“Oh for Chrissake,” Tyler said. “We’ve already been arrested once tonight, it won’t happen again.”

“What if I get in an accident?” She turned big brown eyes on him. “I don’t want anyone killed before the wedding.”

“But after the wedding is okay,” Avery said, and Hardeep cracked up laughing and almost fell over.

Kaelin rolled her eyes. “Get in,” she said, climbing into the driver’s seat. “But if I get a ticket, you guys will all be sorry.”

“Just get Cop Boy to cancel it,” Tyler suggested, shoving Scott into the back seat.

Scott grunted and fell in. With Nick, Scott and Hardeep all in, Avery climbed in and arranged herself over their laps. Jesus, it was like high school all over again, breaking the rules, drinking and driving, not wearing seatbelts. Tyler sighed. Somehow it wasn’t as much fun as it had been then.

Kaelin drove through dark quiet streets to the Wirth home and Tyler recognized that she was staying off main streets and taking a zigzag route. He smiled at her with admiration from his place in the front passenger seat and patted her thigh approvingly. She smacked his hand away.

“What?” He turned hurt eyes on her. “You’re doing good, sweetheart.”

She shot him a glance, mouth tight, hands on the steering wheel.

Avery climbed out when they got to their parents’ place. She gripped the edge of the open passenger door window, bent down and glared at Tyler. “Make sure he gets back to the hotel safe and sound,” she snapped. “So I can kick his ass tomorrow when he can feel it.”

Tyler winced. “Avery, remember, this was my fault? He just wanted to look at the truck.”

“No way, man,” Scott piped up from the back seat. “I wanted to drive that fucker!”

Avery’s gaze shifted behind Tyler to stare at Scott. “Uh huh,” she said. “All right, then.” She looked back at Tyler, and her eyes narrowed. Then her gaze softened and her mouth twisted. “Tyler.”

“What? Seriously, Ave, don’t be mad at him.” He patted one of her hands. “He’s drunk.”

“I know.” She sighed. “So are you.” She bent lower to peer at Kaelin. “You okay, hon? To take them to the hotel?”

“I’m fine. You go in and get your beauty sleep for tomorrow.”

Avery looked back at Tyler with a fierce expression on her face. “Mom and Dad know nothing about this. Right?”

Tyler nearly choked. Oh hell yeah. “Right.” He held up a hand. “Absolutely.”

Avery walked up the front sidewalk. Kaelin waited until Avery was inside the house then pulled out. She drove to the hotel, this time heading onto Main Street and down toward the river where the Red Maple Inn was located.

Tyler chewed on the inside of his mouth as he debated what to say. He turned around to look at the guys in the back seat. Hardeep was snoring again, and Scott’s head was back, eyes closed, mouth open. Tyler met Nick’s amused eyes. Nick quirked an eyebrow. Tyler grimaced and turned back to face forward.

“Thanks for coming,” he said to Kaelin quietly.

She nodded, eyes forward.

“And thanks for helping.” He didn’t even want to mention Cop Boy.

Her chin lifted. “You’re welcome.”

He searched around in his brain for something else to say. He remembered their text messages during the dinner, his astonishment that she’d told him he was acting like an asshole. Only Nick ever told him stuff like that and got away with it. “You really do look hot tonight.”

She turned and leveled him with a scorching look, then resumed her eyes-forward driving.

Damn, she was pretty. Her small nose created a sweet profile, her little chin lifted, her long eyelashes fluttering as she watched the road. She parked in the lot of the hotel, and between the three of them, they managed to drag Scott and Hardeep out of the car and get them awake enough to walk through the lobby. At this late hour, few people were around other than the staff at the front desk. They rode the elevator to the third floor where Hardeep’s and Scott’s rooms were. They got Hardeep safely inside and face-down on his bed next to a sleeping Maddie, then Scott to his room, which was the honeymoon suite where he and Avery would stay the next night after the wedding.

“Are you going to be okay?” Kaelin asked Scott, worry creasing her forehead.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. He aimed a kiss at her forehead and ended up bumping her temple, then started taking off his clothes. Tyler frowned and set his hands on Kaelin’s small shoulders, turning her away from Scott and toward the door.

“I’m in room 405,” he told Scott. “Call if you need anything.”

“Sure, man, thanks. Sorry about tonight.”

“Don’t apologize to me. Save that for Avery tomorrow.” He was going to need to suck up big time. Hoo boy.

They left Scott in his room, and Nick and Tyler rode down the elevator with Kaelin and strolled across the empty lobby with her. Tyler stopped in front of one of the couches arranged around the fireplace, still burning with a warm glow, and pulled Kaelin down to sit beside him.

Nick paused, looked at him, then sat down too, on the other side of her.

Tyler blew out a long breath. “Wow. That turned out to be a crazy night.” He leaned back into the couch.

“No kidding,” Kaelin said. “I can’t believe that happened.”

“Thank you again, Kaelin.” Tyler took her hand.

After a short pause, she said, “It wasn’t your fault, was it?”

“I am fully willing to take the blame if it will save Scott’s ass,” Tyler said carefully. He shot her a wary glance. She smiled. Such a sweet smile, the curve of her mouth so appealing.

“Trouble just seems to follow you around.”

Nick laughed and she turned to look at him. Tyler watched them, the wordless connection between them, watched as Nick took her other hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Something shifted inside Tyler. It wasn’t jealousy. He liked it that they liked each other. He always had. In some ways, Nick and Kaelin were so much alike—steady, dependable. So unlike him. Probably Cop Boy was like that too—he was an officer of the law. He had to be serious and responsible too. Irritation rubbed inside Tyler.

Okay, that was jealousy.

Thinking about Kaelin with that guy bugged the hell out of him.

“How’s your eye, bud?” Nick asked him.

He focused his attention back on Kaelin and Nick, now both looking at him.

“I’m okay.”

“What happened?” Kaelin waited for his response, eyes clear, not judgmental or critical.

He rolled his eyes. “I tried to stop Scott from getting in the fire truck. He got a little carried away and accidentally knocked his elbow into my eye.”

Kaelin licked her lips, her little tongue dragging over the bottom lip in a gesture so sexy Tyler’s body heated.

“Oh, Tyler. Were you really trying to stop him?”

One corner of his mouth kicked up. “Yeah. I really was.”

“He really was,” Nick added.

She slowly shook her head from side to side.

Thick heat built around them, and his heart started thudding in his chest. He felt like his lungs were burning when he dragged air into them and there was no way he could resist touching her, her silky hair, the soft skin of her cheek and jaw, his thumb trailing over her velvety bottom lip.

Their eyes met and held in a stretched-out connection.

She didn’t move away from his touch, although she was sitting with both her hands captured by his and Nick’s, sandwiched between them, but she wasn’t trying to get away, and he let his hand drift to her shoulder.

“You’re so sweet, Kaelin,” he said hoarsely. “You put the whole wedding together for Avery. You bailed out Scott. Even my mom loves you.”

A tiny huff of laughter escaped her at that.

Tyler looked at Nick, who also gazed at Kaelin’s face with a look of admiration and yes, hunger.

Nick wanted her too.

As if sensing Tyler’s gaze on him, Nick looked away from Kaelin, and his and Tyler’s gazes locked. Unspoken questions passed between them.