Seducing Her Best Friend

"Yes, why ever should I not say what I think, especially when it's the truth?" He tapped her mouth shut by hooking his index finger under her chin, and Naomi swallowed hard when he gave her his full attention. That blasted blush stole back into her cheeks, and before she could think of one sensible comeback, he stunned her further.

"I didn't think a blush would show with your darker skin tone…" Again, his fingers traced the curve of her cheek before he pulled that hand into a fist and dropped it next to his thigh. "I'm delighted to see that I was wrong, as it makes you far easier to read, my sweet."

"I … that is…" Naomi inwardly rolled her eyes at her complete inability to string a coherent sentence together and settled for glaring at him to try to get her point across. When that didn't work, she groaned.

“I don’t know what game you’re playing, but might I remind you that you are married. To my best friend, I hasten to add, and…"

She couldn’t bring herself to carry on, because Dawson quirked an eyebrow at her, disapproval written all over his face.

"Careful there, girl. I don't like your tone, and neither do I appreciate the implication. Josh sent me after you. He seems to have some misguided notion of needing to see you before I whisk him away on our honeymoon. He's worried about you. I don't like to see him worried, so I came to find you." He stepped back while he spoke, and in the next instant his strong hand clamped around her elbow and propelled her in front of him.

“So, let’s get this over with. Smile and dance with him, girl. Skulking around in corridors is not going to help, now is it?”

“I wasn’t skulking. I was just…”

The rest of whatever she was going to say stuck in her throat, when Dawson pushed her through the door at the end of the corridor, and she found herself emerging into the decadent ballroom, and the throng of people. The vise-like grip on her elbow turned into a soothing caress, as Dawson's voice bellowed out from behind her.

“Found her. You were right, of course. Our girl was working far too hard.”

Our girl?

Her heart gave some very suspicious bumps at that notion, but before she could ponder what Dawson could possibly mean by that, they were in the middle of the room, and everyone seemed to be staring at them.

Where is that mousehole to hide in when you need it?

Naomi hated being the center of attention like this, especially as she'd lost the cloak of professionalism that kept her going through these events. This whole day had been a nightmare as it was, like she’d known it would be. It had only been Josh's pleading with her that had made her agree to organize his wedding. Besides, it's what she did, so to refuse to organize her best friend's wedding? That would have just raised suspicion. Just like this—whatever this was—would surely set tongues wagging.

Josh swung round, and her heart skipped another beat when she caught sight of him. His infectious smile lit up his rugged features, as he grinned at Dawson over her head, and some sort of unspoken communication seemed to be going on between the two of them. Not that she had any time to ponder the strange feeling that she was missing something, because, in the next instant, Josh pulled Naomi away from his new husband and into a bone-crushing hug.

“I missed you, sweet cheeks. We need to dance before my Lord and Master whisks me away to destinations unknown.” There was a curious unde

rtone in his words, which made unwanted and utterly useless tears want to well up again.

Seriously, what was wrong with her? She wasn’t normally this emotional, dammit, especially not in full view of people.

Josh hugged her tighter still, and closing her eyes, she gave herself this moment of simply being held by the one man she loved most in the whole wide world. And what a day to realize how much she loved him.

“Are you all right, baby?” His whispered question, for her ears only as he grasped her nape and rested his forehead on hers, made her force a smile on her face.

“Of course, I am. Why wouldn’t I be?” The words burned a path of humiliation and despair across her bruised heart, one which she hid under a practiced smile as she pulled away from him.

“Honeymoon, huh? I thought you were staying here at the hotel?”

Josh smirked at Dawson, who’d appeared in Naomi’s peripheral vision. Hands stuffed into his tailored trousers, he gave off an air of nonchalance, were it not for the intensity in his darkening eyes as he took in the scene in front of him. When Dawson smiled it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Secret location. Call me old fashioned but I want my husband all to myself for a couple of weeks anyway.” Dawson paused, and the air thickened with unspoken tension, all of a sudden. “Once we’re back … well, I might indulge Josh a little.”

He inclined his head toward her friend, and before she could say or do anything, Josh laughed.

“Don’t mind him, sweet cheeks. This is a party, so let’s party.”

When she pulled a face and tried to extricate herself out of his embrace, Josh wouldn't let her. Instead of allowing her to pull away, he yanked her closer, so close that her breasts were squashed against his chest. It made breathing difficult, as Josh's scent enveloped her. It was a curious mixture of his and Dawson's, as the other man chose that moment to step up right behind her. Naomi was trapped, caught between the two male bodies, enveloped by their combined body heat, and she closed her eyes lest they betray her conflicted emotions.

Josh's sigh brought it with it a trace of the champagne they'd drunk and the scent of mint, which she would forever associate with him, thanks to his obsession with chewing mouth mints after every meal. Being a dentist by profession did that to a guy, she supposed, and she liked to tease him about it, but not now. Not when her hormones were going into overdrive because Dawson's strong fingers grasped her chin and forced her head up.

“Do him the courtesy of looking at him when he’s talking to you, girl.”

The icy demand behind those words caused Naomi's eyes to fly open, and her world tilted anew at the concern she saw in Josh's blue gaze. He flicked a glance at Dawson, and she swayed slightly when the other man released his hold on her chin and stepped away abruptly. Josh frowned and shook his head at her.