Chapter 18

Declan barely paid attention to the ceremony since he didn't know either party. He sat near the back and his eyes were glued to Renee. She was beautiful walking down the aisle. Her smile was radiant, and he liked to believe he played a part in that. He snapped a picture to send to Sadie later. She should know how pretty her mom is.

He'd thought that at the reception, he would be able to sit with Renee, but she was at the head table for dinner. When she found out, she apologized profusely. He assured her it was fine. He never had problems making friends.

Until he found his table. What the hell was Mariah thinking putting him and Graham at the same table?

Graham was already sitting when he found the table, so Declan chose a seat across from him, deciding that having to look at him was better than having to talk to him. Luckily, he'd already grabbed a beer and a backup from the bar. He'd been to enough weddings to know the bar usually closed during dinner.

Hopefully, the two bottles would be enough. He sat and looked at the woman to his right. "I'm Declan."

"Sarah. Flying solo tonight?"

"Nope. My date is in the bridal party."

"So is mine," she said with a smile. "I guess now we know how Mariah did her seating chart."

At least that made sense. "Have you known Mariah long?"

"Yeah. My husband is the best man. He and Kent have known each other since college. I was there was Kent and Mariah met. How about you?"

"I just met Mariah. I'm here with Renee, one of the bridesmaids."

Her eyes widened and she darted a glance across the table to Graham.

He swallowed a chuckle. "Yep. That is her ex-husband. I'm sure he's known Mariah for years since she and Renee are friends."

"Have you and Renee been together long?"

"Nope. It's really new."

Her eyebrows shot up. "And she invited you to a wedding?"

"I've known Renee since we were kids. So even though this is new, our friendship isn't."

"Oh," she crooned. "You're dating your friend. It's like a novel."

He took a swig of beer. If he'd learned nothing else from Renee, it was how to talk about books. "I can do you one better. Her brother is my best friend."

"Get out." She grabbed his forearm. "You're making this up."

"Nope. Tyler and I have been friends since elementary school and Renee could barely tolerate either of us."

"That is so cool."

Someone began clinking a glass and the speeches started, putting an end to the conversation. Declan tuned out most of this. It wasn't likely he'd ever see these people again. Instead, he watched Renee.

Every now and then, she'd glance over and smile at him. He swore every time it happened, Graham took a drink. While the last speech was wrapping up, dinner arrived. While they ate, Sarah chatted about the ceremony and Mariah and Kent.

The woman on the other side of him listened to Sarah without ever introducing herself. He finished eating and excused himself. He walked around a bit and got some fresh air while he waited for Renee to be released from her duties. When the music started, he headed back toward the room, and his phone buzzed with a text from Renee.

Where are you?

In the hall. On my way back.

Come to the dance floor.

He didn't need to be told twice. He couldn't wait to have her in his arms again. She stood at the edge of the dance floor looking out across the tables when he spotted her. The bride and groom were finishing up their dance. Renee crossed the floor to meet him.

"Can I get you a drink or something?" he asked.

"No. I want to dance."

"Don't you have to do the bridal party thing and dance with whoever your partner was?"

She took his hand. "Lucky for you, Mariah's not that old-fashioned."

The next song was another slow one, which made Declan happy because he really wanted to touch her. He slid an arm around her waist and tugged her close. She was comfortable in his embrace, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

As they swayed, he asked, "Did you have a good time?"

"Yeah. How about you?"

"I was stuck at a table with Graham, but I was smart enough to take a seat across from him."

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea it was going to be this bad. Tina keeps telling me she thinks he's still hung up on me." She shook her head slightly.

"He'd be stupid not to be."

"We don't belong together and he's gotta know that."

"He might, but he realizes what a catch you are, and who the hell wouldn't want that in his life?" He was talking as much about himself as Graham at this point.

"That's very nice of you to say. You're not so bad yourself."

They moved to the music in silence then. He only had tomorrow to convince her that they could continue what they started here. He considered his words, but then the music changed to something upbeat, and she stepped back.

"Let's see your moves."

He smiled. "Did you forget I have a sister? She's always grabbing me to dance with her at parties."

As she moved her hips to the rhythm, he closed in again, allowing his body to brush hers.

With a smile, she said, "I hope you don't dance with your sister like this."

"Don't be dirty."

She spun around, thrusting her ass into him. "Who are you kidding? You like me dirty."

Fuck yeah, he did.

For the next few hours, they drank, talked, and danced. They meshed with each other in ways he never would've considered.

It was one of the best nights of Declan's life.

While watching her friend get married and enjoy the happiest day of her life was fun, Renee knew she wouldn't have had nearly as good a time if Declan hadn't been there. She hadn't thought he'd dance with her all night, but he did—to the fast songs as well as the slow ones.

And when they cut out of the party, he took her back to the room and they had slow, luxurious sex. Being with Declan made her feel young and free again.

Which, in the light of day, was a stark reminder of why they couldn't be together. She wasn't young or free. Her number one priority was Sadie. She had to be because Graham would never put their daughter first. So, she bolstered herself to get her shit together and say goodbye to this fabulous weekend. It was time to get back to reality.

As she climbed out of bed, trying not to disturb Declan, she took stock of how sore her body was. Every muscle ached in one way or another, but it was a satisfying ache. She sighed quietly. So what if she'd have to wait a few more years to feel this way.

Then again, maybe not. Maybe she should put in some effort to get out in the world and date. She wasn't old crone or hag age. Hadn't Declan told her repeatedly that she was sexy enough to get whatever man she wanted? Maybe she should make an attempt.

She moved silently around the room, gathering discarded clothes. Picking up the wedding dress, images swamped her of Declan going down on her and then taking her from behind. Her whole body flushed with the memory. If nothing else, this weekend gave her plenty for her spank bank.

She tossed dirty clothes in her bag and pulled out something clean to wear and put the rest in Declan's bag. As she turned toward the bathroom to shower and get ready, he stirred.

"Come back to bed."

"I'm going to shower and get dressed. You can sleep a little bit longer, but we have to hit the road soon."

"I wasn't talking about sleep." The sleepy grin on his face melted her a little.

"As much fun as I've been having, my body needs a break."

He sat up. With one eye squinted, he asked, "Was I rough last night?"

She chuckled. "Wow. That's not much of an endorsement of my performance if you can't even remember last night. But no, you were the opposite of rough. You did, however, manage to stretch and use muscles I'd forgotten I had."

"I bet a hot shower will fix you up. Then we can go again."

"Then we can head home."

"You're no fun." He flopped back on the pillows.

"I get told that pretty often." She went to the bathroom and started the water. While it heated, she brushed her teeth and studied her reflection. There were no outward signs of how she'd spent her weekend, but she saw the difference in her eyes and her smile.

The hot water eased her muscles and she closed her eyes to relax. The bathroom door opened, startling her. Then she heard Declan peeing. A sudden fear that he would do this when they got home hit her.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking a piss. Kind of thought that was obvious."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"But what?" He tugged the curtain aside a little. "I had my mouth and my dick all over your body the past two days, but hearing me piss is too much?"

She felt ridiculous. "No. But it's a level of comfort I didn't think we had. We spent two nights together."

"Sweetheart, we've been living together."

"It's not the same."

He cocked his head to the side.

"It's not."

He sighed. "If we're gonna argue about this, I'm coming in."

"I'm not trying to argue." She shifted over a little to let him get wet, but he caught her hip and pulled her into his arms.

"We have been living together for weeks." He kissed her neck. "We eat meals together. We read together after Sadie goes to bed." He nibbled on her earlobe, causing her to shiver despite the warm water. "And we spent the weekend fucking."

"That's my point. The weekend is separate from everything else. When we get home, are you going to pee in front of me?"

"If you want me to."

She hung her head and bit back a smile. "You know what I mean."

He touched her chin and lifted her face. "I don't know where we go from here, but I've had a great time this weekend. You have, too. Why does the weekend have to be separate?"

"For the exact reasons you gave for why it was weird to come in and pee."

His face squinched in confusion.

"We're friends. We live together. We hang out. We're not a couple."

"But we could be."

"No, we can't. Couples don't start with living together and then fucking."

The water started to cool. She shifted out of his embrace. "You finish up before we have no hot water. I'll finish packing."

She escaped as quickly as possible. What the hell was he thinking? That all of a sudden, they were going to be a couple? They'd agreed that this weekend was about letting off some steam. Exploring the attraction. That was it.