Undenied (Unspoken #3)(3)

Face it, Payton, you were way too damned pushy and you scared him away.

She huffed again and let out a long sigh. Oh well, c’est la vie and all that jazz. She wasn’t going to lose any sleep over it.

“Paaayyton!”

She grinned as the group of rowdy girls yelled at her from across the room. She turned, grabbed her cowboy hat and slapped it back on her head. Hell, she was here to have a good time. Piss on Wes Hoffman.

Chapter Two

“Do I suck in bed?”

Gracie Forsythe choked on her tea and coughed as she set the glass back down on the kitchen counter.

“What? Wes, are you smoking some funky weed or something?”

Wes sighed. He’d known this wouldn’t go over well. Not only was he further humiliated by airing his insecurities, but if Luke came back before he finished the conversation with Gracie, Wes would never live this down.

“Do I suck in bed?” he repeated.

“No. Now do you mind telling me what precipitated that question?”

“Okay, so I don’t suck, but am I any good?” he asked, ignoring her question.

Gracie cocked her head then circled around the island to stand in front of where he was slouched against the sink. “What’s going on with you, Wes? Where on earth would you get the idea that you were a lousy lay?”

He growled in frustration. He didn’t have all night to have this conversation with her. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought it up. His best friend’s wife probably wasn’t the best source for boosting his sexual ego even if she was in a position to judge. And well, she was as much his best friend as Luke was.

“Gracie, will you just answer the question instead of peppering me with more?”

Her eyes softened and she leaned back against the island so they faced each other. “Wes, the night we had our threesome was honestly the

best sex I’ve had in my life. I couldn’t have asked for better lovers than you and Luke.”

He shifted uncomfortably at her intense perusal.

“So you going to tell me what brought this up or are you going to make me play dirty?”

“Play dirty?” he asked, though he was afraid to find out what she meant. Gracie could be downright evil when provoked.

“Well, I’m pretty sure you don’t want Luke to know about this little conversation.” She arched one brow. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have waited until he left to go get more beer. Nor would you have declined to go with him.”

“You wouldn’t.”

She batted her eyelashes innocently. “Wouldn’t I? I would in a heartbeat. This has got to be downright juicy, and I’ll do what I have to in order to pry the goods out of you.”

He snorted in disgust. “Luke so didn’t know what he was getting into with you.”

Her eyes twinkled and a smile hovered over full lips. “Oh, I don’t think you’ll hear him complaining.” She crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him directly. “Okay, so spill it. Did you make it with some chick who thought you were the worst guy she’d ever f**ked?”

Despite his discomfort, he couldn’t help but laugh at Gracie’s bluntness. It was what he liked best about her. And why he’d decided to come to her with his problem. She liked to joke, but he knew when it came down to it, she’d never rat him out. She was too loyal.

“It’s kind of a long story,” he said with a heavy sigh.

She made a show of checking her watch. “Well, you better abbreviate it. I figure we have ten minutes tops before Luke gets back.”

Suddenly he regretted his impulsive decision to talk to Gracie about Payton. It seemed ridiculous and could only add to his embarrassment. Quite frankly, he’d be happy for no one to ever know, and he’d be even happier if Payton hadn’t shown up out of the blue after twelve years.

Twelve years in which he’d put the past firmly behind him, only to have it pushed back into his face with one chance encounter.

“Wes,” Gracie said softly. “Whatever it is that’s bothering you, you can tell me. You know that. Hell, you saw me through one of the most awkward moments of my life. I wanted to drop dead of embarrassment when I waltzed into the kitchen at the cabin, half-naked, only to find you standing there looking at me.”

He grinned at that memory. “Ahh, my first glimpse of the infamous nipple rings.”

Gracie blushed, which only caused him to grin wider. She planted a fist in his gut, and he doubled over, laughing.

“Okay, okay.” He straightened his body and took a deep breath. “You’re going to think this is ridiculous but I went over to Zack’s to get a beer. There was some wild bachelorette party going on. I was checking out the girls, and I saw someone I know. Well, knew anyway. Then she saw me.”

“Run screaming in the other direction?” Gracie asked.

“No, that’s the thing. She runs over to me and leaps into my arms and plants a huge kiss on me.”

Gracie frowned. “Was she butt ugly?”

“No, not at all. She’s…well, she’s hot. Gorgeous hot. I mean one of those women a man is just drawn to.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“I love women. No secret there. And I haven’t exactly had the sex life of a monk.”

Gracie snorted indelicately.