world disappears. We pause, staring at each other. The life we should have had flashes in front of me. Marriage, children, different careers.
“Hey, buddy, stop mooning and walk up the damn aisle, you’re holding us up.” Forrest jabs me in the ribs with his elbow, and I’m knocked sharply into reality.
I smile at Lily, covering up the heaviness that weighs on my mind and extend my arm to her. She takes it, and they fit perfectly together.
I don’t miss the way some guests watch us as we walk toward Keaton and Presley, who are getting ready for their receiving line.
As soon as we take our places in line, I turn to Forrest and whisper, “I need a drink.”
He looks to his left, at Penelope, and turns back to face me. “You and me both, brother.”
The night has turned into a blur.
With our joint-brother toast done and over, dinner eaten, and the first dances out of the way, we’re all free and clear to get wasted.
And that’s exactly what I’ve done. Family members from out-of-town keep getting rounds of shots, my wine glass was never empty during dinner, and cocktail hour saw me nursing two glasses of whiskey.
The liquor, and watching Lily in a church during a wedding, even if it wasn’t ours, is messing with me. I’m being sloppy, even though I promised myself I wouldn’t publicly grope or flirt with the maid of honor in this wedding.
But she’s gorgeous, and dancing, and smiling as she laughs and it’s impossible to stay away from her.
Which is why we’ve basically been glued together on the dance floor for the last hour. My hands on her hips, her fingers tangling in my hair. Lily’s been pulling me by the tie, jokingly being seductive, and more than once, my cock has been ground into her ass.
I’m too buzzed to notice the strange, almost jaw-dropping looks we’re collecting, but I know people are in fact looking. But this is happening, and I’m a fool for thinking that we could just take things slow. Hiding our relationship was never going to work, not when people have watched us like hawks for ten years when we weren’t involved.
“What is happening?” Fletcher muses as he watches Lily hook me like a fish on the dance floor.
“We’ve been transported from Keaton’s wedding to some alternate universe.” Penelope throws her body around, dancing like a maniac as she cackles.
I’m not much of a dancer. Hell, I’d say that nobody in this room aside from Lily has ever seen me dance. I don’t like to do it. But give me a whole bottle of liquor, practically, and I’ll make a fool of myself.
Shimmying across the center of the floor, as if I’m a fish on the line, I jump on over to Lily. By the time I scoop her up in my arms, my brothers and the bridesmaids are hysterically laughing at me.
And it’s so much fun, I don’t even care.
Lily giggles into my neck, and I carry her off the floor, needing a drink. Of water? I probably should. But most likely, it’ll be whiskey.
Setting her down, I have to steady her as she stumbles on flat feet. She took those sexy heels off an hour ago, much to my dismay.
“You’re drunk.” I chuckle, seeing through booze goggles myself.
“And you’re handsome.” Lily winks at me.
I forgot how flirty she is when she gets a little alcohol in her. Typically, Lily is reserved and friendly. She’s not very sarcastic and is kind to her core. But when you give her some drinks … that saucy side comes out.
We’re kind of similar in that way because the introvert I’ve morphed into seems to become a fun alter-ego when there is whiskey involved.
I palm her waist, the darkness of the corner shadowing us, and back her up into the wall. “Good thing I found the maid of honor before midnight.”
“Why? Am I going to turn into a pumpkin or something?” She snickers.
I smooth my hand down her cheek. “No … I …”
Lily cracks up as I can’t seem to remember my train of thought.
“Well, I was going to say that the best man has to take the maid of honor home, but I forget where I was bringing midnight into play? Either way, I think we’re supposed to have wedding sex. It’s one of our duties.”
She nods solemnly. “Is that so?”
“It is decidedly so.” I bend, my lips so close to hers.
“Now you sound like a Magic 8 ball.” Her giggles hit