I bite my lip. “So it’s true? You’re not his best man anymore?”
His hands slide away from my face, leaving cool air where his warmth had been. His jaw tightens, a muscle twitching beneath the stubble. He looks at the floor, then back at me with those amber eyes now hardened like resin.
“Yeah, I never wanted to do it in the first place, but he guilted me when I declined the spot when he was marrying you.” Ford’s fingers drum against his thigh.
“Ford, I—”
He leans forward, close enough that I can smell the mint on his breath. “He compared me to Kenzie, Harper.” His voice drops to a near-whisper. His gaze drifts to my lips, then back to my eyes. “Truth is, there’s only one thing of his I’ve ever wanted.”
My pulse throbs in my ears as his gaze holds mine. My mouth goes dry, and I find myself leaning forward, the space between us charged like the air before a storm. “What was that?” I whisper, my voice catching on the last word.
“This is gorgeous!” Gina shouts as she bursts through the front door.
Worst. Timing. Ever.
Ford gives me a disappointed look, and I offer him an apologetic smile in return. “It’s her party.”
“I know,” he replies.
Gina barely manages to stay upright as she hurls herself at me, and I stand just in time to catch her. If I didn’t know about the pregnancy, I might question whether Gina had pre-gamed before arriving.
Lance follows behind with their bags, and I point out their room to him. “Holly and I have already claimed ours,” I say. “And locked them. I don’t need anyone stealing my bed.”
“That’s good. It gives you a chance to pick someone to share your bed with.” Gina winks and glances back at Ford, making me flush.
He’s thankfully out of earshot, but I still lower my voice. “I’ve thought about it. A lot, actually.”
“And?”
“Is it right to hook up with my ex-fiancé’s best friend? Or, I guess, former friend now? It makes me feel like I’m not better than Asher.”
“Harp, you could strip naked and blow Ford right in front of Asher, and you’d still be better than that toad of an ex.”
I laugh and push her playfully. “Gina!”
“I’m just saying. I may be marrying Lance, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still glance at the offerings on the menu for others. I’ve been curious if we’re talking hot dogs or bratwurst.”
I steer Gina toward her room and hiss, “Stop it.”
“What? Like you’re not wondering the same thing?”
I don’t really need to wonder. My thighs still remember the thick ridge pressing against me when we tangled together on that wrought iron bench by my mother’s hydrangeas. The memory makes my skin prickle with heat.
When I turn back into the room, Ford catches my eye, one corner of his mouth lifting. “Your cheeks are pink. Temperature getting to you?”
My eyes dart down to his fly involuntarily, and I fan myself. “Definitely a bratwurst.”
“Pardon?”
Laughing, I wave my hand dismissively. “Nothing.”
“Are you thinking about repeating what we started in the backyard?”
Ford moves closer, and I feel breathless in the best way. Anticipation buzzes through me at the thought of what could happen if I let myself go.
“Maybe,” I whisper.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about what could have happened if we weren’t interrupted,” he whispers back.
