Baiting the Maid of Honor
Read Baiting the Maid of Honor Online
Authors: Tessa Bailey
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Romance, #Contemporary, #Military, #series, #cop, #bad boy, #entangled publishing, #Brazen, #line of duty, #erotic, #kristen ashley, #unfixable, #Contemporary Romance
He’ll own her from the very first touch.
Julie Piper and Reed Lawson have nothing in common. She’s a people-pleasing sorority girl hiding
behind her perfect mask. He’s a take-no-prisoners SWAT commander who isolates himself from the
world. But when they’re forced together at their friends’ posh destination wedding, one thing is clear
—Reed wants Julie more than he wants his next breath. Which is why he’s not about to stand by when
she’s dared to seduce another man.
Julie wants neat, tidy sex, so she could get back to what she does best—making everybody
else
happy. She never expected to slip into a dark bedroom and have her mind blown by rough, demanding
hands, and a sinfully filthy mouth—neither of which belong to the best man.
One night should have been all Reed needed to get the blond temptress out of his system, but when
one taste is nowhere near enough, he’ll be forced confront the effects of his hellish past. One that may
push Julie away forever...just when he realizes he can’t live without her.
MAID OF HONOR
A WEDDING DARE NOVEL
TESSA BAILEY
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons,
living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 by Tessa Bailey. 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.
Entangled Publishing, LLC
2614 South Timberline Road
Suite 109
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Visit our website at
www.entangledpublishing.com.
Brazen is an imprint of Entangled Publishing, LLC. For more information on our titles, visit
Edited by Heather Howland and Ellie Brennan
Cover design by Heather Howland
ISBN 978-1-62266-726-0
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition June 2014
Table of Contents
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Chapter One
A relaxing, six-day mountain retreat at the exclusive Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado, followed by
her best friend’s wedding—what could possibly go wrong?
Julie Piper tipped her champagne glass to her lips and smiled at the women conversing animatedly
around her. She’d selected the resort’s tasteful Osprey Lounge as the venue for Kady’s bachelorette
party and if her friends’ rapidly increasing inebriation served as any sign, it had been a darn good
choice. Predinner drinks, a light meal, and a loose seating arrangement had been meticulously planned
to make the evening a success. Now she could sit back and enjoy the delicious buzz working its way
through her system. It had been far too long since she allowed herself to relax, but there was
something soothing about being with three best friends who’d borne witness to four years’ worth of
triumphs and tragedies in her life. Also known as college.
Kady, the first of them to get hitched, had called with the news of her engagement a year prior,
tearfully asking Julie to be the maid of honor. She’d agreed without hesitation. Among the eclectic
mix of four friends, Julie had garnered a reputation as the planner. The maker of pretty things.
Energizer Barbie. Not exactly a flattering nickname, but apt nonetheless. She smiled, she mediated,
and she decorated. Making people happy was her top priority.
If her smile felt like it might shatter on occasion, well then she supposed even the ceiling in
Barbie’s Dream House sprang a leak now and again.
Through an avalanche of email and hysterical phone calls between Kady in Colorado and herself in
Atlanta, the wedding had been planned down to the tiniest of details. Ask her anything about floral
arrangements or canapés and she could dish for days. As she watched Kady show off her ring to the
tray-carrying waitress, smile beaming from ear to ear, Julie was reminded why she adored planning
and preparation. The end result never disappointed.
Regan, her sorority sister and current New York City headhunter, leaned across the table toward
Kady, artfully highlighted hair falling in a wave beside her face. “So does Colton know he’s marrying
the legendary Tri Delt who once rode a mechanical bull in a bikini and chaps, or did you neglect to
mention it?”
“Oh, I told him.” Kady sniffed proudly. “He asked to see pictures.”
Regan saluted with her glass. “Now there’s a man worth giving up casual sex with strangers.”
“I seem to remember you taking a turn on that bull, Julie,” Kady pointed out.
“I may or may not have pictures of that night,” Christine said on Julie’s left, saving her from having
to respond. “And I may or may not have brought them along with me to torture you.”
Kady’s mouth dropped open. “I should have known, Miss Investigative Journalist. Even in those
days you were never without your camera.”
Christine brushed her bright-red hair over her shoulder, looking quietly pleased. “Always
prepared.”
“I shudder to think what photographic blackmail you have on me.” Regan winced. “I seem to recall
some flashes going off the night I scaled the Chi Omega sorority house to steal their mascot off the
roof.”
Julie nodded sagely. “Mmm-hmm. And nothing between you and the Lord but a smile.”
“That’s right. I
was
butt-ass naked.” Regan flounced back in her chair and shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t
hear any complaints from below.”
As they all groaned over Regan’s statement, a new arrival in the lounge caught Julie’s eye. Looking
horribly out of place, a young woman clutched her purse strap, eyes scanning the room. A vague
familiarity about her tipped Julie off. “Kady, is that Colton’s sister?”
Kady craned her neck to look toward the bar. “Ooh, yes. Julie, can you go get her?”
Julie had already left the table and was halfway across the room before Kady finished making her
request. She flashed her most welcoming smile at a wide-eyed Sophie and pulled her into a hug,
laughing when the other girl automatically stiffened like a board. Taking pity on her, Julie moved
back a step. “Now, don’t let the hugging scare you off, Sophie Brooks. That’s just how we do things
in the South. Come on over and let’s get you a drink. Are you hungry? They have the most delicious
crab cakes. I just about died when I bit into mine.”
Sophie’s gaze was fastened on Julie’s mouth as if she couldn’t believe a person could say so many
words without taking a single breath. Julie sighed. She was used to that look. “Uh, thank you. No, I’m
not hungry.” She cracked a nervous little smile. “But I’m more than willing to partake in the
drinking.”
Julie took her arm and led her toward the table. “Excellent. You’re going to fit right in.”
The young woman looked doubtful as they approached the table, but as soon as introductions were
made and Julie placed a glass of champagne in her hand, the boisterous conversation swelled once
more and Sophie seemed to relax slightly, even if she looked like a spectator at a tennis match trying
to follow their banter.
Julie waited until everyone had become distracted by bawdy talk of wedding night lingerie choices
before she inconspicuously left the table. She floated past the restrooms and the bustling kitchen, and
slipped out onto the deserted back patio she’d spied earlier, inhaling the clean mountain air. After
nearly missing her flight this morning thanks to a last-minute meeting at her father’s company, she’d
hit the ground running to get the party set up in time. A breather was definitely in order. As soon as
the patio door closed behind her, she yanked the clip out of her hair, letting her long blond hair tumble
down around her shoulders. Alone in the darkness, she allowed her ramrod posture to deflate, the
tension to ease from her shoulders.
She inched her fingers along her scalp, massaging away the stress she’d built up over this
morning’s meeting. Over constant worries she would forget one vital detail and disappoint everyone.
Over making tonight special. It felt so good, her eyes closed automatically, head tipping back as a tiny
