“Do I look all right?” Gabi asked for the third time as the elevator jerked to a stop. She was nervous. Beyond nervous. Earlier she’d been on a smexin’ high, eager to meet the men of Reckless Beat, but now… What if Blake’s friends didn’t like her?

Oh, god. She was going to vomit.

“Gabi, you’re gorgeous.” Blake led her into the hall with an arm around her waist. “And they’ll love you. Especially Leah and Alana.”

He placed a kiss at her temple, the comforting action doing nothing to calm her nerves.

“But stay away from Mitch and Mason. They’re likely to cause trouble.”

“T-Trouble?” Her voice broke.

He chuckled, the vibrations of his chest echoing into her ribs. “You’ll be fine. Just don’t take any shit.”

“Shit” she could handle. It was disapproval that worried her. What if they hated her? These people were his family.

“Stop worrying.” He led them to a door and knocked loudly. “Be yourself and you’ll be fine.”

She nodded. No problem. She could do that.

The door opened and Mason Lynch stood before her, his greedy gaze taking her in from her black strappy sandals all the way up her three-quarter length pants, along her peach colored tank top to finally rest on her eyes. “Well, hello, foxy lady.”

Her mouth gaped, and she had to concentrate to snap it closed. Mason Lynch. She swallowed hard, resting her hand on her stomach to calm the fluttering butterflies. Was there a correct way to respond to that type of greeting?

“Fuck off, Lynch.” Blake chuckled.

Well, OK, apparently Blake knew how. He shoved Mason in the chest and pushed his way into the suite, dragging Gabi along beside him. “That was Mason,” he offered. “Mason, this is Gabi.”

“Yeah, nice introduction, bro,” Mason called from behind them.

She glanced over her shoulder at the world famous singer, poised to apologize for Blake’s rudeness, only to find Mason’s gaze glued to her ass. The rumors about him were obviously true—he was sexy as sin and obnoxiously arrogant in equal measure.

“That’s not my face,” she mumbled and turned her attention back to the way they were walking.

“Wasn’t interested in your face, honey, but if you wanted to put those sexy lips of yours around my—”

“Zip it, Lynch.” Blake didn’t slow his pace, he didn’t even glare or raise his voice. “She isn’t a groupie and doesn’t need to be tested.”

“Tested?” she squeaked.

Blake peered down at her, his expression blank. “To see if you’d leave me to go suck his—”

“To see if you were worthy,” Mason finished, coming up beside her and placing an arm around her shoulders.

Again, Blake didn’t flinch. He didn’t appear fazed by Mason’s nearness at all.

“My man deserves a great woman,” Mason added. “Are you that great woman, Gabi?”

“Ahh,” her mouth fell open again, her head turning from the gorgeous man to her left, to the gorgeous one on her right.

“She is.” Blake squeezed her waist and winked at her.

She could’ve swooned if Mason didn’t ruin the moment.

“I think that was your first PDA, man.” His arm fell from around her shoulder. “I don’t know if I should be horrified or happy for you.”

They stopped and Blake glanced at his friend. “Be happy.” He lowered his hand from her waist and entwined their fingers. “And now that I assume the first phase of your fucktardness is over, Mason, I’d like you to properly meet Gabi.”

Gabi looked at Mason, a devilish smile still tilting his lips, only now it held humor, not arrogance. He inclined his head and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Gabi.” His smile was infectious, playful and entirely adorable.

“You, too.”

Mason let go of her hand, the pretence of flirtation vanishing in an instant. “Come meet the others.”

She nodded and began following him into the dining room when Blake tugged at her hand, stopping her.

“You OK?” he asked.

She turned into his body, thankful that he enveloped her in the security of his arms. “Yep.”

“One down, six more to go,” he spoke into her hair.

She suppressed a groan and followed him into the room edged with floor to ceiling windows. A woman in a tailored pant suit stood in the far corner, leaning against the glass, looking down at the Yarra River below. Underneath the white crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling was a table surrounded by people—famous people—all of them chatting and laughing over plates of food, glasses of orange juice, and mugs of coffee.

“Gabi!” The feminine call was followed by a chair scrapping over the tile floor.

Gabi swallowed the panic drying her throat and tried not to show her surprise at the woman who hurried toward her. Blake dropped her hand as the green-eyed, dark haired beauty, embraced her in a quick hug.

“I’m sorry.” The woman pulled back. “I’m Alana. Blake’s told me so much about you.”

He has?

“He has?” A masculine voice came from the table, followed by another scraping chair. “When the hell have you been talking to my woman?”

Mitchell Davies. Lead guitarist and rock legend strode forward, his hazel glare focused on Blake.

Blake shrugged, “Every time you leave the room, we start making out. It’s become a habit.”

Mitchell gave Blake the one finger salute, his handsome face contorting in a sneer. Then his gaze turned to Gabi, and she held her breath. His dark brown hair framed eyes that gleamed with contained amusement. Maybe she should be jealous or even a little offended at the way Blake teased Mitchell, but she knew this was their thing. Over the previous months, Blake had enjoyed sharing the stories of how he riled Mitch about his beautiful girlfriend. The way he recapped the stories always made her laugh. Seeing the play-by-play in person hadn’t changed that.

“Hi, Gabi.” He held out a hand, and she clasped it in her own, letting the gentle touch take away her nervousness.

“G’day.”

These people were family. She could see it in the way they conversed with genuine smiles and the underlying communication that was exchanged beyond the words they spoke.

Mitch grinned at her. “If you ever feel compelled to find a better man, you know where to find me.”

Gabi’s mouth fell open. At the same time Alana’s hand slapped Mitch’s chest.

A feminine gasp came from the far end of the room. “Mitchell Davies! You need to shut your mouth,” the other woman spoke.

Gabi turned to the blonde in the tailored suit as she pushed from the window and came toward them. She was professional and authoritative all in a cover model package. “Ignore him. He has foot in mouth disease. I’m Leah, their manager.”

Gabi could only smile in greeting as Alana gave Mitch a death stare.

“What?” Mitch asked in a huff. “Oh, come on!” He threw his arms in the air. “How come Blake can say that shit, but I can’t?”

“You do realize I was right beside you,” Alana mumbled.

“Yeah, kinda awkward,” a man with close cropped hair added from the table.

Sean? Gabi thought she recognized him as the band’s drummer.

“Hey,” he gave her a lazy wave. “Welcome to the drama.”

“Drama, my fuckin’ ass,” Mitch snapped. “How come Blake can talk dirty to my girlfriend, but I can’t say diddly squat to pay him back?”

“It’s nice to see you too, Blake.” Alana ignored her boyfriend and stepped forward, embracing Blake in a hug. “I missed you.”

Gabi stood still, trying to blend into the wall. Her chest was heavy, trying to contain her laughter although she wasn’t entirely sure if Mitch was playing along or genuinely offended.

“I bet you did, sweetheart,” Blake purred and winked at Mitch over Alana’s shoulder.

Mitch shook his head. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He turned to the table and addressed the others. “Why the hell doesn’t he get roasted for saying that? Huh? You guys can shove your smart comments up your ass, ‘cause I’ve had enough.” He strode from the room in a huff.

Silence fell heavy between them. Then as soon as the front door slammed, Gabi watched everyone break out in hysterics.

“My poor baby,” Alana cooed once the laughter died down. “You guys really have to stop picking on him.”

“Us?” Another man asked—the only man Gabi hadn’t been introduced to. He shook his head, his light brown, wavy hair shaking around his ears. “You’re worse than Mason, with your offended woman routine. I honestly don’t know how Mitch didn’t see through that.”

“’Cause he lurves me,” Alana smirked and made her way back to her seat.

“That’s Ryan.” Blake leaned into her and pointed a lazy finger to the man with youthful blue eyes and a full beard of stubble. He seemed so young. Too young to be the only married man of the group.

Ryan jerked his head in greeting and smiled. “Nice to meet you, Gabi.”

“You, too,” she added.

A hand came to rest at the small of her back, relieving her tension and filling her with comfort.

“Do you want to sit down?” Blake spoke into her neck.

In front of all these people, as nervous as she was, the feel of his breath against her skin still aroused her. She ignored the tingle that started to form in her belly and nodded, nervously playing with her necklace as she followed him to the two vacant chairs beside Alana.

“Oh, that’s exquisite. Where did you get it?” Alana focused on the edgy way Gabi played with the jewelry.

“Ah…umm,” she stuttered, feeling the weight of more than one person’s stare on her cleavage. “Blake gave it to me for my birthday.” She dropped her hand and shuffled in her chair.

Alana’s eyes flashed. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” The necklace had become more than just a gift. It gave her strength, made her feel loved, and once they were apart, it would be a constant reminder of their time spent together.

“Wow, Blake, you did a great job picking that out,” Leah added. “What are the charms?”

Gabi held the necklace out from her chest, showing them each of the charms.

“She loves turtles,” Blake added.

“And your ego added the guitar charms?” Mason laughed. “Nice way to mark your territory.”

“Yeah,” Blake shrugged. “A collar with the words ‘property of Blake Kennedy’ didn’t seem appropriate, so I settled for this.”

Gabi snorted and elbowed him in the ribs. He was different in front of his friends—more laid back. Happy. Or maybe this was another persona he hid his pain behind.

He chuckled and pulled her close to kiss her forehead. “You know I’m joking,” he murmured in her ear, nuzzling the erogenous zone below her neck.

“Yeah, I know.”

He inhaled, rubbing his nose along the patch of skin she’d sprayed with perfume. “Christ, Gabi, you smell delicious.”

“Shh.” She nudged him away. Had someone turned up the thermostat? Suddenly her top was clinging to her and her thighs were damp with sweat.

“Are you coming shopping with us?” Alana asked, pulling Gabi out of the lust haze.

She shot Blake a glance. “Umm, I don’t know. Am I?” They didn’t have much time together, and the thought of being away from him made her heart clench. These women were nice, welcoming, but they weren’t who she was here for.

Please, Blake, tell them we have plans.

* * *

Blake clenched his jaw, reading the wordless plea in Gabi’s eyes. He hadn’t had time to tell her what needed to be done today. Well, that was a lie. He’d had plenty of time. Only whenever he went to tell her about Mitch’s proposal, his cock took control and they ended up naked, in a tangle of arms and legs and lips.

She didn’t know about dinner tonight or the formal dress code. Going shopping would allow her the time to pick out a cocktail dress while he went with the guys to get fitted for suits.

“Sorry, angel.” He leaned in and placed a kiss at her temple. “Me and the guys have some stuff to take care of. We won’t be long.” The regret he felt echoed in her irises.

She gave him a fake smile and nodded. “No problem.”

But it was. He wanted to be with her, all day, every day, without interruption or social interaction. Only he couldn’t turn down the offer to help set up Mitch’s proposal. The guy could fuck up a love letter let alone something this monumental.

“Where are you going?” She turned her attention back to Leah and Alana.

“I’m not sure,” Alana frowned, “I can’t remember what the concierge said—Church Street?”

“Chapel Street,” Leah corrected, rubbing her hands together with glee. “I thought us ladies could get dressed up for dinner tonight.”

“It would be great if you could come.” Alana pushed back in her chair. “I better go check on Mitchell and see if he’s OK.”

Mason sniggered. “Yeah, as if you guys didn’t plan that all along.” He continued in a high pitched tone, “I’ll pretend to be offended and run back to our room like a little girl, then you can come after me in a few minutes. I’ll be waiting in bed, nekkid and covered in baby oil.”

Alana raised a brow and pushed her chair in. “Frankly, I’m disgusted that you would even think such a thing.” She turned her attention to Gabi, a smile pulling at the side of her lips. “Nice to meet you, Gabi, and I hope you’ll come shopping with us.” Inclining her head in farewell, her lips pressed tightly together, she turned on her toes to walk from the room.

“Oh, I’m so proud,” Sean stared at the doorway in a whimsical manner. “Our boy’s getting lucky. It feels like only yesterday he was spending all his time on his laptop, jerkin’ off to porn… oh, wait,” he focused on Blake with a smirk, “that was you.”

The porn jokes never got old…for them anyway. It didn’t matter that they now knew he’d been chatting with Gabi the whole time. To them it was always porn. Would always be porn—even when he was chatting to Gabi online in the future.

“What can I say,” Blake shrugged, “your momma looks great on screen.”

Gabi chuckled and the sweet noise made him smile. She would fit in perfectly with his friends. He could tell Mason and Mitch already liked her, Ryan would too—he got along with everyone, and Sean…was Sean. He wouldn’t voice an opinion either way and always went with the group consensus.

“Help yourself to a late lunch,” Leah offered, indicating the food across the table. “I’m going to get ready for the shopping spree.” She pulled a business card out of her pocket and slid it across the table to Gabi. “We’ll be leaving in an hour or so. Call or text me if you want to come. We’d love it if you joined us.”

“Thank you.” Gabi reached for the card and fingered the writing. “I’ll definitely tag along. I’ll need something to wear tonight.”

A pang of regret hit Blake in the sternum. He discretely rubbed at the pressure and silently inhaled until his lungs were at full capacity. If this was the way he reacted to the thought of being away from her for an hour, how the hell was he going to feel tomorrow afternoon when she went home?

This wasn’t good. He was in deep—bottom of the ocean, with a brick tied round his ankle—deep. And from the panic in Gabi’s light blue eyes, he could tell she was right there beside him.