By the time I was finished, Cole had completely vanished. As disappointed as I was, I knew I needed to give him a little time to process everything that had happened. After all, I was his brother's best friend, and this was all happening fairly quickly. Still, I wasn't going to give him long. One taste simply wasn't enough.
Chapter Six
MILES
Our glasses clinked togetheras we raised them in a toast. Of course, I’d never been much of a drinker, most likely the result of having a drunk for a dad, so my glass contained Coke instead of the tequila everyone else was having.
Jayce’s other groomsmen had arrived that afternoon. We’d decided to meet up at their hotel suite for a few drinks and spend a little time getting to know each other before heading out to the bars. Turner, Chase, and Phillip were just as nice as Jayce had described them. Seeing him with the guys he'd known in college, it was easy to see why they'd become such good friends. They were all friendly and outgoing and fun to hang out with. Of course, we had a good time exchanging funny and embarrassing stories about Jayce, who laughed at himself good-naturedly.
With all four of them living in different areas on the map, it would've been easy for them to lose touch after college, but clearly, they hadn't allowed that to happen, staying involved in each other's lives through group texts and phone calls. It made me happy to see Jayce surrounded by so much love during this special time in his life.
My eyes flicked over to Cole as he finished downing his drink. He shuddered once as he swallowed but then grinned at his brother. It was hard, hiding my reaction when I saw what Cole was wearing. His ass teased me in a pair of form-fitting black jeans, and the green silk shirt he wore, while matching the color of his eyes perfectly, fit him like a second skin, leaving nothing to the imagination about the tight little body underneath.
I wanted nothing more than to grab him and pick back up where we'd left off, but with Jayce and his buddies all watching, I resisted the urge. Besides, I hadn't spoken to Cole since that hotter than hell kiss, so I had no idea what he thought about any of it. It certainly seemed as if he'd enjoyed himself with those sexy little noises he'd made and the lightning speed in which his body had responded. I just hoped he wasn't having any regrets, because I certainly wasn't.
“Okay, so before we head out to the bars, Miles and I thought that you might need a few extra things to help celebrate the end of your bachelorhood,” Cole announced.
“Oh God. I’m afraid to look. What the hell was I thinking asking you two to plan this thing together?” Jayce teased.
“I’ll have you know we found some really amazing items. Didn’t we, Miles?” Cole turned to me, his green eyes flashing with mischief. It was the first time he’d spoken to me since I’d arrived, and my body thrummed with delight over having his attention directed at me.
“Uh, yeah. We got a little creative, but I think you’ll appreciate our efforts.”
Jayce narrowed his eyes as they flicked back and forth between the two of us. “I’ll let you know once I see what the items are.”
Cole grabbed the bags from where he’d set them behind a chair and walked back over to our group. I snorted out a laugh as Jayce’s eyes widened when he saw the bags, making it quite clear he was familiar with the Ace’s Wild logo on the outside of them. He looked over at me warily, and I waggled my eyebrows at him, smiling widely. I could only imagine what was running through his mind at that point.
Jayce had always been a good sport, though, and he began laughing as Cole pulled the items out one by one, starting with the boob glasses and ending with the giant, penis-shaped hat. He quickly swapped out the shirt he was wearing for the one we’d gotten him with the bikini clad woman on the front then added the other sex-themed accessories. There were loud whistles and catcalls as he paraded around the room, showing off his outfit as if he were some model on a runway.
I found my gaze drawn to Cole as he wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, his laughter ringing out around the room. My lips curled up into a smile as he began telling the other guys about some of the wilder things we’d seen while shopping that day. He spoke animatedly, using his hands to show how big some of the items had been.
I got the feeling of being watched, and swung my gaze around the room, sucking in a quick breath when my eyes connected with my best friend. Jayce’s head tilted to the side as he watched me.Shit!Fortunately, he didn’t look angry, only curious, as his gaze moved from me to his brother. I wondered if my expression gave anything away, like the feelings I was starting to develop for Cole. Because there were feelings involved, at least on my end.
Even though I hadn’t been ready to admit it to myself back when we were teens, I’d always had a crush on him. Seeing him as an adult, getting to know the incredible man he was, spending time with him and really talking with him...I was helpless to stop myself from falling for him. And that, in and of itself, scared the hell out of me. I had no idea how Cole felt about me, and I knew there was a very real possibility that I could end up getting my heart broken. Either way, I wasn’t quite ready to talk about it with Jayce. Thankfully, Phillip chose that moment to speak up.
“Okay, guys. Our boy Jayce here only has a week left before he is forever wearing a ball and chain, albeit a gorgeous ball and chain, but a ball and chain nonetheless.”
“Hey, now. Watch how you’re talking about my woman,” Jayce joked.
Everyone laughed as Phillip continued. “As his best friends and family, it is our job to make sure he enjoys this night to its fullest, and that includes copious amounts of alcohol. That’s why I took the liberty of hiring a limo to drive us around tonight.”
I grinned at the excitement on Jayce’s face as he grabbed Phillip and gave him a hug, slapping him on the back as he thanked him. My eyes automatically searched out Cole, and I was surprised to see him staring at me. He looked away quickly, but not before I saw the pretty blush that stained his cheeks.
After grabbing our coats, we all headed down to the lobby then climbed into the back of the long, black limousine. Our first stop was a small bar that played terrible music but served the best whiskey sours, according to the rest of the guys who had two each. The next one we visited had better music, but the guys claimed the drinks tasted watered down. A couple of hours and several drinks later, Jayce and his college friends were feeling pretty good. They reached the point in their drinking where everything seemed funny to them, and I found their antics quite amusing.
I’d noticed Cole had switched over to drinking water at the last place we’d been to, and while he was nowhere near as tipsy as the other guys, the alcohol had definitely made him more relaxed than I'd ever seen him; laughing, talkative, and with his guard completely down. I found this new version of him extremely charming.
Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who'd noticed his appeal. I caught quite a few men and women eyeing him throughout the night and each time, fought back the growl that threatened to come out of my chest, which was ridiculous. I had no claim on him; although, I couldn't deny that a part of me wished I did.
“They’re terrible,” I said as I sidled up next to him at the back of the bar. His head whipped around in surprise at the sound of my voice, but he recovered quickly.
“Yeah, I’ve heard cats in heat that sounded better.” We laughed as we looked up at the stage where Jayce and Turner were belting out a horrible rendition of some ‘90s boy band hit. Chase and Phillip were acting as their backup dancers. That is, if what they were attempting to do could even be considered dancing.
“I noticed you stopped drinking.”
Cole looked down at his glass of water and then back at me with an embarrassed little smile. “I don’t drink very often, so it doesn’t take much to really go to my head. I figured I better slow down. My brother sure seems to be enjoying himself, though.”
“Yeah, I think he’s happy with how his bachelor party turned out.” We both winced as Jayce screeched out the final note, and then we joined in the applause of the audience; although, whether it was because they’d liked them or because it was finally over, I couldn't be sure. I guess that depended on how much they’d had to drink themselves.
