21. Chapter Twenty-one

I woke up hot, but not confused about what was making me that way. Miles' legs were pretzeled with mine, and his heavy body was half burying me into the mattress. Sometime in the night, we'd gone from me lying on top of him to him taking up every inch of my personal space.

Wide awake, I remained in that position for a few minutes before carefully extricating myself from under him. My full bladder wouldn't allow me to stay any longer, and Miles looked like he needed a lot more rest.

Once I took care of my business, including brushing my teeth and hair, I threw on a hoodie and thick pair of socks and ventured downstairs. The smell of coffee reached me before I hit the first floor. Soft murmurs next. I almost turned back. These weren't my friends, they were Miles'. The last thing I wanted to do was intrude.

I forced my feet forward. I'd grab a coffee, then get out of their hair…whoever was in the kitchen.

Turning the corner, I regretted my decision. Weston had Elise's back against the fridge, his hands planted on either side of her head. Her arms were looped around his waist, and her head was tipped back, giving him her full attention as he spoke to her in a low tone. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but from the hearts in her eyes and flush in her cheeks, it was something good.

I backed away, getting three steps in before I hit my hip against a console table, knocking over a small, wooden block statue.

"Shit, shit, shit," I hissed, righting the statue, hoping they were too wrapped up in each other to hear the cacophony.

"Are you okay?"

No such luck. By the time I lifted my head to reassure Elise I was fine, the two had switched positions. Weston was now beside her, casually holding her shoulders, as if he hadn't just been in an intensely intimate moment with his fiancée. Maybe they were always like that.

"I'm fine," I assured her. "I should probably start looking where I'm going."

She beckoned me forward. "See yourself into the kitchen. I'm not a chef, but I can make a mean cup of coffee. I'm assuming that's what has you down here this early."

I shuffled into the kitchen, giving them space by settling on a stool at the far side of the island. "There must be something about the mountains. I slept so well, I woke up ready to go."

Elise slid a mug filled with coffee in front of me, and Weston placed milk, creamer, and sweetener on the island. They went about doctoring up their own drinks, and I relaxed while the attention was off me.

It wasn't that I was shy, I just wasn't used to being accepted into a group this way. To me, it said a lot about their affection for Miles. He might not have seen it, and perhaps they did a piss-poor job of showing it at times, but they cared for him. Even I could see that.

Elise launched into the plans for the day. We were going to ride a gondola to the top of a mountain where there was an alpine coaster and other rides. I'd been skiing in Breckenridge with Andy's family, but we'd never come during the off-season. This was all new to me.

"I hope you like wild rides," Elise finished.

Weston huffed as he brought his mug to his mouth. "She must, being with Miles."

Elise grinned. "This is true. There's no predicting what he'll do next."

"He's fun," I agreed, because it was true. "I've known him a fraction of the time you have, but I also find him to be dependable and steady. It's one of my favorite things about him."

I would never break Miles' trust and talk about his sobriety, but I had no problem hinting at it. I just hoped his brother picked up on it. Miles needed support, and Weston should've been proud of how hard he'd worked to turn his life around.

"I hope he stays that way." Weston set his mug down on the counter and gave me a considering look. "Do you know if he's been in touch with our parents?"

"He hasn't mentioned them."

Elise sighed, rubbing Weston's shoulder. "No news is good news, right?"

His jaw rippled with sudden tension. "We didn't invite them to the wedding," he explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if my mother tried to manipulate Miles into giving her information on the date and location. She knows how to incite his pity."

I shook my head. "I haven't noticed him speaking to your parents, and like I said, he hasn't mentioned them. Are you sure they even know about the wedding?"

"Oh, they know," he intoned.

Elise laid her head on his arm. "If they show up, they show up. All that matters is we're married by the end of the day."

A deep line carved between his eyebrows. "I want it to be perfect."

"It will be," she promised.

"I'll keep my ears open," I said.

Weston nodded. "Thank you."

I sucked in a breath. I might not have another chance like this, talking to them with no one else around.

"You should keep a look out too."

His brows shot up. "What?"

"Yeah. You should pay attention to what Miles is doing…and isn't doing. What he hasn't done for quite a long time."

It was cryptic but heavy-handed at the same time. If Weston was any kind of brother, he'd pick up on what I'd laid down pretty quickly.

I slid off my stool. "I'm going to go check on Miles."

I found him right where I'd left him, sprawled on his belly, his arms and legs at odd angles. He looked cozy, half under the thick duvet. Padding across the room, I left my three-quarters full coffee mug on the bedside table and climbed in beside him. As soon as I hit the mattress, his arms banded around my middle, dragging me into him.

His eyes were still closed as he rubbed his nose along my temple and cheek. "You smell like coffee," he murmured.

"I have some, if you want."

"I'm not ready to wake up." He flopped on top of me, trapping me against him, and bunched the fabric of my sweatshirt in his fist. "What is this? Too many clothes." Then he slipped his hand under my hoodie and cami to splay his fingers wide on my stomach. That elicited a contented sigh from him. He settled even more, the loose weight of his limbs trapping me. Not that I had any intention of leaving. I liked being wrapped up in his strong limbs too much to try.

"Miles?" I whispered.

"Mmm?"

"Have you spoken to your parents lately?"

One eyelid cracked halfway. "I allow my mom two texts a week and one twenty-minute phone call."

I'd started to laugh but cut it off when I realized he was being serious. "How did you choose that number?"

"Therapist helped me. Never knew what boundaries were before."

"Weston's worried she's going to manipulate you into telling her about their wedding."

The thing about me was I was loyal. I wasn't going to have conversations about Miles without telling him. I might've been not-so-truly his, but while we were doing this, I would be on his side.

His other eyelid cracked. "She's asked. I shut her down every time."

"That easy?"

He rolled onto his back, taking me with him. "You really want to hear what a mama's boy I was?"

"If we were really dating?" I scrunched my nose. "Major red flag. But since we're faking this thing, I'm all ears."

"I've been overlooked a whole hell of a lot, but my mother doted on me like I was her favorite person in the world. When my dad was shit to her, she came to me—her kid. I'm talking being nine or ten and her crying to me when he cheated or another of his companies failed or he sold her jewelry. It took some serious introspection and guidance from a professional for me to understand how absolutely fucked up it all was. She knows her crying is a trigger for me and uses it to her advantage."

"Miles…"

I shook my head. How could anyone not see this man? Sure, Weston was a super-genius, which was great and all, but Miles was no slouch. Ridiculously handsome, he could charm the pants off a chilly nun. He wouldn't, though, because he was a good guy. I would never excuse bullying, but at least I understood why he might've been so angry back then.

"You limit contact with her so she doesn't have a chance to do the crying thing?" I guessed.

"Mmmhmm. It's been working well, but she never fails to let me know how utterly devastated she is at not being invited to the wedding. I don't know why she wants to be somewhere she isn't wanted."

I thought I did. "There will be talk if your parents aren't there. It'll get around. Aldrich is too big a name for it to stay secret."

He tapped my nose. "Exactly. She's panicking. I'm not sure my dad even remembers he has sons, much less that one is getting married."

"Just a couple more weeks and she'll have to find something else to complain about." I slid my hand up his chest to cup his cheek. The scar on his eyebrow caught my eye. "The scar…that was a truth, wasn't it?"

His eyes darted between mine before he nodded once. "I'm far too strong and buff to be a wrestler. They'd never let me on the team for fear I'd destroy them all."

I smiled but melancholy lodged in my chest. "Anyone who doesn't see you is really missing out."

He was quiet for a long beat, then he wrapped me in a bone-shattering hug. "Aw, Cupcake, if you have a crush on me, just say that."

After a long day playing on the mountain, our group was hanging out by the fire in the expansive yet somehow cozy living room. Elise had the remote, searching for a movie to watch, while we ate pizza and the remaining cupcakes and charcuterie.

Weston groaned when she paused on Beetlejuice. "Not this one. We watched it enough when you were a kid."

Kit perked up from her spot beside Elliot. "Oh my god, I love Beetlejuice. I always wanted Lydia's wardrobe."

Weston smirked. "Talk to Miles about Lydia. He could write a dissertation."

"I completely forgot about that." Elliot tapped his chin, amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. "The posters all over his walls."

Luca scrubbed his scruff. "Who didn't have a thing for Winona Ryder?"

"No." Elliot shook his head. "I once asked for clarification on that. It was all Lydia. Winona Ryder as herself did nothing for him."

Saoirse arched a brow at me. "I think he still might have a thing for her."

Luca's gaze swept over my black T-shirt and skinny cargos, and he grinned. "I think you're right, Pretty Girl. Good for Miles."

I shrunk against Miles, who had gone stock-still and hadn't uttered a single word to defend himself. Who hadn't had posters on their walls as kids? My obsession had been Adam Driver, circa his Kylo Ren days. And, to be fair, if he walked into this cabin right now, I would have let him toss me around with his oversized baseball mitts.

Miles finally moved, handing the remote to Weston. "You pick something. I'm going to grab a drink."

He was up and gone before anyone could say anything, leaving me flailing to remain upright as the couch cushions jostled in his absence.

Saoirse cleared her throat. "Sorry, Daisy. I went too far. I shouldn't have implied he likes you because…you know…"

I stared at her, surprised she was apologizing to me. They'd embarrassed Miles, although I didn't see what was so—

Realization exploded in my brain.

"The all-black clothes, prickly temperament, bangs—Lydia suits you."

I reminded Miles of the character he'd had a childhood crush on. Everyone in this room had seen it the moment they'd met me. I'd been the only dumb bunny who'd had no idea.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. I know why Miles likes me." Channeling my mama, I threw in a wink to put her at ease. "My cupcakes, of course."

The topic swiftly changed, getting rid of the lingering awkwardness, and I went to find Miles. He was in the kitchen, his butt propped against the counter, a tumbler of pink lemonade in his hand, a crumpled cupcake wrapper beside him.

I paused at the entry, giving him a devious little grin. "So…Lydia, huh?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't you think I'm sufficiently embarrassed?"

I closed the distance between us, leaning my chest against him. "Do you want to fulfill all your adolescent fantasies with me? Should I call you Beetlejuice?"

He covered my mouth with his hand. "You're the worst. Couldn't you have let this slide? Pretend it hadn't happened?"

I licked his palm, but he didn't pull his hand away. Not until I bit a chunk of it. Yanking it back, he cradled it to his chest like I'd injured him gravely.

"I do have this dress I wore one Halloween. I was going for the whole goth bride thing." I bit my bottom lip, and his chest expanded as he heaved a breath. "If I wore that for you, fancied up my bangs a little, I could—"

He cut me off again. This time, with his mouth on mine. He crushed my lips, kissing me roughly. In a split second, I decided to go along with it. I'd never been kissed roughly in my life.

Hands in my hair, he tugged my head back, taking my breath away. I clutched his shirt, my mind in such a whirling spiral, he was the only thing keeping me upright.

Then his tongue delved between my parted lips, and my knees gave out. Miles was there to stop me from falling with his hand on my ass, kneading and lifting me. Spinning, he placed me on the counter and shoved himself between my legs.

"Shut up," he gritted out.

That was my only chance to take a full breath before he devoured my mouth with such force, I might not ever recover. Not that I was thinking about recovering. I was barely thinking about anything other than his soft, sweet mouth doing demanding, naughty things to mine.

A peel of laughter split the air, and reality slowly returned. Miles pulled back slightly, but he didn't jump away or apologize.

A man who kissed the way he did had nothing to apologize for, except ruining every single woman who fell apart under his lips.

"We're not going to talk about this again," he uttered.

"So, no dress?"

Before I knew what he was doing, he leaned in and tugged my bottom lip between his teeth, nipping to the very edge of pain before releasing me.

I liked the results of teasing him, so I went on. "You could dress up as Kylo Ren, I'll be Lydia. It'll be a whole kinky thing."

His forehead rolled against mine as he exhaled through his nose. "I expected you to be weirded out, not doing…whatever it is you're doing."

I circled my arms around his neck. "I'm taunting you. Maybe if I'm bad enough, I'll get another one of those kisses."

His groan was pained. "Jesus, Cupcake. You need to stop or I'm going to bend you over this counter and spank you until you can't walk straight."

He had me panting with one threat. "Out here, where anyone could see?"

"Mmmhmm." Sucking in a breath, he raised his head and took half a step back. "Are you okay?"

I touched my lips, which were tingling now that he wasn't ravaging them. "I'm fine. You?"

"Good." Twisting to the side, he adjusted himself in his joggers. "I didn't make it weird by kissing you?"

My eyes flared. "You think the kissing was the weird part?"

One second passed, then he was bent in half, laughing so hard, he barely made a sound. His laughter drew mine out. My body contracted, falling to the side as I giggled until my eyes were watering and my abs gave out. Then I slid off the counter. Miles caught me, hugging me against him until the last tremors of laughter disappeared, and we were left smiling at each other.

"We should go join the others," I said.

"Yeah. We should do that."

We stood there a minute or two longer, smiling at each other like two people who'd uncovered the very best secret. And we had. We now knew the taste and feel of one another, and that our wilds just might match. What we did with that knowledge was yet to be seen, but there was no going back to how things were before.