The Bridesmaid's Best Man

Cole frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“That you weren’t in it for the challenge.” What a few men had tried to do in the past. To take on Angie Lawson. Soften her up and tame the tomboy.

* * *

COLE TOOK A step back and stared at Angie. “You think I dated you because I like a challenge?”

Angie was a challenge, all right. She was stubborn and impatient. Independent almost to a fault. She was brazen but he also saw the insecurities she tried to hide.

“I don’t know why and I don’t care,” she declared. “All I know is that I’m not going to put myself through that again.”

“Angie, our time together meant a lot to me. I can’t tell you how difficult it was to leave you.” It had been the hardest thing for him to do, but it had been necessary. He had started to think he could be with Angie forever. That she could fall in love with him. But that was a fantasy. Even if he tried harder and tried to be better, he wasn’t worthy of love. His family had proven that to him years ago.

Cole stepped away from Angie and looked down. He didn’t want her to see the struggle in his eyes. “Angie, it’s very hard for me to ask, but I need your help.”

He felt her hesitation. She was the kind of woman who automatically offered her help, but it was different now. He knew how awkward it was to offer help to someone who had once discarded you.

“You were always there when I needed you.” He hated how his voice cracked. Hated how much her loyalty had meant to him. “And I was there for you.”

“We were a couple then,” she said softly.

“You are still very important to me.” She was the most important person in his life, but he couldn’t tell her that. Angie wouldn’t believe him, anyway.

“So important that you couldn’t stay in touch?” she asked bitterly.

He dragged his gaze to meet hers. Staying in touch would have been a constant reminder of what he couldn’t have. “I thought a clean break would be best. It hasn’t been easy for me, either. It still isn’t.”

“And you think that being my date for the wedding will make it better?”

“No, but I think we’re at a point where we can be friendly with each other. Do you really want to deal with that bride on your own? Think of me as backup.”

“She is unbearable,” she said as she considered his suggestion. “It would be nice to show up with a stripper boyfriend.”

He jerked back. “Say what?”

“Most of the wedding guests will think that you’re a stripper.” Angie bit her lip as she tried to contain her smile. “Patrick and some of the other guys will know the truth but I could tell them that our breakup sent you into a tailspin.”

He had crashed and burned once he left Angie. It had taken him nearly a year to get back on his feet. “You want me to continue the role as a stripper?”

“Why not? You’re the one who started it. And no one would question my sudden wedding date. After all, you showed me special attention last night. Thanks for that.”

He ignored her sarcasm. “You’re really considering this?”

“Brittany is going to have a fit that I’m bringing a date at such late notice.” She grimaced as if she were imagining the bride’s reaction. “I’ll talk to Cheryl, her assistant. She’s in charge of the details.”

“Think you can get me into Heidi’s room today?” He knew he was already pushing her, but he was running against the clock. If he didn’t get answers in the next few days, chances were he never would.

“I was going to visit her today after Brittany’s meeting,” she revealed reluctantly. “I’ll meet you at the hospital and we’ll go in together.”

“Thank you,” he said. He wasn’t sure if the relief he felt was because he could move forward with his assignment or because Angie was on his side once more.

Angie gave a sharp nod and got into her car. “By the way, my stripper boyfriend is totally into me,” she said. “He can’t believe his luck that he landed me.”

“I can do that.” He wouldn’t even have to pretend. He had felt that way since she had accepted his invitation for a first date. He had no idea what he did to convince her and often felt he was living on borrowed time. He knew someday she would wake up and see she could do much better than him.

“But I’m not really into him,” Angie warned Cole. “Everyone would get suspicious if I was all clingy and affectionate.”

Especially since she didn’t act that way in public, Cole thought. But when they had been alone, she was very demonstrative and explicit in her requests. “So it’s only physical attraction?” he teased.

She grinned. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Then that will be our cover. By the end of today, everyone will think we’re having a red-hot but brief reunion,” he promised. It had to be short-term for his sanity. One touch from her and he’d want another. One kiss and he wouldn’t stop. Unless this had a predetermined end date, he’d start to believe he had another chance. He’d forget that she never loved him—couldn’t love him—in the first place.

“A wild fling?” Her smile disappeared. “No one will believe that.”

“They will.” Because he was going to make the most of this temporary affair. “I guarantee it.”

5

“THIS WAS A bad idea.” Angie felt her ponytail swing against her shoulders as she strode down the hospital corridor. She was nervous and it showed. She took a deep breath and gripped the flower arrangement tighter.

“Don’t back out on me now.” Cole draped his arm around her shoulder.

A sense of longing crashed through her unexpectedly and she tried not to react. It had been common for Cole to touch or hold her whenever they were together. She shouldn’t be so surprised.

“Oh, are we pretending to be a couple already?” she asked lightly as she struggled with the opposing needs to shake off his touch and to curl into his body. “Heidi can’t see us from here.”

“You don’t start pretending the minute you walk into the room,” he explained. “You assume the role as soon as possible. And you never know whom you’re going to bump into on the way. What if we see someone from the bridal party?”

Angie pressed her lips together. Cole always had an answer for everything, but she didn’t think this was going to work. “No one will believe this.”

“That we’re together?” He stopped and looked down at her, his arm cradling her closer. “No one questioned it when we were dating.”

Was he kidding? His friends probably didn’t ask or care. She wished she had been so lucky. Her relatives teased her about how opposites attract. Her female clients asked if she used any sexual expertise in grabbing Cole’s attention. One acquaintance had asked why Cole was dating her when he could have any woman.

She guessed no one dared to ask Cole those questions. Lucky him. “I mean that no one would think I would hook up with a stripper.”

It didn’t help that she had done nothing different with her appearance. Angie knew she should have worn something suggestive or pretty. She winced at the thought. Instead she wore her favorite standbys. The white long-sleeve T-shirt and black track pants were comfortable and her running shoes were top-of-the-line.

She should have given her appearance more thought. After all, she was going to stand next to Cole Foster, whose masculine beauty was emphasized in a blue henley shirt and jeans. Most guys in Seattle wore that combination, but for some reason, Cole stood out in the crowd. It wasn’t just her opinion. She had seen more than one person in the hall give him a flirtatious glance.

“But it’s not unreasonable that you would backslide,” he argued. “Ex sex happens more than you think. Why do you think they give it a name?”

Ex sex. She didn’t like that label. It made something that was so emotional into something very casual. She imagined most people had sex with their ex because it would offer some familiarity and comfort. She never had that with Cole. When they were together it had been an exciting roller-coaster ride.

Sometimes the intimacy they had shared felt risky. There were moments that had changed her and made her see Cole differently. Those were the times when she felt they had formed a stronger bond. Backsliding wouldn’t let her recapture those life-transforming experiences.

She stumbled to a stop and pretended that she was reading the room numbers. Why was she thinking about that? They weren’t backsliding. Cole had no interest in having sex with her. If she responded to any of his gestures or touches, then she would be in trouble. She felt jittery and alive next to him. She was very aware of his clean, masculine scent, how warm and large his hand felt against her shoulder.