Fixing my tie, I looked back at myself in the mirror and sighed. Fuck, I was tired. The last job I’d worked on in Monroe did a number on me. Seeing people who’d become legit friends go through that kind of shit was hard to stomach. This job had already taken away someone I cared about once. I sure as hell didn’t want to experience that again.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and Austin Hart’s named flashed across the screen once I pulled it out.

“Hey man, what’s up?”

“He’s alive! Where the fuck are you?” his voice boomed in my ear.

I switched off the light in the bathroom and stepped into the room. “I’m taking some downtime in Hawaii. Here for a friend’s wedding that's happening today.”

“Just a word of warning, Sasha, Missy, and Gigi are pissed at you. Like rip your balls off pissed.”

Here we go. “What did I do now?”

“It’s not what you did. It’s what you didn’t do. You packed your shit, said goodbye to Ben, Drew, and me, and disappeared. They are not happy.”

“I just needed a break. The shit that went down was intense,” I admitted as I combed my fingers through my hair.

“Yeah, I get you,” he said, sighing deeply. “But you’re doing okay? No bullshit, just truth. You all right?”

“Yeah. I've got the beach, beers, and a free room. I’m real good.”

And a sexy as fuck brunette I can’t stop thinking about.

Gabrielle Mackenzie.

Where the fuck had she come from? The moment I spotted her across the bar, I was captivated. The attraction was instant. The need to know her became a necessity. Every man with a pulse would have noticed her, but I didn’t give a single fuck about any of them. When I saw that stupid fuck make his approach, I sat back and watched. He laid it on thick. He got in her space and tension radiated off her, so the need to protect kicked in. Something ingrained into who I was as a man. I’d left the table I’d been sitting at with the guys without a word and with only one thing in mind—fuck up the man who was making her uncomfortable. When he touched her, my feet moved at a rapid pace. If I’d been intrigued with her on sight, I was enthralled with her the moment she spoke. Innocent and sexy rolled into the perfect package. The pink of her cheeks combined with the fire of her words was a blend of sexy I could see myself never getting enough of.

One thing was for sure. I wanted her under me, on top of me, in front of me. I had four days before reality clawed me back and I’d leave the beaches of Hawaii for the mountains of Montana. Before then, I wanted Gabrielle Mackenzie to be the fantasy I lived while ignoring reality. I was stubborn as fuck. I needed to get the girl. I would get the girl.

I heard commotion in my ear and muffled voices before Austin came back. “Oh fuck, man, incoming.”

More commotion sounded and then, “Carson Reeves, is this you?” More commotion. “Is it him? You better not be messing with us, Austin; otherwise, no more Kardashian marathons for you.”

My face split into a shit-eating grin. Sasha Hamilton and Missy Rogers. “Hey, ladies.”

“Don’t you hey ladies us, mister! You’re lucky we’re even talking to you.”

Fucking sass for days these ladies of Monroe had. Seriously, these women. Sasha had claimed Ben, and I had grave concerns for the guy who would eventually lock down Missy.

“Start explaining yourself.”

“Ask Austin. He’ll fill you in.”

Quiet hit my ear, and for a moment, I thought they’d hung up on me. To be honest, it wouldn’t have surprised me.

Then Sasha’s soft voice hit me, and my heart squeezed. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, Sash. I’m real good. Spending my days at the beach, nights chasing women. You know, normal stuff.”

Her soft chuckle soothed me. “Met anyone good?”

“Yeah, I have. Her name is Gab—”

I was cut off again, and this time by Ben’s seventy-ish neighbor, Gigi. “Absolutely no chocolate cake for you when you show your face again. I don’t care how delightful your tattoos or face are. And don’t think about seducing a cake out of me. It’s not going to work.”

Did I mention she was seventy?

“Miss you too, Gigi.”

Her voice dropped. “I miss you too. Okay, maybe I’ll give you a slice. Purely because of that face God blessed you with. Now, I hear you are at the beach. Why you are in a hotel room confuses me. Get out there and find some ladies, and then come back here so I can hear all your juicy stories. I have a cake to bake. Gotta go.”

Shaking my head, I couldn’t deny that the whirlwind of the Monroe crew brought a smile to my face. But I couldn’t let my mind drift back there just yet. I had a wedding to finish getting ready for and a gorgeous brunette hopefully just as excited to see me as I was to see her.

The wedding was what you would expect a Hawaiian wedding to be. The beach as the backdrop, perfect weather, and the bride, groom, and guests drinking and eating fruit-inspired cocktails and fresh seafood. I thought it’d be your typical wedding until I met Gabby. My plans to drink, eat, and hang out with the boys and maybe find a girl to end the night with had been forgotten. Now, it was all about her. I wanted to spend the day peeling back a few of her layers, and I’m 100% sure Ebony would help me if I asked.

I’d been standing up front next to Dale when she arrived. She stood out in the crowd. Her dark hair hung in curls down her back, her makeup was barely there, and the light blue dress hugged her curves like a second skin. Gabrielle Mackenzie was exquisite. Throughout the ceremony, our eyes were locked on each other. The only time I broke our stare was when I handed Dale the rings. Then my gaze swung back to her.

The ceremony lasted for thirty minutes, then we got shipped off for photos and arrived back an hour later. With a beer in hand, I searched the guests for the lady in the blue dress. As soon as I found her, I made a beeline toward her. Ebony saw my approach, and a smile broke across her face. Her lips moved, and as soon as Gabby started to turn to face me, I knew Ebony had announced my incoming arrival.

Gabby’s eyes ran the length of me, twice. She pulled her lip between her teeth to hide her smile. Fuck, she was cute. Ebony leaned in and said something, and Gabby nodded before Ebony disappeared through the crowd, leaving Gabby on her own to wait for me.

“Well, look at you,” she said when I reached her. “Looking all dapper in your tux.”

“And look at you,” I mimicked. “Looking all sexy in your dress.”

Her cheeks instantly tinged.

“Wanna get a drink?” I suggested, holding up my empty bottle.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

She followed me through the guests toward the bar, and as we got close, I stopped when I heard her chuckling behind me.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was right.” She was now full-blown laughing, her eyes sparkling. “Every single female is staring at you like they want to maul you. I’m going to need an army of Gabbys to defend you if they attack.”

“Wait! There are other women here besides you?” I faux gasped.

“Ha! Ha! Very funny.”

“Told you yesterday you were the only woman I was interested in seeing today. That hasn’t changed. Especially since you’ve turned up wearing a dress that sticks to your body like a second skin. Jesus, I thought you were gorgeous yesterday, but today, I’m finding it really hard to keep my hands off you.” I stepped in close and dropped my mouth to her ear. “And that’s just the PG version of what I’m thinking.”

After I dropped that news on her, I headed to the bar and got the drinks. The rest of the wedding was filled with laughter, too much booze, copious amounts of seafood and good company. The girls, especially Ebony, had taken advantage of the open bar, and Ebony was now sitting opposite me, talking, while Gabby was dancing with the groom’s grandfather on the dance floor.

“I’ve known Gabby for twenty years. She’s the best person I know. She’s sexy, funny, can make a mean lasagne, and she will protect those she cares about until her last breath. That asshole did a number on her, though. You’re just the distraction she needs, so I am definitely Team Carson.”

“You do realize that I’m not looking for a relationship,” I stated carefully.

“Yep. And she is so far from being ready for anything serious for a long time. She’s been burned. Just to make things clear. I’m talking about you and her having sex. Any kind of sex. She needs to loosen up. Lord knows that Brad pin-dick Evans didn’t know how to use it properly, but I’m thinking you know exactly how to use it.”

I chuckled into my beer and turned my attention to Gabby spinning around the dance floor. She laughed at something Dale’s grandfather said before shaking her head. Through the other couples dancing, her eyes found mine, and she smiled. I placed my beer down on the table and started walking toward her. Her eyes never left mine. Tapping Dale’s grandfather on the shoulder, I asked to cut in, and before I knew it, I was moving around the dance floor with Gabby.

I wasn’t a dancer. Fuck, the last time I danced was probably prom. But here I was.

“Having a good time?” I asked softly as we swayed around the dance floor.

“Yeah, I love weddings.”

“Just got to tell you, we might have to get Ebony back to the hotel soon. I’m pretty sure she’s about cleared out the bar of vodka.”

She laughed. “She is definitely living it up. We hardly drink back home, so an open bar and free drinks feel like Disneyland to us. Like Disneyland for adults.”

“Disneyland for adults. I like it.”

“Wanna head off now? Or do you have more wedding duties to do?”

I looked at Dale and Anna and saw that they were getting ready to leave.

“I think the happy couple is getting ready to leave anyway. Give me twenty, and I’ll walk you both back. I don’t want you two walking around by yourselves. Do you mind waiting just a little longer? Does that work for you?”

She nodded, her eyes switching soft. “Yeah, that works for me, Carson.”