with me,” she says.
“I know, but I’m trying to seduce you into my bed, and I’m not going to win points if I just let you sit here in fear.” That’s not the entire truth. I am worried about her, and want to make this easier for her, but sometimes the words just don’t come out right.
She chuckles. “Right, forgot about that.” She takes another big drink.
“Want to get up?”
A big breath fills her lungs, and she lets it out slowly and nods. I stand and hold my hand out to her.
“Thanks,” she says as I lift her and tug her into my side, securing her to me and hopefully giving her a sense of security. She wobbles a little. “This is insane,” she says, and glances up into the balloon.
“But fun.”
“Not yet,” she says, and I laugh.
Emily shifts closer to us. “How you doing, Kins?” she asks, her gaze going back and forth between the two of us as I hold her. I think she’s starting to get the idea that Kinsley is the biter Liam was talking about.
“I’m good,” Kinsley says and grips the woven wicker edge.
“You have a mark on your neck,” Emily says, and brushes Kinsley’s hair from her shoulder.
“Curling iron,” she says quickly. “I was super tired this morning when getting ready.”
“You might want to put something on that,” she suggests, and I bite back a grin, because yeah, I plan to put something on that again tonight—my mouth.
“I will, thanks.”
Another bottle of champagne is popped and glasses are handed around. Kane holds his glass up and we all do the same. “To the couple who are tying the knot in…” He checks his watch. “Oh wow, less than five hours.”
We all drink to that and Jules throws her arms around Rider and hugs him. The public display of affection is sweet—like a toothache. I groan. But seriously I’m so happy for them.
“What’s the matter buddy?” Rider asks me. He obviously heard me groan.
I lift my glass and take a sip. “Nothing, I’m happy for you guys.”
Cole pats me on the back. “Your turn is coming, my friend. Just wait and see.”
“Nope, not happening,” I say.
“Well I hope I catch the bouquet,” Lindsay, Jules’s best friend says, and smirks at Kane. They’ve been together for a long time now and that guy had better make his move soon. She’s a great catch.
“Wouldn’t it be funny if Kinsley caught it,” Emily pipes in giggling.
Kinsley stiffens beside me.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
Emily giggles some more, the champagne obviously getting to her. “After what her ex did, she’s anti-marriage.”
Kinsley chuckles uneasily, and I sense it’s not something she wants every member of this wedding party to know. Jules reaches out and puts her hand on Kinsley’s arm, giving it a little squeeze. “You can sit it out, Kins,” Jules says, her eyes sympathetic. She obviously knows what happened between Kinsley and her ex. I remember when they broke up. It was right around the time she left Harvard and changed her outward appearance. The way she looks now much better suits her personality. But I didn’t ask questions about her personal life or school. None of it was my business, and clearly something she wasn’t interested in discussing.
“Come on, this is a party. So let’s party,” Kinsley says and takes another big drink. The mood switches back to a happy one.
“You okay?” I ask quietly as she turns to look out over the strip, her knuckles white on the hand gripping the basket.
“Embarrassed, maybe. I love Emily but sometimes she says things before engaging her brain. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, and didn’t mean to embarrass me, but…”
“Your ex did a number on you, huh?”
She snorts, and shakes her head. “Let’s just say I’m better off where I am.”
“I agree,” I say, and she smiles up at me, this time it reaches her eyes.
“You want me to take care of him for you,” I joke, slamming my fist into my palm.
“It’s okay. I’m so over him.”
I go quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry he hurt you, Kins. I never really knew. If I’d known—”
“Would you have taken me out for ice cream?”
“Yeah, sure if that’s something that would have made you feel better.”
“Let’s just say, last night was the only thing that has made me feel good in a long time.”
“There’s more where that came from,” I tease, and move closer. Heat arcs between us and I glance around. Can the others