Page 58 of Wood

I nod. Can he get arrested for indecency?

Geoff is surrounded by shirtless men, all grinding on each other and on him in time with the pulsing EDM. He is laughing as hands grope fucking everything. He dances over to me, trying to tug me onto the dance floor. I resist, but some of his fellow dancers get behind me annnnnd, I guess I am dancing.

He winds his arms around my neck, shamelessly grinding his groin against mine in time with the beat, then spins around and sticks his butt into my hips, his hands reaching back around my ass, tugging me in tight. I relent, put my hands on his hips and move myself against him. I’m getting hard, of course, and he flashes a snicker over his shoulder at me. I wrap my arms around his torso and tug him up against me and growl in his ear, “You are such a bad boy, fiancé.”

He spins around in my arms again and presses his lips to mine. “The worst,” he says against my mouth. Slotting one leg between mine and the other outside, he fits us together and moves, and is pretty much humping my leg.

I feel hands on my hips that aren’t his and laugh, losing myself to the grinding. The beat is deep, and the bass is loud, and I have the man I love in my arms.

“So,” Freddie yells over the music, “Got yourself a boy, eh, Ben?”

I sip my beer, watching Geoff twerk against a skinny twink. His mostly bare torso is gleaming with sweat, the muscles in his chest gleaming and the emerging four-pack mesmerizing. “You know my name, huh, Freddie?”

“Pffft,” he scoffs. “Knew who you were months ago. Seen a lot of guys trying to hide in here. Hoodie and ball cap are easy to see through.” Freddie shakes a margarita vigorously, then resumes talking as he pours it into a large glass. “And I love golf, so I recognized you right off. I keep my customers’ secrets, Ben. But you are not a secret anymore, are you?”

“We are not, Freddie,” I raise my beer towards my fiancé, and he extricates himself from the throng to join me, kissing me soundly as he slides between my legs, wrapping his arms around my waist. He steals my beer and gulps thirstily, then flat out climbs into my lap, wrapping his legs around my waist and snuggling in tight.

“Hey, Freddie,” Geoff yells over the music. “Get my man another, please.”

“You know Freddie?” I ask.

“I used to work here, remember?” he says with an easy expression.

“I love seeing things work out,” Freddie says with a smirk as he slides another bottle my way. “The Caddie and the Daddy,” he chuckles as he turns away to mix another cocktail.

I quirk an eyebrow, and Geoff blushes. Pink creeps over his entire torso and up over his face. I pull back a bit and give him an expectant look. There’s a story here. Geoff tries to retreat, climb off my lap and nope, not happening. I lock an arm around his waist and tilt his chin up.

“Geoff?” I growl. His entire body shivers. How splendid that I have this effect on him.

He swallows, and words trickle out of his mouth. “I may have asked Freddie for advice on how… um… fuck this is awkward.” He clears his throat and tries to look away.

I pull his face back to me and kiss his lips. “Tell me.” Another kiss.

He sighs and squirms on my lap. “Advice on how to get you to…”

I make the connection. “How to seduce me? Is that right, Geoff?”

He squawks, then huffs. “Fuck, this is embarrassing,” he mumbles.

“Well, I guess I owe Freddie a huge thank you, then,” I say. Geoff huffs in relief. I kiss him soundly before smacking a palm on his delicious ass. “Go dance, baby. I love watching.”

“Ooh, kinky,” he chirps as he prances away laughing.

Freddie leans over the bar, wiping the surface with a rag. “He’s a good one,” Freddie says, nodding at Geoff. “Always kind to all the guys. Hell, women too. Young, old, fat, skinny, he was always kind. Don’t hurt him, Ben. He is a rare one.”

Shaking my head, I admit, “I’m marrying that man tomorrow, Freddie. Never want to hurt him.”

Freddie’s shock morphs into delighted bellows. “BOYS, WE HAVE A BACHELOR PARTY TO THROW! SHOT FLIGHTS!”

The crowd erupts with cheers.

Oh, shit, my head is going to hurt tomorrow.

37

GEOFF

We manage to drag ourselves out of the bedroom at noon when the FedEx driver bangs on our door. The baker is right behind him at one o’clock. I hope I can eat that fantastic cake by the time the sun sets. The champagne is a maybe, probably no.