“I agree. We are pretty photogenic. We’ll look good in all your wedding photos.” Sebastian put his arm around Lola’s shoulders, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “But you’ll be the prettiest one in them all. Marco is a lucky man and I tell him that daily.”
Lola grinned, a little bit of pink flaring up in her cheeks. “Oh, I don’t know about that.” A pensive look crossed Lola’s face. Wedding jitters? Gabriela wasn’t sure but she knew something wasn’t quite right with her best friend.
But before she could ask, Marco came and took Lola’s hand. He was beaming, happiness spilling out of every pore. “There’s the love of my life,” he said as he tugged her in close for a quick peck on the lips. “The captain told me cocktails are already rolling out in the next room. We should probably head over.”
Lola and Marco began moving into the dining room, leaving Gabriela alone with Sebastian.
“Did you ask Lola to sit next to me?” Gabriela whispered.
“Maybe.”
Gabriela stepped onto the small dining area’s plush burgundy carpet and took in the several long tables set with rose centerpieces, gold-tinted plates and silverware. It was beautiful, especially with the large windows across most of the room showcasing the port outside. A horn blasted and the ship began to move away from the dock. Soon they’d be out to sea, one more step closer to Key West, where the wedding would take place.
Gabriela glanced away from the windows and saw Carson, wearing his white, first mate’s uniform, and looking decidedly more cleaned up than he had this morning. He glanced up and saw her, but she looked away. She saw Sebastian frown.
“Did you know he’d be here?”
“No,” Gabriela snapped. That was the truth. The last person she wanted to see was Carson.
Please don’t come over here, she prayed, but he seemed not to heed her silent missive. He headed right for her.
* * *
Sebastian was going to have to do something about this man. He was always turning up like a bad penny and hanging on Gabriela...like he owned her. Not that Sebastian blamed him. Gabriela looked nearly irresistible in her slinky, leave-nothing-to-the-imagination, shell-pink sundress, her thick, dark hair worn up, showing her delicate neck. How he longed to lay a trail of kisses down that soft skin of hers, feather-soft. Make her moan.
“Gabbie,” Carson said. “Just wanted to check in with you about that sunburn.”
“Oh, I’m fine, thanks.” Gabriela’s face looked as sunburned as her shoulders.
“Uh, do you think I could talk to you—” he glanced at Sebastian “—for one second?”
No way was that happening.
“Yeah...uh...maybe in a little bit?” Gabriela blinked fast. She didn’t want to talk to him any more than Sebastian wanted him to talk to her. Good. At least they were on the same page about that.
“Um. Sure. Okay.” Carson turned, giving Sebastian a look he didn’t like. A waiter came by with a tray of red wine and Sebastian took two, handing one to Gabriela.
“What was that about?”
“I have no idea. I’m just glad he’s gone.” Gabriela took her glass and took a long drink.
“That makes two of us.” Sebastian noticed Carson had wandered over to the appetizer table, picked up a small shrimp puff, sniffed it and then put it back down. “So tell me again, why did you hook up with him?”
“I didn’t.” Gabriela sipped at her wine once more. “And anyway, it’s not like you have a bunch of brain surgeons on your Instagram.”
He watched as Carson picked up a toothpick meant to stab cocktail shrimp and tried to pick up an eggroll with it. What was the man doing?
“Well, fair enough.” Sebastian glanced down at Gabriela. “That’s why I think you and I make such a great couple.”
“We’re not a couple.”
“We’re more of a couple than you and...Carson.”
“That still doesn’t make us a couple.” Gabriela folded one arm across her chest, and held up her wineglass with the other.
Sebastian noticed Carson moving closer to Lola. He was standing right in her personal space. Odd, he thought. Seemed a little forward for a ship’s crew member. He told himself he’d keep an eye on Carson, make sure he didn’t overstep his bounds. Then he got distracted by Gabriela as she took a tiny drink from her wineglass, her pink lips delicately touching the rim of the glass.
He remembered then what they’d felt like against his: passionate, surprisingly strong and absolutely single-minded. The memory of that, and her delicate pink lips—imagining where else they should be right at this moment, made his groin tighten. What was wrong with him? He was acting like a horny teenager not a grown man who was very adept at getting his own needs met. Suddenly nothing else seemed to matter but Gabriela. He knew on some level he should put the brakes on this madness, but he really, really, didn’t want to. Sebastian always had had a reckless streak in him. He wanted to play this out. See where it led.
“I know you don’t believe I’m serious. How can I prove that I am?”
She glanced at him, a teasing light in her eyes. “Stick around for more than a weekend.”
“You know I want to do that. It’s you who seem to want to bolt.” Sebastian took a sip of wine, the red not quite as juicy or as fruity as he liked. It was a bit too dry, a bit too harsh on the back of his palate. “Is it just me or does this wine taste like...something you’d buy at 7-Eleven?”
“You’re a wine snob.”
“Of course I am. I’m an everything snob.” He laughed. “What’s the point of having good taste if you don’t use it?”
Gabriela rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Am I? My high standards led me to you, didn’t they?”
Gabriela stared at him, a bright, playful look crossing her face. “You’re telling me that you, Sebastian Lott, are picky about women?” She barked a laugh.
“Sure I am.”
“You are not. You’re not at all picky.”
“I am picky,” he said, leaning in so that he was close enough to smell her sweet perfume, something tangy, something spicy and a little bit dangerous. “I’m absolutely picky about the women I fall in love with.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GABRIELA STOOD STUNNED, the wineglass frozen on the way to her mouth. Did he say he was falling in love with her? She must’ve misheard him. There’s no way on earth Sebastian Lott used the L-word.
“Did you just say you’re falling in love with me?” she managed to croak.
“What if I was?” Sebastian grinned, wide. She couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, and that frightened her. Was he serious? How could he be?
“If you were, that would be crazy.” Insane. Beyond ridiculous. Love? No way. “We had one night together.”
“One night and this morning,” Sebastian corrected. “Don’t you believe in love at first orgasm? Or, hell, in your case, love at the first nine orgasms?”
“Very funny.” Gabriela studied his features but could still not determine if he was teasing or serious.
“You’re joking.”
“Am I?”
“You have to be.” Gabriela shook her head at the absurdity. “You can’t love me.”
“Why not? I’ve known you more than half my life.” He took another step closer and now Gabriela could almost feel his body heat through his thin shirt.
“You ignored me almost all of that half.”
Gabriela saw from the corner of her eye that Felicia was studying them and moving closer. That was all she needed, Felicia to overhear any of this.
“My mistake,” he murmured, voice low. “I plan to remedy that tonight with about six more new positions. By the way, which one so far was your favorite?”
Felicia sauntered over, glass of wine in hand. “What are you two talking about so seriously?”
; Sebastian didn’t miss a beat. “About which sexual position Gabriela likes the best.”
Gabriela froze. What the holy hell? Was he outing her in front of Felicia?
But then Felicia cackled a laugh. “Right, good one. Ha. Ha.”
Gabriela laughed uncomfortably. “Yeah, right.” She gave him a hard nudge to the arm, her warning clear. “We were wondering when we should sit down.”
Felicia nodded at the bride and groom, who were making their way to the end of the long table. “Looks like we should sit now, since they are.”
Grateful to move away from Felicia, Gabriela did just that, taking her seat on the other side of Lola, with Sebastian taking up the seat next to hers. How he managed this, she didn’t know, but she was going to have to set him straight. They were not a couple. Of course, then she thought about his knowing hands exploring her body and felt a shiver of doubt. Could sex that good be a sign? He seemed to think so. Gabriela shook her head. Sex was just sex. Just because she’d been in love with Sebastian Lott since pretty much sixth grade, didn’t mean a thing. How long before something bright and shiny—or young and shapely—came along to steal his attention away? She knew deep down that Sebastian wasn’t loyal to any woman, so why would she be any different?
But then, he was the one who’d said the L-word.
Gabriela tried to focus on the appetizers on the serving trays plopped down at the center of the table, but she was keenly aware of Sebastian’s elbow just centimeters from hers. Every little move he made, she could feel in the tiny ripple of nerves in her stomach.
Lola finished the last of her first glass of wine and was already ordering another. “You okay?” Gabriela asked, wondering just how much she’d meant before about having cold feet.
“Nothing that a little wine won’t fix.” Lola grinned as the waiters swept up the empty trays of appetizers and she dug into her second glass.
Gabriela worriedly watched, until she got distracted by Sebastian’s knee nudging hers beneath the table. She felt a little electric shock at the contact.
“Now’s the time we’re supposed to try for innocuous small talk,” he murmured. “But I’d much rather talk about your amazing body.”
She nearly spit out her wine as she rapidly scanned the table. Had anyone heard? It seemed not, as everyone was busy in their own conversations, even Lola, who was talking to Marco about something Gabriela couldn’t hear.
“Careful,” she said, focusing her attention on straightening her napkin in her lap.
“Oh, I promise that I won’t be careful with you tonight,” Sebastian vowed. “We’re going to do some very, very naughty things.” She didn’t move her leg away. Part of her didn’t want to and part of her worried that someone would notice. Though, who would be able to tell something was happening beneath the tablecloth?
Sebastian’s leg kept firmly pressed against hers throughout the entire meal, a constant distraction. She felt the warmth of his leg and the promise of what it meant: another night in his cabin. Despite her better judgement, she craved the feel of his hands on her body once more. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of the night to come, when she heard the high-pitched plink of a spoon on a glass of wine.
Next to her, Sebastian stood, the warmth of his leg disappearing from hers.
“Excuse me,” he said, holding up his wineglass. “I’d like to make a toast.”
Across the table, Felicia rolled her eyes. Not exactly fair, Gabriela thought. He was the best man, after all.
“I want to toast Marco and Lola.” He raised his glass higher. “I think in some ways, I’m responsible for this little wedding.”
“Yep, this is all your fault!” Marco shouted, and most of the bridal party laughed. He hugged Lola a bit closer to him. She sipped at her wine. Gabriela noticed the second glass was nearly gone now. What was up with Lola? Was it really cold feet?
“I first met Marco in law school in Constitutional Law 101,” he said. “This guy was late to every class. Never studied and yet somehow blew out the curve on the very first exam. I thought, ‘Who was this guy who never studied?’”
The table laughed then.
“But, it turned out, he did study. He worked two night jobs to pay for school, and studied there. And the reason he was late to class is that he was coming in from his bakery job, after having not slept at all the night before.”
Gabriela glanced at Marco. He was a hard worker, there was no doubt about that.
“But Marco was more than that, he was an amazing friend. When my mother was diagnosed with cancer...” Sebastian stopped, swallowing back emotion.
Gabriela suddenly remembered that his mother had had liver cancer and had died a few years ago. Gabriela had been in New York, so she’d missed the funeral. Now, it touched her to see how much the death still affected him. She itched to comfort him. Why did it surprise her to see him overcome with emotion? Why do I sell him so short?
“It was only just me and my mom when I was growing up and sometimes that was hard. She was my whole world for a long time.”
She was? Gabriela realized she didn’t know much about Sebastian’s family. Then again, sometimes the people you grew up with could be the people you knew the least. Sometimes kids just didn’t ask questions, not when they’d known someone since kindergarten. And it’s not like she’d ever been over to his house. She wondered what else she didn’t know about Sebastian.
Sebastian swallowed hard and then glanced at Marco. “Marco was always there for me. He helped me get my first internship, and helped me get back on my feet after that.” Sebastian grinned. “And I repaid him a hundred times over, by introducing him to the other best person in the world, his bride-to-be...”
Everyone, including Gabriela, broke out into applause. Sebastian’s toast was pitch perfect and he had the group eating out of his hand. Gabriela hated to admit it, but she was impressed. Then again, it shouldn’t surprise her. She knew that charm firsthand, didn’t she?
“I want everyone here to know that I believe this is true love,” he continued. “And I’m also lucky enough to have found someone special myself...”
If there’d been music playing in Gabriela’s mind, it would’ve come to a sudden and irrevocable halt, the needle skipping over the record in the loudest screech possible. What was he saying? Was he seriously, right at this moment, going to out her in front of everyone? And what in the world was he saying? Found someone special?
“She’s someone I’ve known a long time and I just want everyone to know—”
Gabriela bolted up from her chair, wineglass in hand. She stared at a roomful of surprised faces. Felicia’s mouth had dropped clear open and Lola and Marco stared at her, perplexed. “He wanted everyone to know that he’s done talking about himself.”
Liv, thankfully, hooted loudly and then everyone else followed.
Gabriela glared at Sebastian but he seemed unperturbed.
“I just want to say that I’m honored to be here to help Marco and Lola celebrate their love for one another, which is what we should be focused on,” Gabriela said as she gave Sebastian another pointed look. “So, here’s to the two best people I know. Lola and Marco.”
“Yes, to Lola and Marco,” Sebastian echoed. They both raised their glasses to whoops and cheers as she took an unsteady sip of her wine.
“What do you think you’re doing interrupting my speech?” he murmured.
“What do you think you were doing giving it?” Gabriela finished the rest of her wine and set the glass on the table with an audible plunk. “We need to talk. Now.”
* * *
Sebastian loved the flare of Gabriela’s nostrils as she laid into him, telling him all the various reasons outing their relationship in front of the entire bridal party was a horrible idea.
They were tucked away down the corridor inside the study, a room across from the casino. The study was fu
rnished with a small library of books and two oversize chairs, the oak-paneled walls seeming like something that should be in a house, not a ship, and they had the small reading nook all to themselves. She’d closed the wooden door behind them and he’d taken a seat in one of the plush upholstered chairs. She paced the room, back and forth in front of the bookshelf, gesturing wildly.
Honestly, he was too busy watching her sexy ass move in that dress, her calves flexing as she glided in her stiletto heels. God, she was the sexiest woman on this ship. Hell, the sexiest woman—period. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this confident, this fast, that a woman was for him. He loved her dual nature: one minute prim and proper and the next...anything but. He liked not knowing what to expect. He liked that she threw him off balance.
“Are you insane?” She thrust a hand on her hip, anger pouring off her in waves.
“Is that a rhetorical question or...?”
“Were you seriously about to out me in front of the entire wedding party?” She stopped pacing and glared at him, her ample chest heaving.
He was having a very hard time concentrating on what she was saying, because he wanted badly to pull her into his lap and kiss the life out of her. “You mean, was I going to tell everyone I’m falling seriously for you? Yes, I was.”
Gabriela just stopped and gaped at him. “What are you talking about? You keep saying this, but it just can’t be true.”
“Why not?”
“Because it can’t be. Because...well, people say you come on hot and heavy and then you disappear.” She snapped her fingers to show how quickly he ought to be gone from her life.
“You think that’s all this is? Some kind of game.” He was truly trying to figure out why she was so against the idea of them giving this a shot. Why wouldn’t she want more amazing sex? Sebastian had been with enough women to know that this kind of true connection didn’t come along every day.
“Isn’t it?” She crossed her arms at her chest and glared.
“No, it isn’t.”
Hot Mistake Page 14
