by Eden Summers
Gabi turned to the blonde in the tailored suit as she pushed from the window and came toward them. She was professional and authoritative all in a cover model package. “Ignore him. He has foot in mouth disease. I’m Leah, their manager.”
Gabi could only smile in greeting as Alana gave Mitch a death stare.
“What?” Mitch asked in a huff. “Oh, come on!” He threw his arms in the air. “How come Blake can say that shit, but I can’t?”
“You do realize I was right beside you,” Alana mumbled.
“Yeah, kinda awkward,” a man with close cropped hair added from the table.
Sean? Gabi thought she recognized him as the band’s drummer.
“Hey,” he gave her a lazy wave. “Welcome to the drama.”
“Drama, my fuckin’ ass,” Mitch snapped. “How come Blake can talk dirty to my girlfriend, but I can’t say diddly squat to pay him back?”
“It’s nice to see you too, Blake.” Alana ignored her boyfriend and stepped forward, embracing Blake in a hug. “I missed you.”
Gabi stood still, trying to blend into the wall. Her chest was heavy, trying to contain her laughter although she wasn’t entirely sure if Mitch was playing along or genuinely offended.
“I bet you did, sweetheart,” Blake purred and winked at Mitch over Alana’s shoulder.
Mitch shook his head. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He turned to the table and addressed the others. “Why the hell doesn’t he get roasted for saying that? Huh? You guys can shove your smart comments up your ass, ‘cause I’ve had enough.” He strode from the room in a huff.
Silence fell heavy between them. Then as soon as the front door slammed, Gabi watched everyone break out in hysterics.
“My poor baby,” Alana cooed once the laughter died down. “You guys really have to stop picking on him.”
“Us?” Another man asked—the only man Gabi hadn’t been introduced to. He shook his head, his light brown, wavy hair shaking around his ears. “You’re worse than Mason, with your offended woman routine. I honestly don’t know how Mitch didn’t see through that.”
“’Cause he lurves me,” Alana smirked and made her way back to her seat.
“That’s Ryan.” Blake leaned into her and pointed a lazy finger to the man with youthful blue eyes and a full beard of stubble. He seemed so young. Too young to be the only married man of the group.
Ryan jerked his head in greeting and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Gabi.”
“You, too,” she added.
A hand came to rest at the small of her back, relieving her tension and filling her with comfort.
“Do you want to sit down?” Blake spoke into her neck.
In front of all these people, as nervous as she was, the feel of his breath against her skin still aroused her. She ignored the tingle that started to form in her belly and nodded, nervously playing with her necklace as she followed him to the two vacant chairs beside Alana.
“Oh, that’s exquisite. Where did you get it?” Alana focused on the edgy way Gabi played with the jewelry.
“Ah…umm,” she stuttered, feeling the weight of more than one person’s stare on her cleavage. “Blake gave it to me for my birthday.” She dropped her hand and shuffled in her chair.
Alana’s eyes flashed. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” The necklace had become more than just a gift. It gave her strength, made her feel loved, and once they were apart, it would be a constant reminder of their time spent together.
“Wow, Blake, you did a great job picking that out,” Leah added. “What are the charms?”
Gabi held the necklace out from her chest, showing them each of the charms.
“She loves turtles,” Blake added.
“And your ego added the guitar charms?” Mason laughed. “Nice way to mark your territory.”
“Yeah,” Blake shrugged. “A collar with the words ‘property of Blake Kennedy’ didn’t seem appropriate, so I settled for this.”
Gabi snorted and elbowed him in the ribs. He was different in front of his friends—more laid back. Happy. Or maybe this was another persona he hid his pain behind.
He chuckled and pulled her close to kiss her forehead. “You know I’m joking,” he murmured in her ear, nuzzling the erogenous zone below her neck.
“Yeah, I know.”
He inhaled, rubbing his nose along the patch of skin she’d sprayed with perfume. “Christ, Gabi, you smell delicious.”
“Shh.” She nudged him away. Had someone turned up the thermostat? Suddenly her top was clinging to her and her thighs were damp with sweat.
“Are you coming shopping with us?” Alana asked, pulling Gabi out of the lust haze.
She shot Blake a glance. “Umm, I don’t know. Am I?” They didn’t have much time together, and the thought of being away from him made her heart clench. These women were nice, welcoming, but they weren’t who she was here for.
Please, Blake, tell them we have plans.
***
Blake clenched his jaw, reading the wordless plea in Gabi’s eyes. He hadn’t had time to tell her what needed to be done today. Well, that was a lie. He’d had plenty of time. Only whenever he went to tell her about Mitch’s proposal, his cock took control and they ended up naked, in a tangle of arms and legs and lips.
She didn’t know about dinner tonight or the formal dress code. Going shopping would allow her the time to pick out a cocktail dress while he went with the guys to get fitted for suits.
“Sorry, angel.” He leaned in and placed a kiss at her temple. “Me and the guys have some stuff to take care of. We won’t be long.” The regret he felt echoed in her irises.
She gave him a fake smile and nodded. “No problem.”
But it was. He wanted to be with her, all day, every day, without interruption or social interaction. Only he couldn’t turn down the offer to help set up Mitch’s proposal. The guy could fuck up a love letter let alone something this monumental.
“Where are you going?” She turned her attention back to Leah and Alana.
“I’m not sure,” Alana frowned, “I can’t remember what the concierge said—Church Street?”
“Chapel Street,” Leah corrected, rubbing her hands together with glee. “I thought us ladies could get dressed up for dinner tonight.”
“It would be great if you could come.” Alana pushed back in her chair. “I better go check on Mitchell and see if he’s OK.”
Mason sniggered. “Yeah, as if you guys didn’t plan that all along.” He continued in a high pitched tone, “I’ll pretend to be offended and run back to our room like a little girl, then you can come after me in a few minutes. I’ll be waiting in bed, nekkid and covered in baby oil.”
Alana raised a brow and pushed her chair in. “Frankly, I’m disgusted that you would even think such a thing.” She turned her attention to Gabi, a smile pulling at the side of her lips. “Nice to meet you, Gabi, and I hope you’ll come shopping with us.” Inclining her head in farewell, her lips pressed tightly together, she turned on her toes to walk from the room.
“Oh, I’m so proud,” Sean stared at the doorway in a whimsical manner. “Our boy’s getting lucky. It feels like only yesterday he was spending all his time on his laptop, jerkin’ off to porn… oh, wait,” he focused on Blake with a smirk, “that was you.”
The porn jokes never got old…for them anyway. It didn’t matter that they now knew he’d been chatting with Gabi the whole time. To them it was always porn. Would always be porn—even when he was chatting to Gabi online in the future.
“What can I say,” Blake shrugged, “your momma looks great on screen.”
Gabi chuckled and the sweet noise made him smile. She would fit in perfectly with his friends. He could tell Mason and Mitch already liked her, Ryan would too—he got along with everyone, and Sean…was Sean. He wouldn’t voice an opinion either way and always went with the group consensus.
“Help yourself to a late lunch,” Leah offered, indicating the food acr
oss the table. “I’m going to get ready for the shopping spree.” She pulled a business card out of her pocket and slid it across the table to Gabi. “We’ll be leaving in an hour or so. Call or text me if you want to come. We’d love it if you joined us.”
“Thank you.” Gabi reached for the card and fingered the writing. “I’ll definitely tag along. I’ll need something to wear tonight.”
A pang of regret hit Blake in the sternum. He discretely rubbed at the pressure and silently inhaled until his lungs were at full capacity. If this was the way he reacted to the thought of being away from her for an hour, how the hell was he going to feel tomorrow afternoon when she went home?
This wasn’t good. He was in deep—bottom of the ocean, with a brick tied round his ankle—deep. And from the panic in Gabi’s light blue eyes, he could tell she was right there beside him.
Gabi pulled a black dress off the rack and sighed. It was breathtaking. Spaghetti straps, low neckline, boning through the heavily beaded corset that flowed into a willowy knee length skirt. Both Leah and Alana had already bought what they planned to wear tonight, five stores ago, and she was still fretting over the boutique store prices.
“That’s divine,” Alana said from over her shoulder. “It would look great on you, too. Even better in a lighter color because you have such beautifully tanned skin.”
Gabi flipped over the price tag and winced. The beads must be crystal, the thread made of gold, and stitched together by princesses in the Middle East. “Holy shit.”
“Don’t look at the price,” Leah demanded. “Blake’s paying. And before you start arguing, remember that he’ll be the one benefitting from seeing you in this. It’ll be worth every penny.”
Gabi did want to argue. He’d already spent too much money on her. First there was the ticket for the commercial flight from London to Australia, when he could’ve flown on their private jet days later. Her necklace, which she lazily caressed with her finger. Then the business class flights from Queensland to Melbourne. She would never be able to repay him.
“I shouldn’t.” She didn’t want to take his money, no matter how generous he was.
Leah pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. “Give me a sec.” Her fingers typed with super speed.
“You’ll regret it if you don’t.” Alana glanced at the price tag. “And it doesn’t cost that much.”
Gabi raised a brow.
“Well, OK, it might be a little pricey, but I’m sure Blake will get his money’s worth.”
Leah put her phone back in her pocket. “You know it has nothing to do with style and everything to do with how quick he’ll want to get you out of it, right? And he will want to get you out of it. Consider it an enjoyable form of torture.”
“Go try it on.” Alana gently palmed Gabi’s shoulder and pushed her in the direction of the fitting rooms. “If it doesn’t look absolutely perfect, we won’t push the issue. We have another ten blocks worth of stores we can visit.”
Gabi groaned and trudged ahead, placing the dress on the changing room hook. There was no way she could buy a dress that cost more than a small African country. What if she spilled something on it?
A phone beeped in the distance as she pulled the curtain across and began undressing.
“Blake says,” Leah called out, “If she doesn’t buy the dress there will be no smexin’ tonight.”
Gabi laughed and pulled the dress over her head, straightening it down her thighs. Blake would never live up to that threat.
“I’m joking,” Leah chuckled, “He said ‘Tell her she deserves the dress, and I can’t wait to see her in it.’ He then said, ‘tell her I love her and to hurry up and get back to the motel.’”
Gabi scoffed and pulled the curtain across. “He did not.” Blake was sweet, unbelievably so, however, she couldn’t picture him telling his band manager to pass on a love filled message.
Alana gasped and Leah stepped closer.
“You look stunning,” Leah said and handed her the phone. “Check if you don’t believe me.”
She took the phone and read the message on the screen. Tell her she deserves the dress & I can’t wait to c her in it. And tell her I love her…and get her to hurry up and get back to the motel. I’ve got needs. ;)
The phone beeped in her hand and another message popped up underneath the last one.
If she still refuses to get the dress, ask the shop assistant to put it behind the counter and I’ll pick it up myself. I want that dress, Leah.
Tingles wracked her body from her toes to her nipples. She no longer cared what they did with the dress. She just wanted to get back to the hotel and shower Blake with appreciation. How was she going to live without him when she went back to Queensland? It turned her stomach, clenched at her heart, and made tears well in her eyes.
“Fine. I’ll get it, but let me try the cream one on first.”
“I’ll get it for you.” Leah strode away.
“Blake is going to flip when he sees you in this,” Alana’s eyes gleamed. “You guys are so great together. He’s so sweet and funny and passionate.”
An unwanted weight of jealousy settled on Gabi’s shoulders. The “sweet” and “funny” she could handle, but “passionate” spoke of intimacy. An intimacy Gabi didn’t want to know about. Her insecurities must have shown in her expression because Alana stiffened and her throat convulsed with a swallow.
“I’m sorry, that came out wrong.” The top of Alana’s cheeks darkened.
Gabi didn’t want to ask. She shouldn’t ask. Her heart couldn’t handle her asking. “Have you…two…umm.”
Awkward didn’t come close to describing the air between them, but she needed to know the answer. No other man had made this uncomfortable nagging sensation crawl under her skin. Or she’d never cared enough for anyone to be affected by it.
Alana glanced away, her gaze searching for Leah.
“You have.” The words staggered from Gabi’s mouth. The apprehension in her stomach turned to lead, and she sucked air into her lungs to fight off the evilness trying to take over. Alana was beautiful, probably the sweetest person Gabi had ever met…and funny. The perfect package. It didn’t matter that her love for Mitch was evident in the way she spoke about him, or that Gabi trusted Blake without question. It was simply unjustified insecurity.
“I’m sorry.” Gabi shook her head, needing to dislodge the stupidity. She didn’t do jealousy. She never had, and it wasn’t time to start now. “It’s none of my business.”
“No, we haven’t… I haven’t… There was this one time—”
Gabi held up her hands in the universal please-don’t-fucking-go-there sign and backed into the fitting room. “Seriously, none of my business.” And it wasn’t. What Blake did before they hooked up had nothing to do with her.
She pulled the curtain closed on Alana’s pained expression and leaned back against the wall. Get control of your hormones, woman! She had no right to be upset over this.
Seconds later the curtain yanked open and Leah stood in the doorway, brows downcast. “What’s going on?” She placed the cream evening gown on the wall hook and stepped back, her gaze darting between Gabi and Alana.
“Nothing.” Gabi shook her head, embarrassment warming her cheeks. This was ridiculous.
Alana stepped forward, her eyes soft with apology. “It was a misunderstanding.”
“About?” Leah asked.
Alana looked straight at Gabi. “Blake has been present on one occasion when Mitchell and I…”
Leah cleared her throat, smothering a laugh, and Alana shot her a filthy glance.
“He watched…” Alana continued.
Curiosity had Gabi asking questions when she should’ve kept her mouth shut. “He watched?” A giggle broke the awkwardness. Her giggle. “I can’t imagine Blake just watching.”
Alana’s throat convulsed. “Well, he kept himself…busy, I suppose you could say.”
Leah snorted. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”
“As I was saying, he enjoyed himself, while Mitchell and I…”
“Fucked,” Leah blurted. “For god sake, woman, spit it out!”
Alana crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin. “Fine. We were fucking while Blake watched.” She turned her attention back to Gabi. “But he’s never touched me in a sexual way. Ever. I promise you. Mitchell is too possessive to allow it.”
Obviously not possessive enough to stop someone else from watching. “Wow. I didn’t see that coming.” From her experiences between the sheets with Blake, he didn’t seem restrained enough to simply watch. He was sexual and voracious and eager. She couldn’t picture him not being in charge.
Leah sniggered. “I bet Alana did.”
Gabi laughed without thought, and then winced. She had so much to learn about the rock star lifestyle.
“Don’t worry.” Leah squeezed her upper arm. “The Reckless guys aren’t really into the twenty-four-seven sexathon anymore. I know Sean and Mason share women every now and again, but they’re timid in comparison to some of the bands I’ve represented.
They get a lot of offers and when single, they do enjoy their playboy ways. I’m sure all of them are capable of monogamy, though. Well, maybe not Mason. I’m still undecided on whether that boy can keep his dick in his pants for longer than it takes to play a full set.”
Alana stepped forward and leaned against the fitting room wall. “Blake loves you, and he’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“I know,” Gabi replied, focusing her attention on the evening dress. Trust wasn’t the issue. It was plain stupidity. Nothing more. “I was shocked, that’s all.” She smiled, trying to show her apology. “Sorry for worrying you.”
Alana pushed from the wall and embraced Gabi in a hug. “OK. It’s all finished and forgotten.” She pulled back. “Now all we have to do is convince you to let Blake buy this gorgeous dress.”
***
Blake sat in a sofa chair, staring out the window. He’d spent an hour with the guys, under heavy security guard, organizing tuxedos for them to wear tonight.
