Unexpected Lovers Box Set by J.B. Heller

We enterthe rehearsal dinner a few minutes late and receive a knowing look from my twin as she approaches with her soon-to-be husband. I arch a brow and shake my head, unable to stop smiling. When they stop in front of us, Storm smirks. “My, my, my, Mr. Perpetually Early is...”—she gasps, looking at an invisible watch—“late,” she says, her smile so big it lights her entire face.

“It was all her fault,” I grumble, wasting no time throwing Emory under the bus. “She seduced me in the shower.”

Emory’s eyes widen, and she punches me in the shoulder, surprisingly hard. But I don’t even care because this woman makes me happier than I thought I ever could be.

“What?” I say, smiling. “It’s true.”

Storm chuckles, and Jake grins, offering me a fist to bump. I, of course, oblige him then curl my arm around Emory’s waist, tugging her flush against my side, needing her close to me.

She peers up at me with those crystal-blue eyes that made my heart beat faster the very first day I saw her and grins. I can’t help myself. I bend my neck to brush a kiss to her full, pouty lips, and she sighs contentedly.

This woman has cemented herself in my heart in just a few short weeks, and I already know, without a doubt, that I will be telling her exactly that before this weekend is over.

Sebastianand I sit at a large, round table with Storm, Jake, the girls, and Jake’s family for the meal portion of the evening. And it’s all too easy to picture myself as a part of this big, beautiful, and boisterous group. They all talk over one another, laughing, teasing, and joking together. It’s everything family should be.

“So, Emory, how did our man Bash here land a beauty like you?” Spencer, Jake’s younger brother, asks, waggling his brows.

I blush and shrug. “It just kinda happened,” I tell him. It’s the truth; this was supposed to be fake, a ruse. But it doesn’t feel that way anymore. It hasn’t for a while. My feelings for him just kinda happened.

Sebastian throws an arm around the back of my chair then drops a kiss on my temple. “Eyes off, Spence,” he says, glaring playfully at the other man who chuckles.

“Ain’t no harm in lookin’.” He winks at me.

If my cheeks weren’t already on fire, they would be now from the salacious look in Spencer’s eyes, even though I know he’s just doing it to rile Sebastian.

A hand appears out of nowhere and smacks Spencer upside the head. “You cut that out right now,” Jolene chastises her son on her way past him as she heads to the ladies’ room.

I laugh. “I really like your mom.”

Spencer rubs the back of his head and grumbles, “You would.”

The night progresses, and when it’s time for dancing, Sebastian stands and offers me his hand. I balk at it. “I don’t dance anywhere except my bedroom and the kitchen unless I’m drunk off my ass,” I tell him.

He opens his mouth to respond but slams it shut when Jayla appears at his side. She locks her hand around his bicep and croons, “I’ll dance with you.”

My jaw locks, and Sebastian’s body goes rigid. He stares at her hand in silence, and I don’t know what to do.

“Come on, Seb. Think of it as practice,” she purrs, smirking down at me still seated in my chair.

“Practice for what?” I say, finally finding my voice and getting to my feet. Her gaze rakes over me, and I swear I see pity in her eyes. Screw that. “Practice for what?” I repeat, narrowing my eyes at her.

She smiles serenely at me, cocks her head, and says, “For the wedding, of course.”

The way she’s deliberately choosing her words to make it sound like she’s referring to their wedding makes my blood boil. I have never been jealous or possessive in my life, but this bitch is getting under my skin, and the satisfied expression on her face says she damn well knows it.

Sebastian seems to snap out of whatever daze he was in—freaking finally—and yanks his arm out of her grip then steps toward me, completely ignoring Jayla. “Come on, baby. Let’s dance,” he says to me, and I let him guide me to the dance floor.

He takes my arms and loops them around his neck then curves his around my waist, and we sway to the music. I swallow hard and stare at my feet. “Why would you have to dance with her at the wedding?” I ask softly.

Sebastian tips my chin up, forcing me to look at him as he says, “She’s the maid of honor, and I’m the best man. We’ll share one dance, and that’s it. She was making it sound like more than it is.”

I nod, understanding, and smile sadly. “She wants you back,” I murmur.

He scoffs. “She can want all she likes, but she can’t have me. I’m done with her. You know that, Em.”

Do I know that?They were together for seven years; that’s a lot to walk away from. And they haven’t even been broken up for a whole year yet. He practically went out of his way to remind me this was all fake at the picnic, and here I am, thinking maybe we could have been heading toward something real. I was a convenient date and easy lay. What an idiot.

Tears prick my eyes, and I drop my head, laying it on his shoulder before he can see them.

We don’t talk for the next three songs. We simply hold each other, our bodies swaying along to the music as I build a wall around my heart, needing to protect myself from the inevitable loss of him.

When I’m sure I can look at him without my devastation showing, I lift my head and tell him I need to use the ladies’ room. He eyes me warily but leads me to the edge of the dance floor where I tell him I’ll find him when I’m done.

I lock myself in a stall, holding my head in my hands as I take deep breaths, trying to calm the storm inside me. I feel seasick, like I’m on a boat in the midst of a storm as waves crash over the bow, and my insides roil from the choppy motion.

This time, when the tears sting my eyes, I let them fall, giving myself this moment to grieve the loss of what could have been if things were different.

“Emory,” a familiar voice says from the other side of the door.

Shit, it’s Storm. I take a deep breath and hope like hell she can’t hear the quiver in my voice when I say, “Yes?”

“Are you okay?” she asks. “I saw you come in here, and you looked off...”

That’s one way to put it. I bite down on my bottom lip as a sob tries to wrench free from my chest. I’m being ridiculous; we aren’t even a real couple, and I’m reacting like I’ve just lost my soulmate.

“Em?” she says again.

I can see her pretty white heels beneath the door and berate myself for making the bride-to-be worry about me. I swallow and once again take a deep breath then clear my throat. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be out shortly. Go back out to your guests,” I say, crossing my fingers, praying that she listens to me.

She hesitates then stomps her foot before finally saying, “Okay.”

If I wasn’t so upset, I’d laugh at her little foot-stomping action. Instead, I wait until her feet disappear from view, and I hear the door open then close as she leaves.

I heave a sigh of relief. I pull myself back together, flush the unused toilet, then clean up my face in the mirror.

I’m just about to step through the door to rejoin the festivities when Jayla steps in front of me, blocking my exit. “Excuse me,” I say, wanting nothing more than to shove her out of my way, but I refrain.

“You know this thing with you and Seb is only temporary, right?” she says, fake-ass concern blanketing her features. “He and I—we’re inevitable. After seven years together, do you really think he could have moved on already? I’m not telling you this to hurt you, Emily. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

Ignoring her deliberate dig at my name, I scoff, indignation rising to the surface. “Right, you’re simply looking out for me. How nice of you.”

She nods, clearly not picking up on the sarcasm in my tone. “That’s right. Us girls have to stick together.”

I close my eyes. I’ve had enough of her and this stupid conversation. I shove past her, making her wobble on her sky-high heels. “Thanks,” I mutter and head straight for the main exit.

A large hand wraps around my upper arm as I push through the doors into the cool of the night. I swivel and glare at the person who has the gall to put their hands on me, frowning when I look up at Spencer.

“Hey, pretty lady. Where you off to in such a rush?” he drawls.

I arch a brow as I dip my chin to where he’s still holding me.

He drops his hand immediately. “Sorry,” he says, cringing, no doubt from the scowl on my face.

“I needed some air,” I say, turning away from him and continuing to march away from the restaurant.

His footsteps crunch on the gravel as he follows me into the dark night. “It’s cold as balls out here,” he mutters.

Huh, I didn’t even feel it until he mentioned it. The cool air nips at my bare arms, and I shiver but press on.

“Jesus, woman, you could at least let me go back and get my jacket,” he says, keeping pace with me.

“I didn’t ask you to come with me,” I grumble, glaring at him again.

He shrugs. “I know, but I had a mission this weekend, and I failed already. First day on the job, and I fucked it up.”

I pause, turning to face him. His hands are buried deep in the pockets of his dress pants, and he looks almost bashful. “A mission?” I inquire.

“I was supposed to keep the she-devil away from you and Bash. Woman’s got it in her head that he’s going to go crawling back to her, and she can be mean as a snake when she wants to be. I swear, I took my eyes off her for two minutes to hang a leak, and when I came back, everything had gone to shit,” he says.

I arch a brow. “You don’t say,” I mutter, turning on my heel to continue on my way.

“Let me at least come with you,” Spencer calls.

Peering over my shoulder, I shrug at him. “Fiiine.” Spence offers me his arm, and I take it. “Think you could give me a ride back into the city in the morning?” I ask. I’m tired of wanting a man I can’t have, and the last thing I want is another run-in with Jayla.