May the Best Man Win by Mira Lyn Kelly Page A

after they’d settled the check and excused herself to take it. Something about the spokesperson for one of her accounts falling through.
    Half the group had already taken off, and the rest were inside deciding where to go next. But Jase had an early morning ahead of him helping Molly pick up a couch she was buying off some guy down in Hyde Park. He’d been saying his good-byes when he checked the front window and saw Emily still on her call, her shoulders hunched against the cold.
    So he’d grabbed her coat and, after tapping her shoulder, held it open as she mouthed “thank you” to him, slipping one arm and then the other into the sleeves.
    After reassuring someone named Calista on the other end of the line about the product spot, she wrapped up her call and walked over to the corner where he was waiting to flag a cab.
    â€œAre we actually going to do this?” Emily asked without looking his way.
    â€œDo what? Help our friends the way we promised we would? Sacrifice a few hours of our time to help provide them with a memory they’ll keep for the rest of their lives?” he asked, his voice dripping with the kind of superiority that was sure to get a rise out of her.
    And, oh yeah, there it was.
    That soft head of hair coming up to reveal sharp, narrowed eyes and a wicked smile.
    Just the way he wanted her.
    Her lips parted, and he could see the pink tip of her tongue sliding across the even row of her bottom teeth. Like she was contemplating the best way to eviscerate him.
    His pulse jacked, and even though he knew with every ounce of his being that he should step back, he moved closer instead. Brushed her hands away from the lapels of her overcoat and started buttoning it like he had any right to touch her at all. Like he was doing it to torque her off, and not because some messed-up part of his brain just couldn’t help himself.
    She was slim, the long coat wrapping easily around her. Even with it cut to her proportions, he still had enough fabric to bunch in his hands as he buttoned her up.
    What would happen if he reversed his actions, working his way back down that line of onyx disks and sliding his hands beneath the wool to skate over the narrow cut of her waist and the subtle flare of her hips?
    His fingers flexed as he realized the wayward path his thoughts had taken.
    What was he doing thinking about his hands on Emily’s hips? The heat of her body? Or anything about her body at all?
    Yeah, and Emily seemed to have snapped out of whatever temporary trace she’d succumbed to as well, because suddenly she was smacking at his hands like he was a gnat. Insignificant and annoying. Unwelcome that close to her.
    Good.
    That was better.
    â€œYou ass. Of course I’m going to follow through on my commitment to my friend. You’re the one with the track record of letting friends down, which is why I was clarifying that you were actually planning to hold up your end. Though even if you didn’t, I could handle this venue thing with my eyes closed.”
    Yeah, yeah. Emily had skills when it came to making nuptial miracles happen. No doubt. But—“ I’m the one who lets my friends down? Not ever, Em.”
    She met his eyes, and something that looked like hurt flashed within them for the barest instant. But then it was gone and she was back to doling out the cutting glare he’d become accustomed to the handful of times they’d seen each other over the past few years.
    â€œRight. So how do you want to do this, then?”
    They talked briefly about the reason they’d been called to action. Each agreed to put together a list of venues with potential, and then they’d coordinate visits to those with availability the weekend after Christmas.
    They’d narrow it down to a short list so Sally and Romeo could make the final decision. A Yellow Cab pulled up, and Emily crossed her arms while taking a step back from the curb to give him the