Page 46 of Best Man Speaking

Our kiss is scorching, our mouths hungry as I cup her jaw with one hand and pull her body in closer with the other. It lasts a single moment before I pull away, nodding in the direction of the door, a silent promise ofmoreandsoontranslated through asqueeze of her hip. The no-touching-in-public rule was going to be one we ignored straight from the start, then.

Hallie’s hand is steady and warm in mine as we make our way to the exit. It’s both exhilarating and nerve-racking. I’m busy, my eyes down, locked on the way our fingers interlace perfectly with one another, when suddenly, Hallie’s hand drops from mine.

I halt my quick pace to look behind me. I’m given a single moment with her still hidden behind my shoulders to pull myself back together as I hear Erica say, “Hey! Where do you think you’re going? I said we’d be late, not that we weren’t coming.”

Chapter Thirteen

Hallie

Iarrive at the pool house, and I’m agitated. Agitated with a side of pent-up sexual frustration. The night is warm, as is my body from the effects of both alcohol and Marcus’s lips.

I replay in my head for the second time today how close we had come to being together. How desperate our kiss had been and how I’d grasped at his shirt as if I could wish away both it and the people who’d been so close by.

Julian and Erica’s arrival had only added to the tension between me and Marcus as they ordered food and drinks, setting themselves up for a night of being social. We laughed and drank and snarked, and all the while, Marcus looked on, no longer drinking, instead keeping watch as we enjoyed one another’s company. It’d felt nice to not be on the outside looking in. Three servings of truffle fries and one too many red wines later, I was still aware enough to notice him pouring me a glass of water, only to top off everyone else as a secondary thought. I’d raised my brows at him in response and had received a text moments later simply stating, “You’re no good to me drunk or hungover.”

Stripping off my clothes, I move to my bed, promising myself the release I’ve yet to find this evening. There’s no possible way I can sleep without it. It’s as I’m lying here, thinking about the events of the night—for more personally productive reasons—that my phone flashes on my nightstand. I tilt my head back into my pillow, groaning at the universe’s inability to let me get off without interruption.

However, when I see it’s Marcus, I answer without a second thought.

“Hey.” The words feel awkward after all that’d been alluded to earlier in the night.

“Hey yourself,” he replies steadily, no sound in the background to indicate where he is.

“Did you get them home okay?” I ask, my brain skipping ahead to wonder if he’s perhaps just across the small, dark garden from me or if maybe he’s still sitting in his car, unsure of whether to head to his own bed or to try and slip into mine.

“Yeah, I did, but I’m going to crash the night here in the spare room to make sure they’re okay.” His response answers my previous thoughts, and I feel the dip of disappointment in my chest.

“You’re a better person than I am.”

“Oh, I’m really not. I had other plans for my night.” His voice is still steady but with an undeniable gruffness, which only helps to turn me on further.

“Really, and what plans were they?” I inquire with false innocence.

I shuffle under the covers and put my phone on speaker so I can trail one hand down my torso.

“I had plans with you, Hallie.”

There’s a rustling in the background, and I close my eyes, imagining he, too, is in bed, although I won’t ask it to confirm.

“What type of plans, Marcus?” I’m tipsy enough that the suggestion in my voice amplifies.

“Plans I’m upset we’ve had to put off,” he says.

While there’s nothing overly sexy about the words, just his voice is enough to help get me where I want to go tonight.

And it won’t be the first time.

Slipping my fingers down to the waistband of my panties, I trace along the seams before using my nails to graze over the barely there fabric covering my pussy. I bite my lip, moving my fingers away and onto the skin of my inner thighs, teasing myself, and I smile, wondering how long it’ll take him to figure out just what I’m doing on the other end of this call.

“Tell me more about these plans, Marcus.”

I hear a gentle groan before, “Hallie, are you in bed?”

He’s more astute than I’d thought.

I stroke my fingers back over the fabric of my panties, alternating between the soft touch and the drag of nails.

“Yes, I am.”

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