Blame it on the Kiss Read online

  “Getting home from my friend Dylan’s house. His parents like to feed me.”

  Bryce scraped his hand along his jaw. “You live here?”

  “Yeah.” He stepped up onto the porch and put his hand on the door handle. “I’ll see you at the wedding. Thanks for making sure Honor got back okay.”

  “Sure thing,” Bryce said, the words ringing hollow. His world had never felt smaller and he didn’t feel sure about anything.

  Chapter Four

  “You guys are spoiling me,” Sophie said, a glow on her face. She sat on the edge of the guest bedroom bed hugging the short, cozy pink sweater robe to her body. “Thank you.”

  “Every bride needs an official getting ready robe,” Julia said.

  “Especially because from the moment you wake up tomorrow you’re going to be photographed,” Sophie’s cousin and maid of honor, Emma said. “The moms are planning to capture everything.”

  Sophie scrunched up her nose. “I’m happy my mom and Zane’s mom like each other so much, but they’re like a tag team from My Fair Wedding.

  Honor bounced onto the bed next to Sophie. “That’s better than a tag team from Bridezillas.”

  “True. I can’t believe I’m getting married in twenty-four hours.” Sophie glanced over at the wedding dress hanging on the back of the guest bath door. Honor kept looking at the simple, but elegant gown with beading on the bodice, too.

  “Believe it, Fifi.” Emma gave Sophie a quick hug. “And you’re going to be the prettiest bride ever, ever, ever. Now finish up in here while Julia and I go pick up dinner.”

  “Take one of the guys with you,” Sophie said. She and Zane had planned a casual dinner for the wedding party and a couple of Zane’s friends from out of town.

  “Stop worrying. We’ve got it,” Emma said as she and Julia left the room, closing the door behind them.

  Honor stood. “Okay, let’s finish packing your suitcase and then we’ll make sure you’ve got everything ready for the big day.”

  Sophie laid the robe to the side and got up. Her arms wrapped tightly around Honor. “Thank you so much.”

  “You don’t need to thank me, Soph.” Honor squeezed her friend back. “I’m happy and honored to be a part of this.”

  “I do need to thank you.” Sophie pulled back. “If it wasn’t for you I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Zane wouldn’t have noticed me if it wasn’t for your help and encouragement. From the minute you met me, you took me under your wing, and I’ll never forget how kind you were. You’re the first true friend I’ve ever had and I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Honor embraced her again. “And Zane so would have noticed you. He’s a smart guy.”

  “Thank you for saying that.” Sophie smiled and moved to the dresser to pull a small wrapped box out of the top drawer. “This is for you. Just a little something extra to tell you how special you are to me.”

  “Soph. You didn’t need to do that.”

  “I know. Open it.”

  Honor tore into the token of friendship that meant more to her than she could say. When she saw what lay inside the box, emotion clogged the back of her throat. A silver bracelet with an infinity charm. She and Payton had worn similar bracelets as a symbol of their forever friendship. Honor had tucked both away when Pay died.

  Staring at the piece of jewelry now, she blinked several times. She’d lost Payton and been given Sophie a few months later. No one could ever replace Pay, but maybe the universe was looking out for her.

  “I love it. Thank you.” She took the bracelet out of the box and put it on.

  “You’re welcome.” Sophie beamed and twirled to her suitcase. “Now let’s finish this up so I can mark it off Emma’s checklist. She’ll have my butt if we’re not done before she gets back.”

  “She does like cracking the whip,” Honor said. “But that’s because she wants everything to be perfect for you.”

  “I know. But all I need is Zane.”

  Honor sighed. Everyone could feel the love Sophie and Zane had for each other. “Then let’s speed this up so we can have a celebratory drink.”

  Sophie raised her eyebrows.

  “I promise it will go down so smooth, you’ll want a second one.” Honor had been there for Sophie’s first alcoholic drink and well, spewing had been involved.

  “You still might want to keep your distance,” Sophie joked.

  It only took a few minutes to finish Sophie’s packing and line up all her wedding day accessories. They went downstairs and found Zane’s friend Aiden in the kitchen.

  “Hi Aiden. Where is everyone?” Sophie asked.

  “On the beach. They’ll be back in a few.” He moved his attention to Honor, his gaze keeping for longer than casual interest. The other night he’d tucked toilet paper where it didn’t need to be tucked, too.

  “That means you two get the first shots.” Honor grabbed the stuff she’d brought earlier to make drinks for everyone.

  Aiden moved to her side, his arm deliberately brushing hers. “Need some help?”

  “How are you with a knife?”

  He grinned. “I’m good with everything.” She just bet he was.

  “Cut these lemons for me?” She put the produce bag in front of him. While he got busy cutting, she combined vodka and hazelnut liqueur and shook up the first batch of chocolate cake shots. She poured sugar into a bowl to dip the lemons in.

  The three of them chatted and joked until Honor had three shot glasses lined up in a row. “Okay, so you drink this, then follow it up by sucking on the sugared lemon, and it tastes exactly like chocolate cake.”

  “Seriously?” Sophie said.

  “Yes. You ready?” Honor picked up her shot. “On three.” Sophie and Aiden lifted their cups in one hand and a slice of lemon in the other. “One, two, three.”

  “Holy heavens! Chocolate cake is in my mouth,” Sophie trumpeted when finished.

  “What’s in your mouth?” Zane said, his voice echoing off the walls. He, Bryce, Danny, Mark, and two other surf friends of Zane’s entered the kitchen.

  Bryce locked eyes with hers.

  Sophie spun around and wrapped her arms around Zane’s neck. “Taste.” And he did, with a kiss that lasted until Danny cleared his throat. At least she thought it was Danny since Bryce had her caught with his dangerous, dark eyes.

  Aiden angled his head down so his mouth almost grazed her ear. “I’m all for taste tests in case you were wondering.”

  Honor blinked free of Bryce and turned to look at Aiden. “I wasn’t, but I might be now,” she whispered. Aiden had one night stand written all over him.

  “We need another round,” Sophie declared, spurring Honor back into action.

  Grateful for the task, she kept her focus on drink making, all too aware that not only were Aiden’s eyes on her, but Bryce’s, too.

  “Antiques, special events, bartender, you’re a woman of many talents,” Bryce said a few minutes later, his voice slipping over her warmer than the shot that had slid down her throat.

  “I owe this one to my friend Cambria. She works as a bartender for a party planning company and taught me how to make it. Did you like it?”

  “I did.” He stood near enough that his minty, spicy, pure male scent surrounded her.

  “Want another?”

  “I’m good. Listen, about last night—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” she rushed out under her breath. She didn’t want to talk about Payton’s list in a kitchen full of people. It infuriated her that he’d seen it. But really, it was her own stupid fault for keeping the list in the book. She’d worried she’d lose it otherwise, just like she lost every other note or reminder. Of course she had the list memorized, but having that piece of paper was like having a piece of her best friend and she’d wanted to keep it. Maybe Bryce didn’t deserve her anger, but she suffered it all the same.

  “Okay, how many shots do I need to cat
ch up?” Emma said at the top of her voice. She and Julia strode into the kitchen with pizza boxes and brown bags Honor knew held salad, garlic bread, and spaghetti and meatballs inside them.

  For the next hour everyone ate and talked, sitting and standing wherever comfortable in the large kitchen. Bryce made no attempt to talk to her again, or get close enough for her to smell him, but their eyes did meet a few times across the room.

  And each time she felt an uninvited flutter in the pit of her stomach.

  Once everyone had finished and the kitchen was cleaned, the guys headed to the White Strand Inn. The girls were sleeping over with Sophie.

  “I don’t think I’m going to get a wink of sleep tonight,” Sophie said, curled up on the couch in the living room. She wore her Beach Bride pajama set.

  Honor, Julia and Emma wore their matching Beach Bridesmaid jammies. “Warm milk,” Emma said. “Isn’t that what they say?”

  “With cookies,” Julia added.

  “Oh no!” Sophie leaned forward. “I forgot to give Bryce the note I wrote to Zane.”

  “What note?” Emma asked.

  “Julia gave me the idea. I wrote Zane a love note and I need one of the guys to slip it to him right before the ceremony.”

  “That is so sweet.” Emma sighed.

  Sophie stood. “I hate to ask this, but would one of you mind running it over to the hotel? I’m afraid I’ll forget tomorrow.”

  “If I go I might not come back,” Julia said. “This is the first night I’m away from my new hubby and I miss him.”

  “I may not return either,” Emma said, her voice taking on a coquettish tone. “Bryce is totally hot and I might—”

  “I’ll do it,” Honor interrupted, hoping she sounded like she was doing everyone a favor and not at all bothered by Emma’s admission. Because she wasn’t.

  Not at all.

  …

  The Kings were tied with two minutes to go, but Bryce couldn’t concentrate on the big screen TV in the lounge at the inn. The other guys stayed absorbed in the action, but with Aiden sitting next to him all Bryce could think about was how the guy had flirted with Honor all night.

  “Ohhhh!” Several people shouted at what Bryce guessed was a missed shot on goal.

  The one time he’d gotten close to Honor, she’d smelled like gardenias, woman, and chocolate and he’d wanted to breathe her in until morning.

  More yells and a few curse words rounded the room. Abruptly Aiden stood and said, “Hey.”

  “And here I thought I’d find you guys having a pillow fight in Zane’s suite.”

  Bryce swung his head in surprise at the sweet, sexy voice. Honor stood next to Aiden wearing pink and white striped pajama pants and a pink long sleeved shirt with Beach Bridesmaid written across the chest.

  Aiden whispered something in her ear.

  She tilted her chin to the side and gave him a small smile. Bryce’s hands clenched.

  Zane jumped to his feet. “Is everything okay?” Worry tainted his normally upbeat voice. “Is Sophie all right?”

  “She’s fine. Everything is good. I was sent over to talk to Bryce for a minute.”

  At mention of his name, Bryce connected with Honor’s remarkable eyes. He pushed his chair back and an absurd amount of pleasure filled his chest when he stood above Aiden. “Should we go somewhere private?”

  “Yes.”

  Shouts erupted in the lounge and everyone leapt to their feet. Bryce glanced at the TV. The Kings had scored with ten seconds left in the period.

  Aiden put his hand on Honor’s arm and said something Bryce couldn’t hear.

  She did one of the those slow blinks women do when they’re flattered. Her lips pressed together in a barely-there smile.

  Bryce ground his teeth together. Was she seriously considering whatever Aiden had said to her? Of course she was. This was her chance for a wedding hook-up. He shouldn’t care one way or the other what she crossed off Payton’s list. But if the tightness in his gut was any indication, he did.

  With her eyes cast downward, she whispered in Aiden’s ear. Bryce stared at her mouth trying to read her lips, and because their pink color drew him like a wrestler to the mat. Ready to take down the guy that might catch her interest.

  Not his business, he reminded himself.

  Aiden nodded and Honor waved her arm in a motion for Bryce to follow. She walked through the lobby and out the sliding glass door to the pool area. Landscape lighting lit the area in soft yellow and the pool, bathed in white light, gave off a turquoise glow.

  They stood near the edge, Honor drawn to the water in a way he recognized from athletes who’d spent time swimming.

  “You swim?” he asked.

  “I used to.”

  “I’m pretty sure swimming is like riding a bike. You don’t forget how to do it.”

  She gave him a side glare. “If this agent thing doesn’t work out for you, you could be a comedian.”

  He winced. She had no idea how close he’d come to losing his agent gig last year. The thought sobered his unrelenting attraction to her. “You wanted to talk to me about something?” His clipped tone left no room for any more ribbing.

  A groove drew her eyebrows together. She handed him a neatly folded piece of paper he hadn’t noticed she held. Their fingers brushed and he had the urge to grab her hand and bring her flush against him. “Sophie asked me to give this to you. It’s a note to Zane and she’d like you to give it to him right before the ceremony.”

  Bryce looked briefly down at the note. “Did you read it?”

  “Of course not. And you’d better not either. It’s private.”

  “Got it. Tell Sophie I’ll be sure he gets it.”

  “Thanks.” She swayed like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to stay or go. “See you tomorrow.”

  “You going back to the house?” Jesus. His mouth had entirely disconnected from his brain.

  “Where else would I go?”

  He shrugged. If he opened his mouth again who knew what would come out. Honor made him completely forget himself.

  She studied him like she held a magnifying glass up to his head and was seconds away from discovering every detail inside his gray matter. A smile bloomed across her face. Yep. Seconds. “You’re wondering if I’m going to meet Aiden.”

  “The guy’s had more hookups than a global satellite.”

  Honor cracked up. “Sounds like he’d be perfect then. The last thing I want is a relationship.”

  “It is?” he asked surprised.

  Further down the patio a couple of teenage boys joked around and tossed a football across the pool, running and bouncing around the perimeter.

  “Payton wanted the white picket fence. I don’t. But just so you know,” she leaned closer, “I told Aiden no thanks. Not because I wasn’t tempted, but because…”

  Somehow Bryce had moved closer, too, and little space separated him from Honor under lights nestled in the palm trees around them.

  “Because?”

  “Because the girls are waiting for me.” She gazed at the glass surface of the pool. “Besides, he’s staying in town for a few extra days so there’s still time to make something happen. If I want.”

  In his periphery, Bryce noticed one of the teenage boys had gotten closer to where he stood. Two seconds later, the football came flying, its trajectory in perfect line with Honor’s unsuspecting face.

  “Look out!” Unthinking, Bryce pushed Honor out of harm’s way. And right into the swimming pool.

  She cursed and landed in the water with a large splash.

  Bryce shot his arm out and caught the football with one hand. The kid across the pool shouted “sorry” while the other one apologized more than once as he retrieved the ball from Bryce.

  Honor broke the surface of the water, reached for the edge, and scowled up at him. “What was that?” she demanded.

  “Sorry, lady,” the kid said. “My friend threw the football at you by mistake.”

  Her a
ttention moved to the teen. “Oh. I didn’t …” she trailed off and looked back at Bryce. “It’s okay.”

  Bryce kept his eyes on Honor’s and knelt, vaguely aware of the boy running off. “How’s the water?”

  “Tango keeps it heated so it’s not bad.”

  “I’m sorry. Probably should have intercepted instead of shoved.” Damn, she looked pretty wet. His thoughts raced back to them getting caught in the sprinklers and how he’d wanted to kiss her.

  “Quick thinking isn’t one of your virtues, huh?”

  Back to the teasing and he liked it. “Guess not.” At least not where she was concerned. She tossed every thread of logic he possessed into complete disarray.

  “Help me out?” She gave him her hand.

  He took it and catching him off guard, she pulled him right into the water, head over feet. Her laughter rang in his ear as he went under.

  “Oops,” she said when he popped to the surface. Her grin was about the best shape of happy he’d ever had the pleasure of being close to. “You really should have seen that coming.”

  “Goes back to that quick thinking thing.” He made like he was swimming toward the concrete edge, but instead grabbed her by the waist and tugged her under.

  Then he kicked away from her, treading water in the middle of the deep end. His clothes made it a little tougher than usual to keep afloat, but he managed. Honor sputtered and flailed when she came up for air. She sent him a man-eating glare, said “This is war,” and swam straight for him.

  He backstroked out of her reach, but the girl could swim. She caught his ankle and pulled him under.

  Twisting and swimming full tilt, he made it to the shallow end before he let her catch him again. She palmed his shoulders and pressed down but he didn’t budge. She tried again, lifting out of the water this time. Her shirt clung to her skin, giving him a view of her rounded breasts and pert nipples. His mouth watered.

  He wanted to touch and lick and suck and see if her breasts were as sensitive as he’d imagined they were since getting a quick preview all those months ago.