14. Gabe
14
GABE
I yank my bow tie free, unbutton the top button of my shirt, and take a deep breath as I head for the back door. Swiping my hand over the row of switches, all the lights along the back of the house flick on, casting a warm honey glow across the yard.
Cool air embraces me as I stalk across the porch and down the path toward the beach. Salty air fills my lungs, and I take another gulp. The moon lights the rest of my journey as I stumble onto the sand, eyes trained on the waves.
This is why I bought this place.
So I could breathe again.
And that’s what I do. Stand in shifting sands, face to the wind, breathing deep.
“Gonna stay out here all night?” Alex’s voice cuts through the darkness with the precision of a knife.
He knows me too well .
That’s the problem with best friends. They know all your shit and call you on it.
“What are we doing here?”
Alex grunts. “Figuring out what to do next.”
“The head of PR has messaged me six times already. It was just a bachelorette auction.” How did everything go sideways?
“It would have been. If you hadn’t been betting on Katherine Montgomery.” There’s a small pause. “And I hadn’t been bidding against you.”
I sigh. “And if we hadn’t wagered two million dollars.”
He gives an affirmative grunt.
“PR’s pissed. Saying the whole thing is archaic. Bidding on women like they’re cattle.” Apparently, a reporter has already reached out, asking tough questions that my head of PR had no answers for. She hates that. Demands to always be in the know.
“I didn’t see her as cattle,” Alex says firmly. Then his voice softens. “I saw her as a prize.”
So did I. A glittering emerald I couldn’t say no to. She’d tipped her chin, asking, giving permission, begging me to bid on her. At least, I think she did. Had she actually been looking at Alex?
No doubt he saw the uncertainty in her eyes as well. He’s never been the same since his sister died. Women in peril are his kryptonite.
“Come on,” he says with a sigh. “Let’s get inside where it’s warmer, and we can figure everything out tomorrow.”
I turn back toward the house, and we walk up the beach.
“You’re really gonna sleep on the floor?” I ask because I’m not sure if my back is going to agree to that.
“Where else are we going to sleep?”
I shrug. “I figured you might have an airbed in your bag of tricks.” He’s nothing if not prepared, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we got up to the house and he had an airbed blown up in one of the other bedrooms.
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Do you at least have a bottle of pain pills?”
“Yep.”
A raindrop smacks against my cheek. Of course.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even notice the clouds closing in.
We walk through the back door, and Alex flips the lock and turns off the exterior lights. A cabinet door closes in the kitchen, and the faucet turns on. We round the corner to find Katherine in a white t-shirt that hangs to mid-thigh.
My gut tightens as my gaze roams the length of her. Does she have to be so exceptionally gorgeous?
Barefoot. Long legs. That shirt. Where’d she even get that?
I bite the inside of my lip as I wonder what exactly she has on beneath it. She takes a long drink from her mug, the slender column of her throat working as she swallows.
That should not be so erotic. It’s water, for fuck’s sake.
Her hair is swept up in a towel and the makeup from earlier is missing. Which suits me just fine because she’s stunning without it.
After draining her glass, she refills it and turns her attention to Alex. “I tried the finger trick.”
“The finger trick?” I parrot.
“To brush your teeth,” he says.
“I’m not saying my dentist would approve, but it’s better than nothing.” She shrugs and turns the water off. “I left the tube on the counter in the bathroom if you guys need it.”
Then she pivots and exits the opposite side of the room, moving through the house as if she’s lived here for years. Is it breeding and years of lessons that give her such ease?
“Hey, Alex—” she calls, and he’s on the move. “Do you have something for headaches?”
I brace my hands against the counter as I listen to their quiet back and forth. The thousand times my mind ran away from me, imagining Katherine Montgomery in my space in nothing but a towel. . . I never imagined it like this.
I might as well try the finger trick.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Alex says as I enter the bedroom.
Katherine’s got the coffee mug in hand as she frowns up at him. “Why not?”
“What’s not a good idea?” I chime in, heading for the bathroom. The whole evening feels like a prank. The sooner I can fall asleep, the better.
The glob of toothpaste on my finger is halfway to my mouth when she says, “I suggested you guys sleep in the bed.”
I lean out of the bathroom. “Where are you going to sleep?”
She places her mug on the rickety nightstand. “Well, it’s your house. Your mattress.” She waves a hand at it but doesn’t seem all that confident anymore.
“You’re sleeping in the bed.” I might not have loved my upbringing, but I still have some old-fashioned values. Protect your woman.
She’s not mine, but she’s under my roof.
Meanwhile, I’m going to ignore the inner caveman who secretly wants this beauty in my bed. Even if it’s just a crappy secondhand mattress that I technically own. . . there’s a fucked up part of me that loves the fact that we’ve stolen the princess away from her ivory tower.
“But I’m going to feel guilty if the two of you are sleeping on the ground.”
“We’ll be fine,” Alex cuts in.
It’s like he’s jonesing for a backache.
Her succulent mouth twists, and I can tell she’s debating her words. And I know how she normally bites her tongue.
“Say it, Princess.”
Her eyes flash fire at me, and I love it. I’m fucked up enough to admit that I love anything that makes this woman light up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July.
“It’s just, this is awkward, right? And I don’t want either of you to be more uncomfortable than you already are. Especially because of me.”
An altruistic Katherine Montgomery?
I shove the toothpaste in my mouth before I say something that will lose me a spot in my bed. A moment later, she slips past me and hangs up the towel.
“Don’t worry. I’m not afraid for my virtue. I know I’m not your type.”
Is she kidding? I watch her walk away, finger-combing her hair. My eyes snap shut. Why am I so obsessed with her hair?
The light in the bedroom winks out, and rain pats the windows, making an intimate situation even cozier.
Not my type ? She must be blind to not know how stunning she is. How attractive she is when she debates ideas across the conference table. How breathtaking her passion is. And all of that is only the tip of the iceberg.
Katherine Montgomery is everyone’s type. Monks included.
“You sure about this, Katie Bird?” Alex asks.
This is ridiculous. We can call the helicopter back. Maybe the press has gone home for the night. Surely, they’re not going to wait around for a picture of the three of us. I spit out the toothpaste and rinse out the sink. Stupid monkey suit. I shed the jacket and kick off the ridiculously expensive shoes.
“We’re all adults,” she says. “I’m sure we can keep our hands to ourselves for one night.”
Going for the practical route, Princess? Underneath that pragmatist are layers I’d die to explore. The geek in me would love to take her apart and put her back together again. Learn what makes her tick.
And scream.
And come.
We might all be adults, as she claims, but why do I feel like a horny teenager alone with a girl for the first time? Perhaps I should go stand outside in the rain to cool off.
I tell myself to stop being ridiculous as if I’ll actually listen. With a deep breath, my fingers move to the buttons of my shirt. When I’m in nothing but my slacks and boxers, I flip off the vanity light and wait a moment for my eyes to adjust.
Wind rattles the window screens and I’m keenly aware I’m in an unfamiliar space. Everything smells different. The air is stale with a hint of salt spray, and there’s a sandy grit beneath my feet as I cross the wood floors.
There’s just enough light that I can see the outline of two bodies against the white linens. I pause, trying to decide if I’m about to make another mistake. Do I care?
“Get in the bed, Gabriel.”
Damn. I love how she says my name. It sounds so exotic and delicious on her tongue.
I haven’t slept with someone I wasn’t fucking since I was a kid. As I lay down, hands locked at my sides, I will my brain to shut off. Shut down. Let me fall asleep. But I can’t because Katherine Montgomery is a puzzle I’d die to solve.