ONE NIGHT WITH THE BEST MAN Read online

  Sam and Amber followed them onto the dance floor, drawing everyone’s attention. Amber put her feet on top of Sam’s and he held her hands. It was strange watching Sam with a child. As Luke’s pseudo-parent, Sam had been distant but controlling. Now he seemed perfectly at ease talking with his niece, even if he didn’t smile.

  Luke’s attention returned to the woman he held in his arms for the first time in almost a decade.

  “Looks like someone’s been practicing,” she said. That flirtatious tilt was back in Penny’s smile.

  “I try to maintain appearances.”

  “I’m sure you have your admirers.” A teasing glint in her eyes and a soft smile on her lips betrayed nothing of what she really felt, but that was Penny.

  “I do love compliments.” He led them toward a darker area of the dance floor as other couples joined in.

  “I bet you do.”

  Years ago, that first night, when the music had slowed down she’d moved into his arms and her breasts had pressed against his chest, her body close to his. Hormones had flooded him, making it hard to think... Why was he getting wrapped up in the past?

  His fingers tightened into the softness of Penny’s waist.

  She closed the slight gap between them and whispered, “Stop thinking, Luke.”

  “Why aren’t you with someone, Penny?”

  “I’m with you right now.” Her eyes may never reveal her inner thoughts, but he noticed a slight hesitance in her words. Her body pressed slightly closer until there was no more than a whisper between them.

  “You know what I mean.” Luke tried to hold on to the thoughts in his head as his body tried to make them all vanish. Her light perfume smelled like spring flowers, the scent’s innocence at odds with the seductive woman. It surrounded him, begging him to bend down and breathe in. To touch the warmth of her neck with his lips.

  “Who should I be with? The town drunk, the divorcé with the ex from hell—”

  “Sam.”

  She stopped dancing and her lips drew tight. “Sam?”

  Penny was in his arms and he wasn’t about to back off. Not when her soft curves filled in his rough patches. This was important. He didn’t want to step in between his brother and anyone, even if that anyone had been the only girl Luke had ever given his heart to.

  “You two were pretty tight last time I saw you.” The last time he’d seen Penny, at his graduation party, she’d been kissing Sam.

  She pushed against his chest, but he didn’t budge. Her eyes flashed up at him. Was that hurt? It had been there for a moment, but it was gone so fast he must have imagined it. It felt as if she was going to push again, but instead she softened. The walls closed in her eyes.

  “Sam never meant anything to me.” She placed her hands back on his shoulders. “We never had more than a kiss. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”

  “Why would he?” Some of the tension released from his grip. Luke’s brain was quickly losing the battle with his body’s needs. It shouldn’t matter why she kissed Sam or even that she did. It had been years ago. It had stopped him from making a major mistake.

  Sure it had hurt then, but he’d brought it up now to draw out the woman he’d known from this seductress before him.

  She shrugged. “You don’t really want to talk about Sam, do you, Luke?”

  He didn’t know what he was trying to prove. He looked around the dance floor. Now wasn’t the time to rehash the past. No time would be the right time. “No.”

  “How about a drink?” she said. Her gaze flicked over his face.

  “A couple of glasses of wine between old friends? Why not. Wait here.”

  * * *

  Penny’s heart pounded as she sank into a chair and watched Luke walk away. Her knees had barely held her up. Without Luke’s arms around her, she would have been down on the ground. She watched him move through the crowd.

  Sam had been a means to an end. She’d hated herself for using him, but it had done exactly what she needed it to. Luke had to leave for college without her.

  As the DJ cued up some fast dance music, Penny took a deep breath. Tonight had turned out perfectly for Brady and Maggie. They were dancing with Amber in the circle of people on the dance floor.

  If her knees recovered, she might go join them. A glass of wine appeared over her shoulder and Luke’s breath teased the hairs on the back of her neck. “I had to turn down a lot of eligible ladies to get back here.”

  Glancing over at the bar, she took the wineglass and felt him sit in the chair behind hers. All of her cells were attuned to whatever frequency Luke gave off. At the bar stood a gathering of white-haired women all giving Luke come-hither looks and finger waves.

  Penny choked back a laugh. She tried her hardest to look serious when she turned to Luke. “I hope you let them down easy. It’s just as hard to find a man at their age as mine.”

  Leaning in so he could speak in her ear and be heard over the music, Luke’s cheek rubbed against hers, sending a wave of heat through her. “I always try to be gentle.”

  “I’m sure you do.” She could feel his cheek lift in a grin. A shiver rippled down her back.

  He moved back until they were eye to eye. “They were actually encouraging me to hit on the wedding coordinator.”

  Penny glanced over at Rebecca in her peach suit. She was a few years younger than Penny and looked as if the pressure of this wedding was about to make her explode.

  “I suppose you could go for Rebecca....” Penny put on a pretend thoughtful look.

  The music changed to a slow song again. “Come on. You can tell me all about what that look means on the dance floor.”

  Luke pulled her out of the chair and guided her into his arms. She’d given up on love songs when Luke left, preferring the rawness of modern rock. Slow songs messed with her brain and made her think about things she couldn’t have.

  “So are we for or against chatting up the wedding coordinator?” Luke raised his eyebrow as he looked down at Penny.

  “I think she’d have an aneurysm if ‘we’ approached her.” Penny mocked Luke’s look.

  Luke laughed. “Fair enough. Besides, I’m only here until tomorrow. Wouldn’t be fair to get anyone’s hopes up.”

  “No, you wouldn’t want to do that.”

  He pressed his hand into the small of her back and she allowed herself to move closer to him. To breathe in his scent. To feel the heat of his body against hers. The song didn’t matter as long as it didn’t stop.

  “Besides—” he leaned down as if he had a secret to whisper in her ear “—I always heard that the best man was supposed to hook up with the maid of honor.”

  Penny’s breathing hitched as she met his eyes. “I think it’s actually a written law somewhere that if both parties are single, it’s required.”

  “So we’d be in a lot of trouble if we didn’t at least attempt to...” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Heaps of trouble.” Her heart beat hard against her chest as she tried to keep a teasing tone.

  “We wouldn’t want that.” Luke gave her a cocky smile. “But then you were never the type to follow rules.”

  “I’ll have you know I’m one of the upstanding citizens in Tawnee Valley now.”

  “Really?” His sarcastic tone made her laugh.

  “I’m a valued member of the Chamber of Commerce. My shop brings in tons of tourists.”

  “I guess that nails it, then.” He made a serious face even though his eyes were twinkling. Still dancing, he led her to the side of the dance floor. “Rules are rules, after all.”

  She swallowed as liquid heat flooded her system. Her fingers locked around the back of his neck. “I suppose after the reception...”

  The heat in his blue eyes made her breath catch. He didn’t have to say he
wanted her. It was there and it scorched her through to her soul. She didn’t want to wait. It had been too long since she’d held him, since her skin had brushed against his.

  His smile grew cocky. “Why wait?”

  Penny glanced around them. The music had shifted to a fast song again. Most everyone was on the dance floor. Amber was dancing with her parents. Sam was brooding in a corner with a glass of liquor. The older folks were on the other side of the dance floor gathered around a few tables. It looked as if they were shouting to talk above the music.

  His hand closed firmly around hers and she met his eyes. Apparently they’d reached the same conclusion. No one would miss them if they ducked out at this moment. She doubted anyone would even think anything of it if they did disappear.

  Luke started backing up, pulling her with him. Giddiness welled inside her, the same feeling she used to get in high school when Luke would pick her up for a date. Anticipation mixed with the knowledge that no one would know what they were doing. Something hidden that was hers alone.

  “You know, I’m not this type of guy.” He stopped and pulled her hard until she stumbled into his chest. His teasing smile made her heart skip a beat. “I usually require dinner and wine first.”

  She smiled up at him. “Good thing we came to a wedding, then. Dinner, check. Wine, check.”

  “I wouldn’t want you to think less of me.” He was joking around, but her heart wouldn’t let her say something flippant. It demanded she let him know this much.

  “Nothing would make me think less of you.”

  He glanced over her shoulder toward the rest of the party as they approached the exit. “Where should we go?”

  When he turned back to her, she forgot to breathe, let alone think. She knew that in Luke’s eyes, they were equals, but she’d always known she wasn’t as good as he was. During sex was the only time she felt like his match.

  “Follow me.” She led him past the curtain and into the darkness behind it. The closet door opened easily and she slid in with Luke behind her.

  “Classy,” Luke muttered. The door closed and the small space seemed to close in on them. Even the music was muffled beyond recognition. The smell of lemon cleaner tinged the air.

  “If you’d rather go out in the parking lot and risk causing Bitsy heart palpitations when she sees me straddling you in your brother’s truck—”

  “Stop thinking, Penny.” In the darkness, he moved closer until she felt his whole body pressed against hers. Her breath quickened as she waited. For his next move. For his touch. For his kiss.

  She felt the brush of his arm next to her and caught her breath. The click of the lock could barely be heard over the sound of their breaths. The warm, clean scent of Luke filled her.

  “You don’t have to do this.” Luke’s whispered words caressed her earlobe. “Just because we’re here at a wedding doesn’t mean we have to have sex.”

  “Are you trying to give me an out, Luke Ward?” She laughed, releasing some of the tension that had been welling within her. “I must be pretty darned good if you think this is all your idea.”

  He chuckled and his knuckles brushed over her jaw, ending her own laughter. “I don’t want you to think I only want sex.”

  “What else would you want?” She didn’t bother trying to hide the breathiness of her voice.

  His forehead pressed against hers and his hands ran up and down her arms. “I don’t know.”

  Her heart beat with his quickened breath. Once, twice, three times.

  She slid off her heels and lifted onto her toes. Pressing a kiss to his jaw, she could feel his heart beat in time with hers against her palm. “I want you.”

  His lips closed over hers. Sparks rippled through her as he pulled her in close. Relief spiraled out of her heart even as her pulse quickened. Her memories of his kisses collapsed under the weight of this one. It wasn’t the technique that had her clutching at his dress shirt—though the technique was definitely good. It was the man.

  In an instant, she knew if it were ten years from now, even a hundred, and Luke kissed her, it would still feel like this. Explosive, powerful, soul shattering.

  Desire pulsed within her, and that little piece of her that would always belong to Luke throbbed with satisfaction. He was kissing her as if they had only moments to live. Maybe they did. Maybe she felt alive only when Luke was here. Kissing her.

  His hands clutched at the fabric around her hips, slowly easing the silky material up her calves and over her thighs. It was as if the silk were his fingers trailing ever higher, stealing her breath.

  She unclenched her fingers and started undoing the buttons of his shirt. The need to feel his skin against hers was overwhelming. His warmth beckoned beneath the fabric. The cool air caressed her legs as her dress slipped up over her hips. The crisp fabric of his tux pants brushed against her skin.

  Pulling his shirt free of his pants, she opened it. His fingers brushed under the edge of her panties at her hips. She leaned back against the door as his lips left her mouth and trailed kisses along her jaw.

  The warmth of his chest beckoned. She ran her fingers over the muscles, making a mental picture in the dark. Memorizing the contours. As her hand slid down his abs, he sucked in his breath and nipped at her neck.

  Power coursed through her veins as she eased down his zipper and brushed the hardness underneath. He grabbed her hands and pushed them against the door, reclaiming her mouth.

  The silk dress rushed down her thighs, but caught as his knee moved between her legs. The door and Luke had her captured, unable to escape. Not that she wanted freedom. If she could, she would spend eternity in this little closet with Luke.

  This wasn’t like a one-night stand or even a booty call. Luke wouldn’t fill just her need for an orgasm. She craved relief, but she didn’t want this to end.

  She’d made a mistake.

  Having Luke one more time wouldn’t fulfill some need for closure. The sound of his pants dropping filled the space between them.

  Even knowing this was a mistake, she wanted him. Even though it would only widen the hole he’d left behind. Even as her body hummed from his touch, she wanted to cry.

  She’d take what she could from him and he’d leave. That would be the end of it. She’d survived before and she’d survive this time.

  “Are you okay?” He kissed her next to her ear as his fingers teased the edge of her underwear.

  She sucked in a breath as his hand slipped under the fabric and touched her skin. Wrapping her hands behind his head, she pulled his mouth to hers. She was beyond being okay. She needed to shut down her brain and feel. Brand him the way he branded her.

  He slid off her underwear. Her dress remained bunched up around her waist. His bare skin brushed against hers. Rough against soft. She heard him open a condom packet.

  After a moment, his hands returned to her hips and his mouth returned to hers. He lifted her against the door and she wrapped her legs around his waist. In the darkness all she could do was feel. The real world was far away. The fact that they were in a closet at a wedding didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was with her now.

  “Say my name,” he whispered against her ear. The darkness engulfed them. They could only feel and hear. But she knew it meant more to him. It was his way of claiming her, of making sure she knew it was him and not any number of guys.

  She wanted to please him, needed him to know that it was only him. That it had always been only him.

  “Luke.” Her world came unhinged as he entered her slowly. His hands held her hips. The tears she’d been holding back pressed forward. She repeated his name and muttered words she couldn’t be held accountable for as he moved within her, the only thing she could allow herself from him.

  The tears edged over her eyes and trailed down her cheeks as her body re
joiced. It felt like coming home and like nothing she’d ever felt before. Dangerous and tempting. Something she never should have messed with. He lifted her higher and higher until she fell over the edge into bliss. He joined her with her name on his lips.

  She choked back a sob and held him tighter, never wanting to let go.

  Chapter Four

  Luke fought to steady his breathing in the dark room. Penny fit against his body perfectly. He wanted to continue to hold her, but the noise of the party beyond the door told him that they needed to get back. Her breath shuddered in and out. Lowering her gently to the floor, he stepped back. In the dark he couldn’t see her, but it sounded as if she was crying. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No.”

  Suddenly the dark that had wrapped them in an intimate fog pissed him off. He could tell she was lying but couldn’t prove it.

  “Something’s wrong.” Luke felt the wall next to the door for a light switch.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She reached past him and the light blinked on. For a moment he was blind as his eyes adjusted to the brightness.

  Penny had bent down and retrieved her underwear. “We need to get back out there.”

  “Nothing’s wrong, my ass.” Luke pulled up his boxers and pants.

  “What do you want me to say?” She turned her back to him as she fixed her clothing. “It was fantastic, wonderful, the best thing ever.”

  “What’s gotten into you?” The lightness in his chest grew heavy. Trying to recapture the mood, he dropped a kiss on the nape of her neck.

  Her shoulders tensed but then relaxed. When she turned around, the plastic smile was in place. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Whatever had made her upset, she wasn’t going to tell him.

  “I’m fine. Really. We just need to get back.” Her flirtatious smile returned. “I had a really good time.”

  She moved to open the door, but he grabbed the knob to hold it closed.

  “Fine? You are far from fine. You can act all you want for the revolving door of men you have, but I know you.” The anger raging within was tempered by the orgasm he’d just had. After he’d left all those years ago, he’d heard about her escapades from classmates and folks around town. They had acted as if he should step in and do something. He didn’t tell them that he’d heard the rumors of her with other guys the entire time they’d dated.