Page 6 of Bound By Words

“Ew,” Miguel laughed with a pinched face. “Not that your brother isn’t total eye candy, but those two will fuck anywhere.”

“Ew,” I echoed, gagging a little. I mean, I knew we were blessed with good genes, but no one needed to hear that their brother had sex appeal across both genders. Or just that he was sexually desirable in general. He’d always be the skinny loser to whom I’d given a bottle of industrial-sized lube and a Costco-sized box of condoms on his fifteenth birthday. I didn’t know a person’s face could turn that red, but it’d been worth my paycheck to see it.

But I loved that little anxious shit like no one else. Maybe Chase loved him a bit more, but I loved him with a totally non-incestuous sibling tolerance that was more than the norm.

Which was why it physically hurt how much I was jealous of him today. I’d been the one my parents had pinned their hopes on hitting life goals on time, and I’d been in a holding pattern for years. A year, specifically, but they hadn’t known how close they’d been to all our lives changing; no one did. Part of me wished I’d never realized what was happening.

“Hey,” Miguel bumped my shoulder, drawing my attention back to him. “No pouting today. I know you’re feeling a little usurped with Mr. Tall, Handsome, and Awkward over there finally putting a ring on it, but you’re hot as fuck today, and you need to own it.”

“Yeah, because my brother’s wedding is crawling with guys to impress,” I sighed dramatically. “This isn’t your Instagram feed.”

“Excuse me, on behalf of the hottest guy here and his almost equally attractive husband, you are not allowed to question the attractiveness of the guests at this wedding. The Rodgers clan has about a bajillion cousins, and I’m sure we can find one sexy ginger in the bunch to give you a whirl on the dance floor. Or maybe a roll in the sheets. Seems like a waste to have that king-sized bed all to yourself.”

Shaking my head at his blatant appraisal of his in-laws’ extended family, I laughed despite my need to get my hands on a cocktail. My quick shot of bourbon in the hotel room after I’d mortified myself had been my last of the morning. My nerves were too shot to enjoy getting drunk with Elle and Miguel once we’d moved to the spa.

“Yeah, that just sounds awkward.” I cringed, thinking about being teased for eternity by Chase for hooking up with one of her cousins. No thanks, I wasn’t quite that desperate.

But I felt my neck flush as I thought about my brief interaction with Nathan today. He’d looked downright predatory in the few seconds our eyes had met this morning before the door slammed closed between us, and then that same heat had been in his eyes as I passed him on my way down the aisle.

“We’re up, space cadet.” Miguel nudged me before retrieving his husband from where he was standing with his brother and sister-in-law. I’d stayed away from them most of the morning—at least from Ethan and Sadie. The little girl was adorable, and I’d fawned over her when they’d been at my parent’s house last summer, but the ache in my chest after the news I’d gotten a few months ago made it hard to enjoy being around their little family. You always wanted what you couldn’t have, even if you weren’t sure you wanted it to begin with.

“Alright, I’m coming,” I groaned as I blew out a breath and prepared to plaster on my fakest of photogenic smiles.

“Not in public, Kelly. Geez, have some self-control,” Miguel cackled as he stole his niece and headed for the photographer.

My brain didn’t have room for my mind to wander when the wedding photographer was bossing me around, but as soon as he dismissed the bridal party to get ready for our entrance into the reception, my pulse started pounding. Nathan would be in that reception, and he’d already seen me half naked today, so I wasn’t sure if I was excited or terrified he might try to talk to me. Probably both. Definitely both.

“Save me a dance, bish,” Miguel whispered as he passed me on his way to the front of the wedding party formation. He and his husband, Drew, were leading us in. I was near the back of the formation, the last one in before the bride and groom were announced and the only one without a partner. Isobel had offered up Adrian, but she’d gotten progressively paler as the day went on, so I didn’t want to steal her boyfriend when she was clearly exhausted.

“Yup,” I nodded, going over the dance steps Miguel had demonstrated for our grand entrance in my head. I just had to make it across the dance floor without doing something stupid, and I was home free.

My mother was thrilled I was such a great big sister, but I was just tired. Seeing all the happy couples in front of me wasn’t helping. It made me feel that much more alone.

The doors to the ballroom swung open, and the opening notes of the music started, so I shook my hands out and put on the mask I’d been wearing for months. Fake it till you make it…or at least until you’re alone and you can fall apart.

Miguel and Drew owned it, strutting in and sliding across the dance floor to the amusement of all the wedding guests. Elle and Ethan followed—with Sadie stealing the show by blowing people kisses. Isobel waddled in—Adrian hovering at her elbow and spinning her before leading her to the head table. Then it was my turn.

I stepped into the open doors, gesturing dramatically along with the cue of the music. When I glanced to my side, Nathan was leaning back in his chair at a table near the door, arms folded across his broad chest and his eyes locked on me.

Something about how he looked at me made me feel powerful—and sexy—so when I blew out a breath and faced the dance floor, I put a little extra swing in my hips and sashayed across the floor. When I reached the center of the dance floor where my partner was waiting, I took Miguel’s hand, letting him spin me around before Drew grasped my other hand and stole me from his husband before dipping me dramatically.

“That was perfect,” Drew laughed as he righted me, spinning me to the edge of the dance floor where the wedding party was all seated at a long table.

“You killed it,” Miguel beamed as I sat beside him.

“At least I didn’t fall on my ass like in our practice this morning,” I panted, my adrenaline still running a little high. My fall in my hotel room wasn’t the only reason my ass was sore.

“Well, if that demonstration doesn’t get you laid, then I don’t know what will,” he chuckled as he reached forward to grasp his champagne glass, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

“Let it go, Miguel,” I warned, trying to get him to drop the subject before Evan and Chase made their way to the table. I’d never live it down if they got wind of his mission to find me a one night stand. Lately, Evan was giving me more shit than usual. I’m guessing this was because of his little sexual awakening––which the thought of made me throw up in my mouth a little. I mean, I loved Chase, but I did not need any details about what she did with my brother’s dick.

“Someone is watching you,” Miguel whispered as he leaned toward me.

My eyes shot up, and I scanned the room, heat rushing through me as they stopped on Nathan, who was now leaning against the bar, staring straight at me.

“He’s cute,” Miguel teased as he shimmied in his seat.

“Who’s cute?” Drew asked as he placed his hand around the back of Miguel’s chair and leaned in so he could hear what we were saying.

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