the next fifteen blissful seconds. It was sizzling and commanding and intense beyond belief. I don’t think any man had ever kissed me like that in my life.
I’d never allowed it. Kissing and sex weren’t exclusively connected in my books. Mostly I avoided it. Some guys enjoyed it, so I let them tease in a few here and there. But this? This kiss set my blood on fire. It tingled through me from my scalp to my toes.
It ended far too soon. Easton hovered close, panting. His hot breath ghosted my bruised lips. “Maybe, if I knew you wanted to explore somethin’ outside the bedroom too, we could talk again. But I get the feeling that’s not what you’re looking for.”
I didn’t know how to respond. His kiss had struck me dumb, annihilating my brain cells. All I could do was stand there and blink.
“That’s what I thought,” he mumbled, pulling from my arms. “Have a good night, Lachlan. Was nice to meet you.” He reached up as though he was going to tip a hat at me but found nothing but air.
He muttered something I didn’t catch, turned on his heels, and left me standing there stunned.
And Lachlan Montgomery was never stunned by a mere kiss.
Who the hell was this guy?
Chapter Four
Easton
“Well, that was the fastest fuck I ever saw. I imagine when it’s just dudes who wanna get off, there is no need to worry about foreplay, but that must be a record.” Austin referenced his watch while the other guys at the table had themselves a good chuckle at my expense.
“Laugh it up. You knew it wasn’t gonna happen.” I dropped in a chair beside Knox, one of my best friends since grade school.
Knox swung his arm around my shoulder and hushed the group of guys. “I, for one, respect East’s self-respect.”
Austin snorted. “You respect it, do you? Not enough to follow his practices. If that there offer”—Austin hitched his chin at the door of the restaurant—“had been made to you, you’d be a moaning slut right now.”
“Screw you, Gains. I ain’t into guys.” He patted my shoulder and leaned close, whispering in my ear. “Nothing wrong with it though. Just sayin’, it ain’t for me.”
I bit my tongue. Knox had been just sayin’ since I came out after high school.
“Now, if it was a hot woman…” Knox wiggled his brows, and everybody laughed.
“How long are you guys gonna be? I’m ’bout done here.”
Austin didn’t have a fresh drink, but the other three men finished theirs after Austin waved for them to be done. They were all staying at Austin’s house overnight and would likely keep drinking when they got to his place anyhow. I’d bowed out, making noise about wanting to be at home in case Dad needed me. The truth was, being around drunk people when you were the only sober one wasn’t any fun. As much as I enjoyed a cold beer from time to time, I’d learned the consequences weren’t worth it.
We piled into Austin’s Explorer. The sun had gone down, and the moon was hidden behind clouds so the only illumination came from the parking lot lights and the lodge. I sat in back with Knox and another mutual friend, Allen, while Joel, a guy I’d met that morning at the rehearsal, sat up front with Austin. He was Austin’s friend from somewhere near Edmonton and the official best man.
Knox bumped my elbow, drawing my attention as Austin pulled out of the parking lot. He lowered his voice so only I would hear. “I’m glad you didn’t fuck that guy. You’d have regretted it. He was a total player.”
“I’m aware. He didn’t hide what he wanted. Was tempting, but I told him how it was. Think I shocked him.” I smirked as I met Knox’s eyes in the dark. “Should have seen him standing there all stunned after I laid one on him and walked away.”
Knox’s eyes grew. “You did not play tonsil hockey with the city boy in the hallway.”
I shrugged, and Knox howled, clapping and drawing everyone’s attention.
“What are you two mumbling about back there?” Austin asked.
“Nothing,” we both said together.
Austin turned down the dirt road that led to the Campbell Stables. He pulled up beside the big farmhouse and threw the vehicle in park. “Is everything set for tomorrow, or do you need us to come by early and give you a hand?”
“It’s mostly set. Just a few things to do in the early morning, but I can take