“Alright,” I murmur. “Eleven sixteen.”
He slants his mouth, tongue darting into mine, and the conversation disappears.
Just as my dick is getting too hard to ignore—and I’m ready to drag Lake into our bedroom—the doorbell rings. Two seconds later, a key turns in the door, and it opens, warning signal given.
Lake groans in disappointment and scrambles off me. “That’ll be the guys.” He smooths his T-shirt down and then winks at me. “Eleven sixteen, on the dot.”
Zach and Felix enter the room, shoulders brushing. It’s easy to see the way they gravitate towards each other. Lake and I do the same thing.
“Ready to go?” Zach asks. “Everyone’s waiting in the van.”
That’s extremely suspicious. Why are there so many that they need a van? “Who’s going exactly?” For that matter— “Where are you going?” Should have asked that before.
Lake shrugs. “No idea,” he says, unconcerned.
“Shit,” Zach says, slapping his thigh. “We didn’t do a head count.” He looks forlornly at Felix. “Should we do one before we go?”
“Safety first,” Felix half sings.
Easy to see how they’ve been friends with Lake for so long as well.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. This is on me. I should have expected all of this. “Just try not to kill my groom.” The wedding would be a little lopsided with only one of us, and I’m no necromancer.
“Oh, you misunderstand,” Felix says, with a borderline terrifying pleasantry. Lake is filled with sunshine and throws it around like a cat on catnip, but Felix wields his like a weapon. The smile he currently has only ratchets up my anxiety. “You’re coming with us.”
“What? No.” That’s not in my plans for the night.
“Really?” Lake’s face lights up, and he does a little excited shuffle, wiggling his arms. A full-body happy dance. He deflates just as quickly. “But I thought both parties weren’t allowed to have one together?”
“We’re not really big on rules,” Zach says flippantly. There’s no lie in that statement. “Don’t you want to party with the person you’re choosing to spend the rest of your life with? This is a celebration.”
“Yes!” Lake’s beaming smile is back. A genuine one, not whatever the fuck Felix’s is. I already knew he was the one to watch for.
“I’m not going.” It’s not about partying or celebrating. That’s what the wedding itself is for. I just want a quiet night. “I specifically told Quinn that I didn’t want a buck’s night.”
“We know,” Zach says. “And we vetoed that.”
“You can’t just—”
“Do you want to go in what you’re wearing, or do you want to change?” Felix asks, like he’s asking if I want fries with that. “I suggest jeans and a T-shirt with a jacket. It’s a bit cold out there.”
Fucking Christ. “Fine,” I grit out. “Give me fifteen to shower and get dressed.”
They’re all at the door waiting by the time I come back, my hope that they would be gone floating away on the wind. Of course,nowthey have patience.
“Have fun!” Riley says with a little wave of his fingers. Brat.
There aren’t as many people as I thought there would be, thank fuck. Just Avery and… Quinn and Sebastian. They’re sitting on two of the three back seats. I fucking knew Quinn had agreed to me not having a buck’s night too easily. What a fucking traitor.
“Why are you everywhere now?” I grumble at Sebastian, settling myself next to Quinn and forcing them both to move over a little. This “van” was not made for guys my size.
“What do you mean?” Sebastian asks innocently. “We’re friends.”
Lake sits in the chair in front of me and then gets up on his knees backwards, draping his arms over the back of the seat. “Hi.”
I’m sure my grin is as goofy as it feels. “Hi.”
I'mexpectingthemtotake us to some gaudy pub, or a strip club, or a tattoo parlour, or something stupid. Instead, we’re at… Hyde Park?
