AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Seth managed a smirk and lifted his empty glass in Liam’s direction in a kind of mocking salute. The too-sexy blond gave him a little nod and turned to his brother.
The wedding festivities kicked into high gear a few minutes later. People shuffled over to the rows of little white chairs in front of the altar. Seth dutifully kept his eyes on the happy couple at the end of the aisle, refusing to let himself search for where Liam might be sitting. Probably on Sven’s side of the room, in the front with the rest of the Larsen family. Seth had selected a chair at the rear of the gathering, but he was flanked by coworkers.
At least Geoffrey and Sven managed to take his mind off Liam for a short period of time. The two men looked completely mismatched. Sven stood nearly seven feet tall with massive shoulders and a perfectly trimmed blond beard. His long hair had been neatly braided down his back.
Geoffrey, on the other hand, was halfway over five feet and was thin enough to look as if a strong wind would knock him over. He was an adorable twink with laughing blue eyes and the sassiest mouth Seth had ever met. The man seriously had zero filter between his brain and his tongue, but at least he was a truly sweet person.
But despite their obvious differences, Geoffrey and Sven were made for each other. There were few people in the world as happy together as they were. Of course, the other people that happy were probably his coworkers.
Fucking water.
The vows were exchanged, and they were pronounced married amid cheers from their family and friends.
Seth briefly considered sneaking out after saying a very quick congratulations to the happy couple, but Gidget latched on to him and practically dragged him to their table for dinner. To his great relief, most of the Ward Security people were seated together, which also happened to be on the opposite side of the room of Sven’s family.
As the delicious meal was served, Seth caught little glimpses of Liam. Dear God, he was a good-looking man. Sure, he resembled his brother, but Sven was a handsome man as well. He just never thought of Sven that way. He was a coworker and friend. There was nothing else.
But Liam…sexy as hell. Unlike Sven, Liam’s blond hair was cut short. He also had a beard like his brothers, but he wore his trimmed close to his jaw and chin. And while he couldn’t be sure from this distance, Liam’s eyes were possibly a darker shade of green than Sven’s.
This was ridiculous.
Seth jerked his gaze to his own table to find Dom smirking at him as if he knew exactly who Seth had been staring at. Seth shook his head and grabbed his old-fashioned, taking a healthy swallow. Thank God Geoffrey had sprung for the full bar. He needed this drink.
When dinner was completed, the plates cleared, and the toasts given, Seth promptly switched to water. He was far from drunk, but he wasn’t clearheaded enough to drive home just yet.
With a bottle of water in hand, Seth slipped away from the table filled with his friends and stepped outside into the cooling night air. The sun had finished setting while they ate, and a few stars were shining in the velvet sky. There were people on the terrace, some of them swaying to the music pouring out of the open doors. But all the little groups were spaced far apart, offering the illusion of privacy.
He stepped up to the railing and looked out at the lights of the city that had become his second home. He’d grown up and gone to school in Bridgeport. He’d been sure it was the only place that would feel like home, but Cincinnati had surprised him. There was just something about this quirky city that grabbed ahold of him and wouldn’t let go. When he moved back to Connecticut, he was going to miss this place.
But he’d miss the people even more.
A soft scrape of a hard-soled shoe on the pavement had Seth turning a little to his left to see who had moved so close to him. A part of him wasn’t shocked to find Liam standing a few feet away.
God, he looked even sexier up close in his dark suit.
His hands were shoved into his pockets, but his shoulders looked almost painfully straight, as if his entire body was tensed.
“Hi, Seth,” Liam said, and his voice was the same low rumble that had washed over him in that hotel room.
Seth fought back a shiver at the memories flashing through his brain and pasted a smile on his lips. “Hey, Liam. This is a surprise.”
A choked laugh left Liam and he took a step forward, closing a little of the distance between them. “Definitely.”
