Asphalt disappeared beneath the tires of my Jeep as the beach house finally appeared on the horizon. I slowed as Ian’s brake lights flashed red and the front of his Range Rover crawled into the driveway, the gate at its end swinging open in front of it. Out of the corner of my eye I glanced toward Dani, but she’d still barely moved since we set out—knees curled up beneath her, duffel bag hugged tight against her lap, her fingers worrying at the hair tie around her wrist. Her anxiety was practically infectious.

Her shoulders canted forward as she tilted her head to peek out the window. The house reflected in the lenses of her sunglasses, and I turned to take a look myself. It’d been a few years since we’d crashed here, but it looked the same. A good two stories, white siding, black shutters, a wide circular driveway. There was a pool out back that wasn’t visible from the front, and the best part was the privacy—a huge stretch of beach in either direction separated us from our nearest neighbors.

I popped the Jeep into park and behind me I heard Bianca’s Mercedes growl to a halt. In the rearview I could see her scowling at the dashboard, her mouth moving a mile a minute. I shook my head. Bianca didn’t know the definition of vacation. Or break, or relax, or anything that remotely meant she could turn off her brain and just chill the hell out. Honestly, I was pretty damn curious whether she’d actually be willing to ditch her cellphone and lifeline to the office long enough to get in the pool.

I redirected my attention back to the situation happening in my vehicle. “Well, we’re here.”

“Yeah.” Dani’s hand rested on the door handle, still not opening it.

“You’ve got the key, right?”

She nodded.

“So, let’s go have a good time.”

Another nod followed by a deep sigh.

“You’re not worried about the guys, are you?” I flashed her a smile. “None of them bite. That’s more my thing.”

Elvis stretched in the backseat and then hopped onto the console. His ears twitched, nostrils flaring. Satisfied by whatever he heard or smelled, he nudged Dani with his muzzle. She scooped him up in her arms, took a deep breath and threw the door open without another word.

I reached behind me to grab my bag and slung it over my shoulder. We were the last two inside and Dani lingered in the entryway, gaze darting everywhere like a manic ping pong ball. I opened my mouth to offer more reassurances, but my phone started blaring out a tune instead. Without looking I answered and popped it on speakerphone. “You’ve got Gavin.”

“This is Gavin MacCormack?” A female voice, a little on the shrill side said.

I frowned at the screen. “The one and only.”

“Oh my God!” A scream. “Holy shit, Marie! It’s really him! I am your biggest fan. Seriously, I love you so much. I—”

I hung up and flipped the phone onto a side table with a disgusted grunt. Third time in six months my number had gotten leaked. So. Fucking. Annoying. Now I’d need to get a new number, get that new number to everyone who actually needed it—ugh.

Inevitably my eyes went back to Dani and . . . she was fighting a smile.

Her lips pinched together and she fluttered a hand at her chest. “Are you the Gavin?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start.”

“Gavin MacCormack?” She fluttered her eyelashes at me.

“It’s not funny.” I tried to fight back a laugh.

“But I’m such a big fan.” She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, faking a swoon. “Your biggest fan.” She laughed and dodged out of reach as I tried to grab her around the waist, taking shelter on the other end of the couch. “Oh my God, can I get your autograph?”

I chased her around the couch, ending with us on opposite sides again. She was a fast little thing. “I’m going to kill you,” I managed between laughs.

“But I lo—” She stuttered. “—love your music.” Her grin went from an easy expression to a pained one.

My mouth opened and snapped shut when my focus expanded enough to notice we had an audience. Ian quietly passed Felix a beer, his lips quirked in a sardonic smile. Bianca was pretending to search through her purse, badly, Jules was blatantly watching our exchange, Ben was, of course, more interested in Rachel than anything else, and Rachel, bless her heart, was the only one even trying to give us some space.

Dani flicked a quick glance behind her and visibly tensed. “Hey.”

“Hey,” everyone replied in unison—everyone except Ben who was finally just cluing in to what was going on.

I tilted my head to the side. “Let me show you your room.”

“Alright.” She hugged her duffel bag a little tighter to her chest.

I led her through the living area and to the wide, sweeping staircase that climbed to the second floor. She kept up with me even though I took them two at a time. We passed two doors before I finally stopped at hers. “This one’s yours.”

She stepped by me, gaze everywhere like she was memorizing every tiny detail. Gauzy curtains hung on either side of a set of French doors, a modern-looking comforter sprawled across the queen bed, and a decent-sized flat screen hung on the wall over a streamlined dresser. There was a bathroom at the other end of the room, but I could only see the door from where I was standing.

“My room’s just across the hall.” I gestured at it.

Her forehead creased. “Your room?”

My heart kicked up its tempo. “That’s the rule, isn’t it?” All I needed was one word, one word and I’d happily cut all this nonsense right out. Never before in my entire life had I had a woman sprint from my bedroom after sex. Sure, I never allowed overnights with my flings, those were the terms I always set, but this wasn’t just a damn fling. This was Dani.

Her fingers fiddled with the end of her ponytail and she flicked it away with a loud exhale. “It’s better this way.”

I tried to bite my tongue, but before I could stop myself I blurted out, “Better for who?”

“Gavin,” she warned, her lips pinching together.

“Right, I know.” I relaxed my clenched fists, and forced out my growing irritation. I kept reminding myself that I had to be grateful I was getting anything with her at all. Three steps had me at her side, and if she’d been hesitant about this whole trip, there was only willingness when her lips met mine. I rested my forehead against hers. “I’m gonna head to the pool. Meet you out there?”

She nodded. “Do you mind if I take a look around?”

“Have at it.”