Page 23 of Surprise Baby for Daddy's Best Friend

"Don't go wandering off. We're going to head back to the resort after this."

I nodded and walked over to our waitress. She was stressed by how large our group was. I could see it in her dilated pupils and heavy breathing. Even the way she approached us with a slight reservation in her steps showed how unwilling she was to keep going after a long day. I could understand it. You could only do a good job for so long before the chaos of a wedding party just tipped you over on a social battery and made you want to go scream in a closed room.

"Can you drop off a box for me? I'll be back in a minute." I didn't wait for her to respond and walked out of the restaurant.

The cool night air brushed against my face as I let out a sigh of relief. The sound of cars was distant on the highway down the road. Most of the stores neighboring the restaurant were already closing for the evening. I checked my watch. Close to 8 in the evening. The restaurant would be open for another two hours, and at the rate, everyone was going we were probably going to be there until closing time despite the claims otherwise. I wasn't sure how long I could be in there watching Kim so close and yet so far away while the man who held her close during the rehearsal could stay around her as nothing happened.

I moved over to a bench on the side of the building that was a bit cooler and shaded by the setting sun. It didn't look like anyone would wander around here, so I wasn't too worried. Not like they could do much. I might have retired, but the idea of disarming someone was still a muscle memory that would never go away.

"Jared?" Kim asked from around the corner.

"Over here," I responded without thinking. I cursed myself for saying anything when I should have kept my distance.

Kim walked around the building and sat on the bench next to me. The perfume she had on was different from the night before. More like a flower early in bloom. I breathed in her soft scent and let out a heavy sigh.

"You should get back inside before they notice you're with me."

She shook her head and sidled closer, "They're not talking about anything interesting. Just about what they're most excited about with the wedding or what Carl wanted to do for the honeymoon," she turned to me. "I'd rather talk with you."

Her hand slid across her lap and brushed against the outside of my thigh. I raised my hand to put it on top of hers but stopped myself. If anyone caught us, I didn't want to be the reason they found out about our relationship. I wanted to be as close as I could to her, but at the same time, there was a distance I needed to maintain for both of us. If she wanted to change that, it was her choice.

"About earlier..." she pulled her hand back and folded her hands together. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Earlier?" I raised a brow and leaned back, trying to think of which earlier she was referencing specifically.

"During the rehearsal. You looked angry about something."

"Oh..." my voice trailed off and I closed my eyes. "No, I'm fine. I'm an old man who doesn't like to share is all. You get like that sometimes and have to learn the difference between sharing and just a person doing what they're supposed to do, is all."

She covered her mouth and let out a small giggle, "Sharing? So you were jealous after all." She nudged me with her shoulder. "I thought you were, but I didn't get a chance to ask. Don't be jealous. He's nothing like the type of guy I like anyway," she made a small gagging noise. "He tried to ask me out for drinks too and I turned him down." She put her hand back close to my thigh again. "You don't have to worry about anything this week. We're our own people and we can enjoy being around one another while out here."

"Yeah," I muttered. "Then once we get back we'll be nothing more than strangers again.”

"Or... we could end up being more after that. The fun doesn't have to end just because we don't have a hotel room to hide behind."

My hand slid over to hers without me realizing it and intertwined with her fingers. The soft movements of her chest and the cool silence between us made any thoughts of rage and stress almost immediately vanish again. With her, I was like a new person. The feral beast quieted for the first time in years and I could focus on something I truly wanted.

I lifted her chin with my other hand, so we were looking at one another, "I swear, you will be the death of me with how addictive you are."

"I think you have it wrong on who is the addictive one," she smirked and leaned closer to me. "I wish we could have these moments last just a little longer."

“We could. I could take you anywhere in the world with me and we would never have to worry about anyone interrupting us. I could take you in the middle of the beach and no one would be around.”

I closed my eyes and leaned into her. I lowered my hand, finding her waist to keep her close. The soft touch of her skin under my hands sent my body ablaze and yearning to take her once more. I couldn't recall the last time I felt this much passion for someone and didn't want to let her go.

"Jared," she whispered in a low tone. "Please." Something in her voice made me shiver in excitement.

I moved my other hand to her breast and gently squeezed, "I want you," I growled. My desire for her was overtaking my mind. I couldn’t ignore the fact that we were still in public, but I also wanted to feel all of her then and now. The lights were going dark. No one would see us if we were careful and quick. And yet the logical part of my brain fought for control and stopped me from going too far.

"Kim?” Mandi called out from the restaurant.

"Shit," Kim cursed and pulled away. She gave me one final smirk and wink, "Perhaps we can continue this another time?" She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, "I can't wait for us to have some more time to ourselves without interruptions." She stood up and adjusted her clothes. "Coming!" Kim ran around the corner and disappeared into the setting light of the sun.

"Where've you been? Everyone was looking for you when you said you were going to the bathroom and we didn't see you there."

"Sorry. I wanted to check on your dad since I was up. Didn't want to ruin everyone's fun."

"Oh, whatever. You know you wouldn't interrupt anything," she clicked her tongue like I knew she did whenever she was genuinely concerned but didn't want to vocalize her true feelings. She did that so often when I was first breaking my drinking habits and dealing with anger problems. "Is he... Is my dad doing alright?"

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