He pulled me protectively against him. “It’s called a commitment, babe. It means I’m here, and I’m never going anywhere.” A grin broke out over his face. “Except away. With you.”
“What do you mean? Are we going back into the hot tub?” I asked hopefully.
“Maybe.” He looked very interested in the idea. “But that’s not what I meant. Although I might take ten minutes out of our itinerary to have my way with you in there before we go.”
“Before we go where?” I wailed.
Gabe grinned at me. “To the island I rented. In the Caribbean. With your bikinis. And your sister. And her boyfriend. And about twenty security guards.”
“Bikinis?” I asked as if that were the most ridiculous part of what he was saying.
“That’s what I said.” The devilish grin was still on his face. “If I have to drag you there…oh, never mind. I’ll just do it anyway. You deserve it, and probably a good spanking too.”
He stood up and held me by the hips, picking me up as if I were a sack of flour—a precious one, but still—and threw me over his shoulder. He stalked out through the kitchen and toward the hot tub, carrying me. “Relaxation and bikinis, here we come.”
I’d never heard him sound quite so gleeful. Oh boy, was my sister going to hear it from me. Again.
Chapter 30
The sun’s warmth was magnificent even through the responsibly wide brim of my hat. Gabe sat on the chair next to me, his fingers laced through mine. I could hear Hannah and Wes nearby, playing paddleball or something sporty as they splashed in the water.
Wes was there in the capacity of Hannah’s boyfriend and bodyguard. I’d tried to fire him, but both Gabe and Hannah had shut me up before I’d had a proper chance. Three days into our trip, I’d discovered that Wes was nice and obviously devoted to my sister. He and Gabe seemed to have hit it off as well, going to the gym together each morning and drinking bourbon each night.
Still, as promised, I’d given my sister an earful. It just hadn’t worked out the way I’d planned. “I don’t have time for a double-date vacation,” I hiss-whispered to her as we’d boarded the private plane. “I have a new product to manage. And I’m not wearing a bikini.”
Hannah arched an eyebrow at me. “I’m guessing that you’re wrong about that. Gabe seemed pretty excited.”
I looked at her, crestfallen. “About the bikini?”
“About the whole trip, Lauren.” She shook her head in exasperation. “You’ve been putting that guy through the wringer since you met him. Maybe you could relax and do what he wants for once. He did just save your company while you were off almost getting killed. Is it too much to ask that you go lie on a beach and drink fruity drinks? You act like we’re asking you to drink castor oil from a jail cell. Which reminds me—didn’t Gabe go to jail for you too?”
“Yes,” I admitted under my breath.
“Then wear the bikini and shut up for once,” Hannah snapped. “Sheesh.”
Fast-forward three days, and I was wearing one of the many bikinis my sister had packed for me. I had my mouth shut, and I was holding hands with my boyfriend.
My boyfriend. A little thrill went through me every time I thought of him that way. Actually, a little thrill went through me anytime I thought about Gabe in any way, or looked at him, or touched him, or caught him looking at me appreciatively.
It had been a thrilling couple of days. Even I had to admit it.
I hadn’t let myself think about what, if anything, my enemies had planned for us going forward. I’d only gotten one text from Li Na since the launch. Congratulations on your launch, it read. Don’t forget about me while you celebrate.
I shivered when I read it. As if I’d be so lucky as to forget her.
I hoped she was done with me, that she’d given up. For the first time in my life, I wanted a future. It wasn’t that I hadn’t wanted one before, but I’d never given it a lot of thought. It had always been the next thing—the next trial, the next idea, the next test. Now the desire for a future with Gabe was so powerful and clear that it was overwhelming.
I tried not to think about her, and to focus on our vacation, instead. The private island was beautiful. It had an enormous, luxurious house in which we were all staying, and a guesthouse for the security team Gabe had insisted on bringing. There were miles of white-sand beaches, and we were surrounded by turquoise water. The house had multiple decks that boasted hot tubs, infinity pools, and any luxury I could have ever imagined, had I been inclined to think about such things.
“We should come back here every year,” Gabe said.
I startled. I’d thought he was asleep. “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
He opened one eye and looked at me. “I would do just about anything to keep you in a bikini,” he growled. He moved my hand over the top of his swim trunks, and I felt his growing erection.
I snatched my hand away. “Hannah and Wes are right over there,” I whispered, mortified, motioning toward the water.
He got up unselfconsciously and reached for my hand, pulling me with him. “Then let’s go for a walk.”