Page 69 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

“So you’re saying that there are a lot of things going on here, besides the dress, that are not your usual style,” he said.

She nodded.“Exactly.”

“And Andrew reminded you of all of that.”

She nodded again.“That’s kind of his job—part of it, anyway—as my best friend.He reminds me when I need to…dial things back.”

Fucking Andrew.He really didn’t like that guy.“You need reminded of that?”

“Not as much as I did growing up,” she said.“I tended toward things like punching guys in the face and smearing cow shit on girls’ dresses.Remember?”

He couldn’t help his grin.“I remember.But Andrew didn’t approve of those things?”

She shrugged.“He agreed with my feelings about those things and understood why I did them.But those…tendencies…got me into trouble too.I mean, I saved the kittens and got back at her about her dog, but I also had to serve detention at school for the fight in the parking lot and I had to pay for the prom dress.”

Josh scowled at that.“They punished you for that stuff?Your parents went along with it?”

“My dad grounded me in addition to the detention, and he was the one who offered to have me pay for the dress.”

Wow.Josh stared at her.Okay, he got it.Kind of.People couldn’t go around hitting other people and ruining their stuff just because they disagreed with them.But someone should have been on Tori’s side.Josh knew he had an entire family, half a town really, that would have had his back.

Josh tried to quell the emotions rolling through him.“So Andrew was the one who talked you out of doing stuff like that?”

She nodded.“When he had a chance.Or he played the part of buffer if it happened before he could talk me out of it.He’d explain my views to people or tell them it wasn’t a big deal or at least reassure me that I was justified or whatever.”

Dammit.Josh blew out a breath.Fucking Andrew.He’d been the one, maybe the only one, to have Tori’s back.He couldn’t totally hate the guy, knowing that.

Well, okay then.“So, he was trying to talk you out of being carried upstairs to bed by a guy you barely know.”

She didn’t agree as quickly now.“He was just…making sure I knew what I was doing and that I was okay with…any consequences.”

“Consequences?”Josh asked.

“He’s the one who gives me the worst-case scenario over anything I’m considering.”

Josh scowled.“What’s the worst-case scenario here?”

“My parents finding out from Andrew’s parents.Paisley being mad that we’d caused a scene.A broken heart after our fling is over.”She lifted a shoulder.“Stuff like that.”

Josh ran a hand through his hair.“And he was trying to kill the mood.”That he knew for sure.Andrew might be getting married in a couple of days, but he did not like seeing Tori with another guy.There might be all kinds of reasons behind that, and maybe some were about friendship and protecting her, but Josh was a guy.He knew guys.Lots of them.Andrew’s motivations were not purely altruistic.Or platonic.

“He was maybe trying to kill the mood too,” Tori said slowly.“Just to be sure I had a chance to think about everything.”

Right.Great.Okay, well… “Then I’ll sleep on the floor tonight.”

Her eyes widened.“No.Ugh.”She looked around the room.“No.You can’t sleep on the floor.”

“Well,you’renot sleeping on the floor.”No way in hell was he putting her on the floor because she’d changed her mind about what was going on here tonight.

She looked back at him, her expression sad and resigned.“I’m so sorry.”

“For?”

“Being a cock tease.”

He snorted out a laugh.“You’re not a cock tease, Tori.”

“I am.I gave you every reason to think that you were getting laid tonight.”She stepped forward.“Iwas absolutely convinced you were getting laid tonight.”

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