Page 26 of Reckless Encore

He descended the stairs two at a time, and started jogging once he hit the cement path. He scanned the pool, the gardens, then the bar, and stopped dead in his tracks.

There he was—his best friend—sitting at the bar in a suit, next to Melody who wore a wedding gown.

The pounding in his chest kicked up a notch with the approach of impending doom. The chance of getting out of this without a broken nose was slim to none. But he couldn’t do anything about that now. He deserved the fury coming to him.

He walked to the bar, sucked in a deep breath, and stopped beside Sean. The guy was wet, the material of his suit dripping from the chair to pool in a large puddle on the floor.

“Hey,” he murmured in greeting.

He didn’t get a reply. He didn’t expect one. He’d ruined the guy’s wedding, after all. He’d fucked up the best day of his best friend’s life.

“You’re soaked.” His follow-up wasn’t much better. But baby steps, right?

“We went for a swim.”

He glanced to Melody, who had a similar puddle beneath her stool, her hair clumped in wet tangles. “By choice?”

She met his gaze and smiled. “Yes, by choice.”

A smile was a good sign. Great, even.

“Right.” He nodded. Clearly, they’d lost their shit somewhere along the emotional rollercoaster of the morning, but again, understandable.

“Okay, big guy.” Mason straightened his shoulders and cupped his hands over his dick. “I’m ready.”

“Ready?” Sean stared straight ahead and raised his scotch glass to take a sip. “For what? The ceremony was called off.”

Mason gave a solemn nod. The devastation in his friend’s voice cut deep. “I’m ready for you to punch the fuck out of me.”

Sean shot him a sideward glance, then dropped his focus to the hands guarding Mason’s pride and joy.

“And what if you deserve a dick shot?”

Fuck.

Mason worked his neck from side to side, preparing for agony. Hediddeserve a dick punch; he knew that.

“Go on, then.” He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. “Have at it. But before you damage my jewels, I want you to know Sid and I are trying for a baby. So, although I condone capital punishment, you should be aware that disabling my swimmers will also hurt Sid, who’s an innocent victim in this.”

Sean placed his drink on the bar and turned to face him. “You’re having kids?”

“We’re trying. God only knows why when it’s blindingly obvious I’ll be the worst father in the world.”

“You won’t hear me arguing.”

“You shouldn’t. I’m the one who told Sid you’d canceled this morning.”

Sean’s eyes narrowed. “Bullshit.”

“It’s true.” He nodded. “I’m that much of a cunt.”

Sean worked his teeth over his lower lip. “Yeah, you are.”

Death by glare continued for long minutes until his best friend turned back to the bar. “But I’ve known that for years.” Sean grabbed his drink and downed the contents in a large gulp.

That was it? Where was the aggression? The punch to the nuts? The jab to his already damaged liver?

Mason leaned to the side and met Melody’s gaze. “What’s going on?” he mouthed.

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