The Best Man (Romance on the Go Book 0) Read online

  “Twenty minutes.” Jen sipped her latte and licked the top layer of fine foam from her lips.

  “I need relief now.” Steph groaned, placed her cup down, and massaged her temples in an effort to stop the pounding. She flinched as the wait staff collected cups from the table beside them. The clinking and banging sounded like a bomb had been detonated alongside her. “Where’s the remote? I want to mute the world.”

  Jen shook her head. “Self-inflicted, babe, no sympathy.”

  Steph glared at her. “I don’t remember a damn thing. I recall kissing a guy, but have no idea who he was. How could I have been so drunk as to kiss someone and not know who it was?”

  “You were totally off your face, so it doesn’t surprise me. Do you remember being carried out of the reception?”

  “No. There’s nothing. Nada. Zilch. Until I woke up in someone’s hotel room.”

  Jen leaned on her elbows waiting for more.

  “I don’t know whose room it was, and I snuck out while he was in the shower.”

  Her friend sat back, an eyebrow raised. “Did you do the deed?” she asked.

  “I have no idea. I don’t think so.”

  Steph’s phone startled them as it began ringing. She picked it up and her mother’s caller ID flashed on the screen. “Hang on, it’s my mother, probably going to berate me over my behavior last night.” She rolled her eyes as she activated the call and lifted the phone to her ear.

  “Hey, Mom.” Jen waited patiently while Steph listened to her mother.

  “Hello, sweetheart, I know it’s short notice, but can you come over tonight? I have something very important to tell you, Stu, and Clarissa. I really need you all here, no excuses.”

  “Yeah, sure I can come around for dinner, what time?”

  “Six o’clock?”

  “Six? Sure. Okay, I’ll see you then.” She hung up the phone with a frown

  “What’s up?” Jen asked, before she bit into her chocolate croissant.

  “Mom wants to tell me something important over dinner, she seemed pretty adamant that I see her tonight.”

  “Short notice and demanding. That’s not normally like her.”

  “No, it’s really not. She does try to get us over for dinner once a week, but she never says, “I need you to come tonight and no excuses”.”

  “Weird.”

  “Yeah, I must admit I’m concerned.”

  Chapter Five

  Steph glanced from Stu to Clarissa. They held hands so tightly, she could see their knuckles whitening. She turned back to her mother who had delivered the devastating news.

  “So, I’ve got breast cancer and the doctors say it’s advanced.” Their mother lowered her eyes to the cloth napkin she held twisted in her hands. It was the only sign of nervousness at breaking the news to her children. She was going to possibly die. Die!

  “H-how long?” Steph asked her mother, fighting a losing battle against the tears brimming in her eyes.

  “Doctor says if I respond well to treatments then I can go into remission. I’m not dying yet, darling.” Her mother sounded hopeful.

  “But you were fine a few months ago. Find another doctor. Do the tests again. They must be wrong.” Steph was clutching at straws. She couldn’t accept she was going to lose her mother. She was far too stressed over the news to hear her mother telling her that she could be just fine with treatment.

  “Honey, calm down. I’ve had the opinion of two doctors and they both say exactly the same thing. This form of breast cancer is very aggressive and has been known to spread to other parts of the body very quickly.” Her mother lifted Steph’s hand into hers. “The cancer was found at my regular mammogram last week and I’ve had a couple of other tests done since. It’s not too late to do anything. The doctors think it’s been spreading undetected for about half a year, but if we can stop it, then I’ll be fine”

  “Why didn’t you feel something? A lump? Aren’t you supposed to feel it?”

  “The cancer was deep, and it couldn’t be felt on self-examination. I had no major changes or irregular pains to indicate something was wrong.”

  Steph leapt to her feet. Her chair crashed to the floor. “I…” Tears burned her eyes as she fled from the house. She slid behind the wheel of her car, slammed the door, and tore from the driveway.

  ****

  Stu grimaced at his mother before placing his hand over hers. “She’s…” His mother held up a calming hand and he stopped what he was about to say.

  “Not taking it well. I wasn’t expecting her to. She loves me and I’m all she has left of her beloved father. You and Clarissa know what a mess she was when she got word of her father’s death. At least with me, she has time to come to terms with it if it all goes south.” Stu looked at his mother.

  “We can beat this, Mom,” he said

  “We’re going to darned well try.”

  ****

  Steph drove, her eyes blurred with tears. She sobbed with grief as she drove through the busy streets. She needed something. Actually, she needed two things—a good stiff drink and to be alone with her thoughts as she tried to deal with the bombshell her mother had dropped. She knew she was being selfish with her reaction, but she couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone else she loved.

  She pulled into a space at one of her favorite watering holes, shut the car off, turned off her phone, and threw it into her purse. She stepped from the car and headed to the entrance of the sports bar she usually frequented with her friends on Friday nights.

  It was still early, and the place was relatively quiet. Steph slid her ass onto a seat at the bar and ordered a whiskey. She downed it before ordering another. She sat nursing the second shot, letting the first one numb her before she started on this glass. Her thoughts were jumbled and painful as she tried to come to terms with what she’d been told.

  The annoying titter of a woman broke into her thoughts, she looked over her shoulder to find the source of her disturbance. A blonde was nestled on the lap of a man whose face was in shadow, however the rest of his body showed that he wasn’t quite into what the blonde was giving him, yet he had an arm around the tittering bimbo’s back. The public display of her affection disgusted Steph and she turned her gaze back to the bar.

  “Another one, James.” She tossed back the whiskey and slammed the tumbler on the bar mat.

  “Hey, this stuff is supposed to be savored, enjoyed. Anything I can do to help?” James refilled her glass.

  Steph shook her head as tears welled in her eyes.

  “Honey, are you all right?” Kyle’s voice broke through the fog that had settled over her mind. She glanced up to meet his eyes. When a bright red lipstick mark on his stubbled cheek caught her attention, she stiffened with jealousy. Her heart broke a little bit more. I knew he had to be with someone. A man like him would attract women by the dozens. Why would he bother with me? “Stu called me. He said you’re not answering your phone and he was worried about you. What happened?”

  “No, I’m not okay.” She lifted the whiskey glass and taking James’s advice, this time she sipped at it. The burn danced down her throat. She needed to numb her first stages of grief.

  Kyle slipped onto the stool beside her and gathered her free hand into his. The warmth of his hand sent familiar sparks of energy dancing through her body. Despite her emotional state, her heart responded to him. She wanted nothing more than to be held in his arms. “Talk to me. Stu wouldn’t say what had happened.”

  Steph gulped a mouthful of liquor before placing the glass back on the bar. She turned toward him.

  “Steph, I can see the devastation in your eyes. Talk to me, honey.”

  “Mom insisted we go over for dinner tonight. S … s … she’s got cancer.” She erupted in tears. He stood and pulled her into his arms, her head was buried in his chest as she cried out her grief. She felt his hand on her back, gently rubbing, soothing her. She heard the click-clack of a pair of heels approaching them.

  “Sorr
y, Amanda. Steph needs me. We’ll talk later.” Kyle’s voice rumbled in his chest.

  Steph was shocked when she felt a hand push at her forcefully. She looked through tears into the face of the blonde who she now knew had been in Kyle’s lap. Anger was directed toward her. Steph didn’t give a shit.

  “You know, bitch, pretending to be upset is a cheap, underhanded act to get a guy’s attention.” The blonde bitch wasn’t happy. Kyle removed her hand from Steph’s arm, before dropping it like it was a venomous snake.

  “Amanda, you have no idea what you are talking about, and I told you before, we’re not going to get back together, not now, not ever, so please leave.” Kyle’s voice was firm as he placed a hand on the back of Steph’s head and gently pulled her back into his chest.

  Amanda stormed from the bar, her heels click-clacking away.

  Kyle tapped the bar, ordering another two glasses of whiskey.

  Steph tilted her head and gazed up at the man she was loving more by the minute. “I don’t want to ruin your night. I’ll be fine if you want to go with her.”

  “You didn’t ruin my night. I would much rather be with you.” Kyle tightened his hold on her. “Besides she wanted something I can’t give her.”

  Steph snuggled against him. She felt safe, protected, and reveled in the fact of what he’d just said.

  “How about I take you home and we watch some sappy movie? I’ll make popcorn?” Kyle downed his drink. “Come on, I’ll drive.”

  Steph stepped back, and he held out his hand. She took it, enjoying the warmth and security she felt in his sure grip as he led her out of the bar and to his car.

  “I don’t know how to get to your place from here, do you want to direct me, or should we go to my hotel?”

  “Your hotel sounds fine.” Kyle helped her into the passenger seat, reached over and snapped her seatbelt into place. His lips grazed gently against hers before he rounded the car and slipped behind the wheel.

  Chapter Six

  Kyle pulled up to the door of his hotel and Steph waited until he climbed from the car and came around to open her door. He offered his hand and she slipped hers into it while stepping from his car. He handed the keys to the valet for the vehicle to be parked.

  Kyle held her hand as they crossed the lobby to the bank of elevators. He pushed the button and when the car arrived, the doors opened, and they stepped inside. The elevator music was soothing. An older couple were also waiting in the car to go to their floor. They smiled when Kyle kissed the top of Steph’s head and she felt her face heat.

  The elevator stopped, and after saying goodnight, the couple exited. Kyle leaned forward and pushed the button to close the doors, leaving him and Steph alone. He buried his face against her hair and she heard him inhale her scent.

  “You smell good enough to eat.”

  Steph chuckled. How she would love to be eaten by Kyle.

  The elevator bell chimed at his floor, the doors whooshed open and hand in hand they headed toward his room. Kyle fumbled with his key card before sliding it into the lock and opening the door. He swept her into his arms and into the room. He kicked the door shut, strode to the bedroom, and deposited Steph gently on the bed.

  “Am I dreaming?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “Do you want to be?” Kyle kicked off his shoes and climbed up beside her. He studied her face in profile as he lay on his side, head resting on hand, propped up on his elbow.

  “No, I want this to be real.” Steph rolled on her side to face him, her eyes watching his. “Kyle, do you ever regret that we didn’t stay in touch?”

  “Yes, I do. Stu’s been keeping me apprised of what was happening in your life. I missed you, but I didn’t know how to come back to you. I had no idea if you’d want me and I didn’t want to cause trouble if you’d moved on. You were one of my best friends, but I needed more. I need more.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.”

  “I was behind you in line at a coffee shop one day when I was in town for business. You ordered, then your phone rang, it was one of your girlfriends. You grabbed your coffee and ran out of the shop before I could stop you to say hello. I would have liked to invite you out for an early dinner before I had to leave that night.” Kyle sighed.

  “I wish you had stopped me that day.” She ran her fingertips over the front of his shirt. The scents of his cologne and natural musk were strong and her senses reacted. She had a strange sense she had been here before. “I feel like I’ve been here before, but I’d remember if I had.”

  His eyes were fixed on her. “You have been. I brought you here the night of Stu and Clarissa’s wedding. You were so drunk, I put you to bed and you passed out. The next morning, while I was in the shower, you bolted.”

  “So, you didn’t take advantage of me?”

  “You have no idea how hard it was not to rip off your clothes and devour you. But you were drunk, and I would never do anything without your consent. Do you remember anything else from that night?” He sounded hopeful, and she recalled their kiss on the loveseat with a wry smile

  “Maybe,” she whispered, shifting her body just a little bit closer. “But I might need to be reminded.” She lifted her head and brushed her lips against his softly, teasingly.

  Kyle stood and lifted her from the bed, shifting her over his lap, straddling him. His hands shifted down to her ass and he pulled her against him. She moaned softly, pressing her lips against his passionately. Her tongue sought entrance to his mouth and his lips parted willingly. Their bodies raged with desire. Tonight, that desire would not be ignored. Clothes flew in every direction as they hurried to strip. Their lips continued to caress, tongues parried.

  Kyle peeled away from her and held her with outstretched arms to drink in her body. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Your breasts, every curve. I want to worship you for a lifetime.”

  Steph remembered the shower and stepped around him. Her fingers tentatively traced the tattoos on his back. A phoenix in black curled its way exactly as she had seen. She moved back in front of him. “It was you. In the shower. The morning I bolted.”

  “It was. I was devastated when I came out of the shower and found my bed empty.”

  He leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead. “I want you to feel my every kiss.”

  “Every touch.” His fingers trailed down over her jawline to sweep softly over her lips.

  “Every scent.” He buried his face in her hair and inhaled.

  “Every sight,” he whispered, as he again held her away and raked her body with his eyes.

  “Every taste.” He leaned forward and traced his tongue over her collarbone and the valley of her breasts.

  “Kyle…” she whispered, her hands slipping through the strands of his hair, wanting him to go further, to continue.

  “And the sweet sounds of rapture that you will make as we give in to our desires, our feelings and our love, Stephanie.” He stood and turned around, laying her back down on the bed and caressed her face.

  “But, for now. You sleep. You have had devastating news and you need to be held as you sort through your feelings of grief.”

  Steph protested. “I want you.”

  “I want you, too, and we will have each other when the time is right.” He led her onto the bed. She slipped beneath the covers and he slid in behind her. She snuggled against him, his arms wrapped around her. She sighed when she felt his body press against her—she was ready for him to take her body as he had taken her heart.

  He kissed her cheek. “Sleep, my darling. Know I love you.”

  Steph drifted off. Her grief dulled for the moment, Kyle’s declaration of love warming her.

  Chapter Seven

  Kyle stretched and awoke to find Steph curled around him. Their legs intertwined, arms wrapped tightly around each other. He didn’t want to move, but had to. He peeled himself away and padded to the bathroom.

  When he returned to the bedroom, Steph stood at the end
of the bed folding her clothes. She was completely nude, bathed in sunlight pouring through the open curtains that framed the room’s large window.

  “Steph.” His breath whooshed from him as he reveled in her sheer beauty. She turned and smiled. He was speechless for a moment, captivated by her. “It feels like I’ve waited forever to see you like this. To hold you in my arms. Make you mine. But I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. You come to me willingly or not at all.”

  “I need you, I need … us. I give myself to you, willingly.” Her voice was soft and lustful as she pressed herself against him. Their lips crashed together, passion exploding.

  Kyle moaned as his cock hardened, his hands lifted from the towel, letting it drop to the floor between them. He swept her into his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist. His eager cock pressed against her ass, hardening further.

  He carried her to the bed and lowered her onto the covers. “Steph, I can’t believe you are finally here. I have waited so long for you.” He climbed onto the bed, pushed her legs wide apart and settled between them.

  Kyle’s mouth pressed kisses against her stomach and she trembled in anticipation of what was to come. His hands slid up to her breasts, where fingers pinched and caressed the hardening buds of her nipples. She moaned and lifted her hips wanting more.

  Kyle sat back on his haunches, his eyes drinking in the naked woman beneath him. He took note of every curve, every perfect blemish, even the little scar on her chin he remembered she’d gotten when she had fallen off her bike. All committed to memory.

  Steph was perfect, other women he’d bedded couldn’t compare. She was the missing half of his heart and soul. He could no longer be without her. He was willing to do anything, give anything, to have her by his side. Where he knew she belonged.

  “Steph,” He whispered her name before he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. His hands roamed over her shoulders and down to caress the swell of her breasts. She arched up, pressing her breasts into his hands as he lay down atop her. Her gasp against his lips was sensual music to his ears. He slid his tongue between her lips, parted in erotic pleasure, and slowly tasted her mouth, teasing her as his hands worked slowly over her body, finding the apex between her legs and gently massaging as she shivered in pleasure beneath him.