Free Closer Than A Brother by Hadley Raydeen Page B

God, he’s gorgeous. Black tux tailored to perfection, his body hard and solid, freshly shaven, and his eyes the color of a stormy sky. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him.
    As she neared him, she could see that he wore a small smile and she would give anything to take that questioning look out of his eyes. She stopped at her designated spot and he came to her offering his arm. She accepted and they walked together down the rest of the aisle. She wanted to say something to him—whisper just a little something—but anything she said now, everyone would see. She squeezed his arm as he deposited her in her space and walked to the opposite side of the aisle. She let her gaze follow him to where he stood—her nose well aware of the scent of him still floating in the air around her. She swallowed back the whimper that almost escaped as the guests stood for Brandi’s entrance.
    He looked at her then. His eyes said everything. He still loves me. She tried to speak volumes though a simple look. We have to talk . She gave him the pleading look. His gaze lingered for another second before he turned to look at Brandi.
    * * * *
    “Are you okay, son?” His mother came up behind him as they stood outside to go to the reception.
    “I’m fine, Ma. We just loaded Jason, Brandi, and her dress in the limo.” He laughed nervously. “We are headed to the park to take pictures and then we will be back at the reception.”
    “You have to ride in the car with her don’t you?” His mother smirked.
    “I’m fine with that. We can be cordial.”
    “What happened in New York, Shane?”
    “Ma, really, here? Are we having this conversation now?”
    His mother held up her hands in surrender. “I’ll leave you to your best-man duties.”
    He walked away from his mother to the town cars. Dani stood next to the cars with the other bridesmaids, waiting for the limo carrying Brandi and Jason to pull off. They immediately locked gazes. He cleared his throat.
    “Are we ready to go?” he asked the other groomsmen.
    He sensed her coming up beside him and he sidestepped her. Her rose-scented perfume reached his nostrils. “Are you ready to go, Danielle?” he tossed out over his shoulder.
    The rest of the bridal party stood and watched them with raised eyebrows. He didn’t care if he was causing a scene. She already broke his heart. What else did he have to lose? He slid into the front seat of the black town car. He should have opened the passenger door for her. We aren’t a couple. I don’t owe her anything , he kept telling himself. She opened the door and slid into the seat next to them, shutting out any noise. “You don’t think this is going to be long, do you?” he asked turning the key in the ignition. “It’s not exactly warm out here.”
    “The cooler temperature will make for a lovely setting for the pictures,” she opined.
    “It will be a lovely setting for us to freeze our asses off,” he commented, following the limo out onto the street.
    “We need to talk,” she said it so softly he barely caught it.
    “About what?” he asked feeling his heart beating a mile a minute.
    “The fact we were having a great time three weeks ago. And by some fucked-up chance you heard a stupid conversation I was having with Brandi and totally freaked out.”
    “I didn’t freak out. I’m actually okay with what happened. It was fun while it lasted,” he lied. She was quiet for so long he stole a glance at her.
    “We are taking pictures up ahead.” She pointed to where the limo pulled off. He put the car in park. Her hand shot out so quickly to grab his hand, he had no time to even think about it. He looked down at their hands connected, hers a caramel brown that contrasted nicely with his skin. He looked up at her, seeing everything she was feeling in her eyes. He couldn’t do it. She made it clear she wasn’t interested in anything else but the sexual relationship they had for the two weeks he was there. He wanted so much more