I blow out a breath. “I don’t want anything to distract from Nicki’s weekend,” I say.
Her eyes get super round and her jaw falls open. “So something did happen.”
“Ladies, quiet!” Stella yells at us, and Nicki shoots me a look like come on, dude, just help me get through this.
“We’ll talk later,” I say, hoping it’s enough to brush her grilling off forever but knowing it definitely isn’t.
When we’re done with the actual rehearsal for tomorrow, we’re ushered toward a restaurant where a whole section is dedicated to our little party.
And, of course, just like tomorrow night, Nicki and Josh sit in the middle of the table, and the rest of the bridal party sits in order on either side of them. That means the bride and groom separate Luke and me when I feel like I have a lot more to say to him, and Jen is on my right currently waiting for me to tell her what happened last night.
“You can’t tell anyone,” I say softly once I see Nicki and Josh talking to Stella. Jen’s eyes go round again.
“Okay, but before you say anything at all, isn’t this so exciting and totally cliché? The maid of honor and the best man are, like, supposed to hook up, aren’t they? Isn’t it some unwritten rule?”
I stare at her like she’s stupid. “No! What if the maid of honor is married?”
“Then she’d be the matron of honor, and no such rule exists to my knowledge.”
I roll my eyes. “Okay, fine. What if the best man is married?”
She thinks for a minute. “Affair.” She cracks up like it’s the funniest joke ever, but cheating isn’t really all that funny to me.
“We did the one-night thing. I had no idea he was Josh’s best man. And neither of us wants anyone to know, so keep your trap shut.”
She looks offended as her hand flies to her chest. “I won’t tell anybody!”
“Tell anybody what?” Nicki asks, looking at the two of us.
I’m positive I look guilty, and Jen has never been much of a liar.
“About your present!” Jen says almost gleefully, and thank the Lord, Nicki buys it.
“Oooh, what is it? Tell me, tell me, tell me!” Nicki says, her eyes lighting up.
Jen shakes her head then mock zips her lips and pretends to throw away the key, and man I wish I could find that key and hide it so she can’t unzip.
Nicki’s attention is called away again, and I glare at Jen. “Keep them zipped.”
She holds up two fingers as if to say Scout’s Honor, and then dinner is served and we focus on that.
My dad gives a surprisingly emotional speech about Josh and how he always imagined what kind of girl he’d marry, and then Nicki’s dad gives a similar speech for his daughter.
And then it’s Luke’s turn.
“I’m Luke, the best man and also the better receiver,” he begins, drawing a big laugh from the small crowd. “I couldn’t be happier for my best friend and the woman who will become his wife tomorrow. Josh and I have only been playing together a year, but he’s like a much younger brother to me.”
Another laugh.
Great, this guy’s not just ridiculously hot and fantastic in bed. He’s also charming and hilarious.
“As someone who once sat in the same seat where Josh is sitting now, I have a word of advice.”
Wait a minute.
He sat in Josh’s chair?
Like, literally?
Or is he saying he’s been in the chair as the groom at a rehearsal dinner?
Has Luke been married before?
Man, when I go in on a one-night stand, I really go all in. I know literally nothing about this guy.
I didn’t even know he played football professionally, though I could see why he’d leave out that particular detail to someone who didn’t immediately recognize him. Maybe that’s one of the things he liked about me.
“I saved the good stuff for tomorrow’s speech, but I’ll end tonight with this: Never go to bed angry. Stay up and fight,” he says, drawing roaring applause from the room.
The maid of honor is not expected to give a speech, for which I’m grateful since I don’t really want to follow funny Hot Luke with something lame of my own.
Josh talks next, and he thanks everyone for coming and gets emotional as he looks at Nicki and talks about the life they’re going to share.
And that’s it. The night’s still young, but the rehearsal is about over.
People mingle and drink, and Nicki is briefing the bridesmaids on the plan for tomorrow while I try to keep my eyes on her rather than edging over toward Luke. Nicki is called away by Stella, and I let my eyes feast for a beat.
He looks over at me, and our eyes lock for a second when I look away.
I blow out a breath, and then I head back to my seat to grab my phone where I left it on the table when I overhear Luke say to Josh, “Will Pepper be a problem for your sister?”
I glance up as I see Josh shaking his head. “She won’t care.”
I won’t care about someone named Pepper?
Who the hell is Pepper? Isn’t that a nickname for Penelope?
Is Luke seeing somebody? Does he live with somebody?
Is that the ex-wife? The current wife? The ex-girlfriend? A kid?
Did he sleep with me when he’s involved with someone else?
I’m so confused.
These are the questions that roll through my mind in a split second, and I have no idea when I’ll get the answers.
Not tonight, apparently, because Nicki’s ready to finish her briefing, and by the time we’re done chatting, all the men have cleared out except for Josh, who’s waiting to bid his fiancée goodnight.
But Hot Luke is gone, and the next time I’ll see him is tomorrow when he’s wearing a tux and I’m torn halfway between lust and animosity.
CHAPTER 10
As I go to bed alone, I can’t stop thinking about Luke. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can still smell him in this room. I can still feel his tongue on my body.
I blow out a breath and force my eyes open. That’s not helping.
I do an Instagram search for him and come up blank after sorting through fifty or so accounts with the same name. There are a few photos tagged with a hashtag and his name, but there’s no user by the name of Luke Dalton that matches Hot Luke. Though there is one who appears to be obsessed with fish and another who looks like he’s about ten years old.
He’s not on Twitter, either, or Facebook.
I stop my search there.
So he’s not a social media guy. Not everybody is, though I’d think if he wanted the status as a fan favorite, he’d need to let people into his life a little more.
Maybe he doesn’t want that status, but based on his looks alone, he probably is a favorite of the ladies.
And I had sex with him.
I glance over at the windows.
Right there up against those windows.
I let out a soft sigh as it all comes back to me. It was just last night, but somehow it feels like ages ago.
I’m nervous for tomorrow. I don’t like keeping secrets from my brother or from Nicki, but neither Luke nor I want them to find out, especially not this weekend when they deserve the focus.
And so I’ll pretend.
I’ll pretend like I didn’t have sex with Hot Luke.