Page 77 of Reckless Encounters

My girl. Scarily enough, those words don’t fuel my desire to run as far away as possible. A smile spreads across my face at the thought of how I’m going to reward her later back at our hotel.

We opted to stay in a hotel this evening as opposed to her grandparents’ place. Although the offer was much appreciated, I'm going to need to let some of my aggression out tonight. I don’t think Grandma and Grandpa Pierce want to be privy to how loud Ava can scream my name. We compromised with a lunch tomorrow before we head back to the city. It’s an unfamiliar feeling to be so welcomed into a home. I can honestly say they’re everything Ava exclaims them to be.

The smile I'm sporting quickly disappears when the groom, my cousin, Jason, comes to sit beside me.

“Glad you could make it, Parks,” he says, clinking his glass to mine. Parks. I hate that fucking nickname.

“Congrats on the big day,” I say through a tight-lipped smile.

“Thanks, man. Julianna is something else,” he says, seemingly forgetting our past. What an idiot.

“She sure is… So, you planning on taking over for Uncle Ted soon? Seems like he’s almost ready for retirement,” I ask, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, I’m working my way up to it. He’s still keeping me at bay. Not sure he’s ready to relinquish the control yet.”

“Ahh, yeah. I get that,” I reply. Small talk has never been my thing, so I look out to the crowd to see if my distraction is back from the drink line.

“Oh, damn. Is that Ava Pierce over there?” Jason says as Ava makes her way through the crowd. I'm distracted by the way her hips sway in the body-hugging olive-green dress she’s wearing.

Wait, what did he say?

“How do you know Ava?” I ask abruptly. My temper flares at the thought of him knowing her intimately.

“Oh…growing up, her grandparents had a place not far from my house. We used to hang out all the time when we were younger,” he replies, oblivious to the change in my mood. “Damn, she is fucking sex?—”

“Aren’t you getting married today?” I interrupt, not wanting to hear one more word about her from his mouth.

“Yeah, man.” He nudges my shoulder. “You know how it is.”

“No, I don’t,” I say flatly. Does this dude have memory loss or something…acting all nonchalant.

Ava reaches our table and hands me a fresh drink. My mood must be written all over my face because her eyes warily slide to my cousin. She takes him in for a minute.

“Jason?” she questions.

“I thought that was you!” he exclaims, then stands to pull her in for hug. My grip on my tumbler tightens.

“Guess there’s no need to introduce you to the groom,” I mumble.

“I didn’t realize you were the groom…or Parker’s cousin, for that matter. Congratulations!” she says.

Jason eyes the annoyed expression on my face, then looks back at Ava. “Oh shit, you're here with Parks. What are the chances?”

“Guess not that slim,” I say, standing abruptly.

“Well, I’d hate to keep you. I'm sure you have a ton of people to catch up with before the ceremony. I’ll see you later. Can’t wait to meet your bride.” Ava plasters on one of her practiced smiles, subsequently dismissing him from our table without him realizing it.

When his back is to our table, I finally feel like I can breathe again. Ava watches me carefully with a raised eyebrow. “Are you alright?”

“Peachy,” I grumble, then down the rest of my glass.

“Is it because I know your cousin?” she asks, hurt etched in her expression. Fuck, I'm an asshole. This has nothing to do with her, and everything to do with him. Slimy fuck that he is.

Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her in close and give her a gentle kiss on the head. I close my eyes and calm my mind for a moment. Disappointed I let Jason’s presence disrupt my peace so easily.

“No, that’s not it…” I go to explain more, but the staff announces that it is time we head to the ceremony space, effectively ending our conversation.

“You’ll tell me later?” she asks, and I nod.

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