Chapter Nine

Hallie

The phone buzzed against my back, but I ignored it. The clock told me everything I needed to know. I was running late for the rehearsal dinner. I had ten minutes to be dressed, get my hair done and find the correct one of the four restaurants housed by the resort.

Dean was a gentleman. He made sure I came first and was now using me to do the same. And even though I knew I needed to wrap this up, it felt way too good to have a cock in me again. I moaned and ground myself into him, and he pulsed from inside me. We were both loud as he came, and I placed my palms on the hair of his chest as he finished.

With the end of his orgasm, he rolled off. We were equally sweaty and exhausted, panting and giggling. I retrieved my phone to confirm I had texts from both Kit and Sloan. There was also a missed call from the groom's mother—and I was pretty sure Penny already despised me. I hated to be the one to end the hook-up, but it was time for Dean to get lost. I could not make Sloan's wedding trip all about this bet with Mikah. However, my inner cheerleader screamed I was already winning.

Suck it, Mikah. That apartment was one bang away from being mine.

I found my thong first, clinging to the sleeve of Dean's shirt. I gave him that back with a toss, making it obvious he needed to get going so I could shower.

He pulled the condom off with a snap and tossed it to the trash beside the desk, where my suitcase was dumped in a hurry. "Got a date?"

I laughed, shaking my head no. I couldn't remember the last time I went on an actual date. It was probably with TJ, and the thought of him made my insides twist. He was somewhere in this same resort, probably christening his suite with his wife. The word stung every time it crossed my mind.

"I'm meeting up with some friends. I just needed that out of my system first."

He finished dressing and ran his hand through the silver hair atop his head. "Got it. Can't say I minded starting a vacation like that."

With a shared grin, we had an understanding. We used each other, and neither was upset over it. This couldn't have gone better. I even got a steamy kiss before being told that he hoped to see me around the resort before going home. And after the door closed behind him, I rushed to make myself look presentable—not just for my best friend, but my damn ex.

>><<

The entirety of my suitcase contents was dumped onto the bed. Eventually, I found my missing heel and hopped on one foot across the room while holding its mate beneath my arm. I took one last look in the mirror, ensuring my sky-blue dress remained wrinkle free and my day-two hair was holding its quick curl. The straps needed some adjusting, but I smoothed out the silky dress one more time, ensuring it was hugging all the right spots for TJ's enjoyment.

I was running seriously late.

I left the room in a scurry, bolting for the elevator with a hobble, pressing the button with my shoe before attempting to put it on with one foot. A door down the way clicked open as I waited. My head only turned when giggles accompanied it. A woman stumbled out of the room first, followed by Mikah. We immediately made eye contact that made me furiously cross my arms.

His smirk said everything... we were now tied.

While his mystery woman kissed his chin before walking off in another direction, Mikah buttoned his shirt and walked my way. I hit the button again, eager to take my elevator ride alone. His cockiness didn't subside as he joined me. He pressed the down button as if I hadn't already done it twice.

"Her name was Candy."

God, he was annoying. "Of course it was."

"What's the matter, Tipsy? Dean didn't show?"

The door chimed and parted. Mikah stepped ahead of me and enter the lift, smacking the button to close the door behind him. It was the first time I'd ever seen that button work in any elevator. As the doors started closing, I quickly slid in sideways, pushing him out of my way to press a button marked for the first floor.

We took to our opposite sides of the space, where I leaned into the wall to put on my other shoe. "He showed. So, I suppose we are tied."

Upon donning both shoes, my stare lifted to gauge his reaction to news of the tie. He had leaned his back into his side of the elevator, relaxed as he rolled the sleeves of his fit dress shirt. But that's not where his eyes laid. While his attention began with my now-secured heel, it slowly made its way up my blue dress until our gazes were locked. His eyes fell again, repeating the process. This time, when his stare met mine, I felt myself flush. Or maybe it was just the Cancun heat and this damn elevator.

His Adam's apple flexed as he shook his head. "Guess so."

I didn't have time to think about how much I enjoyed seeing his neck strain after clearly checking me out. Our elevator seemed to have a mind of its own. The lights flickered once. Then twice. And before we could acknowledge it, we jolted and came to a hard stop. The lights dimmed until everything went black.

Not again.

"For fuck's sake," Mikah said through the darkness.

I fanned myself, feeling the temperature jump again. This thing was a literal box of compressed heat. "Do what you did last time. We are going to be late."

"I can't fucking see," he said, already annoyed. "Give me your phone."

"I didn't bring it." My hands slapped to my sides as if he could see me. "There wasn't exactly space for it with this dress. Where is yours?"

"I noticed. And my phone is back in my suite. "

I directed a hostile glare towards his shuffling—the only way I knew where he was right now. His hand stretched out ahead of him, landing on my belly. The unexpected touch made my lungs expand and my abdomen clench. I bit my cheek as he muttered an apology and snapped his hand back. He shifted to my right, where I listened to him run his hands along the panel of buttons. Just like our last ride, a swift hit with his fist had the elevator erupting to life.

Light swarmed our space. He turned with a pleased expression, knowing he'd saved us from one hell of a pissed off bride. I couldn't imagine how many texts and calls were now blowing up my phone. There was relief knowing we were going to make it to this rehearsal dinner. I shared that pleased grin, placing my palm against my still-tingly stomach.

"You okay?" Mikah asked, lifting a brow. "You're really flushed."

I snapped out of my daze instantly, not realizing I was in one. I removed my hand from the spot he'd accidentally touched to fan myself. "It's just boiling in here."

He appeared to agree with a nod of his head before our doors parted, signaling we were free from the hell trap. We hurried out, following labeled directions and making a beeline for the restaurant. It wasn't hard to find. There was a trail of white balloons and vibrant floral arrangements in the wedding colors—the colors of sunset—with signs stating Smith & Mulligan. It led us outside to a restaurant beneath a large villa with a breathtaking view of the Caribbean Sea.

Sloan and Mikah's mother both stood from an elongated table, rushing toward us as if we'd been missing for days. Mikah gave a sweet kiss to his mother's cheek, apologizing for being late. She gave him a hug, and sent a glare my way... as if her son being late was my fault.

"Where have you been?" Sloan wrapped her arms around me. "I've been calling you all afternoon. I was worried sick."

"I'm so sorry." I squeezed her, envying how beautiful she looked in her orange sundress. "We got stuck in the elevator."

The entire table seemed to find it funny, all agreeing they learned to avoid it. I was certain I'd heard Penny mutter about sending us texts, telling us to use the stairs. I probably should have read the texts before leaving the room.

At the table sat Mikah's mother, the bride and groom, TJ and his wife, Kit, and Tim—who I vaguely knew as someone who worked with Sloan and Ollie. As much as I hated seeing TJ, I was happy Sloan had support for her special day from more than just me. The only way it would have been better was if Steve were here to see her this happy.

"I made sure you wouldn't be near him," Sloan whispered into my ear before releasing me.

I thanked her, seeing two open seats at the opposite end of the table from TJ. The thank you was a wordless smile. I would have sat near him—I would not make any sort of scene like I did on the plane. This wasn't my celebration; it was Sloan and Ollie's.

I complimented Sloan on how beautiful she looked repeatedly until I was pulled into a hug by the soon-to-be groom. He was looking pretty good himself, in black pants and a lightweight white dress shirt. Similar to his brother, he rolled the sleeves up his forearms where his tattoos were peeking out. Sloan really had landed a good one.

I took my seat between Mikah and Kit. Ice water was already waiting for me, and I pulled a cold cube free to suck on. When it became small enough, I chewed it, needing to cool down. The noise made Mikah huff beside me, as he always did when I chewed my ice. And while I was ready to tell him to get over it, I was surprised by the boisterous laugh of TJ's wife. TJ's own soon mixed with it. I never knew the sound of their happiness could hurt that bad, even though it had been years.

That used to be us.

I reached for another ice cube and was instead caught off guard by my chair moving.

Mikah had grabbed the leg of my chair and dragged it until my angle was facing him instead of the couple at the other end of the table. "Talk to me. Giggle."

"Why?" I gazed over my shoulder, only to connect with TJ out of a filled table. His arm sat comfortably on the back of his wife's chair.

With a single finger, Mikah guided my chin back in his direction. He grinned, and my cheeks went ablaze. "Because it will make him jealous. Which is what you want. That's the reason for the dress; is it not?"

I couldn't deny that. And I didn't have to. Mikah understood the assignment. He placed a hand on my bare knee, the one poking out from the slit in my dress. With the other hand, he lifted his whiskey to his lips, hiding his amused expression.

"Giggle," he reminded me in a hushed tone.

I did, feeling silly while shaking my head at him. "Is it working?"

I needed to know.

Mikah's head cocked to look over my shoulder. He chuckled and leaned in closer, now using his thumb to brush along the hem of my dress. "I don't think your ex likes me right now, Tipsy."

My cheek was being crushed between my teeth. I wanted to look over my shoulder and see for myself, but I was enjoying our game a little too much. I popped another ice cube into my mouth, giving my cheek some relief from my teeth.

"I hate that noise more than anything," he said, trying not to cringe and keep up with our game.

"I know." I giggled.

That time, the humor was honest, and I was dying to know what Mikah and me laughing at the same time was doing to him. Did it hurt as bad as when I heard it? I hoped it felt worse.

I took my chance to find out.

I looked over my shoulder at TJ. And while I definitely had his bothered attention, we also had everyone else's. Sloan's brows lifted, questioning what she was witnessing. She elbowed Ollie to get him to look, but Mikah's hand was gone before he could catch a glimpse. I'd have to explain that later, which was easy—nothing was happening between us. But those few seconds of seeing TJ's face made sitting beside Mikah worth it.

Even though my despise of him was still fully intact, I turned to thank Mikah for putting on that little show for me. He didn't have to do that, especially with me being a jerk to him most days. I was surprised as I swiveled just in time to see him take a drink, lift his attention to somewhere behind me, and spit it back out with some sort of gasp-laughter that left him coughing, with whisky coming out of his nose. He was busy smacking his chest, trying to tell me what the hell had just happened and couldn't. Instead, he pointed behind me.

"Everyone," Sloan demanded the attention of the table. I turned, feeling all the color Mikah had put into my cheeks drain instantly upon seeing the older man at her side. "This is my biological father, Dean."

Fuck my life. I was caught in a shocking stare-off with the man I rode all morning.

I fucked my best friend's dad.