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Jay glanced at him. “Seatbelt.”

Right. None of his business.

Ryden fastened his seatbelt, the engine purring like a kitten. Jay quickly got them moving after Ryden told him where they were going. Good thing it was a short drive because the silence in the car was killing him. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“Okay, look. I know I really messed up that night at the tavern. I was an asshole. I tried apologizin’ and ended up makin’ things worse like I usually do, and then things got out of hand after that, so I thought the truce would make it better, and then, you know, in Red’s office, and I have no idea what to make of any of it. ”

Jay glanced at him. “Why are you bringing the tavern up now? That was ages ago.”

“I don’t know. I’ve been kickin’ myself over it ever since. It was a shit thing to say. I’m not that guy.”

“Then why did you say it?”

Why had he said it? That night flashed clear as day in his head.

Jay sitting on one of the tables, dressed in one of his eye-catching outfits, surrounded by a bunch of beefy bears enthralled by him and practically salivating.

The image of one of them taking Jay home invaded his thoughts, and something had snapped inside Ryden.

“I was off that night.” Ryden looked forward again, focusing on the traffic ahead.

“It’s no excuse, I know. I shouldn’t’ve taken it out on you.

But I did, and I’m sorry.” He wasn’t about to admit he’d been struggling to keep Jay out of his thoughts lately because then he’d have to think about why that might be, and he wasn’t going there.

It might be a different story at night when he was in bed, but he sure as shit wasn’t about to dwell on that now.

“Okay,” Jay replied, entering the venue’s parking lot. He pulled into a parking spot, turned off the engine, and unfastened his seatbelt. “But don’t ever say anything like that to me again. Understood?”

Ryden nodded. “You have my word. Don’t s’pose you want to talk about the other thing?”

“Nope.” Jay stepped out of the car, and Ryden followed.

Guess they were never going to talk about that kiss. Ever. Probably for the best. He smoothed out his uniform and inhaled deeply through his nose. Jay stepped in front of him, their height difference forcing Jay to look up and Ryden to look down so their gazes could meet. It made Ryden smile.

“You look good,” Jay said. “You also have as much right to be here as any of those Marines.”

Ryden hadn’t expected that. “Thanks.”

“Let’s go, Marine.” Jay turned, and Ryden followed, amused. His heart pounded when they headed inside the luxury Art Deco venue. It had been a long time since he’d been this nervous, but he didn’t dare show it. Several guests came up to him and thanked him for his service.

Guests were taking their seats inside the Grand Ballroom, where the ceremony and the reception would be held. The decor was simple yet elegant, with many beautiful white flower bouquets and a row of chairs set among the white columns on each side of the room.

According to the invite, a cocktail hour would follow the ceremony, giving staff time to prepare the ballroom for the reception.

The place was incredible. It had been a bank until about a decade ago when it was converted into a classy venue and an upscale bar.

This wasn’t their first time here. The Kings often booked this venue for charity events.

A small group of Marines stood near the flowered arch at the back of the room.

They seemed to know each other. One noticed him and said something to the others, who all turned their heads.

The one guy nodded in greeting, and Ryden nodded back.

Then they turned back around and returned to their conversation.

“Do you know them?” Jay asked.

“No.” Something about one of the Marines bugged Ryden, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “We should take our seats,” he murmured, putting his hand on Jay’s lower back and ushering him into the aisle, his gaze returning to that Marine.

There was something about how the guy shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then very subtly straightened. He slipped his hand into his pocket and quickly pulled it out. It was almost like he kept forgetting what he wasn’t supposed to do. It was odd.

Jay leaned in to say something, and the subtle scent of his shampoo momentarily distracted Ryden. He caught himself leaning forward, and Jay blinked up at him. Shit. He hadn’t meant to do that.

“What are you doing?” Jay asked.

“Listenin’. You were gonna say somethin’?”

Nice save.

“Oh. Right.” Jay leaned in, his voice quiet. “What’s going on? You have that look on your face.”

Fuck, Jay smelled good. What was that? Kind of flowery but not. It smelled like one of Red’s essential oils, but not quite. What was it? Ryden knew that scent. He realized it was the same one from the day they’d kissed in Red’s office. Ryden had been drawn in then, too.

“Hello?”

Ryden curled a finger around a lock of Jay’s hair and leaned in to sniff. “What is that? It’s drivin’ me nuts. Juniper? Magnolia?” Damn, his hair was so soft. He pulled back and found Jay staring at him.

“Um, it’s lavender and mint.”

“Ah, it’s the mint,” Ryden said, snapping his fingers as he sat back. “That’s what was throwin’ me off.” He was familiar with lavender because Red had been using it for years, either on his person or in his diffuser.

Jay shook his head. “Anyway, I was asking you what the face was for. It’s the look you get when something’s bugging you, but you can’t figure out what it is.”

How did Jay know that? The idea that Jay had studied him enough to know his facial expressions spread an unexpected warmth through him.

As much as he wanted to tease Jay, he forced himself not to.

His gaze went back to the Marine, who leaned to the side.

The guy spotted him, and something flashed in his gaze.

Ryden held back a curse. He discreetly slipped his arm around Jay and pulled him tight against his side.

“What are you doing?” Jay asked, his hand going to Ryden’s chest to push him away, only to have Ryden cover Jay’s hand with his.

Ryden leaned in and brushed his lips across Jay’s cheek to whisper in his ear. “I’m gonna need you to pretend you’re in love with me.”

Jay’s soft gasp made Ryden smile, and he couldn’t stop his brain from returning to their kiss, how Jay had tasted, his scent, and how he’d felt in Ryden’s arms. Okay, not the time.

“ What ?”

“You’re my boyfriend. We’ve been together for two years. We fell in love at work. Big office romance. Just like one of your novels.”

“Are you high?” Jay hissed. “And how do you know what a big office romance looks like? You don’t read romance.”

The guy started walking toward them, his gaze going from Ryden to Jay and back. There was definitely something off, and Ryden didn’t like it.

“I need ya to do this for me,” Ryden whispered, kissing Jay’s temple. “Please.”

“Why?”

Jay had every right to be suspicious and wary, but something told Ryden that the guy wasn’t coming over for fun. Whoever he was, he was setting off alarm bells. Ryden was going to make sure Jay was safe, no matter what.

“Because I’m pretty sure the guy walkin’ toward us ain’t a Marine.”