“Yo,” Blake said in greeting to the guy holding open the front door of the Oceanside house. The kid, barely in his twenties, wore a waiter’s suit, his posture straight, chin forward. Everything from the neck down spoke of professionalism. It was his face, with the gaping mouth and bulging eyes that gave away his awe.

“You organized all this?” Gabi asked Leah from behind him.

“Mitch was specific with what he wanted for tonight. I just made the phone calls.”

“Wow. It’s amazing.”

“Oh, my god!” Alana’s high pitched voice carried down the hall from the entryway.

Blake turned to face her, along with everyone else and found her standing in the doorway, staring down at her hand.

“It’s… It’s…”

“A ring,” Mason muttered.

“It’s gorgeous,” Alana gushed. “I couldn’t see it properly in the helicopter. It was too dark. But, oh my. It’s… I’m speechless.”

She rushed into Mitch’s arms, smothering him with her appreciation. “I think we need some privacy,” Mitch murmured between kisses and lifted her off her feet. “Leah, where’s the bedroom?”

The man at the door cleared his throat and pointed. “The main bedroom is down the first hall to your left.”

Mitch and Alana took off without a backward glance.

“And I hope you guys have a loud enough stereo system to drown that shit out,” Sean added.

Blake leaned against the wall and waited for Gabi to bridge the distance between them. The house was lavish—rock star lavish. Everything gleamed, from the polished tiles to the array of vases and framed artwork. A waitress holding a tray of champagne flutes strode toward them, her black skirt and white collared shirt, formal and flattering.

“Champagne?” Her smile was bright and flirty. No surprise there.

“No thanks.” He waved away her offering.

Gabi stepped into him and grabbed his hand. “I’m fine as well, thank you.”

Blake looked down at her, equal parts frustrated and flattered that she wasn’t drinking because of him.

“On second thought,” he raised his voice as the waitress began walking away, “I’ll grab one.” He took a flute from the tray and handed it to Gabi. “For you, my angel.”

“I said I was fine.”

“I know you did, but you only said it because of me, and I don’t want that.”

“I don’t need to drink to enjoy myself, Blake.”

He shut his mouth to stop a growl from escaping and pulled her into the start of another hallway. He pressed her back against the wall and rested a hand near her head, leaning into her. “I want to be clear, Gabi. I stay sober because I want to, not because I have a problem with alcohol. So there’s no need for you to stop drinking.”

Her lips were pressed together, the empathy in her blue irises sinking under his skin while one hand clutched her champagne flute and the other held her purse.

“So the only thing your sobriety achieves is making it harder for me to take advantage of you.”

The side of her mouth curved, and she rolled those gorgeous eyes at him. “As if you ever needed help in that department.”

He shrugged. She was right. Whenever they were together, he took on the role of horny frat boy, and she turned into a malleable sex kitten.

“You’re fun to watch when you’re tipsy.” He remembered the night they met, how she danced with uninhibited sexual grace and made him harder than stone from the mere sway of her hips.

She cleared her throat and broke eye contact to take a large gulp of her champagne. When she lowered the glass, she looked up at him through tinted lashes. “Yeah, I was told you like to watch.”

Warning. Warning. That shit didn’t sound good.

He quirked a brow and ignored Sean, Mason, and Ryan as they walked past, striding down the main hall. “Your tone implies a hidden meaning that I’m not quite comfortable asking about.”

She chuckled and ran the hand holding her purse around his neck. “A little birdie told me that you like to watch.” She closed her mouth, working the plump bottom lip against her teeth.

“Who told you that?”

She shrugged, lowering her gaze. His heart did a little two-step, advising him to tread lightly. He didn’t spread bedroom gossip, never had, never would. There was only one voyeuristic experience he’d taken part in over the last year. One that hadn’t made tabloid headlines because all parties involved were here tonight.

“Hey,” he lifted her chin. “Did Mitch say something?” If that motherfucker had opened his mouth and upset Gabi, he’d find himself in a world of hurt.

“No,” she gave a half-hearted laugh. “Forget it, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Then it was Alana,” he assumed. There was also Leah or maybe Sean, Mason, or Ryan but he was pretty sure they wouldn’t put their balls on the line by sharing something private that didn’t involve them.

“She didn’t say it to cause trouble,” Gabi defended. “It was a slip up. A bad word choice that had me jumping to conclusions. So she had to fill me in.”

“And now you’re worried.” Her inability to make eye contact spoke loud and clear.

“No,” she shook her head, lowering her focus to try and hide the truth.

“Right,” he cleared his throat and pressed harder into the wall, placing his hips against hers. How the hell had that conversation started? The need to know clawed at him. He ignored it, focusing on what really mattered—Gabi’s insecurities. He knew all about feeling inferior and never wanted her to experience it. Especially when there was no need.

“Alana’s a great person.” He scrutinized her, waiting for the moment when she would make eye contact again and start believing him. “Yeah, she’s attractive. But for starters, she’s with Mitch, and secondly, she doesn’t compare to you. She’s not even close.”

Her blue gaze turned up to meet his.

“There’s no one else for me, Gabi. There hasn’t been for a long time, I just hadn’t realized it.”

She leaned into him, pressing the heat of her lips against his mouth for a scorching second before pulling back.

“I’d never cheat on you,” he whispered, needing her to know the truth. “Please trust me enough to believe that.”

Her head snapped back, her brows now tightly knitted together. “I do. It’s not that.” She shook her head. “It was the whole kinky sex thing.”

“The whole kinky sex thing?” he asked, stroking the wisps of hair from her face.

“You seem to like…different things. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. I’m not sure I can keep up.”

It was his turn to pull back in shock. He’d never associated those words with his sex life before. He didn’t have any specific kinks. He simply loved sex, no matter what form it came in. “I’ve had my share of threesomes and one night stands with groupies, but I’m pretty straight when it comes to the whole bumpin’ uglies thing, Gabi. I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

She stared up at him, the whites of her eyes gleaming from the recessed lights overhead. “Pretty straight?” She recoiled. “Threesomes? Having sex in the ocean. On a plane. That isn’t straight for me.” Her voice squeaked. “That’s pretty freakin’ crazy in my world.”

He laughed, unable to hold it in.

She glared at him. “Don’t laugh at me!” Her hand fell from around his neck and she moved to walk around him.

He grabbed her wrist, stopping her in an instant. “The threesomes are a thing of the past. Mitch was my wingman, sometimes Sean, but we haven’t done that in years. OK?”

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and gave a slight tilt of her head in acknowledgement.

“And the whole ocean-plane thing had nothing to do with me being kinky and everything to do with how much I want you.” He pulled her into his arms, uncaring that the champagne sloshed from the glass. He worked his pelvis against her abdomen, proving his point by rubbing his hardening cock into her. “I’d fuck you right now if I thought you’d let me.”

“For starters I don’t ‘fuck,’” she hissed. “I make lo—”

“I hate to break it to you, angel, but what we shared in the ocean wasn’t making love. It was fucking. It was sexy as hell, wet, dream worthy, fucking. And same goes for on the plane. Tonight however,” he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’ll make love to you and show you the difference.”

“Where is everyone?” Leah’s voice echoed down the hall.

“I guess that’s our cue,” he spoke against Gabi’s lips, ignoring the throb in his groin that became more insistent with every passing second.

She circled his waist with her arms. “I’m going to miss you.”

Bam. Direct hit, straight through his heart. It would be worse for him once she went back to Queensland. She had work and a life to occupy her time, whereas everything he did reminded him of Gabi. His music. The nights spent alone while the guys went out drinking. Even his dreams would taunt him.

“It won’t be for long.” He focused on the necklace he’d given her and loved that she rarely took it off.

“I know.” She nodded and placed her purse under her arm before reaching for his hand. “It’ll be worth it in the end.”

It would be. He would make sure of it. One day soon, they’d all be celebrating Blake and Gabi’s engagement, their commitment to forever. It was inevitable, something he wouldn’t let slip through his fingers. He only needed to wait for the right time. “I’ll make sure it is, sweetheart. I promise.”