Page 40 of Best Man
Niko pushed another finished lantern across the table, joining it with the others.
“That’s one more,” he said, and yawned. “What time is it?”
“It’s just after five,” she answered. “Are you tired? Should we call it a night?”
“Only if you think we have enough. I’m here to help you, maid of honor,” he said. He loved to see her sweet smile.
“Thank you, best man,” she said. “We just might have enough. Let’s count.” Paulina hopped up, planted her knees onto the bench, and began counting the finished lanterns lined up on the table. “One, two, three …”
Oh my God,Niko thought, staring from the corner of his sleepy eye. With Paulina bent over the table, her round ass stuck high in the air. He felt like a dog staring at a mouthwatering ribeye steak left out in the open. How badly he wanted to sink his teeth into it … but he’d get insomuch trouble if he did.
“… sixty-four, sixty-five, sixty-six …” she continued, her plump rear wiggling from side to side as she counted.
Kill me now,he thought. A knot twisted in his throat. He’d doanythingto grab a handful of that ass and give it a squeeze. Or maybe even better, bring his open palm down on her juicy ass cheek,thwack!
“Eighty-four,” she said, finishing her count. She turned to smile at him, completely oblivious to the internal war he’d just waged. “Hey, not bad, Niko.”
“Eighty-four? How many wedding guests?”
“A hundred-fifty.”
“Oh no,” he murmured, realizing they were only barely past the halfway point. He wasn’t getting any sleep tonight at all, was he?
“It’s okay. We don’t have nearly enough for everybody,no, but that’s still a lot. Maybe we’ll say they’re for the kids, and if there’s any left over, the couples can share them?”
“Hm. Good idea.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty happy with that,” she said, nodding. “I think we can call it a night, then.”
She put her hand out and called for a high five. Their palms met with aclap,but neither let go, and she locked her fingers into his for a sweet moment.
“Thanks for your help, Niko. Really. You’re a prince.”
“Glad I could help,” he said.“I had fun. I really liked talking to you, Paulina.”
“Itwasfun, wasn’t it?” Her eyes lit with her smile. “I really liked talking to you, too.”
Calling it quits was bittersweet. Niko liked talking with her so much, he didn’t want to go. On the other hand, he was tired and could use a little rest before the wedding.And,best of all, he’d made it through the night without doing anything inappropriate. He could look Jax in the eye tomorrow with a clean conscience.
Their hands separated. They slowly got up and stretched their tired limbs.
“Should we move all these lanterns somewhere safe?” he asked.
“Nah, I’ll move them in the morning. If they get wet, they’ll be ruined.” She gestured outside, where the rain continued to fall, though it’d let up over the past few hours.
“Looks like it’s about to stop,” he said. As if on cue, the entire outdoors lit with one-two-three quick flashes of light. A second later, the earth rumbled with a thunderousboom, and the downfall began again. “Or not.”
She laughed. “Oh no! You jinxed it!”
They walked to the open barn doors and watched the downpour. The rain slapped the pavement in front of them. The damp air smelled of fresh earth and electricity. She stood just in front of him. How badly he wanted to span his hands around her waist and pull her rear against him. The thought alone made his cock pump with excitement—
No,he thought.Stop.
“So … this rain,” he said. “Is it going to stop before tomorrow? Or is the wedding in trouble?”
“It’s supposed to stop soon,” she said, spinning around and facing him. “And tomorrow’s supposed to be hot and sunny. So it should dry up enough that it won’t be a problem.” The way she leaned against the doorframe, with her hands behind her back, and looked up at him with her big, soft eyes—ugh,it was like she wasbegging him to swoop down and claim her mouth.
And hell, maybe she was, but he couldn’t. Even if they both wanted it.
