Page 2 of Kissed in the Dark

I can do this. I can do all of this. I love my brother and this is for him and his special day.

My thoughts on his choice of bride or best friend doesn’t matter in the slightest. Just his future happiness.

JUDE

Iscan the people meeting weary travelers closely. No sign of Christopher yet but he’s been known to be late before. Hell, the guy made it an art form in college!

But I know he’s going to be here. He’s reliable as hell. It’s one thing we have in common. One of the good things we have in common. Like a love of red wine and draft beer and a dislike for people who don’t try hard enough. Life is for the living and it’s meant to be given your all.

But then there’s the thing we have in common that I wish that we didn’t have in common. The thing I’ve tried my damnedest to forget about since she was sixteen years old.

We both love his sister. And we both know that I’m nowhere near good enough to even kiss her delicate little hand.

I sigh and run my hand down my face, exhausted beyond belief. I wish to hell I’d been able to get out of this but I’m the best man and my buddy would seriously kill me for not showing up.

But then there’s Heather. Sweet, pretty, gentle Heather. The girl who everybody loves. The girl who has held my heart since I was twenty-six. Even though I knew it was fucking wrong andI could never touch her, I couldn’t help but fall for the beautiful girl with the smile that lit up every room she walked into.

Which absolutely terrified me. I never told Chris although he might have guessed? I’m not really sure. But he’s never said a word and neither have I. I don’t want to talk about it. I’ve done my best to forget about her.

I haven’t seen her since she graduated from high school. Chris asked me to come home for her graduation party…to help him throw it for her and I was an idiot and didn’t tell him no.

So there she was when I walked in. Leaping into the air and landing on her brother, her arms wrapped around him and her smile so bright that it hurt to look at her. She was so tiny and pretty, her rich auburn hair spilling around her bare shoulders in soft curls, her bright blue eyes sparkling like sapphires in the sun.

And her smile. It lit up something cold and dead inside me, immediately captivating me. I knew it was wrong. So damn wrong. I shouldn’t think about my best friend’s impossible little sister like that. Shouldn’t think about her sexy long legs and thick thighs wrapped around my hips instead of his. Her lips smiling up at me as I dropped my head close to hers, needing to touch those perfect pink lips and breathe in her soft scent.

I didn’t even know what she was like at that point. I just knew that everything about her was perfect for me and it was so damn messed up that I wanted to gut myself for even feeling these things.

My dick didn’t get the memo though. He was three seconds from ripping right out of my tailored pants. From storming across the room and taking her in front of every damn person at that party, including her big brother.

It was fucked up but I couldn’t seem to rein all those feelings in. Especially when her big blue eyes widened when she caughtsight of me hiding behind him and she dropped down to the floor, delicate as a water sprite.

What the fuck am I saying?!

But before I could really ask myself what the hell was wrong with me, she charged at me and wrapped her little arms around as much of me as she could. I sucked in a stunned breath, my head reeling with how much I wanted her. The scent that I’d been wondering about? She smells like god-damned strawberries and creme. Like the most delicious dessert I’ve ever been tempted by.

And the rest of her? Her soft auburn curls tickle my chin as her lithe, voluptuous curves wind around me, sucking me into a fantasy that I know I can’t have.

“Jude?” She breathes, her soft purr so enticing that I almost throw her over my shoulder and carry her off to have my very wicked way with her.

Until I see Chris glaring at me like he’s ready to gut me too.

My dick is pressing against my pants so hard that it’s a miracle she hasn’t noticed but I shove her away from me so hard that Chris has to catch her.

“What the fuck, man?” He growls.

I shovel my hands through my short hair and groan under my breath, thinking every disgusting thought I can to get the fucker in my pants to go down.

“I’m sorry, Heather. I just realized that I’ve got to call my C.O. I’m working on pushing my paperwork through, you know.” I nod at Chris and he grins.

“Ah! Is that what’s got you all wound up? Go ahead and take care of what you need to. I’ll take care of things here and you can join us when you can.”

I nod my head and get the hell out of there.

And I haven’t seen or talked to her since. Well, except for the occasional snarky phone call when Chris is around. He has donehis level best but every time he tries to get us together for some family thing, one of us calls it off, snarking about the other one.

Chris being Chris can’t help relaying the messages. He’s a stand-up guy and it pisses me off so bad that I can’t seem to shake this fascination I have with Heather. I’ve fucked a few women here or there since I got out of the military but none of them made me feel even one iota of the desire and lust I have for her.

So staying away from her is the best plan. The only plan. Until this damn wedding.

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