“Coming right up, ma’am.”
As he hurried off to get her that drink, he heard his brothers laughing. Thought he heard one of them say “whipped.” But he ignored the good-natured teasing. He knew Jake and Austin loved Maddie, and if he was whipped, then so what. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this happy.
Like Maddie had warned, his mom was by the refreshment table, but fortunately she was chatting with Charlotte’s manager, leaving Owen to get Maddie’s drink without being harassed. As he poured iced tea from the large glass pitcher on the table, he caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye, and turned to find a beautiful blonde standing next to him.
“Would you mind pouring me one of those?” she asked in a throaty voice.
He nodded rather than answering, taken aback by the gorgeous female beside him. She had the palest blonde hair he’d ever seen, nearly platinum, but it didn’t look dyed. Rather, her hair resembled strands of fine silk, plaited into a braid that hung over one shoulder. She had nice eyes too, a deep amber color, and the lavender dress she wore hugged a body that was both petite and abundant with curves.
She smiled at him as he handed her a glass of iced tea, and Owen was shocked by the flicker of arousal that tickled his body.
“I’m Kerry, by the way,” the blonde said, still smiling. “I played bass on Charlotte’s last tour.”
Owen just nodded again, all the while trying to figure out where that burst of attraction had come from. He wasn’t supposed to find other women attractive. And he definitely wasn’t allowed to feel aroused by anyone other than Maddie.
“You’re Nate’s brother, right?” Kerry pressed.
Another nod. When she smiled again, the tiny tug of attraction returned, making his head spin. Lord, how could this be happening? He was with Maddie. He was happy, damn it.
As his hands shook, he poured iced tea into another glass and took a desperate step to the side. “Uh, it was nice meeting you. I have to…uh, give this to someone.” He held up the glass as evidence, then darted away, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut.
Gulping down the lump in his throat, he headed back to Maddie, who was now talking to Lexie Price. The way he’d reacted to that blonde sent a tremor of shame through him. It had been a familiar reaction, one that usually led to a flirty exchange, a round of casual sex, and a good-bye. But all that was in the past, right? He was in love with Maddie. He’d never act on some traitorous pull of desire that drew him to another woman, even a hot one like Charlotte’s bassist.
Right?
The thoughts wreaking havoc on his brain confused the shit out of him. Swallowing, he tried to ignore them as he made his way over to Maddie.
“Are you sure you’re not angry?”
He halted at the sound of her hushed voice. She and Lexie had their backs to him, and he could see from the sudden stiffness of Lexie’s shoulders that she wasn’t happy with the current topic of conversation.
“I told you,” the other woman said, “it’s fine. I don’t care that you slept with Cooper. I really don’t—”
What?
As his chest tightened with shock, Owen took a hurried step to the side, ducking behind a group of his mom’s friends from her knitting club. For a moment he wondered if he’d imagined it, but Lexie Price’s cool voice continued to blaze through his mind.
I don’t care that you slept with Cooper.
Ice slithered trough Owen’s veins as he absorbed the horrifying thought. His hands curled into fists, one pressed against the trousers of his tux, the other nearly breaking the iced tea glass he’d brought for Maddie.
Maddie had slept with Cooper? Cooper Grady?
What. The. Fuck.
“Why are you so quiet?” Maddie asked, following Owen into his living room.
He made a sound that was a cross between a grunt and a grumble, which brought a wave of uneasiness to her stomach. He hadn’t said a word since they’d left the reception. Hadn’t even smiled when she’d suggested they spend the rest of the evening watching Jean-Claude Van Damme’s entire filmography. God, he could be so damn frustrating sometimes, especially when it came to revealing what was on his mind. So tight-lipped and stubborn about sharing his feelings.
“Are you angry about something?” she asked when he still didn’t utter a word.
Owen removed his tuxedo jacket and tossed it on the leather recliner next to the couch. “Should I be?” he finally said, his voice lacking any shred of emotion.
“I don’t know,” she retorted, biting back irritation. “Should you?”
Tightening his jaw, he flopped down on the couch and casually crossed his ankles together. “Well, I don’t really know. Is a man supposed to be angry when he finds out the woman he’s with slept with someone else?”
Shock crashed into her. “What?”