by Eden Summers
The whoop whoop of propeller blades reiterated her statement, the noise growing faster with every second.
“Let’s get this party started.” Sean scooted along the wall seat, down to Leah. “Lead the way, gorgeous.”
Leah quirked a brow. “One word—inappropriate.”
He grinned back, unapologetic.
“I’ll get out first,” Blake spoke to Gabi, “and you can follow straight after.”
She nodded. The door opened again and they slid along the seat, moving from the quiet interior of the limo to the rush of noise outside. The wind blew, spurred faster by the spin of the rotor blades while the small group of fans began to chant. The cacophony grew as Gabi moved to her feet and Mason came out from behind her.
“Oh, my gosh,” Gabi winced. “This is crazy.”
Crazy, yes. But an everyday occurrence when they toured or travelled together. When they were on a break, Blake, Ryan, and Sean didn’t usually have to deal with paparazzi or rabid fans. Mason and Mitch were the ones who got slammed twenty-four-seven.
“Where are you going?” a woman called, leaning around one of the security guards who stood in line with the others making a human fence. “Are you two getting married?”
Gabi’s hand jerked in his hold, and she shot him a glance. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape. He’d imagined the same thing earlier. He was in a tux. She was in a white dress. Cream he mentally clarified. The shade didn’t matter, she still looked like a breathtaking bride, and he kind of wished she was.
“No,” Blake turned his gaze to the woman. “We’re not getting married.” And holy shit, he hoped that didn’t turn up on the front page of a gossip mag.
“Then who is she?”
Blake ignored the question and followed Leah and Alana to the back of the vehicle. The others went to the crowd, posing for photos, signing autographs, and hopefully clearing up any wedding questions in the process.
“Time to go,” Leah called, staring pointedly at Mitch and tapping her watch.
Everyone snapped to attention, except Alana who stood beside Leah, completely ignorant to the underlying importance. As a group, they strode over the tarmac, hunching over as they approached the helicopter, and were greeted by a man in black formal pants, white collared shirt, and tie.
“G’day,” he yelled and pulled the main door to the chopper open. “Climb aboard and we’ll talk inside.”
Sean led the way, keeping his head lowered while he stepped into the main cabin. Once they were seated in rows of pairs, the pilot pointed to the back of Gabi’s seat, indicating the headset hanging over the back of the chair.
“Put these on,” he mouthed, then pulled the door closed with a thwack.
Blake settled the headphones over his ears and positioned the microphone piece in front of his mouth. Static hushed softly, dimming the heavy whoop of the rotor blades.
“You’re so naughty for not telling me about the helicopter,” Alana’s voice spoke loud through his headset.
Blake turned his questioning gaze to Gabi who had her lips pressed in suppressed laughter. Did Alana not realize everyone could hear her?
“Don’t worry, you can punish me later,” Mitch replied.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Mason turned around in his seat at the front and pointed to his headphones. “Headset, dickhead. As much as I love imagining Alana nekkid, picturing your lily-white ass getting punished is making my balls shrivel. Comprende?”
Laughter echoed through Blake’s headset, and the pilot turned from his seat at the head of the helicopter with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, guys. I haven’t had a chance to say my spiel yet. My name’s Paul, and I’ll be your pilot today. The flight will take approximately an hour and a half to get to our destination. If you have any questions along the way, please feel free to ask. Now, I should’ve mentioned straight away that the headsets are geared up to allow us all to communicate. If you speak to the person beside you, we will all hear it.” He smiled at Alana. “So just be aware.”
“Yeah, thanks for that, Captain Obvious,” Mitchell muttered.
Blake glanced over his shoulder, past Sean and Ryan, to Mitch and Alana at the back. She made eye contact, cringed, then pointed to herself and mouthed the word “Idiot” before sinking into Mitch’s chest.
“I’m sure Mason or Sean will say something equally embarrassing or inappropriate in the next five minutes, so don’t worry about it, Al,” Blake offered.
She rolled her eyes, “Yeah, thanks.”
Gabi turned from the window beside her to grin at him. She smelled like heaven, her sweetness filling his lungs on each inhalation. Her lips were dark, luscious, and tempting. He ached to kiss her, to slide his tongue into her mouth, and breathe in her moan of submission. But he couldn’t. If he started, he wouldn’t stop, and he already had to suffer through at least another five hours before they would be back in their hotel suite.
“Ok, guys, let’s get this bird off the ground,” the pilot announced.
The heavy rush of propeller blades increased, and Blake entwined his fingers with Gabi’s. They drifted off the ground, slowly ascending into the Melbourne sky. Gabi’s mouth parted as she focused out the window. He loved the wide-eyed innocence that softened her already sweet features when she experienced something new. It filled him with pride that he was actually doing something worthy, instead of constantly dragging her down. They were meant for each other. Had fitted together like two lonely puzzle pieces. And there was no way he would allow Michelle to get between them.
Everyone remained quiet as they soared over the ocean, following the coastline while the sun lowered to the horizon.
“It’s beautiful,” Gabi murmured, leaning over him to look out the window on his side. The sky filled with varying shades of pink, purple, and orange, draping the landscape in a warm glow.
“I wish I would’ve brought my camera,” Alana sighed.
“Shit, I knew I forgot something,” Mitch added. “Sorry, babe.”
The pilot noted places of interest along the way making the time pass quicker—“That’s the highway heading out of Melbourne…. That harbor leads to the port city of Geelong... Right there is Torquay, which marks the start of The Great Ocean road.”
Daylight slowly faded and Gabi nestled into Blake, the warmth of her hand moving around his waist. He spread his arm around her shoulders, holding her close, mentally counting down the minutes until they could be alone.
“Up ahead are the twelve apostles,” the pilot announced. “I know we don’t have a lot of light left, but you should be able to catch a few of them before night settles in.”
“What are the twelve apostles?” Ryan asked.
“A collection of limestone rock formations protruding from the water. It’s quite stunning during the light of day. Although, there aren’t actually twelve left. The southern ocean has caused some of the stacks to fall.”
Minutes passed, the sky now filling with shades of dark blue and a slash of soft pink on the horizon.
“There.” The pilot took the helicopter down toward land and headed toward the coast, giving them a view out one side window.
Gabi straightened, his body immediately missing her warmth as she stared out her window. Blake could see the outline of a large rock formation, standing tall in the middle of the crushing waves. Moments later they passed another and another, all of them sticking out of the water like tall soldiers.
“Wow,” Leah gushed from beside Mason. “They’re gorgeous.”
“We should’ve come earlier,” Alana added. “It would’ve been nice to see them at sunset.”
Nobody commented. They all knew they needed the darkness of night to set the scene for Mitch’s proposal.
“Maybe next time, sweetheart,” Mitch offered.
The coastline sunk under the darkness, the soft glow of the helicopter equipment the only light in the dark cabin.
“We’re almost there,” the pilot offered. “Right on time.”
Mitch cleared his
throat, and Blake glanced over his shoulder to find his friend tugging at the collar of his shirt. Not even the dim light could hide his nervousness.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Mitch murmured, and everyone turned to face him. He looked up in surprise, and then frowned. “Fuckin’ headset.”
“Are you OK?” Alana asked in a rush, leaning back to scrutinize his face.
“I’m fine. I forgot about the damn microphone. Just keep looking out the window, we’ll be there soon.”
She smiled and rested into him. “There’s nothing to see anymore, only darkness.”
“The place we’re staying at should be visible from the air,” Leah offered. “It’s an immaculate property on the coastline. I was told it looks gorgeous from the ocean at night.”
“Really?” Alana sat up straight and peered out the window across the tiny aisle.
Everyone followed her gaze. Gabi leaned over Blake, Ryan pushed against Sean and Leah did the same to Mason.
Below, on a blanket of darkness, stood a paddock size message in flickering lanterns—Marry me, Allie.
The silence was palpable. Thick and heavy, as everyone waited for a reaction.
Then there it was, a ragged indrawn breath, a whimper, followed by Alana turning slowly to stare wide-eyed at Mitch, her hand clutching her chest.
“Allie,” Mitch started, and then cleared his throat. “You are my happiness.”
Blake raised an eyebrow and gave an approving nod. Maybe his friend wouldn’t fuck this up after all.
“My every thought, dream, and fantasy revolves around you. You make me whole, and I can’t go back to living without you in my life. Will you marry me?”
Blake’s heart clenched with pride, happiness, and yeah, a little jealousy. Mitch and Alana were perfect for each other. An undeniable match from the moment they met. He wanted what they had—a relationship without distance or skeletons haunting them from the past.
“Yes,” Alana whispered, nodding her head. “God, yes.”
Gabi sucked in a breath beside him, and he pulled her close, needing to know she wasn’t going anywhere. They may not have forever, just yet, but they had tonight.
Mitch pulled a jewelry box from his pocket and opened it, carefully taking out the ring. His hands shook as he straightened Alana’s fingers with his own. “Shit!” He fumbled, the ring slipping from his hand and falling to the floor. It landed silently, twirling and spinning until Mitch moved to his knees and slapped it down.
Someone groaned.
“He was almost in the clear, too. Poor, dopey, fucker,” Sean murmured.
Mitch picked up the ring and glared at Sean as he pointed to his headset. “I can hear you.”
“Oops, sorry,” Sean winced.
Alana chuckled, her bright beaming smile lighting up the interior of the helicopter.
Mitch turned to his woman, inhaled a breath that hissed into Blake’s earpiece, and slid the ring on her finger. “I love you.”
There were more indrawn breaths; one from Gabi, another from Leah. Then Mitch leaned in to kiss Alana… and jerked straight back when their microphones tangled.
“Fucking headset,” Mitchell growled, yanking the earphones off.
Alana lowered her headpiece to rest around her neck and mouthed something that made Mitch grin from ear to ear. When their lips finally met, the interior of the helicopter exploded with applause. A wolf-whistle pierced Blake’s ear and he swore under his breath.
“Shit, sorry,” Ryan spoke over the noise.
“My congratulations to the happy couple,” the pilot announced. “And we’re now coming in to land.”
“They can’t hear you,” Leah replied.
One by one, the rest of them turned to face the front of the helicopter as Mitch and Alana turned their celebratory make out session into something that bordered dry-humping.
“I wish they could hear us,” Mason drawled, “then I could tell lover boy to keep his dick in his pants until we get off this damn thing.”
“Yo,” Blake said in greeting to the guy holding open the front door of the Oceanside house. The kid, barely in his twenties, wore a waiter’s suit, his posture straight, chin forward. Everything from the neck down spoke of professionalism. It was his face, with the gaping mouth and bulging eyes that gave away his awe.
“You organized all this?” Gabi asked Leah from behind him.
“Mitch was specific with what he wanted for tonight. I just made the phone calls.”
“Wow. It’s amazing.”
“Oh, my god!” Alana’s high pitched voice carried down the hall from the entryway.
Blake turned to face her, along with everyone else and found her standing in the doorway, staring down at her hand.
“It’s… It’s…”
“A ring,” Mason muttered.
“It’s gorgeous,” Alana gushed. “I couldn’t see it properly in the helicopter. It was too dark. But, oh my. It’s… I’m speechless.”
She rushed into Mitch’s arms, smothering him with her appreciation. “I think we need some privacy,” Mitch murmured between kisses and lifted her off her feet. “Leah, where’s the bedroom?”
The man at the door cleared his throat and pointed. “The main bedroom is down the first hall to your left.”
Mitch and Alana took off without a backward glance.
“And I hope you guys have a loud enough stereo system to drown that shit out,” Sean added.
Blake leaned against the wall and waited for Gabi to bridge the distance between them. The house was lavish—rock star lavish. Everything gleamed, from the polished tiles to the array of vases and framed artwork. A waitress holding a tray of champagne flutes strode toward them, her black skirt and white collared shirt, formal and flattering.
“Champagne?” Her smile was bright and flirty. No surprise there.
“No thanks.” He waved away her offering.
Gabi stepped into him and grabbed his hand. “I’m fine as well, thank you.”
Blake looked down at her, equal parts frustrated and flattered that she wasn’t drinking because of him.
“On second thought,” he raised his voice as the waitress began walking away, “I’ll grab one.” He took a flute from the tray and handed it to Gabi. “For you, my angel.”
“I said I was fine.”
“I know you did, but you only said it because of me, and I don’t want that.”
“I don’t need to drink to enjoy myself, Blake.”
He shut his mouth to stop a growl from escaping and pulled her into the start of another hallway. He pressed her back against the wall and rested a hand near her head, leaning into her. “I want to be clear, Gabi. I stay sober because I want to, not because I have a problem with alcohol. So there’s no need for you to stop drinking.”
Her lips were pressed together, the empathy in her blue irises sinking under his skin while one hand clutched her champagne flute and the other held her purse.
“So the only thing your sobriety achieves is making it harder for me to take advantage of you.”
The side of her mouth curved, and she rolled those gorgeous eyes at him. “As if you ever needed help in that department.”
He shrugged. She was right. Whenever they were together, he took on the role of horny frat boy, and she turned into a malleable sex kitten.
“You’re fun to watch when you’re tipsy.” He remembered the night they met, how she danced with uninhibited sexual grace and made him harder than stone from the mere sway of her hips.
She cleared her throat and broke eye contact to take a large gulp of her champagne. When she lowered the glass, she looked up at him through tinted lashes. “Yeah, I was told you like to watch.”
Warning. Warning. That shit didn’t sound good.
He quirked a brow and ignored Sean, Mason, and Ryan as they walked past, striding down the main hall. “Your tone implies a hidden meaning that I’m not quite comfortable asking about.”
She chuckled and ran the hand hol
ding her purse around his neck. “A little birdie told me that you like to watch.” She closed her mouth, working the plump bottom lip against her teeth.
“Who told you that?”
She shrugged, lowering her gaze. His heart did a little two-step, advising him to tread lightly. He didn’t spread bedroom gossip, never had, never would. There was only one voyeuristic experience he’d taken part in over the last year. One that hadn’t made tabloid headlines because all parties involved were here tonight.
“Hey,” he lifted her chin. “Did Mitch say something?” If that motherfucker had opened his mouth and upset Gabi, he’d find himself in a world of hurt.
“No,” she gave a half-hearted laugh. “Forget it, I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Then it was Alana,” he assumed. There was also Leah or maybe Sean, Mason, or Ryan but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t put their balls on the line by sharing something private that didn’t involve them.
“She didn’t say it to cause trouble,” Gabi defended. “It was a slip up. A bad word choice that had me jumping to conclusions. So she had to fill me in.”
“And now you’re worried.” Her inability to make eye contact spoke loud and clear.
“No,” she shook her head, lowering her focus to try and hide the truth.
“Right,” he cleared his throat and pressed harder into the wall, placing his hips against hers. How the hell had that conversation started? The need to know clawed at him. He ignored it, focusing on what really mattered—Gabi’s insecurities. He knew all about feeling inferior and never wanted her to experience it. Especially when there was no need.
“Alana’s a great person.” He scrutinized her, waiting for the moment when she would make eye contact again and start believing him. “Yeah, she’s attractive. But for starters, she’s with Mitch, and secondly, she doesn’t compare to you. She’s not even close.”
Her blue gaze turned up to meet his.
“There’s no one else for me, Gabi. There hasn’t been for a long time, I just hadn’t realized it.”
She leaned into him, pressing the heat of her lips against his mouth for a scorching second before pulling back.
