Reaching up, I smudged it around with a thumb. “You’ve got a little something there.”
“Leave it.” He stepped away. “Don’t want any of the single ladies to get any ideas tonight. I’m taken.”
I sagged against the wall. It wasn’t the champagne making my head swim. It was this man right here.
How did I ever get so lucky?
The sun had set on the most perfect wedding I’d ever attended. The lake was a shiny black under a blanket of stars. Bulb lights cast a soft glow over the dance floor, and music floated in the air as the celebration raged on.
Maddox let us girls do our thing after dinner, but now I was missing him, so I went to hunt him down. His broad body was hard to miss,even from behind, as I spied him cozied up to one of the makeshift bars placed in Jaxon’s backyard. His long fingers were curled around a glass of amber liquid as he spoke to Jenner beside him, and I bit my lip, thinking of where I wanted to feel those fingers on my body.
If this were anyone else’s wedding but Braxton and Dakota’s, I’d have abandoned the rest of the evening and begged him to take me back to our hotel immediately.
The closer I drew to the pair of best friends, the more I realized something was off. There was a palpable tension between the two men, which was very unlike them—they had such a relaxed, easy relationship. Jenner was so fun-loving, even when Maddox was a grumpy asshole.
I slid my hand over Maddox’s shoulder, alerting him to my presence. His muscles relaxed under my touch, and I curled into his side where he sat on a barstool.
He kissed the side of my head. “Having fun?”
“I wanna dance. What kind of sexual favors do I have to promise to make that happen?”
“Love,” Jenner scoffed before letting out a pained groan.
Maddox chuckled, so I asked, “What’s his deal?”
A smirk curved on his kissable lips. “Oh, nothing much. His wife showed up on his doorstep yesterday.”
Wide-eyed, I stared at the Speed’s captain. “You’remarried? Where has she been all this time?”
“Oklahoma.” Jenner threw back the rest of his drink before signaling to the bartender that he wanted a refill.
“Does she work there?” I couldn’t stop the natural curiosity I had about this new discovery.
“Hell if I know,” Jenner grumbled. “Haven’t spoken to her in the four years since she walked out.”
My gaze slid to Maddox, who was eyeing his friend critically.
“Am I missing something?” I whispered in his ear.
“Jenner’s got a bleeding heart,” he explained. “And Evie knows that, or she wouldn’t have come back, begging for his help. Even though I think it’s a reallybadidea.”
Jenner flinched at Maddox’s words.
“What kind of help?”
Maddox opened his mouth to respond, but Jenner cut him off. “Take your girl for a dance. Enjoy being in love, and let me be. You’re not going to change my mind.”
Grunting, Maddox stood, placing his hand on the small of my back and leading me toward the dance floor.
I peeked back at Jenner, who was nursing his drink at the bar. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Probably not.” He sighed. “He’s not going to survive a second round with her. Barely made it out alive the first time.”
“What happened?” I frowned, trying to piece it together.
“Baby, it’s not my story to tell.” Maddox pulled me into his arms, swaying to the slow song.
“Okay.”
