Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) Read Online Free PDF Page A

texted Brianne that he wasn’t coming, for God’s sake—it wasn’t like he’d been kidnapped or in some horrible accident.
    He glanced at Jamie and they locked gazes. Gabe knew how protective Jamie was of his little sister. There was no doubt in his mind some part of Jamie wanted to kick Eric’s ass—if he got through Gabe first, that is.
    Gabe had never been so angry with anyone, never felt so compelled to come to someone’s defense as he did with Brianne.
    Why? Wasn’t he secretly thrilled?
    Watching the two of them prepare for the wedding had been torture. Throwing Eric a bachelor party had been hell. He’d died a little inside, watching them rehearse their vows. Every step had taken them one step closer to being permanently cemented as a couple. It had taken her further away from him.
    Hadn’t he felt a wave of relief when he’d first heard the wedding was off? Like he was getting some kind of a second chance?
    It had been a stupid thought. Eric had gotten cold feet, that was all. Gabe had watched him and Brianne for six years, and there was no mistaking how well-suited they were for each other. It was a fact Gabe was reminded of every time he saw them together. They were from the same world. They knew the same people, ran in the same circles, made a beautiful couple who would make beautiful babies.
    They were meant to be.
    Eric would return. They’d patch things up and get married, maybe eloping somewhere on a beach. Gabe would be wrangled into standing up as Best Man all over again. And then he would have to watch the only woman he’d ever loved marrying his best friend.
    This wasn’t a pardon. It was a reprieve.
    Ryan leaned toward Gabe, cutting into his thoughts. “Either you do something about that, or I’m going to.” He nodded in the direction of a tall, blonde goddess in a blue sheath dress. Gabe had noticed her glancing at their table a few times—it happened a lot when he got together with his friends. Now she was staring at Gabe.
    “Like you would do anything about that,” Gabe snorted. “You’re head-over-heels in love with someone already.”
    Ryan quickly glanced at Annie, who was now at the bar chatting with another woman.
    He patted his friend on the back, then got up to approach the blonde.
    Why not? It wasn’t like he was tied to anyone.
    But even as he flirted with her, and she flirted back and tossed her hair around and did all the things women did when they wanted to get into bed with a man, he only had eyes for Brianne. She danced, and ate, and drank, and did everything she could to put her guests at ease.
    Like a true lady was supposed to do.
    His brave, fragile, beautiful girl.
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Two weeks later…
     
    Gabe shook his hands out as the ref walked him and his opponent, Javier Montoya, through the rules. Then he walked to his corner of the ring. Over the past few years, Gabe had extended his fighting skills to include mixed martial arts and usually stepping into the ring was enough to clear his head of everything but the match ahead.
    Not today.
    Just before the bell rang, he felt the familiar clench of nerves and the racing of his pulse thanks to the adrenaline already coursing through his veins. Unfortunately, the feeling reminded him not of the last time he’d fought, but of two weeks ago, when he’d almost kissed Brianne on the beach.
    He heard the bell ring and before he’d even made it to the center of the octagon Javier was right in front of him throwing punches.
    Gabe was able to stave off about three out of every four. One of the punches caught him just over his left eye and within the first thirty seconds, he was bleeding. He shook it off and came back fighting. He connected a swift right cross with the side of Javier’s head. The other man’s head snapped to one side and the sweat off his forehead flew across the cage. Javier shook his head as if literally shaking the punch off then lunged forward and grabbed Gabe around the waist. He