stood, and they enveloped each other in a huge hug. “Hey, stranger. You ready to make an honest woman out of my friend here?” she asked.
“She’s making me the honest man.” Adam beamed.
Elina shook her head. The two of them making googly eyes was not something an avowed single girl needed to see. She turned to Gabe, who gently released Reece from a hug. Or more like, Reece finally let him go.
Elina felt vindicated when she saw him gulp for air. “You must be Gabe. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She thrust out her hand, but he ignored it. Instead, he wrapped her in a warm hug. The near physical slam of lust was enough to steal her breath and singe her panties.
He smelled like sandalwood and the beach, and she was so temporarily blindsided that she almost leaned in and inhaled. Gabe released her quickly and stumbled back.
When he spoke, his voice was husky. “Reece’s mom says you don’t shake hands with family. And seeing as we’re family now, that calls for a hug.”
It took her several seconds to find her voice. Where the hell had she misplaced that thing? She told herself it wasn’t her fault. Any red-blooded woman would have this response to a guy like Gabe.
She judged him to be just a little over six feet. And while he was lean, he was solid. From what Elina could see from his biceps and forearms, he didn’t skip time at the gym. And his soft cotton T-shirt didn’t hide a thing. Certainly not the defined pectorals. Get it together, Elina. He’s just a guy. You’ve seen them before.
She managed to stammer, “Right, family.” He hadn’t been able to make it to the shower, and somehow through the years they’d never met. Because if she had met him, she’d have prepared herself for that stunning lopsided smile. Maybe she would have done some mental calisthenics or something. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green—so clear and alert, with flecks of blue and brown and yellow. Butterflies danced low in her belly, and her smile broke free even though she knew better. Her body—tingling. Brain—on vacation. His mouth was moving. Damn, what was he saying? Focus.
“Really glad you could make it down early. Now we can get to know each other before the big day.” He was flirtatious, and his voice held a hint of mischief. And he stunned Elina into a momentary silence.
Yes, hell yes. Wait, what? No. No. She was not looking for anything. The last thing she needed was a guy. Particularly this guy, who was too good-looking for his own good.
Besides, she’d had someone like this once. Beautiful to look at, charming as hell. She’d even considered forever with him, too. That is, until she discovered he was just as charming with several other girls. No. She knew better than to get sucked in.
“Yep. Well, I wanted to get some extra time in with Reece.”
“I think Reece will probably be busy, but I’m sure we can probably find a few things to get up to in the Hamptons. Let me be your guide.” He was persistent.
Oh boy. This guy would guide her right into trouble. The naked, fun kind. But trouble nonetheless. “Somehow, I have a feeling that you might be the kind of guide that gets me lost.”
He winked at her. “Isn’t that half the fun?”
Elina was sure of one thing. If she wanted to hold on to her panties and her sanity, she had to stay on her toes around Gabe. It didn’t matter if he made her insides go all fluttery. Besides, if she ever wanted her own solo client, then she had to keep her eyes on the prize and not on his muscles.
* * *
It was the chase. It had to be the chase. Gabe Alexander stared at Elina on the dance floor. She was laughing at something that Reece’s mom said and he was completely struck by her. Had been since yesterday. But no amount of charm and wit was getting through to her. She was like flirting with a brick wall.
Normally, women fell into his lap. He wasn’t used to doing so much work to get someone’s attention. But it didn’t matter what he did, Elina gave him nothing to work with. He already knew from Reece and Adam that she didn’t have a boyfriend. No recent breakups. She was single.
And he felt that electric current when they first hugged, so she was attracted, but she still didn’t take the bait.
Not like he had time to chase a girl right now. He was chasing funding for his first movie, and was running out of time. Stone Heart was the unofficial biography of his grandmother, Gretta Stone, and how she became the first Hollywood movie executive back in the fifties. She was the reason his father got a start in the business.
He’d wanted to tell the story for a long time, but the funding was difficult. Well, it doesn’t have to be difficult. But there was no way he was asking his father for the funds. That was the last place he wanted to go. Not that the old man would even back the film. Once he’d transitioned out of acting, he’d become a director, only focusing on the big-money projects. He didn’t think the movie would make him any money.
It didn’t matter, though; Gabe was determined to do this on his own. For once, he wanted his career to be his own with no influence from the old man. He owed his grandmother everything. Between her and his mother, they’d pulled him back from the brink. He was getting this story told.
As a kid, it made sense. He was Andrew Alexander’s son. It made logical sense to follow in his father’s footsteps. But soon, all anyone had ever seen when he walked into a room was his father. So, like any teenager, he’d rebelled. And he was still paying for that rebellion.
But he had a few friends in the business, and plenty of money, thanks to a wildly popular trilogy he did when he was twelve, but he didn’t have producer money. And the rest of the world saw him as that spoiled kid, acting out, boozing it up and sleeping with too many women.
Thanks to his grandmother, after college, he’d long since cleaned up his act, even made some wise investments. He needed to change that bad-boy image if he wanted a career in this business.
But even with everything going on, and everything on the line, he was completely drawn to Elina. It was mostly her laugh. Every time she talked to Reece she was happy and giddy. They laughed like two teenage girls snickering over some boy they liked.
But during the ceremony, Elina looked haunted, scared. He wanted to know why. More than that, he wanted to fix it. To make it go away.
“You stare any harder at her and I will make you declare your intentions.”
Gabe laughed and slapped Adam on the back. “How is the newly minted groom doing?”
His best friend grinned. “I’m perfect. I can’t believe it’s finally done. She’s mine.”
Watching Adam and Reece almost made Gabe want to settle down. They were so suited to each other, and really happy. “Good for you, man. I’m happy for you. And I hope you enjoy your wedding present to the fullest.”
Adam shook his head. “You didn’t need to lend us your yacht. You know that, right?”
“Whatever. It just sits most of the time. Someone deserving might as well get use out of it.” His father had bought the yacht and signed him as a co-owner, insisting it was a good investment and good for the image, but the old man never went near the thing. He hated the water.
“Well, we appreciate it
