Page 38 of The First Best Man

I clean up the rest of the table while Penny and Logan move to a lounge chair situated in the shade to curl up together. When I head inside, Kate and I work in quiet harmony. I rinse the dishes before handing them to her to load into the dishwasher.

When she places the last dish, she takes a step back to close the machine then spins around and inadvertently bumps into me, causing her to stumble off-balance. My hands snap out to steady her automatically, my fingers digging into the soft flesh of her hips.

Her hands somehow land on my chest in the process, and we both freeze, our eyes locked for what feels like an eternity. Kate’s breathing hard, and my gaze drops to her mouth. Fresh desire floods through me as my body takes matters into its own hands andleans in. Kate’s tongue darts out to wet her plump lips, and my heartbeat stutters out a syncopated rhythm.

“Hey, J.T., bring me another beer, will you?” Logan shouts from outside, breaking the trance Kate and I have fallen into just before our lips meet.

Kate stiffens and pulls out of my grip, skirting around me to grab a beer from the fridge. My body slumps as I watch her slip through the back door without so much as a backward glance.

Turning, I brace my hands against the countertop and drop my head, breathing deeply to regain control of myself before heading out to join the others. I need to remember my resolve.

Damn it. Staying away from Kate is impossible. But her inexperience means I have to, right? Even if I wanted to settle down and commit to someone, it can’t beher. She has a life here, and I have one in San Francisco. I have my job, which I can’t exactly quit seeing as how I’m the heir to the empire. My father gave me majority ownership because he trusts me to steer the ship and keep the brand successful. That’s my future.

Looking through the back door glass, I see Kate nervously sipping a freshly made mimosa. I’m not stupid, and I’m not oblivious, either. I know she wants me, even if she doesn’t know exactly what it is she wants.

And Idefinitelywant her.

What in the hell am I going to do?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Kate

After spending the afternoon swimming,sunning, and relaxing, we’ve changed out of our suits and are enjoying the balmy evening air while munching on slices of the pizza Logan ordered for dinner. I’ve managed to pretend that little scene in the kitchen with Tucker earlier didn’t affect me. Or at least, I hope everyonethoughtthe color in my cheeks was from the sun and not from the memory of his hands on my hips and his gaze on my lips.

Penny has been less than inconspicuous with her encouraging nods and eyebrow waggles, trying to get me to make my move on Tucker, and the tipsier she’s gotten, the more animated those attempts have become. There’s no way he hasn’t noticed. Logan, too, if his frown is any indication.

I’m giving Penny yet another warning look whenLogan suddenly stands, holding out a hand to Penny and saying, “I should probably get you home.”

“Boo. Hiss,” she mumbles, and Logan just shakes his head and helps her to her feet.

Standing, I move over to give Penny a hug, whispering into her ear, “You’re in so much trouble. We’ll discuss your behavior tomorrow.”

“Don’t be mad, Kitty Kate. I just love you, and I want you to be happy,” she slurs in response.

“I love you, too,” I say, releasing her before giving Logan a hug.

I send an urgent, silent plea to the universe that Penny won’t say anything embarrassing to Tucker as they hug goodbye, and thankfully, the universe delivers. She keeps her loose, drunken lips sealed as they embrace. I watch as Logan and Tucker have some sort of silent conversation I can’t understand.

I fully expect Tucker to slip into the house right behind them, but he surprises me by starting to clear the table, instead. Ignoring the patter of my heart, I follow Logan and Penny to the front door, we repeat our goodbyes, and I close the door behind them. Pausing to take a deep breath, I head back toward the kitchen to find Tucker there, storing the leftover pizza in plastic containers he must’ve found in one of the cabinets.

Skidding to a halt, I watch his muscles flex as he moves. Thankful he never put his shirt back on after swimming, my eyes roam over his shoulders and chest before dipping to the muscles just above the waistband of his shorts. When I lift my gaze back to his face, I’mstartled to find his blue eyes locked on me, a small smile curving his lips.

Shit, I’m busted. Again.

Pretending like that didn’t just happen, I move into the kitchen and silently help him pack away the last few slices. We don’t speak as he takes the containers and puts them away in the refrigerator, and I move to the sink to wash the grease and crumbs from my hands.

I feel his body heat behind me as I turn off the water, and I freeze as his hands find the countertop on either side of me, bracketing me in and trapping me there.

I barely breathe as he leans in, his breath tickling my ear as he whispers, “Kate. I’ve wanted to kiss you all week, but today has been the worst. I’ve been aching to taste your lips. To see if they’re as sweet as they look.”

And there I go down the rabbit hole to Wonderland, because this can’t be real life, can it? Then Tucker presses a kiss to my shoulder next to the strap of my sundress, sending goosebumps skittering down my arm. Taking a deep breath, I turn around to face him, still trapped by his arms, a little gasp slipping out of me when I realize how close his face is to mine.

“You have?” I ask, and he nods. “But last night…”

“Last night, I was trying to be smart and noble,” he says when my words trail off. “This thing between us can’t go anywhere, and it will end when I leave the island after the wedding. So, I’ve been trying to keep myself under control, but I can’t resist just…one…kiss.”

He moves in slowly as he says the last three words, giving me every opportunity to stop him. But I remain frozen until his lips brush against mine.

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