Chapter 4
Four
“You doing okay? Crowd getting to you?”
At one time, the concern in Porter’s voice would’ve rankled.
It was a mark of how far Sebastian had come that he didn’t pop off with some sarcastic remark about not needing a babysitter.
Like the rest of their band of brothers, he’d been a surly bastard when he separated from the Army.
Nice to know he’d added a little veneer of civility.
“Nah. Just people watching and trying to figure out how long I have to wait before snagging another piece of cake.”
Which was true. If he was also cataloging his position relative to Laurel’s so he could relocate before she cornered him to dance, well, Porter didn’t need to know that.
She was pure temptation in the strapless, emerald green bridesmaid’s dress that clung to her curves in a way that made his palms itch.
Her dark hair was swept up, baring her neck and the soft, creamy skin of delicate shoulders.
It was hard not to think about tasting her there, wondering what sound she might make if he gently sank his teeth into that tender spot where her neck met her shoulder.
She was picture perfect and perfectly edible, so elegantly packaged that all he wanted to do was drag her into a dark corner and start mussing her all up.
But he wasn’t about to do that, which was why he was engaging his Army Ranger skills to hide in plain sight.
The inn wasn’t that big, and the guest list wasn’t so large that it was easy to blend into it, but Sebastian knew how to navigate covert operations.
Skills he never thought he’d use to avoid a woman—especially not a beautiful woman he ached to have in his arms again.
Thinking of her, that sweet, natural, unedited beauty he found he preferred even to this portrait-worthy perfection, thinking of the weight of her in his lap, the scent of her skin, the hungry slide of her tongue actually made him weak in the knees.
But she was not for him.
He’d avoided female entanglements since he’d come to the Ridge—even the short-term, itch-scratching variety.
There’d been interest from more than a few women.
It was a small town, and he qualified as fresh meat, as it were.
He hadn’t reciprocated because his head hadn’t been screwed on straight, and until that was sorted, he had no business pursuing anything with anybody.
Especially not the much younger sister of his friend and boss.
She deserved better than a broken-down soldier still working on getting his life together.
And anyway, she’d be gone the day after tomorrow.
It was a fine line he was walking, saving himself from temptation without being an obvious asshole who left her thinking he regretted last night’s kiss. That mind-blowing, hot-as-hell kiss that had been on repeat in his brain since they’d stopped.
“—expect we’ll be doing this again sometime next year.”
Sebastian tuned back into the conversation, wondering what he’d missed. Rather than admit he hadn’t been paying attention, he made a grunt of agreement.
“How long do you think Harrison will wait before getting Ivy down the aisle?” Porter asked.
Next to Porter, Harrison Wilkes was the member of their group who’d been out the longest. Last winter he’d rescued a woman whose car had spun out and crashed through a guardrail. He’d rappelled halfway down the mountain and ended up finding the love of his life.
Sebastian sipped at his beer. “Ty’s got money down that he’ll propose on New Year’s. I think he’ll do it on the anniversary of the day they met.”
Porter crossed his arms. “My money’s with you. Harrison’s sentimental like that.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that. He might have to wrestle to prove his manhood. What about you?” Sebastian glanced across the room to the woman who’d always held Porter’s heart.
Porter’s face softened as he followed Sebastian’s gaze to Maggie. “I’d marry her right now if that’s what she wanted. But we’ll get there. Sooner rather than later, if I get my way.”
“I wish you luck, brother.”
“When are you gonna get back out there?”
Sebastian arched a brow. “You going all matchmaker on me? I thought that was Ari’s department.”
“It’s a natural enough question. You’ve settled into life here. Seems like a woman’s the next logical step.”
“There are some available should I want one.”
“Which you haven’t or I’d have heard about it.”
“Only because Ty and Harrison gossip like little girls. I don’t kiss and tell.”
“So you’ve been kissing?” Porter’s face lit with interest.
“Shouldn’t we be braiding each other’s hair or painting nails while you ask that? There’s nothing to tell.” God knew, recounting any of last night, even if he were so inclined, would have him popping a woody right here in the middle of all the guests. That was the last thing he needed.
Before Porter could continue his nosy-ass line of questioning, Logan strode up. “Sebastian. Just the man I was looking for.”
Sebastian offered his hand. “Congratulations man. I hope you and Athena will be very happy.”
Logan’s smile practically lit up the room.
“Already are. We’re looking forward to getting away for a bit.
Ten whole days, where I’m not having to wake up to feed livestock and the only thing I have to focus on is my wife, sounds like pretty much the best thing ever.
A chance to really relax before we come home and have to scramble to get the place all duded up for Christmas.
We’re less than thrilled about that part, but that’s what happens when you have an almost Christmas wedding. ”
“Can’t blame you there. Where are y’all going?”
“Ponderosa Resort and Ranch. Some big luxury ranch resort out in Oregon. Athena’s friend, Sean Bracelyn—the chef who flew in to do all the food for the rehearsal dinner and the reception—it’s his family’s place. We’ll be headed out first thing in the morning to catch our flight.”
“Were there some last-minute instructions you wanted to give me?”
“Oh, no. I just had one more favor to ask.”
Feeling more than a little guilty for the naked thoughts he’d been having about Laurel, Sebastian just nodded. “Sure. Lay it on me.”
“I’d like you to keep an eye on my sister.”
He almost choked on his beer. “Pardon?”
“Laurel’s had a rough semester, so she’s going to stick around the farm to pup-sit Bo and Peep.
Which really just means spoil them rotten and chillax a bit, while we’re gone.
” Logan glanced across the room to where Laurel was in deep discussion with Maggie about something.
“I’m worried about her. She says everything’s fine, but I can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. ”
Sebastian already had a good sense of what, but it wasn’t his place to say anything. He didn’t know how close Laurel and Logan actually were. If she wanted him to know her business, she’d tell him herself.
“Anyway, I won’t get the chance to find out until we get back, so if you could just touch base with her, in case she needs anything, I’d appreciate it.”
He does not mean second, third, or home bases, dumbass.
Ten more days with Laurel, with nobody around to act as a buffer? His already suffering libido roared. Struggling to mask his reaction, he tipped back his IPA to wet a suddenly dry throat. “Sure, I can check in on her.”
“Good.” Logan’s face eased to a relieved smile. “You might get some free labor out of it. She used to be seriously into horses when she was younger. I bet she’d love the chance to go for a ride.”
She could save the horse and just ride me.
Aware of Porter’s sharp gaze on his face, Sebastian could only nod. He lost the next few lines of conversation as he struggled to banish that image from his brain.
As Logan strode away, Porter’s mouth quirked in amusement. “Oh brother, you are in serious trouble.”
Don’t I know it.
“Did you hear about Hugh Saunders?”
Laurel struggled to get her not-totally-caffeinated brain to fire.
After the late night with the reception and the early morning seeing off the newlyweds, she was too damned tired to figure out why her mother was bringing up the son of some of their country club friends.
“I haven’t seen Hugh since we graduated high school. Isn’t he in med school now?”
“He was.” Rosalind drew out the final syllable like a delicious piece of taffy, not that she’d ever admit to how much she adored gossip.
Knowing her part in all this, Laurel took the bait. “Was?”
Her father shook his head in disgust. “Ungrateful boy up and quit in the middle of his third year. He dropped out of Harvard. And not even because he was doing poorly. He just had some fool identity crisis and has gone to ‘find himself’ or some such.”
Laurel could well imagine the kind of pressure Hugh had been under at an Ivy League med school. Dropping out couldn’t have been an easy decision. “Maybe he realized he didn’t want to be a doctor.”
“He should’ve figured that out before his parents shelled out three hundred thousand dollars for that education. I don’t blame Edward for disowning him.”
“They disowned him?” Laurel demanded.
“Of course.” Her father set his coffee mug down with the declarative thwack of a gavel—the Honorable Lawrence Maxwell, at the breakfast table, at least. “We were generous not to do that with Logan.”