handed her another glass of champagne. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
“Squidgy,” Sloane murmured as she lifted the flute to her lips.
Levi laughed. “I loved that dog.”
Then it was on to getting to know his friends, Cam, Tucker and Luke. “Er, do they know I was in the room next door to your bachelor party?” she asked Levi as they approached the group.
“Yep.” He made a face. “I had to share that astonishing coincidence the day I started at Huxworth Packard. I’d already told them I’d run into you in the hall the next morning and gave them hell again for making so much noise. Just wanted to make sure they knew the extent of my humiliation thanks to them.”
“Well, this could be awkward.”
“Ah, they’re good guys.”
He was right. They were good guys. Luke Chen was a handsome Asian man with chiseled cheekbones, short black hair and a lean build. Tucker Dempsey was huge and built, a firefighter, and Cam McFarlane was allegedly a police officer but in Sloane’s opinion looked more like one of the guys from Duck Dynasty with his long hair and full beard.
“He’s a cop?” she whispered to Levi in an aside.
“He’s working some undercover case.”
“Ah.”
Tucker and Luke wore tuxes identical to Levi’s, but Cam wasn’t a member of the wedding party and wore a suit.
“Tara was worried about what you were going to say.”
“I know.” Levi grinned. “I had even better jokes about Jacob’s sexual prowess and the wedding night but I held back out of respect for Tara.”
“And her parents,” Tucker said. “The last thing the bride’s father wants to hear is how his new son-in-law is going to bang his baby girl tonight.”
“True.”
“So, Sloane,” Cam said. “Did you really catch Levi watching porn at work?”
Sloane choked on a sip of champagne, but recovered quickly. “Why yes, as a matter of fact I did.”
“Only you could get away with that and not be fired,” Tucker said.
“I wasn’t really watching porn,” Levi said mildly. “I told you it was a setup.”
“So you say.” Tucker shrugged but Sloane saw the way the corners of his mouth lifted.
She was having fun. At first when she’d arrived at the hotel not knowing anyone, she’d considered making a run for it, telling Levi she got sick or something, and even for a while after that she’d wondered why Levi had bothered inviting her since he was busy with the bridal party. But now…she was having so much fun.
She danced with Levi’s friends and watched Levi dance with Emily and then, yes, with Tara’s grandmother, who was no longer sobbing about her granddaughter’s mortal sin. Sloane and Levi danced again, slow and sexy. When it was time for the bride to toss the bouquet and for the groom to sling that garter, she and Levi tacitly agreed to make their way to the farthest corner of the ballroom so there was no danger that either of them would catch anything.
“Almost ready to call it a night?” Levi murmured.
“Whenever you are. You’re the one with obligations.”
“I’ve done all my official best man duties. Tara and Jacob are staying here tonight, and I’ve already arranged for champagne and candles and rose petals in their room.”
“Aw. That’s so romantic.”
“There’s a bottle of champagne chilling in our room too.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “And I can’t wait to get you up there and get your delectable body naked and do dirty things to you.”
Lust did a slow, happy roll in her belly. “Let’s go.”
“Much as I want to bolt, we should say good night.”
Many older guests had already left. Levi’s sister Madeleine and her husband had taken the kids home. Apparently Levi’s friends had plans to stay either as long as the bar was open or as long as the bridesmaids stayed. All of them were currently busting moves on the dance floor and laughing their asses off.
“I hope we’ll see you again,” Levi’s mom said to her as they hugged.
Sloane murmured something noncommittal and hugged Levi’s dad too, and they finally walked out of the ballroom.
“Your family is very nice,” she said.
“Yeah, sorry my mom was all up in your business. She’s just, you know…a mom.”
Sloane didn’t have a mom who was all up in her business and she thought it was kind of nice. “It was fine. She’s lovely.”
Levi held Sloane’s hand as she maneuvered down the short flight of carpeted steps in her