Free Whose Bride Is She Anyway by Dakota Cassidy Page B

signing up for something like this unless I knew what the chick looked like, but
nice
? Don’t you know
anything
else about her?”
    Shame on me
… Now, how would he answer that? Tugging his earlobe, August tried to squelch his yakking conscience. Always right on time, reminding him this hadn’t been the best laid plan. Or the best plan to get laid. No, he didn’t know much more about Kelsey than the shape of her booty. It was lust, pure and simple. Lust and a dare…
Oh, you’re going to burn in Hell for this, August Guthrie.
    Damn his second thoughts
. Shaddup, would ya?
“We didn’t exactly move in the same social circles,” August offered carefully.
    Aaron’s grin widened. “Oh, I get it. You were hot for her, but she didn’t know you existed. You were a dweeb or something, right?” Aaron chuckled and slapped him on the back.
    August could feel sweat trickle between his shoulder blades as he used his thumb to push his imaginary glasses further up his nose, forgetting he had his contacts in. Jesus H, it was hot here, even at night. A cameraman swooped in on August and Aaron’s conversation, poking the lens closer to their faces. August fought an on-camera grimace. Henry said they should pretend they didn’t see the camera, which would be fine, but it didn’t have to be up his ass did it? “A dweeb? Well, something like that. Let’s just say, I was one of many who Kelsey didn’t know existed.”
    August Guthrie was no damn geek and he wouldn’t have footage of him saying so. Not anymore and this time she’d have to recognize that whether she liked it or not.
    The cameraman moved away, off to find another victim as Aaron thumped his shoulder, obviously excited over August’s geek/not such a geek anymore, status. “Dude, if you were a geek, this chick’s in for a
major
surprise.”
    August shook off the nerd in him that lingered far longer than he’d liked. Yes, Kelsey was in for a surprise of grandiose proportions.
    “So, why are
you
here, Aaron? ” Hah! Answer that, surfer dude and get off my back about the geek crap.
    “The cool trip, man. There are some serious waves to be had here in Hawaii.”
    Honesty is a good thing. Hawaii and the waves are
certainly
a reason to get married.
    Like Kelsey’s hot ass was a better one? August twitched. “Just the trip? This is serious stuff, Aaron. Getting married isn’t something you should do because you wanna hang ten in Hawaii.”
    Oh, nice lecture.
And he wanted to what? Discuss Tolstoy with her? One shouldn’t throw stones at glass houses when the only thought that crossed his mind was beating Greg at his own game and getting laid.
    Aaron was young. He was doing him a favor by teaching him caution.
    Do yourself a favor and think about your own motives for being here, Mr. Libido. Don’t preach to the choir, Auggie boy,
he heard his grandmother’s favorite adage zing through his head.
    “I know, ” Aaron gave August a sheepish grin. “I’m also here to meet the chick who can hang ten with me—for life.” Aaron smiled aga in before he tore into some cantaloupe. “Who are you bunking with? ”
    August managed a smile at that. The show carefully placed them in rooms with contestants who best suited one another. He’d ended up with a guy from Duluth, who was a combo pack of Dolph Lundgren and Pee Wee Herman. Nice enough, just a shade shy in the Crayola rainbow pack, but still nice.
    August pointed to the end of the table. “Gordon’s my roomie. You? ”
    “I got Rico Suave, er … Vinny. He’s okay, just a little heavy on the testosterone, ya know?”
    Indeed, August did know. Vincenzo Lambati, from Brooklyn, New York in da house. Dark, slicked back hair shortly cropped to just above his ears and long on top. Olive skin, further enhanced by a tanning salon payment that August was sure came close to equaling his mortgage, a few gold chains and a tattoo that read, “Who’s your daddy? ” on his bulging bicep. August met him on the plane, a