Page 10 of The Worst Best Man

As if she’d heard his thoughts, Frankie turned to him. She looked him up and down and arched an eyebrow. “Thank you for the ride. You can go now.”

He gave her a slow, dangerous smile. Franchesca Baranski had no idea who she was taunting. He wasn’t a man who was dismissed. He stepped closer to her, crowding her against the desk, and saw the surprise, the concern in those big eyes. There was something else too. A little flare, a spark of desire.

Aiden reached for her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips.

“The pleasure was all mine.” He saw the goosebumps that rose on her arm and grinned.

“I’m sure it usually is,” she shot back, yanking her hand free and turning her back on him.

Chapter Five

Aiden left Frankie at the desk and followed the sound of the waves. He paused at the bar, debated, and then changed his mind and continued outside.

He’d been drinking too much. A medication of sorts for the chronic stress that plagued him. His family seemed hell-bent on making every bad decision they could with regards to the business. He’d ignored it for far too long, preferring to focus on his own responsibilities. But now he needed to be present. He’d be damned if he let anyone—family included—destroy what had been three generations in the making.

Hands in the pockets of his shorts, he strolled across the coral stone terrace, his shirt fluttering in the breeze. The infinity edge pool sparkled under the sun to his right. A handful of mid-afternoon guests enjoyed ceviche and champagne at the outdoor seafood restaurant to his left.

He followed the path down the stairs and to the right where it meandered between beach and vegetation. Pruitt’s father might not think much of Chip as a son-in-law, but he wasn’t going to let that stand in the way of spending lavishly. He’d been willing to rent out the cordoned off section of the resort to ensure his princess had a special and private day.

Aiden found the bride and groom sunning themselves at the edge of a freeform lagoon overlooking the beach and ocean. The bridesmaids—bridesmonsters, he corrected himself with amusement—were lounging in studied positions of perfection that best accented their appeal. He noticed the straightening of shoulders, the jutting of chests when they spotted him. They were always on the hunt.

But he was no one’s quarry.

He dropped down at the end of Chip’s lounger, his back to the monsters. “Your maid of honor has been delivered,” he announced.

Pru peeked up at him from under the brim of a ridiculous sun hat. “Aiden! I scheduled a car to pick up Ms. I’ll-Just-Take-a-Taxi.”

“I canceled it,” he said with a shrug. “I was already heading in that direction.”

“He’s just trying to get back into Frankie’s good graces,” Chip said loyally. His friend waved his empty glass at a passing pool server and circled his finger signaling a round. It looked like Aiden would be getting that drink after all.

“Uh-huh.” Pruitt wasn’t believing either of them. Not for a second.

“Did you pick up my genius best friend to pick on her? Because if you did, I’m not going to be happy with you, Aiden Kilbourn,” Pruitt said, jabbing a finger into his arm.

“Pick on her? What is this? Second grade?” Aiden teased.

“What exactly did you say to her at the engagement party?” Pruitt demanded.

“She didn’t tell you?” Aiden was surprised. He thought Frankie would have run tattling.

“My beautiful best friend doesn’t want me to worry about a thing. And apparently that includes whatever idiotic thing you said or did at the party.”

Aiden shared a look with Chip. Neither of them were enthusiastic about repeating the insult.

Pruitt snapped her fingers. “Oh, no! Uh-uh! Don’t you look at him, Chip. Spill it right now.”

Chip’s resolve crumbled faster than a cookie in the sticky hands of a toddler. “Aiden may have mentioned that Frankie danced like she had experience on the pole.”

“You called her astripper?” Pruitt’s screech could probably be heard by the catamaran five-hundred yards off the coast.

Aiden winced. “In my defense—”

“There’s no defense! Damn it, Aiden. She’s one of my favorite people. You can’t treat her like she’s nothing.”

“I understand, and I apologized, and I tried to make amends by picking her up today.”

Pru cracked a slight smile. “Tried to, huh? She wasn’t amenable?” she asked innocently.