Page 14 of Three Pucking Wedding Dates

Is it the drinks that are making me so bold?

The air between us crackles with electricity. My breath catches when Reid suddenly reaches forward and grabs my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze.

“Oakley,” he says, his voice low and intense, “you may think you’re ready for someone like me, but trust me when I say you’re too innocent for the kind of things I could show you.”

His thumb brushes against my lower lip, sending a shiver down my spine. Despite my boldness earlier, a part of me knows he’s right. I’ve never been one for wild adventures or reckless decisions. But another, more daring, part of me wonders if this might be just the kind of thing I need to break free from my past and embrace a new future.

I’m about to respond, to tell him that maybe I want to be a little less innocent and a little more wild, when a throat clears behind us. The sudden interruption startles us both, and I feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment as we break apart, turning to see Gray standing right in front of us.

“Hey, guys,” he says with a forced smile, obviously trying to play off his displeasure at our intimate moment. “Mind if I join you?”

“Of course not,” I reply quickly, trying to shake off the lingering heat from Reid’s touch. “We were just…talking.”

“Looked like some pretty intense talking,” Gray observes, his eyes flicking between Reid and me before he takes a seat beside me at the bar.

7

OAKLEY

“Gray, we really missed you out there,” Reid says, his green eyes locked onto Gray’s. “You know, if you’d been there, the other team might have backed out before the game even started. I don’t know why we’re still playing teams like that.”

“Ah, come on, give them a break!” Gray grins, running a hand through his tousled hair. “Besides, I had some…important business to take care of.”

His words make me smile. “Important business, huh?” I tease, raising an eyebrow. “Is that what they’re calling me these days?”

“Don’t worry, it’s a compliment.” Gray winks.

“I was wondering how you got here,” Reid comments, throwing another drink to the back of his throat. “I thought you were still iffy about airplanes.”

Just the mention of it makes me shiver.

“She still is,” Gray admits. “But she did okay.”

I think I did better than okay, but I guess Gray would know better than me.

Thankfully, the conversation begins to drift. “I saw the magazine,” Reid says, which makes me frown. Magazine? What magazine?

Gray sighs. “Did Coach see it?”

Reid shrugs. “No clue.”

“What did it say?”

“After a devastating heartbreak with supermodel Lena Wilde, you were secretly meeting up with your new mystery girl.”

Understanding rams into me like a train. That’s why Gray told me to walk ahead of him—because he didn’t want me to be subjected to the reporters…now, I believe him. They really wouldn’t have left me alone if they caught us together.

“New mystery girl?” I repeat, shaking my head. “I’ve been called worse. Who’s Lena Wilde?”

Gray sends Reid an uncomfortable look, making me frown. The boys and I have never had secrets before…although it isn’t like we talk as much as we used to either.

Nobody answers. “Hmm? Lena Wilde?”

I look at Reid pointedly, but he shakes his head. “Not a chance, dollface. You’ll have to ask Gray.”

“Gray?” I turn my gaze to him, watching the way he squirms in his seat, avoiding eye contact with me. “Is she an ex-girlfriend or something? You can tell me. My ex-fiancé cheated on me with my evil stepsister. Trust me, I’m not in a position to judge anyone.”

Gray lets out a breath, eyeing the drink in front of him before grabbing hold of the glass and quickly drinking it. Once it’s gone, he turns to look at me and sighs. “Yes, Lena is my ex.”

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