Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) (2 page)

“I think I’m gonna take a walk.” Everyone looked at him, and Gabe felt a tell-tale warmth creeping over his face. He’d nearly shouted, desperate to get away from the pool. There was too much happening in his head.

“I’ll show you around,” Brianne said, standing.

Not what he’d been going for. He’d wanted to get away from her.

She was too much. Too beautiful, too rich. She made him feel dizzy and hot and unsure of himself. It was hard enough being the poor kid in the middle of the rich kids. She only made it worse, highlighting everything that was wrong with him.

But she didn’t give him a chance to object. “Come on, we’ll go to the beach.” She led the way, and Gabe decided to play it cool instead of arguing and looking like an even bigger tool than he felt. There was a gate just off to the side of the pool area, concealed by perfectly trimmed hedges, which opened to a set of stone stairs leading to the beach. It was like something out of a movie.

“What are you thinking?” Brianne asked once they reached the sand.

“Honestly? I was thinking how I didn’t know people lived like this in real life. I can’t imagine having my own private entrance to the beach. I mean, how cool is that?”

She chuckled. “It’s not such a big deal.”

“Spoken like someone who lives like this.”

“I guess you don’t, then?”

The waves crashed on the sand, and Gabe turned his head to watch them. She’d caught him off guard, asking him what his thoughts were, and he’d said the first stupid thing that came to mind. He sure as hell hadn’t intended to reveal he’d grown up poor, but it was probably written all over him.

“Not really,” he admitted. He left it at that.

They walked for a long time in silence. The warmth from the sun, beating up from the sand, was no match for the way his body burned from the inside out. He was tempted to jump into the surf just to cool off.

“So what are you doing here, Brianne? I heard you were in your first year at school.” It seemed like a pretty safe topic.

“I am. I, uh…I come home on the weekends sometimes, and whenever I get a chance during breaks.”

“So you’re a homebody?”

“Not really. I just ended a relationship.” She took a deep breath. “We were engaged.”

His first thought was that her fiancé must have been a total asshat to have let someone like Brianne go. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t meant to be. I mean, we’re too young. It was dumb. I need to experience more from life before I settle down, right?”

She was trying to be brave. He wanted to reach out and touch her, comfort her. Make her feel loved. Because even in the short time he’d known her, he knew she deserved it. She deserved everything.

“He was cheating on me,” she admitted.

“What a stupid shithead.”

She stared at him for a beat, then laughed.

“Sorry. I just can’t imagine a man being stupid enough to cheat on you.”

Brianne shook her head, laughing lightly. “You know, and this is going to sound silly, but that’s exactly the sort of thing I needed to hear right now.”

His heart swelled just from knowing he’d made her happy, even if it was only for the moment. It was bizarre, the thoughts going through his brain over this girl. A girl he’d just met, and one who wouldn’t look twice at him if she knew where he came from.

She stopped walking, and turned to the surf with her hands in the pockets of her cutoff shorts. “Do you wonder how many people the ocean is touching, right this very minute?” The water swirled around their feet.

“Not really,” he admitted. He looked down, watching the bubbling water. He felt it pull at him as it rushed away, then flow back over him upon its return.

“I wonder how many people are feeling this same water right now. I wonder what their lives are like. You know? Who are they, and what are their problems? Do mine pale in comparison?”

He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her profile, and when she turned to smile at him, the sun was hitting her just right. A puff of air rushed past them, carrying the scent of her perfume and shampoo to his nose.

And that was the moment he actually felt himself fall for her.

She walked further into the water, until the water was up to her knees, and dared him to come in with her.

He laughed, shaking his head.

“Oh, come on, chicken!” Hands on hips, she pretended to pout just as a big wave rolled in and knocked her off balance.

Gabe rushed forward, catching her before she hit the water. She screamed, landing in his arms with a laugh. But Gabe didn’t laugh. He was too busy feeling like he’d been hit with a thousand volts of electricity. She was so warm in his hands, so soft and yielding. She hummed with energy, her tanned skin tingling.

For one crazy moment, he thought about kissing her. As if she’d read his mind, she tilted her head back to look into his eyes. She was so close. All he had to do was lean down…

“That’s what I get for being a smartass,” she murmured, disentangling herself from his grasp.

He stepped away, disappointed but not surprised. Of course she wouldn’t want him to kiss her. She might have just had her heart broken, but there had to be a hundred guys waiting in line for a chance with her. Guys with money, connections, a bright future.

Once again, they walked for a while, up and down the beach. They talked about soccer, recent games they’d played. Gabe told her about boxing, and how he’d gotten into it. He didn’t tell the whole story, of course—only that a man named Sam had mentored him. She asked all the right questions, and seemed genuinely interested. Most girls he knew were airheads, cute but dull. She was far more than cute, and smart as a whip.

“Aren’t you worried about hurting your face?”

He looked at her, surprised. “What do you mean?”

Was it just his imagination or was she blushing?

“Well, it’s just you’re so… I mean…I’m sorry. I don’t want to make you feel weird.”

“No, it’s okay.”

She shrugged, blushing more deeply. “You’re a nice looking person. Aren’t you worried boxing will mess up your face?”

She’d complimented him without a trace of guile or motive, and he suddenly wanted to puff his chest out at the knowledge she found him attractive. “Eh, it adds to the street cred. Gives a man something to brag about.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “I guess we should get back,” she said. “Mom’s gonna want to feed you guys eventually.”

Did she sound regretful? Or did he just want to believe she was into him?

He supposed their time together was over, but it had been sweet while is lasted. He tried to soak in as much as he could as they walked back to the house.

“Where’d you two go?” Jamie said when they reached the pool after climbing the stairs.

Bri smiled at Gabe, then at her brother. Just as she opened her mouth to answer, Jamie’s mom stepped out onto the patio with a man who was obviously Jamie and Brianne’s father. He’d given Brianne her wavy dark hair and eyes.

Jamie’s mom called out. “Brianne, did you say hello to Eric? You’ve met his parents before, you remember, at the Charity Ball this past spring? The Davenports.”

“Yes, and of course I remember Eric’s parents,” Brianne said.

“Eric, are you planning on attending the charity polo match next month?” Jamie’s mom continued.

Eric smiled hugely. “I’m planning on being in it.”

“Are you? How exciting!” Brianne’s hands came together in a small spatter of applause. Her eyes came back to Gabe. “How about you, Gabe? Are you going or playing?”

Gabe didn’t ride horses. Plus, he was pretty sure anything that mixed charity work and rich people would be something he couldn’t afford to go to. He managed a tight smile. “No, sorry.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her hands.

It stung Gabe more than he could believe, that one gesture. A door might as well have slammed shut between the two of them.

“Brianne was just saying how she didn’t have a date for the event yet,” Mrs. Whitcomb said. “Eric, you should escort her. That is, if you don’t mind.”

There was no missing the way Brianne’s eyes bored holes into her mother. Gabe guessed she wasn’t the kind of girl who liked being set up—especially when the set-up was so obvious, and when it put her on the spot. He wondered how long it had been since her breakup, then wondered if it was wrong to hope she wasn’t ready for a relationship yet. At least, not with Eric. He felt a pang of disloyalty at the thought.

Brianne looked right at Gabe. A little pulse beat at the base of her neck and there was a question in her eyes but it was one he couldn’t answer. He didn’t belong in the world of charity polo things and giant summer houses that overlooked a vast expanse of shining sand and water. He was a street kid whose one good outfit consisted of a second-hand suit jacket and a pair of dark slacks. On the other hand, even though Eric’s parents didn’t come from money, they had it now, and Eric would one day inherit his father’s fortune.

“I’d love to escort you,” Eric said and then he gave Brianne an over-the-top bow that made her bright, tinkling laughter sound out again.

It was just as well, Gabe told himself. She deserved a guy like Eric. Privileged. Well-connected.

One who could give her all the things she deserved.

Chapter One

Six years later…

Brianne slowly scratched a heart in the sand with her immaculately manicured fingertip. Behind her, the muffled sounds of her wedding reception taunted her.
Probably the most awkward reception in history
, she mused, given the groom had never shown up. But her family and friends were doing their best to give her exactly what she’d asked of them—moving forward with the party in order to celebrate a new beginning, even if it wasn’t exactly the beginning they’d all been expecting.

Sighing, she scrubbed the heart out with her palm then wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her bent knees. It had been a beautiful day for a beach wedding on Coronado Island—upper seventies, low humidity, with ample sunlight that had faded to an evening that was just as wonderful. Now there was a light breeze, no clouds, and the starry sky stretched over the Pacific. She’d taken a huge gamble by having an outdoor wedding, even in Southern California, but she’d risked it in order to create the perfect, storybook start to her married life with Eric. The weather, unlike her fiancé, hadn’t let her down.

Not that she could really blame Eric for what he’d done. How could she?

Cringing, face flaming, she covered her face with her hands, still unable to believe she’d cried out another man’s name during an erotic dream.

Twice.

And not just any man’s name, but Eric’s best friend’s name. Gabe.

That was bad. Bad enough, if not to
justify
Eric getting cold feet at the last minute and texting her he wasn’t coming, at least bad enough to cut him some slack.

Of course, most of the wedding party and guests weren’t feeling as sympathetic to Eric’s plight as she was because they didn’t know
why
he’d jilted her. They were horrified and angry, thinking the worst of him, and that was especially true of Gabe. He’d looked like he was ready to kill Eric.
If he only knew
, she thought.

God, what a mess.

Lowering her hands, she blinked away fresh tears as she imagined what Gabe would think of
her
if he knew the whole story. How he would react to the news he’d played a part in breaking them up. He would despise her for hurting his best friend so badly. But he could never think less of her than she currently thought of herself.

She pulled her cell phone out of her little satin purse and stared at the text Eric had sent her. It was so like him. Brutally honest. To the point. Yet also gentle and kind.

I’m sorry, Brianne. It happened again. I can’t marry you until you figure out who you want—me or Gabe. Be honest. Is a small part of you relieved? No matter what the answer, I’ll always love you.

When she’d received Eric’s text, she’d been enjoying a rare moment alone in her dressing room while her bridesmaids were getting ready to walk down the aisle. She had read it, barely believing her eyes.

It happened again
.

The dreams themselves weren’t so unusual. She’d had periodic dreams of Gabe since she was nineteen. But apparently she’d started to talk during the dreams, because several days ago, Eric had confronted her with what she’d moaned in her sleep.

Reading Eric’s text, she’d relived the horror on his face, the horror she’d felt, when he’d told her what he’d heard. Then, with trembling fingers, she’d put down her phone and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

It hadn’t mattered that she was wearing a beautiful gown, that her make up was flawless, and that her hair had been pulled to the side with a beautiful fresh gardenia.

All she’d seen was a woman so ugly she’d made a wonderful man doubt her love for him. A woman who couldn’t deny she
had
dreamed of being intimate with his best friend, not just on the two occasions he knew of, but on numerous occasions in the past.