We speak at the same time. Seven finally turns around to face the window but of course that doesn’t help much. Now I’m presented with the elegant line of her spine and also with the evidence that what I thought was a bikini panty is in fact a thong.

“Fucking hell.”

“Luke!”

“I’m sorry. Fuck.” I close the door and then lean my head against it. My hand clenches around the doorknob. It’s taking all my self-control not to open the door and go back in that room.

I hear another muffled curse from behind the door.

“Sev? Are you okay?”

It’s quiet for a moment then I hear, “I’m stuck.”

“What?”

“Oh just open the door, damn it.”

I push open the door again. She’s still facing away from me and I clench my jaw when I get another look at her curvy little ass. I wouldn’t have expected her to have such a round bottom when she’s so thin but her clothes have been hiding a gorgeous shape.

“When you’re done staring at my ass could you help me?”

Her angry words pull me out of my stupor. While I’ve been standing here ogling her, she’s still got her arms stuck over her head, trapped by the dress.

“Sorry. Here, just hold still.” I manage to pull the dress up slightly so she can get her arms out of it.

Once she’s free, she rubs her shoulders. “Thanks, the damn thing was strangling me.”

Now that she’s standing normally, it’s even harder to keep my eyes on her face. When our eyes meet, she blushes again. Her hand goes up to brush her hair forward over the scarred side of her face. That one movement just about breaks me. Just the idea that she could be worried about how she looks in front of me …

I pull her against me until we fit together from chest to thigh. She sucks in a sharp breath and her hands land on my chest.

“Luke, what are you doing?”

“Hell if I know.”

Then I’m kissing her. No longer caring about taking things slow or whether I can trust her, in that moment I’m acting purely on instinct. She shudders against me and her lips part, hot and needy against mine. Finally. I don’t waste any more time waiting for permission before my tongue seeks out hers, teasing her with gentle strokes.

Her fingers flex against my chest and the gentle pressure feels so damn good. I’ve never been more conscious of the difference in our sizes but the way she’s clutching at me makes me want to curl my whole body around her. To protect her and shelter her. Her head falls back and my mouth follows the line of her throat before coming back up to take her lips again. I love the way she tastes, slightly sweet like she’s been eating candy.

“Luke?”

Her voice startles me, pulling me out of the haze I’ve slipped into. When I open my eyes, she’s staring up at me plaintively. That’s when I realize I’m holding her under the arms so tightly that she can’t move. Her dress is crumpled between us. I immediately let go and she steps back.

“I am so sorry.”

“You don’t have to—”

“Yes, I do. I’ll wait outside so you can get dressed.” I don’t look at her again, just walk to the door.

But just before I close it, I turn around. She’s still standing by the window holding her dress in front of her like a shield. Her hair has been mussed by my hands and there’s a sexy, satisfied little smile on her face. I can’t deny the intense satisfaction I get from knowing I made her look like that.

“Plenty of people will be looking at you tonight, Sev. Especially me.”

†

After changing into the tuxedo Tank convinced me it was smarter to buy than rent, we drive over to the restaurant. Seven is extremely quiet in the car and I can’t think of anything to break the silence. Clearly I can’t be trusted not to say something inappropriate after my earlier behavior.

Even though she said I didn’t have to apologize, it’s obvious that I scared her a little. She looked completely unnerved standing there holding her dress like it could protect her from me. I practically mauled the girl and she’s so tiny she couldn’t push me off.

The restaurant has a sign that it’s closed for a private event but the door is open. We follow the flower trails out to the back. Everything was pretty much set up last night but now the large grassy lawn behind the restaurant has been completely transformed into an oasis of white and pink flowers. As soon as you walk outside, there’s a little table with the guestbook so I sign in for both of us.

“I have to go find Tank and the other guys. Are you going to be okay on your own?”

Seven nods a little too quickly. When her eyes finally meet mine, the tops of her cheeks turn pink. “You told them I’m coming, right?”

“Yeah, Tank said it was fine. He put you in the second row so you’ll be right up front.”

She nods. “Go on, be with your brothers. I’ll be fine.”

I want to say something but I can’t think of anything other than “I like the way your lips feel” so I just watch helplessly as an usher escorts Seven to her seat in the second row, right behind Tank’s mother. Once my mom arrives, she’ll be seated on the same row. Mom will have plenty of time to interrogate Seven tonight, unfortunately. I’ll be stuck taking pictures after the ceremony for at least a half an hour.

I walk towards the hallway and almost bump into Gabe. He looks relieved when he sees me.

“Glad you’re here. Tank is about to hyperventilate.”

“What?” I follow him to a room I didn’t see last night. Tank is pacing in front of a mirror, wearing a tuxedo minus the jacket. His hair is sticking straight up and his eyes are wild. Finn is talking to him in a low voice.

Zack jumps up when we enter. “Dude, where have you been? He’s about to crawl out the window. I thought we were going to have to restrain him. I’m sure you can guess about how well that would go.”

He glances over at Tank and we take a collective breath. Tank is aptly nicknamed and if he freaks out it’ll probably take all four of us to hold him down.

“What the hell is going on?”

Gabe hands me a maroon cummerbund and a bow tie. It’s been a really long time since I’ve tied one of these but I manage to get it into a decent shape.

“He thinks that Emma wants to back out of the wedding for some reason. Finn has been trying to calm him down. Nothing has been working.”

Zack yanks at his own bowtie until Gabe finally slaps his hand away and ties it for him.

I look over at Tank again. His expression reminds me of how he looked at his bachelor party. Then I remember Seven’s words when I told her about Tank’s drunken whining.

All he wants is her.

“I have an idea but I’m not sure it’ll work. And it’s risky. Where are the girls?”

Gabe leans out the door and points down the hallway. “The room at the end of the hall.”

“Try to keep him calm.”

I jog down the hall and knock on the door. It opens and a cloud of perfume and giggles comes out. Sasha looks surprised to see me. Josie peeks over her shoulder and takes my picture.

“Luke, what are you doing here? I thought you were the other photographer. If you see him, tell him to hurry up. Josie can’t take pictures while she’s walking down the aisle—”

“No, that’s not why I’m here. Sorry to interrupt but I need to talk to Emma for a second.”

The girls move back and then I can see Emma standing in front of the mirror. Like most guys my age, I haven’t thought too much about marriage except as a thing to do someday. But even I can’t deny that Emma is a vision. Under her veil, her blond hair is twisted up into an elegant knot. Her white dress nips in at the waist and then billows in layers that make her look like a princess.

“Wow. You are gorgeous.”

She flushes adorably at the compliment. “Thank you, Luke.”

“I have a favor to ask. And I know it’s probably completely against the wedding rules.”