Be Good A New Adult Romance (RE12)(22)

Molly responded with a glare.

Casey turned back to face Brett and I. “So, Dude,” he said to Brett. “How do you know Anna?”

My head snapped toward Brett and I could see he was getting uncomfortable. If we hadn’t met in such an embarrassing way, the question would have been innocuous. I didn’t think he wanted to tell everyone that in an extremely drunken state, I seduced him and slept with him but didn’t remember it. That’s not exactly a story for the romance novels. And definitely not one you want to tell your grandchildren.

“We met at a wedding,” Brett said short, sweet and to the point.

Luckily, that seemed to appease Casey and he followed another train of thought. He turned to Vic and said, “Have you checked out the bar yet?”

When Vick shook his head, the two guys got up together and headed toward the bar. Paige turned to Molly and said, “Do you think they could ask us if we want anything to drink?”

“Rude,” Molly stated.

“I know, right,” Paige replied.

Brett rose and said, “I’d be happy to get both of you something to drink. What would you like?”

Paige and Molly smiled. “I’d like a glass of white wine,” Paige said.

“Make mine red,” Molly said.

Brett leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Can I get you anything?”

“I’m fine, thanks.” I had to smile, though. He was such a sweetheart.

Brett gave me another kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

When Brett was gone, Molly looked at me and said, “I take back every nasty thing I said about his clown hair.”

I nodded.

“He’s super sweet,” Paige added.

That he is, I thought. I wondered if he had caught onto the fact that I had slept with both of the guys sitting at our table. He was a brilliant guy. I cringed at the thought that he most likely figured it out.

A few minutes later, Brett returned with the two glasses of wine for the other bridesmaids. They thanked him and he joined me again. I could see both of the girls looking around the reception hall for their dates. We seemed to all have spotted them at the same time. They were both standing over by the Champagne fountain, chatting up a buxom blonde, who I thought was one of the bride’s cousins from Denmark.

The girls both gave each other a disgusted look then they rose at the same time and marched in unison towards their dates. Brett and I watched them as if we were watching a movie unfold in front of us. The girls got on the opposite sides of their dates (the Danish cousin was standing in the middle between Vic and Casey). They both punched their dates in the arms. Their dates grabbed at their punched arms in unison. And then Paige and Molly grabbed them and dragged them away from the cousin from Denmark.

Moments later, all four were back at our table. Vic and Casey both sat there looking completely whipped. I had to grin.

Our table was silent until a waitress came to take our order. We had a choice between chicken and salmon. The four ordered chicken while Brett and I picked salmon.

As we ate dinner, the conversation turned to what we’d been doing since graduation. Paige was in graduate school to become a physical therapist, which I thought was pretty cool. Molly was working at a bank handling loans. Not as cool. Casey had joined two of his friends and started a lawn maintenance company. Didn’t need a college degree for that. Vic was working for a radio station selling ads. Like me, he had majored in communications, not the most marketable of majors. Once Brett said he was a rocket scientist and worked for NASA, everyone wanted to hear all about it and no one ever bothered to ask me what I was doing. Not that I minded. I hadn’t done anything worth mentioning anyway.

I loved listening to Brett talk about his work. He was so enthusiastic about it, his face completely lit up as he talked. He told stories about artificial intelligence and space exploration. Everyone at the table was completely enthralled.

It wasn’t long before it was time for the official toasts and then the first dance. Luckily, the maid of honor, the bride’s sister, was the only girl required to give a speech, so I was off the hook. Once the band starting playing some popular rock songs, everyone flocked to the dance floor.

“Like to dance?’ Brett asked.

I grinned. “What do you think?”

Brett grabbed my hand and pulled me up with him. “Come on. Dance with me.”

The DJ played Mumford & Sons “I Will Wait” and it seemed like the perfect song for our first dance. It could have been a soundtrack for our relationship. We’d both been waiting for each other but in different ways and for different reasons. Brett pulled me close. It wasn’t exactly a slow song but it didn’t matter. It felt like we were the only ones on the dance floor; the only ones in the reception hall for that matter.

We held each other and were lost in each other’s gaze. We danced like that for what seemed like ten songs. Fast or slow, it didn’t matter. Brett held me in his embrace—tight and close.

At some point, we both realized the dance floor had become packed with other wedding guests and they were doing the chicken dance. The silly song seemed to be a staple at weddings.

Brett leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Ready to go upstairs?”

He didn’t have to ask me twice. I had been ready for hours. As soon as I nodded, he pulled me off the dance floor.





Eight


We caught an elevator going up and it seemed like we’d be the only ones on the elevator until a drunk couple staggered in with us. They seemed completely oblivious our presence in the elevator with them. They were all over each other, practically having sex in the elevator next to us. It made my stomach turn. Not because of what they were doing but because I thought about all of the times that had been me, falling all over a guy, allowing him to seduce me in public.

I didn’t want to be that girl anymore and with Brett I didn’t have to be. Brett treated me with kindness and respect. I wasn’t just an easy lay or a one-night stand. With Brett I could have more and be more.

When the elevator stopped, Brett pulled me out and I took one last look at the drunk couple. I was glad to see the door close on them. It felt like I was also closing the door on the girl I no longer wanted to be.

Brett made me wait outside his hotel room door for a few seconds while he got something ready. He wouldn’t tell me what but that was a surprise. He told me to close my eyes as he led me into the room.

“Okay, open your eyes.”

I took in a sharp breath when I opened my eyes. The lights in the room were out but it was being illuminated by what seemed like hundreds of candles. They were all white in various shapes and sizes. There were also several beautiful bouquets of different types of flowers placed around the room and the bed was covered with flower petals. It was one of the loveliest things I had ever seen.

“This is unbelievable,” I whispered. I turned to Brett and he was staring at me, gauging my reaction. I could feel my eyes starting to water. “I can’t believe you did this for me.”

“I told you I wanted this to be special.”

I leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Just being with you is special.”

Brett took my hand and led me to the bed. He laid me down and told me to close my eyes again. I did as I was told. I could feel Brett lay down in the bed next to me. Then I felt a tickling sensation under my nose.

“What does it smell like?” he asked.

I inhaled. “Jasmine?”

“You’re good,” Brett affirmed. “Jasmine is for sensuality.”

I could feel him place another flower under my nose. “How about this one?”

I inhaled the flower’s scent. It wasn’t familiar to me. “I don’t know.”

“That’s lilac. It’s for first emotions of love.”

“One more,” Brett said as he placed the flower under my nose.

I inhaled. “That’s easy. That’s a rose.”

“Yes,” Brett said. “And roses are for passion and love, depending on the color. I’ve got several colors. Covering all of the bases.”

That made me laugh. “Can I open my eyes now?”

“Not yet. What does this feel like?” I could feel Brett’s lips on mine. A tender kiss.

I opened my eyes and Brett was staring at me, taking in my features. He ran his index finger softly down my cheek. “I want to make love to you,” he said as he gazed into my eyes. It seemed like such an antiquated expression. Guys wanted to hook up or tap that. But I knew this was something completely different. This wasn’t just about sex. It was about being intimate with someone you cared about. As many times as I had sex, it was never about love. There were too many times when I didn’t even really like the guy all that much. Even though I hadn’t been a virgin since I hit puberty, this was going to be a first for me. This was the first time I had ever been with someone I could truly say I loved.