?”
“Briefly,” I say. “She seems like a great kid.”
“The best of the best. Maverick and I are her godfathers, and I remember the day Dallas brought her home from the hospital. It was pure panic. I don’t think any of us slept for a week because we were worried she would stop breathing in the middle of the night or hurt herself. It’s funny to see her so old now.”
I rest my head on Reid’s chest, and his heart pounds rhythmically under his white cotton shirt. I track the beats, and they’re as quick as mine. “You’ve known Dallas a while?”
“Over ten years.”
“Did you play football with him in college?”
He bursts out laughing. “Absolutely not. We randomly met each other. He invited me out for a beer, and the rest is history.”
“I’m guessing you’re also close with Maverick? You guys looked like you were having a good time up there during the ceremony.”
“Watching me, were you?” Reid murmurs.
“Hard not to when you’re front and center.”
You were too difficult to look away from , I think in some deep recess of my brain, but I keep that to myself.
“They’re my best friends.” He shrugs, and a button presses into my cheek. “I don’t see them as superstars. I see them as the guys who get their nails painted because June wants to try out a new color, and the dorks who spend hours playing video games with me. To the rest of the world, they’re gods. Athletic freaks of nature with gifts people would drain their entire life savings to have. But with me, they’re just the people I can call in the middle of the night if I need to talk.”
His right hand moves to my arm and rubs up and down. I sigh and relax into him.
“It’s good to have people like that,” I say.
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world.”
“I wanted to ask you earlier, but we were short on time. Are you here with a date?”
“No,” Reid says around a low rasp. “Did you come solo?”
“Yeah.” I nod and lick my lips. Desire curls through me like a wisp of smoke. “I want to make sure no one is going to be mad at me for taking up so much of your time.”
“Not a soul.” He tucks a piece of hair behind my ear and his touch lingers on my cheek. “Can I tell you a secret?”
I nod, desperate to hear what he has to say.
He rests his forehead against mine. I love how close he is. How warm he is, and how he’s staring at me like I’m the only person in the room.
“I wanted to kiss you at the bar,” he confesses quietly. “I’m not good with spur of the moment things, though. My brain goes into overdrive when I’m thinking about something I’m going to do. I come up with a hundred ways to attack a situation. I’m not one to live in the here and now, but I’m feeling that way again. Like I want to kiss you and get lost for a while.”
“You should’ve,” I say, matching his quiet tone. “You could right now, if you wanted.”
“I could?”
“You don’t strike me as someone who takes what they want.” I run my hands up his chest and tug on his tie. “But you can be greedy with me, Reid.”
“ Fuck .” The word is sinister, a promise and a plea. “Can I—” He swallows and rubs his thumb down my jaw. “Not here. I don’t want people to watch you. To listen to you. If I’m going to be greedy, I want to do this right.”
I clench my thighs at his possessiveness. At the thought of what he might be like behind closed doors with his head between my legs.
“What did you have in mind?” I ask.
“Follow me.”
He offers me his hand, and I let him lead me past the party guests. My heart races in my chest, a dangerous whirr that only increases when I follow him into a deserted hallway.
“Where are we going?”
“Just… somewhere else. Somewhere I can see you and hear you. It’s too loud in there.” He turns to face me, and his bashfulness is back. Red cheeks again, downcast eyes. “I have a confession to make, but you have to promise not to make fun of me.”
“Oh no. Is this where you tell me your fetishes? That you’ve had a relationship with an inanimate object?”
“I— what ?” He pushes his glasses up his nose, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that would be as hot as it is. “Like a refrigerator?”
“I saw it on a show once.”
“I have a lot of questions.”
“I’m sorry. I… I make jokes when I’m nervous. Jokes that aren’t funny,” I tell him.
“I make you nervous?”
“It’s a good kind of nervous.” I step backward until my shoulders press against the wall. “Not a bad thing.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever made anyone nervous before.”
“Are you going to give me your confession? I’m happy to listen to what burden you might be carrying.”
His mouth quirks up on the right side, and a lock of stray hair falls across his forehead. “It’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Performance issues?”
“No complaints from past participants.” His fingers dance down my cheek to my neck, cupping the back of my head and rubbing a thumb under my hair. “I’ve never had a one-night stand. Not that I’m implying that’s what this is or anything. I’ve never kissed someone without knowing what they like, and I?—”
“Reid?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up,” I say, crashing my lips against his.