“It’s not funny, D.This is Kelly’s day, and you’re fucking it up.”
“Ooookay…” I held up both hands and began to back away slowly.
“Kacey, he’s doing exactly what I asked him to do,” Kelly said patiently.I couldseehow badly she wanted to roll her eyes.
“I think he’s being a petty little bitch,” Kacey snapped, giving an ugly little limp-wrist gesture for good measure.
I stopped backing up.Set my jaw.Insults, whatever; that’s just sibling shit.This was something else.“Excuse me?”
Kelly had seen it too, clearly.“Kace—”
“Always whining about how you hate coming back here, and you’re the only sad little gay in town, and no one even wants you here.It just makes you insane that Kelly found a man who—”
“What in thefuck?”I demanded.
“You need to go get some air,” Kelly said sharply, yanking on Kacey’s arm to turn her around.“I asked Diego to get people dancing.He did.And he’s agreatdancer.What is your problem?”
“Don’t think it’s me that’s jealous about your man…” I sing-songed, even though I knew, I fuckingknewit was a mistake the second it was out of my mouth.
Kelly face-palmed.
Kacey turned bright red.“You ungrateful, bitchy little motherfu—”
“Hey,” said a deep and—for the moment—angelic voice suddenly at my side.“You guys okay?Need help with anything?”
I couldn’t even look at Taran because I was afraid I’d grovel in thanks if I did.I did not need the full strength of Kacey’s rage on me in public, and definitely not at Kelly’s wedding, but I couldn’t just shut my fucking mouth.
“Just enjoying my wedding day.Thanks for coming,” Kelly said with a fake-sweet smile.
Taran replied with a million-dollar grin.“Taran.Our moms play mahjong together.Congratulations.”
Before Kelly could reply, Kacey jerked out of her grasp and shrilled, “Are you kidding me right now with this, Die—!”
“You wanna dance?”Taran said, holding out one hand.
I froze.The Electric Slide was over, thank god, but now it was something slow-dancey.I looked at Kelly, wondering if he was asking her.Even though the hand was extended toward me.
She gave me a significant look and jerked her head toward the dance floor.“Go.”
Kacey opened her mouth to unleash something else vile, probably.
Taran grabbed my hand and pulled me out onto the dance floor.“You don’t have to,” he leaned in close to say.“Just thought I’d return the favor.”
“How much of that did you hear?”God, my cheeks were burning up.It was bad enough Kacey had to flip out on the regular, but for her to do it in public?In front of my hot ex-situationship who had broken my teenage heart and was maybe kind of flirting with me?Fuck me, man.
“Enough to know it’d be pretty funny if someone walked up and asked you to dance at that exact moment,” he replied with a chuckle.“And not her.”
I laughed, sudden and surprised.“Shit!Thatispretty funny.”
“No offense, but your new sister is kind of a dick.”He slid his arm around my waist.
I was still laughing, but the easy way he pulled me close made my head spin.Fucking Christ, what was even happening tonight?Stupidly, settling one hand against his warm, hard chest, I said, “Yeah, she doesn’t like it when everything isn’t about her.”
“Is she gonna turn it on Kelly now?”
“Kelly can handle her,” I said.
Then all the air left my body as he put his other arm around me and pressed his whole front into mine.I might even have gasped, the feeling was so overwhelming.He used to be stacked, yeah, but he always had a tiny waist in school.Now he was thicker around the middle, more solid than he used to be—from twink to twunk in eight years or less.He smelled like laundry detergent and shampoo, nothing fancy, and his hair brushed my cheek when he leaned in to whisper, “I don’t do this much, so you gotta show me how.”
