A Tricky Proposition(38)
“That our sex lives are nonexistent?” Sebastian proposed. He looked as relaxed and contented as a lion after consuming an antelope.
The last emotion pestering Jason should be envy. He was the free one. Unfettered by emotional ties that had the potential to do damage. Unhampered by monotony, he was free to sleep with a different woman every night of the week if he wanted. He had no demanding female complicating his days.
“Did it surprise either of you that Max is getting married?” Jason asked.
Sebastian swirled the Scotch in his glass. “If I had to wager which one of you two would be getting married first, I would have bet on you.”
“Me?” Jason shook his head in bafflement.
“I thought for sure you and Ming would end up together.”
“We’re close friends, nothing more.”
Sebastian’s thumb traced the rim of his glass. “Yeah, it took me a long time to see what was waiting right under my nose, too.”
Rather than sputter out halfhearted denials, Jason downed the last of his drink and stubbed out the cigar. The Scotch scorched a trail from his throat to his chest.
“I think I’ll go see if Max needs rescuing.”
They’d been cruising around Galveston for a little over an hour and Jason was as itchy to get off the boat as Nathan. He wanted to blame his restlessness on the fact that the bachelor party meant a week from now his relationship with his best buddy would officially go on the back burner as Max took on his new responsibilities as a husband. But Max had been splitting his loyalty for three months now, and Jason was accustomed to being an afterthought.
No, Jason’s edginess was due to the fact that like Nathan, Sebastian and Max, he’d rather be with the woman he was intimate with than whooping it up with a bunch of single guys and a couple of strippers.
What had happened to him?
Only two weeks ago he’d been moaning that Max had abandoned him for a woman. And here he was caught in the same gossamer net, pining for a particular female’s companionship.
He met Max on the narrow stairs that connected the salon level to the upper deck, where Nathan and Sebastian remained.
“Feel like getting off this boat and hooking up with our ladies?” Max proposed. “I just heard from Rachel. They’ve had their fill of the club.”
Jason glanced at his watch. “It’s only ten-thirty. This is your bachelor party. You’re supposed to get wild one last time before you’re forever leg-shackled to one woman.”
“I’d rather get wild with the woman I’m going to be leg-shackled to.” Max punched Jason in the shoulder. “Besides, I don’t see you downstairs getting a lap dance from either Candy or Angel.”
“Charlie said no smoking in the salon. I went upstairs to enjoy one of the excellent cigars Nathan brought.”
“And this has nothing to do with the warning you gave Ming tonight?”
Jason cursed. “You heard that?”
“I thought it was cute.”
“Jackass.” Swearing at Max was a lot easier than asking himself why he’d felt compelled to tell Ming to behave herself and not break any hearts at the club. He’d only been half joking. The thought of her contemplating romance with another man aroused some uncomfortably volatile emotions.
“And it doesn’t look like she listened to you.”
“What makes you say that?”
Max showed him his cell phone screen. “I think this guy’s pretty close to having his heart broken.”
Jason swallowed a growl but could do nothing about the frown that pulled his brows together when he glimpsed the photo of Ming dancing with some guy. Irritation fired in his gut. It wasn’t the fact that Ming had her head thrown back and her arms above her head that set Jason off. It was the way the guy had his hands inches from her hips and looked prepared to go where no one but Jason belonged.
Max laughed. “I know Nathan and Sebastian are ready to leave. Are you up for taking the launch in and leaving the boys to play by themselves?”
Damn right he was. “This is your party. Where you go, I go.”
Eight
Rachel Lansing, bride-to-be, laughed at the photo her fiancé sent her from his bachelor party. Sitting across the limo from her, Ming wasn’t the least bit amused. Her stomach had been churning for the last half an hour, ever since she’d found out that there were exotic dancers on the boat. And her anxiety hadn’t been relieved when she hadn’t spotted Jason amongst the half dozen men egging on the strippers. He could be standing behind Max, out of the camera’s range.
She had no business feeling insecure and suspicious. It wasn’t as if she had a claim to Jason beyond their oh-so-satisfying baby-making activities. Problem was, she couldn’t disconnect her emotions. And heaven knew she’d been trying to. Telling herself over and over that it was just sex. Incredibly hot, passionate, mind-blowing sex, but not the act of two people in love. Just a couple of friends trying to make a baby together.