Blake stood behind the glass doors overlooking the balcony, staring into the darkness. Where was she?

He’d fucked up. Again. The fight with Ryan was his fault, and when Leah had stopped crying against his pounding chest, he’d turned in search of the comfort of Gabi’s arms, only to find her gone.

“Where the hell is everyone?” Mason asked the quiet room, the faint whoop of the helicopter getting closer by the second. He sat on the kitchen bench, his feet swinging back and forth.

“Hopefully they’ll come back now that our ride’s here,” Leah spoke from her seat beside Sean on the couch. She was still upset, nestled into Sean’s side, sniffing with every breath.

Footsteps echoed up the hall, followed by a feminine giggle.

“Stop it,” Alana chastised, coming into view beside Mitch in the reflection of the glass.

“Didn’t you guys go for a walk?” Mason asked.

Blake turned to face them, ignoring the way his anxiety increased with every minute that Gabi was away.

Alana glanced at Mitch, then flushed and looked away.

“We took a detour.” Mitch smirked, wrapping his arms around Alana’s waist, making her squeal and squirm.

“Let me guess, to the bedroom?” Mason muttered.

Alana pushed from Mitch’s arms and walked around the couch to Leah. “Where are Ryan and Gabi?” Her gaze narrowed. “Leah? What’s wrong?”

“Everything’s fine,” Blake interrupted, pivoting back to the window. They owed it to Ryan to keep the gossip private. If Ryan wanted everyone to know, he could tell them himself.

“Everything doesn’t look fine.” Alana scooted in beside Leah while Mitch came to stand beside Blake.

“What’s going on?” Mitch murmured.

Blake turned back to his friend and plastered a fake smile on his face. “Nothing for you to worry about, bro.” He stepped forward and yanked Mitch close for a quick man hug. “I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you yet. I’m real happy for you both.”

Mitch clapped him on the back. “I’m happy for you, too, man. It seems like you’ve found the right lady.”

Blake gave a jerky nod. “Yeah, I have.”

“Well, I hope she never realizes how much of a tool you are.”

“Yeah.” Blake laughed but didn’t feel the humor. “Me too.” Karma must have fucked up somewhere along the line because Blake definitely didn’t deserve to have Gabi in his life.

Mitch glanced around the room and frowned. “So where is she?”

I have no fucking clue.

Something moved in his periphery and he stepped forward without thought. Gabi. She was outside, walking along the fence surrounding the yard with Ryan beside her, his suit jacket over her shoulders.

He let out a deep breath, releasing the tightness in his chest. Thank god.

She tilted her head to focus on the house and met his gaze. The soft smile she sent him almost knocked him off his feet.

“Uh, why is she with Ryan?” Mitch asked.

“Long story.” Blake opened the glass sliding door and moved onto the balcony. Gabi and Ryan walked out of view, and moments later the side gate clanged. When footfalls sounded on the steps, his heart ramped up a notch. He’d been worried. He hadn’t realized how much until his body flooded with relief at seeing her again.

Ryan reached the top step first—his eyes filled with remorse—and jerked his head in greeting. “Where’s Leah?”

“Inside.”

“Right. I might keep my distance for a while. I’ll meet you at the chopper.” Ryan moved to walk past him.

Blake placed a hand on his friend’s chest, halting his progression. “Look Rye, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything, and Leah didn’t mean to hurt you either. I knew she was worried about something, and I hounded her until she told me.”

Ryan ran a hand through his tangled shoulder-length hair. “I understand.”

Yeah, Ryan was the most understanding guy Blake knew, which made the situation harder to bear. Blake dropped his hand and watched him walk away, leaving down the stairs on the other side of the balcony. Once his footfalls died under the burr of the distant helicopter noise, he turned his focus to Gabi who stood waiting at the top of the stairs.

“You had me worried.”

She padded toward him in bare feet, her high heels hanging from her hand. “I needed to take a walk and clear my head.”

“You were running from me.” He kept his expression impassive, hiding the hurt that gripped him by the balls. He’d hoped she’d gone in search of Ryan, instead of leaving to get away from him.

She came forward, her big blue eyes dark with widened pupils. “No.” She shook her head slightly. “I was overwhelmed. I needed time to think.”

His palms itched to touch her, to swipe Ryan’s jacket from her shoulders and replace it with his own. “Did I do something wrong?”

Gabi stepped into him, running her arms around his waist. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” she whispered, her voice almost drowning under the turning propeller blades in the field beside them. “I think I was in shock at seeing you and Ryan almost come to blows. It scared me, that’s all.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? When I turned to find you gone, I didn’t know what to think.”

She nestled her head under his chin, hugging him tighter. “You were busy…with Leah.”

He stiffened. When Ryan had stormed off earlier, Blake had been consumed with guilt. He’d been the cause of all the anger and had instinctively gone to comfort Leah. It was his fault she was crying.

“Leah’s a part of the family,” he spoke his thoughts aloud.

“I know.” Gabi nodded against his chest.

“She’s like a sister to me.”

“Yeah… I know that, too.”

He ran an arm around her back, running his hand up and down the material of Ryan’s suit jacket. “The last few days have been crazy, haven’t they?” Meeting for the first time was monumental enough. Add to that all the other external influences that had been flung their way, and it made for a highly emotional situation. He was surprised one of them hadn’t cracked earlier.

“Mmm-hmm.”

And tomorrow will be worse.

“Was that what you were worried about?” she asked, pulling back to peer up at him. “The secrets about Ryan’s wife, was that what you had to deal with earlier?”

He stared into her hopeful eyes. His answer should’ve been an easy “No,” yet he paused and contemplated if it would be better to take away her worry with a little white lie.

“It was part of it.” The words didn’t sting as much as he expected. In reality, it was kind of the truth. The issues with Julie’s fidelity had hovered in the back of his mind.

Her lips curved in relief, and she snuggled back under his chin. “Can we go home now?”

Home.

If only he could take her back to his apartment in the US. Things would be much simpler there. He’d tie her to his bed and take care of her every want and desire, never letting her leave.

“Yeah, angel.” He kissed the top of her head and inhaled the sweet smell of honeysuckle. As he straightened, Leah caught his eye from inside the glass doors. She mouthed for him to “hurry up,” then turned on her heel and walked from the room. “I think everyone else has made their way to the helicopter.”

Gabi stepped out of his arms. “Just let me get my shoes on.” She bent her tight ass over in front of him and tied her straps.

When she stood, he grabbed for her hand, pulling her close so he could speak in her ear. “Remember what I promised to teach you when we get back to the hotel?” She sucked in a breath and shivered. He ran a finger down the sensitive skin of her neck and followed the trail with his tongue. “I thought so.”

 

Blake was thankful the flight back to Melbourne didn’t take as long. Travelling over land instead of the ocean cut half an hour off the trip, which was a bonus when no one was talking.

After takeoff, Gabi nestled her head against his shoulder and hadn’t spoken a word since. Alana and Mitch were in the back of the helicopter, snuggled together, eyes closed. Mason and Ryan sat together in front of Blake, Ryan leaning against the window while Mason stared out the opposite side. And Sean was in the front seat beside Leah, his arm resting comfortingly around her shoulders.

The limo ride was equally entertaining.

They arrived at the Crown a few minutes past one in the morning with no crowd in sight. A few gasps of recognition sounded when they strode through the lobby, but hotel security kept people at bay.

The elevator ascended in silence—all of them too tired or uncomfortable to speak. When the doors opened on their floor, Leah stepped out first, her head low as she said a quiet, “Night, guys.”

Blake followed, holding Gabi’s hand with Mitch and Alana walking out behind them. They all had king suites, while Mason, Sean, and Ryan shared the bigger room upstairs.

“Late breakfast in our suite at eleven?” Mason asked.

“Sounds good,” Mitch called over his shoulder.

“Yeah.” Blake dropped Gabi’s hand and walked backward, watching as Ryan placed a foot out of the elevator.

Leah didn’t answer. She’d already begun striding in the opposite direction to her suite.

“Hey, Leah,” Ryan called, his face haunted, his lips in a thin line.

Leah paused, and then slowly turned on her heels. She looked at Ryan, remaining quiet while her fingers clutched at the purse in her hands.

“Do you mind if we talk?” He took another step, moving out of the elevator and allowing the doors to close with Mason and Sean still inside.

Leah pressed her lips together and nodded. Without a word, she continued down the hall, not stopping for Ryan who jogged to catch up.

Blake watched them enter her suite and tensed at the guilt that ate away at his stomach. Why the hell had he opened his mouth?

“They’ll be fine,” Gabi whispered from beside him, entwining their fingers. “Come on.” She tugged his arm, and they walked the remaining steps to their door.

Gabi took the key card from his hand and unlocked the suite. He followed her down the dimly lit hall, around the small dining and kitchen area to their bedroom, and dropped onto the end of their king size bed. She flipped on the light and closed the curtain, shutting out the world.

He tugged at his tie, loosening the restrictive material, and then started on his shirt buttons. The hours of silence had given him perspective—not a favorable one. Why was he such a fucking failure? He’d caused a rift between his friends, ruined his last night with Gabi, and on top of all that, he had Michelle to deal with.

“Talk to me,” she said softly, lifting her hands to unclasp her necklace and place it on the top of her closed suitcase.

He pushed to his feet, caught her hand, and dragged her back to the bed to stand between his knees. She was the light in his life. The brightness that made all the darkness easier to bear.

“What do you want me to say?” He was numb, his limbs, his chest, his mind. The only thing he could feel was his heart and the warmth it held for his angel.

She ran a hand through his hair. The delicate fabric of her dress swished against his thighs. He watched it glint in the bedroom light, clinging to her curves, hugging her breasts. Her scent filled his lungs—sweet and feminine, with the finest hint of her arousal.

Moments ago, he’d been dead inside. Now, in an instant, she had his blood heating and his cock thickening.

She lifted his chin and peered down at him. “I want you to tell me what I can do to make you smile again.”

A crooked grin pulled at his lips. “That’s a loaded question.”

Her cheeks lifted. “And one you could’ve used to your advantage, but now you’re already smiling. My work here is done.” She turned to walk away. He reached for her hips, and she squealed when he pulled her back into him.

He tightened his thighs around her, staring her down, daring her to move while he undid the belt of his pants and lowered his zipper. “Take it off,” he demanded, indicating her dress with a jut of his chin.

She raised a brow, raked her haughty gaze down his body, all the way to the erection tenting his boxers, and swallowed. Hard. A second later she complied, reaching behind her back to undo the zipper. He widened his legs, giving her room to move and felt his pulse kick up a gear at the seductive way she flicked the straps from her shoulders, allowing the dress to fall to the floor.

“Now what, Master?”