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Properly Groomed
by Boone Brux

Copyright © 2017 by Boone Brux. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Publisher.

Chapter One

Joya didn’t know what was worse: the pounding in her head caused by the Cosmopolitans she’d indulged in last night, or the blinding sunshine streaming through the window, demanding she haul herself out of bed and start her day.

Everything hurt. Even the soft white sheet lying across her waist felt like sandpaper against her sensitive skin. The throbbing in her ears and at her temples intensified. She’d been a bad bridesmaid, laughing and toasting to any and everything. At one point, she was fairly certain she’d toasted the flower arrangements. And that was after the group at her table had cheered the Seattle Seahawks, Kwanza, and beer cozies.

The thundering headache and drought-level thirst was her punishment.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t lie in bed all day, no matter how much she wanted to pull the sheet over her head and sink into a hangover-induced sleep. She reached for the sheet.

Something beside her shifted.

Not something. Someone.

The breath halted in her throat. Only her eyeballs moved, roaming up and down her sleeping companion.

There’s a naked man in my bed.

She recognized the smooth tan skin and muscled back instantly, and a small part of her pride shriveled and died.

No, no, no, no. After years of feigning disinterest, of keeping her raging lust in check, and playing the cool sister of the best friend, had she slept with Lincoln Fisher?

All traces of her hangover vanished and her mind raced through the events of last night. Eating, drinking, dancing, then dancing with Linc, flirting, more dancing, flirting and dancing. They’d danced really close.

Damn near indecently close.

Yes, there was a definite possibility she’d slept with the one guy she swore would never touch her.

Linc had been her brother’s good friend since elementary school, and once she’d discovered boys, he’d made her life a living hell. Not that he ever knew it. She’d been obsessed, Linc invading her every thought and daydream. Only the fact that he was Kyle’s friend—and the endless ribbing she’d get if her brother found out—had kept her from doing anything stupid.

Looks like her streak had come to an end.

Or had it?

She glanced down, noting her teal bra. Without ruffling the sheets, she inched her hand along her body until she connected with her panties. If she still had on her bra and undies, there was a good chance they hadn’t done it.

Who could blame her if they had, though? Even now, her fingers itched to trace the honed planes of the muscles on his back, slide down his spine, and cup one of his firm butt cheeks. His black hair lay against the white pillow, and his breathing was deep and quiet. The guy didn’t even snore. A corner of the sheet draped strategically across his hip and upper thigh, covering what were no doubt lovely man-parts. Though his face was turned away from her, she could make out his profile. Gorgeous, even after a night of partying.

She blinked.

Having to face him in the blinding light of reality, no doubt looking like a victim of prom night gone wrong, would be something she’d never live down.

As carefully as possible, she slid out from under the sheet, scooped up her dress and blue stilettoes, and headed to the bathroom. The quiet click of the door lock reverberated through the bathroom, making her cringe. Once secured inside, she flipped on the light and flinched.

“Prom night gone wrong” didn’t begin to cover the mass destruction staring back at her from the mirror. How many Cosmopolitans had she had, exactly? Her shoulders slumped and she rubbed her temples. At least she’d had fun—maybe?

Risking waking up Linc, she turned on the hot water. Getting rid of the corpse bride look overruled sneaking out undetected. Hopefully, she’d make it back to her room without a chance encounter with any of the other wedding guests—namely the other bridesmaids.

With more vigor than any beauty article advised, she scrubbed her face. The result was fairly successful in removing the mascara and most of the pink from her lips, but her hair was a lost cause. Only hot water and a fistful of heavy conditioner would conquer the matted mess.

Okay, she could do this. All she needed was to find her purse and she was out of there. She slipped into the dress but opted to carry the shoes. It would make her getaway a lot faster.

The thunk of the door unlocking sounded louder than before and made her tense. She counted to ten and then eased the door open. Relief washed through her. He hadn’t moved, the sheet still barely covering him and his breathing even.

A few steps out of the bathroom, she stopped for one last glorious ogle. Damn that man for being crazy hot. She gave herself a mental shake and tiptoed into the living room of his suite. Her purse sat next to the console table on the floor, as if she couldn’t be bothered to get it onto the table last night. After a quick check inside, she found her room key and slipped into the hall, breathing a sigh of relief when the door finally shut behind her.

That had been close—too close. Maybe nothing much had happened between them. Maybe he’d been as drunk as she had been. Maybe he wouldn’t remember anything past their dirty version of the Chicken Dance.

One could only hope.

Chapter Two

When he heard the quiet click of the suite door closing, Linc chanced opening his eyes. She’d left. That really hadn’t surprised him, but on some level he’d hoped they would finish what they’d started last night.

Linc groaned and rubbed his face. He really should get a medal for restraint. When she’d peeled off her gown and stood in the middle of his bedroom in those tiny blue panties, push-up bra, and heels, wanting to dance some more, it had taken all his willpower and the restraint of his noble ancestors not to scoop her up and haul her to bed.

There were some lines a person didn’t cross, though. His friend’s drunk little sister being one of them.

The girl he’d always thought of as a sister had morphed into a freakishly perfect goddess. All that smooth pale skin, long legs, and thick auburn hair made it impossible to reconcile her with good old Joya—practically one of the guys. That girl was gone, burned away by the seductress from last night, the woman who had nearly driven him past the point of no return.

He tossed back the sheet and sat up. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear he’d tempted her to the same extent, or she wouldn’t have made a stealthy escape. Normally, he might be offended, but this was for the best. He didn’t do relationships, and even if he did, Kyle wouldn’t hesitate to take him out if Linc so much as touched Joya without a wedding ring in his pocket. Probably even if he did.

Nope. She was as off-limits as they came.

But last night…she’d been incredible. They’d danced and flirted and touched more in a few hours than they had all the years they’d known each other. It had been nice—very nice—but it didn’t change the fact that she was the wrong person at the wrong time. Or that Kyle would kill him.

Sometimes he wondered whether there would ever be a right person at the right time. Maybe it was the wedding and the fact that his other friends were headed into serious relationships, but over the past month he’d been thinking about his future in terms of more adulting and less bacheloring. He’d sold his bachelor condo and was set on purchasing a house.

There was no rush to settle down—no wife and kids for him any time soon—but when he did make that move, he hoped it’d be with someone like Joya. Smart, ambitious, funny, beautiful, and she didn’t take his shit—which made her even hotter.

The image of her standing in the middle of his hotel room, half naked and dancing to a song she hummed, flashed through his mind, making him hard.

He’d never get that image out of his head. Ever.

He groaned, stretched, and walked to the wall of windows to stare out over Seattle. He could—and probably should—avoid her. The problem was they were two pieces of a larger group, and their friends would no doubt wonder why he suddenly wanted nothing to do with the sweet, auburn-haired beauty. But if he got within a mile of her, they’d see right through him.

He moved away from the window. From the way she’d crept away this morning, she was probably thinking of a million ways to hide from him, too. It was all for the best. His life was chaotic right now, with the opening of a new restaurant and basically being homeless until he found a new house. Even if he wanted a relationship, he didn’t have time to romance a woman.

Maybe once he got settled, he’d test the waters again. Until then he’d lay low at Kyle and Roxy’s house.