One Wicked Night

Chapter Eleven

The dinner and speeches were over. The cupcakes had been handed out by the bride and groom. The happy couple had danced their first dance, and Tyler had had several beers. It was a pretty good night.

His mom had driven him a little nuts with all the photographs, but overall she was too busy socializing to have time to bug him, and he’d actually enjoyed talking to some of his relatives—aunts, uncles, cousins—who were interested in his life in Chicago and his new business, and it was cool to talk to them too and hear about their lives, to reminisce a little. The wedding was almost…fun.

He looked around for Nick and Kaelin and found them together. On the dance floor. Talking and smiling at each other as they moved to the slow song. Tyler leaned back in the chair and lifted his glass to his mouth, watching them.

He hadn’t had much time to think about last night. After being so rudely awoken that morning—okay, not rudely, but abruptly—they’d been racing around all day getting things ready, then getting pictures taken, then the wedding, then more pictures.

He should be shocked as hell by Kaelin’s behavior last night. Sweet little Kaelin, the town sweetheart. He wanted to laugh, thinking about what people would think if they knew. His eyes roved over the guests—his parents, who loved Kaelin and thought she could paint a rainbow in the sky. Paul Bickford, the town’s most prominent lawyer, his dad’s best friend and coincidentally, Kaelin’s boss. Reverend McTavish, who’d performed the ceremony. What would they all think if they knew the truth about Kaelin?

His mouth twisted into a wry smile. They’d probably still love her. In fact, they probably wouldn’t even believe it.

Was he shocked? Somehow, no. He had complicated feelings about what had happened last night, that was for damn sure, but shock wasn’t really in there. Amazement, arousal definitely, admiration for her guts at going after what she’d clearly wanted so deep-down inside, and even something that felt like…gratitude.

Maybe because she hadn’t been shocked. Not at what she herself had done. She’d wanted it. But she hadn’t been shocked at him and Nick. And for some reason, that tugged at his heart and made him feel something huge and warm and… Jesus. He sat up straight. It felt like those old feelings he’d had for Kaelin back in high school, especially that last summer before he’d moved away, that summer they’d spent all that time together and he’d gotten to know her better and…

The summer he’d deliberately hurt her because he knew she was having the same feelings for him, and he knew there was no fucking way he was anywhere near good enough for her. The town sweetheart and the town asshole? Not likely. Not to mention she was two years older than him and his big sister’s best friend.

He drained the last of the beer and sighed. He’d been having such a good time, why did he have to start thinking about crap like that? He should just drink more beer and keep himself busy so he didn’t start thinking things that would get him into trouble. Like he always did.

Kaelin smiled at Nick. She’d been a little nervous about how she was going to feel with him and Tyler today after what had happened. But as always with Nick, she just felt comfortable and warm. He didn’t make her feel like the town slut even after what she’d done. And strangely, when she examined her feelings, she didn’t feel like the town slut anyway.

Sure it had been wicked. Wicked fun. Wicked sexy. Something she’d remember for the rest of her life. ’Cause that would never happen again.

Only, was she ever again going to be satisfied with vanilla missionary sex with the lights out, like Brent had wanted? It hadn’t satisfied her. It had driven her crazy with frustration and a deep, hungry yearning that she couldn’t find the nerve to tell him about.

“What’s wrong?” Nick asked, looking down at her, his hands on her waist, hers linked around his neck.

She smiled. “Nothing.”

“Regrets?”

She shook her head. “No. Not the way you mean.” She peered up at him. “You never told Tyler we kept in touch, did you?”

“No. I told you that in my emails.”

She nodded. “Thank you.” She’d asked him not to, but she’d never been sure if he’d kept that from Tyler.

“Did your ex-fiancé really give you a speeding ticket this morning?”

Her smile disappeared. “Yes.” She frowned. “He really did.”

“Jerk.”

“That’s the thing. He’s not a jerk. He’s a really nice guy.”

“Sounds exciting.”

She eyed him and saw the understanding in his eyes.

“Nice guys are boring,” he said.

“You’re a nice guy.”

“Gee, thanks.”

She laughed. “No! That’s not what I meant! You’re not boring! My god, how can you think that!”

“I’m boring compared to Tyler.”

She shook her head slowly. “No. You’re different, that’s true. But not boring. Never.”

“Thanks.”

They shared another smile.

“Why’d you break up with him?”

She blinked at him.

“Brent,” he clarified.

“Oh.” She dropped her head to his shoulder briefly then looked back up at him. “Because he was boring.”

Nick grinned. “See.”

She nibbled her bottom lip. “I never realized how much I wanted something…more. Something wilder.”

“You think you’re gonna find that here? In Mapleglen?”

She stared at him, his question reminding her of their conversation last night. “What are you saying?”

He lifted one shoulder. The song came to an end and they stopped moving, stepped apart. “I don’t know. I guess I’m saying last night was special. And after that, are you going to be satisfied with some other guy like Brent?”

“Maybe I just needed to get that out of my system.”

He tipped his head to one side. “Maybe.”

Tyler appeared beside them. “My turn,” he said, elbowing Nick out of the way. Nick just grinned and moved away and Kaelin turned to Tyler.

“Hey,” he said. “Great job on the wedding.”

“Thanks.”

The music started again, the tinkling opening notes of “Babe” by Styx. Tyler took her in his arms and she moved against him. He was a couple of inches taller than Nick, leaner, but just as strong. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about how she would have reacted to this in high school, slow dancing with Tyler Wirth. God, she would have been so tongue-tied and intimidated. Now she’d slept with him. Lord. That flippy, fluttering feeling down low inside her returned. “And thanks for your help this afternoon.” She had to keep things cool tonight. Even though she couldn’t help thinking about Tyler and Nick’s hotel room, just a few floors above them, with that big king-size bed and…

Oh. She took a breath. Oh dear.

“You helped us out last night,” he said.

She drew back and stared at him. “Help?” Did he mean she helped him and Nick? That was…

“At the police station.”

“Oh! Oh yeah. Well.” She shrugged.

Tyler’s hands slid lower on her hips, his fingertips resting on the curve of her butt. Heat pooled between her thighs at the sexy touch.

“Um. So. Speaking of last night. Do you often take the blame for things that aren’t your fault?” she asked him.

His thick gold brows drew together. “What do you mean?”

He moved them out of the path of a tipsy couple with gentle pressure on one of her hips.

“I mean, like last night, when you tried to take the blame for stealing the fire truck.”

“We didn’t steal it. We were just taking it for a ride. We were going to bring it back.”

She arched a brow. “Remember when you totaled your parents’ car? When you were seventeen?”

His eyes grew wary. “Yeah.”

She watched him, and he watched her back, moving to the music on the dimly lit dance floor, surrounded by twinkling white lights and flowers, and vocal harmonies and words about love and courage and strength. Her fingers moved on the warm skin of his neck above the collar of his shirt. “You didn’t do it,” she said quietly.

He bent his head closer to hers. “Sure I did. Got in a shitload of trouble over it too.”

“Avery did it.” She met his blue gaze. “I know she did it. Why did you take the blame?”

He swallowed. His eyes shifted away from her, then back. “She’d been drinking that night.” His voice hardened. “She shouldn’t have been driving, the stupid idiot, but thankfully she didn’t kill anyone else. Or herself.”

Tyler apparently had wrapped the car around a tree and walked away from it. But Kaelin had always known the truth, though it was another of those secrets that was never spoken of.

“She came running home in a big panic. She would have been in way worse trouble than I was,” he said gruffly. “I was sober. So I walked back to where she’d crashed and told everyone I was driving. Everyone just chalked it up to me being stupid and reckless.”

Her heart expanded in her chest until she thought she couldn’t breathe, and she leaned in closer and tightened her arms around him in a squeeze. “You’re not such a bad boy,” she whispered in his ear.

He hugged her back, his arms crushingly tight around her, his face pressed to her hair. “Yes, I am. Don’t even think otherwise. Please.”

She didn’t understand that, didn’t know what he meant, only knew that she was very likely falling in love with him all over again.

Which scared the hell out of her.

Margot wanted to slap Jean Griffin.

She stared coolly back at the other woman. Jean loved to gossip, and even though she apologized for telling Margot what she just had, Margot knew she took great delight in doing it.

“Les works the front desk here at the hotel,” Jean continued gleefully, all but rubbing her hands. “He was working the night shift last night. That’s how he saw it.”

She had to shut this rumor down, but how? Her mind spun in circles. She just didn’t even know what to say to Jean. Boys will be boys? How about that. No? Her stomach churned. When Ken heard this he was going to flip. After what had happened ten years ago? God.

But she pasted on her usual smile, that one she was so good at after all these years. “Oh for heaven’s sake,” she said lightly. “Has he nothing better to do with his time than spread silly rumors like that?”

“I just thought you should know. Before someone else tells you. You know how some people like to gossip.” And Jean moved on to talk to some others. Probably to spread the rumor, the silly bitch.

Margot bit her lip and searched the wedding crowd for her husband. The room looked lovely, though she would have added more flower arrangements and she knew that Forget Me Not Florists had a gorgeous backdrop that looked like a starry sky, which she’d seen at the Bickfords’ daughter’s wedding. It was lovely, but Kaelin had gently reminded her that Avery wanted just a few simple decorations.

There was Ken. Should she tell him? Or should she take a chance that nobody else would be interested in such gossip and it would just die away? She downed the last of the champagne in her glass, now too warm to really taste good.

And where was Tyler, the subject of the gossip? Her eyes roamed the room again. Tyler sat alone behind the head table, leaning back in his chair looking all handsome and lazy and…alone. This would be a good chance to talk to him, to talk about what had happened, perhaps to prepare him for the rumor that might be circulating even now.

“Margot.” She turned. Ken stood there, tight lipped. Shit. She closed her eyes.

“You heard.”

“What the hell was he doing?” Ken barked. “Does he have no sense whatsoever? He leaves town with a huge scandal hanging over his head—”

“Nobody knew about that,” she interrupted automatically.

“We knew about it! You’d think he could keep his pants zipped for one weekend, for Chrissake. And with Nick again…” Hs voice trailed off and he glared at her. As if it was her fault.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” she began, but he was furious, and she had to admit, she felt a small frisson of annoyance, too, that this had to happen at Avery’s wedding, when she’d had all those hopes for how this was going to go. Instead, typical Tyler, he’d come home and gotten in trouble again. She had to admit, for a moment she shared that same thought—could he not just have been on his best behavior for one weekend?

She watched Tyler finish his beer, rise out of his chair and cross the dance floor. He stopped beside Nick and Kaelin and looked down at her with such warm affection, Margot’s heart stopped.

Dear god. Not Kaelin. Her fingers flew to her mouth.

Fear and dread gnawing at her insides, she continued watching as Tyler and Kaelin moved together, dancing to the slow song in an intimate hold, body pressed to body, her arms looped around his neck, gazing up at him, his hands low on her hips. Emotion swelled inside Margot, a complex mix of joy to see Tyler smiling like that with such tenderness and happiness, fear that he was going to break Kaelin’s sweet heart, and longing for something she couldn’t even name.

“I want him out of here,” Ken snapped. “Before he ruins Avery’s wedding.”

She turned to her husband with dismay. “No. Ken. Not tonight. I’m sure it was nothing, truly.”

This couldn’t be happening all over again. She’d buried her anger and resentment toward her husband for how harshly he’d reacted last time with Tyler. Or, she thought she’d buried her anger and resentment. It was starting to seep up to the surface, resurrected by her disappointment that this wedding wasn’t apparently going to be the family reunion she’d longed for. She didn’t want to blame Ken for it all. Lord knew, she’d done her part, enabling Ken in his authoritarian discipline, trying to make everything look good on the outside, trying to make their family appear all perfect and loving, when the reality was, things were a big mess. She’d always thought she was doing the right thing, keeping Ken happy, trying desperately to keep their family together, but now… She pressed a hand to her aching heart. She did not want to live this all over again.

“It doesn’t matter if it was nothing!” he said, the words stiff and tight. “What matters is that people are talking about it!”

“Oh, for—” She curled her fingers into her palms. “You don’t know that!”

“Of course I know it! You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it, we might as well get up to the microphone and announce it to the whole wedding.”

“It doesn’t matter.” But it did matter. To him. She sighed. Maybe she could talk to Tyler alone. This time she’d handle things, and she’d handle it differently. “I’ll talk to him.”

She set off across the dance floor, her high heels clicking on the parquet floor. She paused beside Tyler and Kaelin. “Tyler.”

Tyler and Kaelin moved apart to look at Tyler’s mom, standing beside them on the dance floor. Her cheeks were red, her eyes snapped and she glared at him. Was she angry because they were dancing together?

“What, Mom?”

Mrs. Wirth glanced at Kaelin and frowned. “What are you doing, dear?” she asked.

“Um…dancing.”

“Never mind.” Mrs. Wirth waved a hand. “Tyler, I need to talk to you. Alone.”

He lifted one eyebrow and released Kaelin, the song ending just then anyway.

“Go on,” Kaelin said with a smile, though a feeling of dread crawled over her skin. She watched them walk away, Mrs. Wirth’s posture stiff, her steps in her high heels urgent, Tyler’s gait loose and easy as he sauntered beside her. They moved to one side of the ballroom and were almost immediately joined by Tyler’s dad, who folded his arms across his chest.

Nick came up behind her and set his hands on her waist. “What’s going on?” he murmured.

“I don’t know. But she looks pissed.”

Nick sighed. “She’s always pissed at Tyler about something.”

“What on earth could he have done? We were just dancing. You don’t think she could possibly be upset about him dancing with me, do you?”

“Not out of the question.” They watched her gesturing, looking as if she was nearly yelling, though they couldn’t hear anything from where they were. “But it looks like a little more than that to me.”

“Um. Yeah.” Her heart rose to her throat as she watched. She tipped her head to look up at Nick over her shoulder. “What should we do?”

He watched them unhappily.

Tyler leaned against the wall, looking careless and relaxed. He flashed a smile, but even from across the room, Kaelin could see how phony it was. Then he straightened. Stared at his parents. Said something to them. Mr. Wirth shook his head violently, and gestured toward the door.

“Dear god,” Kaelin breathed. “Are they kicking him out?”

“Can’t be.”

Tyler stood there for a few seconds longer, and Mrs. Wirth lifted a hand. This time it wasn’t entirely clear if she was pleading with him or telling to get out, but Tyler took a step back, then turned and started toward the nearest exit from the ballroom.

Now Kaelin turned fully to peer up at Nick. “What…?”

“I’ll go after him.”

“I’m coming too.”

“Kaelin…” He paused, then said, “Yeah. You come too.”

They hurried out of the wedding, now a song by Beyoncé getting everyone grooving on the dance floor. They passed Aunt Mona shaking her double Ds and exchanged a yikes glance.

Tyler was still at the elevator and they caught up to him just as the doors slid open. He glared at them. “What the hell are you doing?” he snarled.

They stepped in with him and Nick pushed the button for their floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked Tyler back, his voice mild. “What’s going on, buddy?”

Tyler scowled. “Nothing.”

“What was your mom talking to you about?” Kaelin asked. She tried to take his hand, but he jerked it away. A flash of pain seared through her at his rejection. Oh boy. Once again, just because she was developing feelings for him, completely inappropriate feelings, didn’t mean that he was for her. She pushed away the hurt.

“Nothing.”

“Clearly it wasn’t nothing. For Chrissake, man, just tell us.”

The doors opened and they walked down the hall to the room. Tyler slid his keycard in out and out and opened the door, then pushed into the dark room.

Kaelin followed. The bed had been made and the room straightened. You’d never know what they’d done in that bed last night. Her stomach clenched and her fingers curled into her palms.

Tyler looked at her. “Go back to the wedding, Kaelin. You shouldn’t be up here.”

Her mouth fell open and she gazed back at him. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Of course I’m okay! Jesus Christ.” He ran a hand through his hair and gave a harsh laugh. “You don’t need to worry about me.”

But she was worried about him. His cheekbones wore a flush of anger and his blue eyes glittered. His beautiful mouth was a thin line across his face.

“Seriously, Kaelin. Get the hell out of here.”

His words were like a slap and she jerked back.

“Tyler.” Nick’s voice cut through the tension. “What the fuck?”

“You want to know what’s going on?” The rage on Tyler’s face almost scared her and she took a step back, feeling as if a knife was turning in her chest. “Fine. I’ll tell you. There’s a rumor going around about me. About us.” He looked at Nick and gestured with his hand between them. Nick frowned. “About last night. About how we were making out with some slutty chick in the lobby of the hotel and took her back to our room.”

Kaelin gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes went wide and her head spun.

“That’s right,” Tyler said, voice still steely, turning back to her. “Apparently the front desk clerk was getting an eyeful. But he didn’t recognize you. So nobody apparently knows it’s you. And you’d better damn well hope it stays that way. Which is why I’m telling you, get the hell out of here now. Before this gets worse.”

Her chest burning, her throat aching, she just stood there. “Oh my god.”

“Your sweet and innocent reputation will be ruined,” he continued nastily. “You also better hope after seeing you in the same clothes as last night that Cop Boy doesn’t put two and two together and get four. Or should I say three. Ha.”

“Fuck.” Nick sat down heavily on the side of the bed. “Fuck.”

“We did that already,” Tyler said, heading for the mini fridge. “Several times.”

Kaelin looked at Nick, who held his head in his hands. Then he looked at her. “Kaelin. I’m so sorry.”

Sorry? Maybe she was stupid, but what was to be sorry for? If whoever saw them hadn’t recognized her, nobody was going to figure it out. Nobody would guess in a million years.

“Your parents don’t know it was me,” she repeated.

“Not a clue. My mom thinks we picked up a hooker or a dancer from the Pussy Cat Palace or something. They’re completely mortified and pissed off. So mad in fact, that they told me to leave before I ruin Avery’s wedding.” Bitterness edged his tone. He popped the top off a beer and gulped down half of it.

“Oh for god’s sake,” she said. She rubbed her forehead, trying to think. “You’re an adult. What you do is your business.”

“Not when the front desk clerk at the Red Maple Inn sees me and starts telling the whole town. And embarrassing my poor parents. Jesus.” He tipped his head back. “I knew I shouldn’t have come back here.”

Silence loomed around them. Kaelin didn’t know what to do, what to say. “I feel like I’m the one who should apologize,” she whispered, twisting her fingers together in front of her. “It was me who instigated that. It was my idea.” She tipped her head to one side and regarded Tyler miserably. “This time it was me who got you in trouble.”

“Oh for shit’s sake,” he growled. “Don’t be stupid. I get myself in trouble. All the fucking time.”

Nick closed his eyes and tipped his head back. “You know, I’m getting sick of that story,” he said.

“What?” Tyler glared at him.

Afraid they were going to start a fistfight, Kaelin took a step toward them.

“Never mind,” Nick said. “Kaelin, I’ll go back down with you.”

“I’m not going back,” she said heavily. “I can’t go back.”

“Nobody knows it was you,” Tyler reminded her. “Your reputation is safe, babe.”

“I’m not worried about that,” she said, though in fact, she was. A little. Her boss was down there. Could she get fired if someone found out? Dear lord, that entire law firm was so conservative and straitlaced, they probably didn’t know the meaning of ménage à trois without looking it up in a French dictionary. They would totally freak out if they knew.

It was her business, just like she’d told Tyler. And she didn’t regret a second of it.

“I’m not going back unless you both come,” she said.

“Oh Jesus.” Tyler finished the beer and smacked it down on the desk. “I’m not going back. Mom was right. It’s Avery’s wedding and I don’t want to ruin it for her. And to think…” He passed a hand over his eyes. “I was actually having a good time for a while there.”

Her heart squeezed and she took another step forward. “She wanted you there, Tyler. Avery did.”

He sighed. “Well, I was there. And now I’m gone. It’s done. The wedding’s almost over anyway. First thing in the morning, we’re checking out of here and getting our asses back to Chicago.”

Nick said nothing, his mouth pursed. Then he shook his head.

“What?” Tyler demanded.

“You gotta face your parents, man,” he said. “This is never going to end if you don’t.”

“Face them? How? Why? What am I supposed to say to them? What difference would it possibly make? I can’t defend myself to them.”

Kaelin gulped. Yeah, what was he going to tell them? It was true, they’d had a threesome last night in their hotel room. Couldn’t really get out of that.

“I don’t understand why they’re so upset about it,” she said, her voice still coming out in a near whisper through her tight throat. “Like I said, it’s your business. Who cares if you have threesomes every night of the week?”

Nick and Tyler exchanged a glance that confused her with its angst. What was going on?

“You know how they are,” Tyler said, not meeting her eyes.

“Yes, but…well. I suppose it is a little shocking.”

Tyler laughed. “Kaelin Daume. Are you telling me threesomes are common in Mapleglen?”

“No.” He was back to his mocking, cynical self, and her stomach cramped. “I’m not saying that. I guess you’re right. Your mom and dad were always worried about what people thought.”

“And so are you.”

She met his gaze, her heart thudding painfully in her chest, her legs shaking.

“Aren’t you?” he challenged.

She bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling, looked at Nick, who surged up off the bed.

“Enough, Tyler. You’re being an asshole again.” Nick came at her and wrapped her up in a hug and she leaned into him, her eyes burning, throat paralyzed. “Kaelin. It’s okay. I’m sorry about all this.”

“You don’t need to be sorry,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “I’m the one who should be sorry. But I don’t know how to fix it.”

“You don’t need to fix it.” Nick glanced at Tyler. “It’s Tyler’s problem to fix. He just doesn’t want to.”