The Christmas Pact(24)

“We should go back in,” she said.

I reluctantly agreed and followed her back into the reception area.

The bouquet toss was just about to happen when we walked in. My mother spotted Riley and dragged her out to the middle of the dance floor where a group of other single women had congregated. Riley shrugged and rolled her eyes as she looked back at me, trying to be a good sport. She was so fucking cute. I gave her a thumbs-up.

When it was time to throw the bouquet, Felicity—trying to be funny, I guess—turned around and aimed it straight at Riley. It was so obvious. She might as well have handed it to her. There was no way Riley couldn’t have caught it, unless she intentionally tried to miss. Everyone clapped anyway as Riley lifted the bouquet up in the air.

As she walked back toward me, I was dragged away by my uncle for the garter toss—the men’s version of the bouquet throwing. I knew how this worked. Whichever guy caught it would have to slide the garter up the leg of the woman who caught the bouquet: Riley. There was no way I was going to let any other man in this place have the opportunity to lay a single hand on her.

I had one job and one job alone, and I wasn’t going to mess it up. When it came time for my brother to throw the garter, I leapt into the air, nearly knocking down a passing old man to catch it. It was a close call, but in the end no one got hurt and victory was mine.

The DJ directed Riley to sit in a chair that had been placed in the middle of the dance floor, then called me out to join her. I playfully spun the garter around my finger as the DJ started playing Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.” The crowd whistled and shouted a bunch of suggestive comments.

Kneeling down in front of her, I slowly began to slide the garter up Riley’s leg, savoring the feel of my fingers against the soft skin of her inner thigh. As I looked up at her smiling face, the bouquet still in her hand, the most unexpected thing happened: I freaked the hell out.

I didn’t understand it, but I’d gone from happiness overload to a feeling of sheer panic. The music became drowned out by the voice inside my head.

This girl lost her boyfriend in an accident. He freaking died. She can’t afford to be hurt again. It’s why she hasn’t had a relationship in so long. And you’re incapable of relationships—this very wedding is proof of that. So, what the hell are you doing, Kennedy?





Riley



I tossed and turned in bed that night. That garter was bad luck.

I’d been having so much fun with Kennedy, from that amazing kiss outside to feeling his hands on me as he slid the garter up my leg. Then after that—it was literally over.

Something in him changed. He’d gone from playful and flirtatious to quiet and closed off. And it lasted the rest of the night. Was it something I said? I wracked my brain and couldn’t figure it out. And now I was lying in his bed alone as he slept on the floor.

After a quiet car ride home from the wedding reception, Kennedy hadn’t even tried to share the bed with me. The sad thing is, I might have let him in tonight. If I were being honest, I might have let him do a lot more than just sleep next to me. My attraction to him was through the roof. Before he did a one-eighty, I’d actually been starting to think that maybe I was finally ready to open my heart to someone.

Not just someone.

Him.

But just as I’d conceded to that fact, Kennedy had shut down, leaving me to doubt everything all over again.





When I woke the next morning, Kennedy was already up. His hair was disheveled as he sat at the foot of the bed holding a cup of coffee.

“Morning,” he said flatly when he noticed me rubbing my eyes.

My voice was groggy. “Morning.”

“I got you some coffee so you didn’t have to go out and talk to anyone, but now it’s cold.” He stood up. “I’ll go get you a fresh cup.”

“Thanks.”

I sat up and watched as he exited the room. As sad as I was, I couldn’t help but notice how good his ass looked in the jeans he’d changed into.

He came back a few minutes later and handed me the steaming mug.

His eyes travelled down to my breasts, and I realized I was practically popping out of my tank top. Well, at least he still had a pulse in that respect. Everything else was off kilter, though.

“What time is your flight?” he asked.

“It’s at 4PM. I’ll need to get on the road soon to head back to Albany. I want to stop in to say goodbye to my family before I head to the airport.”

“That makes sense.” He tilted his head back to finish off the last of his coffee, then crossed the room to the door. “I’ll get out of your hair so you can get dressed.” Then he was gone.

The old Kennedy would’ve stuck around, maybe tried to get a peek at me while I got into my clothes. This only confirmed my suspicion that something with Kennedy had changed.

The disappointment I was feeling was certainly eye-opening. Wow. I really had been falling for him.

After I slipped my clothes on and packed up, Kennedy knocked on the door. It was like we hadn’t ever kissed, hadn’t ever shared a bed together. It felt like we’d taken a major step back.

“Come in.”

“Can I make you breakfast before you go?”

“No. I’m just gonna grab something at the gas station on the way.”