21
Aarav had come to expect the impossible from James. He had a smoking-hot wife who didn’t take shit from anyone and a husband who was equally as sexy, plus an entire construction crew worth of lovers whom he shared his spouses with. Keeping the Shields organized seemed like second nature. And he was genuinely a nice guy.
But the man had outdone himself this time.
The Shields’ headquarters had been transformed into a classy-as-fuck location for Sevan, Levi, and Ransom’s wedding reception. Whereas the photographs Aarav had seen from the previous Powertools weddings at Kayla’s original resort, Bare Natural, and even more recent affairs like Ollie, Van, and Kyra’s wedding at Hot Rides, had given the impression of homey outdoor events, this one was all about style and class.
This building, at the heart of Middletown, which had been built by James’s own hands for Jordan and the Shields, held so many amazing memories already. At least for Aarav, who’d never known what it was like to have somewhere he belonged. A place he referred to as home instead of just where he lived.
Their jobs were hard. They sometimes did terrible things. Saw gruesome parts of humanity that most people were completely oblivious to. They needed occasions like this to offset the others. It was one reason Aarav had stuck around, become part of the team, when he’d only ever operated solo before. A lone wolf who’d finally found his pack.
The polished metal and glass of the Shields headquarters made the perfect backdrop for white flowers and even the crystal chandeliers that had replaced their standard fixtures. The place looked elegant and…hell, he admitted it to himself, romantic.
Or maybe that was just the vibe everyone was giving off around this place lately.
Nolan and Jace twirled Laurel between them in a gorgeous emerald-green gown. Her smile seemed effortless and the remnants of trauma that had haunted her eyes when she first came to town had long been chased away by patient loving from her two boyfriends.
Nearby, the guests of honor were even more striking. Sevan wore a white pantsuit studded with rhinestones that literally made her shine. Around her waist, a long, flowing partial skirt gave the illusion of a formal gown. It was the perfect outfit for a glamorous bride, who also happened to be a kickass motorcycle mechanic who’d once pretended to be a guy to infiltrate and dismantle an infamous MC.
Even the food was over the top, both plentiful and so delicious he had already downed thirds of every appetizer. Aarav thought that if he ever were to be so lucky as to get married, he’d hire James in a second to make the day incredible for him and his mate.
Then again, he’d probably have to have a date first. And that required asking someone out.
Unfortunately, the one person he was interested in had been avoiding him the entire night, as she did more and more often lately. Sola had even started partnering with Liam in the field on some jobs, using Ace’s busted arm as an excuse.
The team thought of Aarav as a man without emotion because building a wall between his heart and his trigger finger was what it took for him to get in the zone. It took a lot of brain power to make the mental calculations about distance and wind he needed in order to protect the team he’d come to care too much about.
But the truth was, he’d been struggling lately to keep his emotions in check. Especially around Sola. He leaned against the wall near the dessert station and tried not to be too obvious as he studied her dancing with Kennedy and Ruby. Her long brunette hair was down today, curled, prettier than he’d ever seen it considering she usually opted for a messy bun around headquarters and tight ponytails or braids in the field.
She drew the gazes of every unattached man, and some women, in the place. Even Tom and Ms. Brown—the honorary parents of the Hot Rods and now the rest of their friends too—who whirled nearby, stopped to smile and clap for the dancing women. Kate was bopping on the edge of the dance floor with her husband, Mike, who held their infant while beaming at their older son and daughter partaking in the festivities.
Their daughter, Abby, was of course partying with Nathan, the two of them joined at the hip—maybe gyrating a little too close for their parents’ comfort—now that they were teenagers. Joe and Morgan hung out with Mike and the rest of the Powertools crew, who sat near James, who straddled the space between them and the Shields.
Along with the Hot Rods and Hot Rides, who were intermixed, Aarav spotted Blakely. He admitted it, he was a bit envious of the work she’d done on Knox. Hell, the dude had barely accepted Jordan’s job offer and already had a shield permanently inked on his body, nailed down two of their operatives, and made them his for life.
“Do you ever have fun?” Marcus asked as he snagged a variety of fancy cheeses from the charcuterie board. He could easily have passed for a billionaire at the opening of yet another of his entrepreneurial ventures in his impeccable black tux.
“Who says this isn’t enjoyable?” Aarav didn’t take his stare from Sola. Couldn’t. Damn, she was gorgeous. And brave. And took no shit from anyone. Him included.
Liam snorted as he and Ace joined them, doing some ogling of their own. They were focused on Ruby, who looked both outstanding and nearly unrecognizable from the geek girl he knew in her sequined black dress, which swept the floor. Of course, she was also wearing a circlet that he was pretty sure he’d seen in aLord of the Ringsmovie, so she hadn’t entirely lost her spirit.
“It’d be more fun if you went and joined her,” Marcus promised.
“Yeah, then why are you here talking to me instead of spending time with your lovers?” Aarav raised a brow.
“Needed to refuel and bring them some more food too so that we have enough energy for later.” Marcus waved at Kennedy, who blew him a kiss. Knox laughed, a real down-to-his-soul laugh, and kissed her cheek. “You know, if you quit screwing around, maybe you could get lucky tonight too.”
Aarav thought there was a better chance of him crashing and burning, but maybe it was the pheromones flying around the room giving him bad ideas that encouraged him to listen to his friends for once. “Okay, fine. I’m going to cut in.”
Did he even remember how to dance? He’d loved to once.
“Go get her, tiger.” Liam clapped him on the back and shoved Aarav a bit in that direction. He was still catching up with his momentum when his slick dress shoe hit the dance floor. Instead of approaching suavely and taking one of her friends’ places, Aarav instead bowled all three of them over.
Several people gasped, and Mike and Joe jumped into action from the sidelines, helping right the women, who were cracking up.
“Damn, Aarav,” Ruby teased. “You didn’t have to actually throw yourself at Sola.”
He was still trying to come up with something to say that would smooth things over when another man, one he’d never seen before, approached in a suit, holding a single rose. “Are you all right? I’m sorry I’m late.”