“Damn straight,” Free said and laughed, then they both took sips of the amber liquor. Free made an appreciative hum in the back of his throat and Kasey nodded in agreement, taking another swallow. “May your wedding be the next one we have.”
Kasey laughed, shaking his head. “That’s farfetched, Free. The closest I got was with Savannah, and we both know how that ended.”
“Have you seen her since y’all split?” Free asked, taking another sip.
Kasey shook his head. “Nah. She’s somewhere in California with her new hot-shot fiancé. Good riddance. Models are a fucking nightmare.”
Finishing the bourbon in their glasses, they made their way down into the great room, where the men of the house had started to gather. Levi and his younger brother Micah Kendall, who was married to Serenity’s younger sister, Summer, had claimed two large recliners in front of a massive stone fireplace that had a roaring fire already built in it.
Four younger guys, who Kasey had been introduced to as Jodi and Shaun’s brothers and cousins, were fighting over the remote of the tv. Summer and Micah’s youngest, a six-year-old little boy, was running around with a toy car, zooming it across every conceivable flat surface in the place.
“Guys,” Levi barked when the teen boys’ bickering got louder, and the lot of them went silent. “Come on. You’re not kids anymore. Can we not do this? Are you all ready to go in a bit?”
Kasey grinned. He really liked Levi Kendall. He was a no-nonsense, call it like he sees it kind of guy, and he respected that immensely. He reminded him of his own dad.
An older, white-haired gentleman had fallen asleep in a lazy-boy recliner, snoring gently. Kasey knew that was Paul Storm, Shaun and Jodi’s maternal grandfather. Levi woke him several minutes later to ask if he was joining them, but the older man declined, saying he’d rather stay in and enjoy the quiet of the house.
It seemed like moments later that Levi’s booming voice thundered through the room to announce that the resort shuttles had arrived to transport them to the main lodge, and the whole group of them filed out and climbed into the transit vans waiting for them. Depositing them at the front doors of the massive log cabin inspired resort, it didn’t take them long to locate the lounge. Billiard tables, dart boards, shuffleboards, air hockey, foosball… you name it, and they had it. Kasey could hear old fashioned pinball machines along the farthest wall, and a wide bar made of one massive tree slice had polished, black leather barstools tucked up to it. Too many beer taps to count and hundreds of bottles of liquor sat along a mirrored wall behind the bar. Kasey could smell burgers, hot wings, and freshly made popcorn. It was a man cave on steroids.
The hours passed quickly, pool games won and lost, someone’s finger got caught between an air hockey puck and the side of the table, and after the third beer Kasey declined another from the smartly dressed bartender. When Levi sidled over toward him and Free as they set aside their billiard sticks, the older gentleman said gruffly, “We should start rounding up and heading back. The girls will shoot me dead if we’re late to rehearsal.”
After the lot of them clambered back into the shuttles that returned them to the massive vacation rental just down the road, they all climbed the wide staircase up to the second floor to their respective rooms to shower and change for the evening.
The girls had returned from the spa all giggly, rejuvenated, and relaxed, and when Kasey passed Shaun in the hallway, he nearly lost his mind at how fucking good she smelled; like coconut lime verbena body oil and pink Himalayan sea salt. Even the hint of chlorine that still clung to her skin from the hot tub smelled intoxicating. Her hair was curlier than normal, tied up on the top of her head in a loose knot, tendrils falling freely around her face and the back of her neck.
Kasey made quick work of the erection that ensued while taking a brief shower, positive that he was going to lose his ever-loving mind by the end of the weekend.
Dressing in the dusty blue button-down shirt and navy slacks he’d set out earlier, he was putting on his shoes just as Free was sliding his feet into a highly polished pair of black cowboy boots. Crossing to the dresser where he’d left the bottle of twenty-five-year bourbon earlier, he poured some into the two glass tumblers he’d snagged earlier and turned, handing one to Freeman.
“Nervous yet?” Kasey asked after they clinked glasses. Raising it to his lips, he took a swallow, humming inappreciation at the aged bourbon. Free did the same, swirling it in his glass several times, shaking his head.
“Not at all,” his best friend said quietly, and Kasey could hear in his voice the conviction of his words. “I’ve never been more sure of something. Jodi is everything I’ll ever need in this life. I pray that I can always be that for her, too.”
Kasey clapped Free on the back, squeezing his shoulder tightly before dropping his hand. “If the way that woman looks at you is any indication, I’d say you’re doing just fine, my friend.”
They drained their glasses and set them down before heading out the door together. They’d just made it to the top of the stairs when Kasey realized he’d left his watch on the counter in the bathroom and said, “I’ll be down in just a second.”
Strapping the watch to his wrist as he walked, he nearly barreled into Shaun as he exited the room. The audible gasp that escaped her as his hands circled her upper arms went straight to his dick and he nearly groaned; a lot of good that jerk off session had done. The little navy-blue dress she wore should have been outlawed.
Releasing her as soon as they both had their balance restored, she stepped back, her eyes flying to his.
“I’m sorry—”
“I wanted to—”
They both stopped talking at the same time, and Kasey said gruffly, “Sorry, go ahead.”
Shaun bit her bottom lip, a sheen of shimmery gloss coating them, before sticking her hand out to him as if to shake his. He stared down at her extended hand, one brow rising quizzically.
“I promised Jodi that I would behave this weekend. This is her wedding, and she deserves nothing but the best. I am willing to put aside whatever this—” she waved at the space between them, “—is, if you are. No snarky comments, no sexual innuendos, no shitty attitudes.”
Taking her hand in his, he said, “Deal.”
She made to pull her hand out of his grasp, but he held tightly, pulling her slightly closer as his lips tilted up into a grin. Leaning down until his lips brushed against her cheek, he murmured, “But the second those two leave for their honeymoon, deal is over, darlin’. I’m not leaving this mountain without tasting you at least once.”
FIFTEEN
“If you keep your face like that for too long it’s going to get stuck like that.”
