Page 98 of The Better Brother

“I see him,” she whispered.

“I kind of assumed that already,” I said.

My heart raced with each step we took. I still didn't see him, but Lila apparently had and like a bloodhound on a scent, she was in pursuit. Her grip on my hand tightened.

My eyes finally landed on him and I felt my pulse race and my breath catch in my throat. He was sitting in a private booth in the far corner of the club, just looking out at the teeming mass of flesh on display.

“He's alone,” Lila said. “We should definitely go talk to him.”

“He might like being left alone,” I said. “Or maybe he's just waiting for his date to come back from the bathroom or something.”

Lila cocked an eyebrow at me as if to say, “Really?”

“Come on, I'll go with you,” she said. “Just to get the ball rolling and get you talking to him.”

Still gripping my hand, Lila started walking toward him, but my feet wouldn't move. I just stared at him, with my eyes wide and my jaw on the floor. I was a melted puddle of goo somehow rooted in a block of cement. No matter how badly I wanted to, I was unable to move. Lila gave me a mischievous little smile and a reassuring squeeze as she shook her head.

“Seriously, Josie, he's not going to bite,” she said. “I mean, unless you're into that, then he might if you ask real nice.”

Somehow managing to pull my feet free from the quicksand that had been holding them tight, I let Lila walk me over to the booth, where Gavin was sitting and staring out at the dance floor. He was back behind a roped off section, likely the reason he was alone, which made me think again, that maybe he wanted to be. When we started walking toward him, he turned his dark gaze to us and I almost tripped over my own feet. Thankfully, Lila caught me and kept me from making a bigger buffoon of myself.

His dark eyes penetrating me, he smiled and waved us over, beckoning for us to step behind the roped off section.

Standing up as we got to his table, he said, “I thought you two would never stop by.”

Given all the gorgeous women in the club, I was shocked that he'd remembered us. “Yeah, it took some convincing, but my friend finally got the balls to come out,” Lila said, giving me a playful nudge. “She's a bit shy.”

I glared at her. “I can see that,” he said.

But instead of being put off by it, Gavin made it sound like it wasn't a bad thing. In fact, as he looked me up and down, licking his lips, he made it almost sound like my shyness turned him on.

“Come, sit,” he said. “Join me for a drink.”

“Are we supposed to be back here?” Lila asked, pointing to the velvet ropes.

“Of course, you're welcome back here,” Gavin said, waving at a passing cocktail waitress. He smiled at me, which made my heart flutter. “You're with me.”

Lila motioned for me to sit down, which would put me between Gavin and her. I hesitated, but then he looked over at me with an expectant look in his eyes. I knew that shaking my head would look weird, so I just went with it. I sat as close to Lila as I could, trying to keep some distance between Gavin and I, but the booth was pretty tight for three of us, and Gavin wasn't nearly as shy as I was.

“What are you ladies drinking?” he asked.

“Surprise us,” Lila said, leaning back in the booth.

Gavin grinned, then winked at me, as he leaned over and whispered his order to the waitress. The woman, who was wearing a very short leather mini skirt that had her ass cheeks practically hanging out, turned and walked away. Most men would have stared at that tight little ass, but Gavin turned his attention to me, ignoring the woman completely.

“So, Josie,” Gavin started, “what brings you on a cruise like this?”

“Uh, well, Lila sort of didn't tell me what sort of cruise it would be,” I said.

My hands were clasped in my lap and I could hardly meet his gaze. My heart was thundering in my chest and my stomach was a ball of knots. Every time I looked into his eyes, I'd feel my cheeks flare with heat and I'd be forced to look away.

It was so stupid—he was just a man, after all—but I couldn't help it. I was just having a very strong reaction to him. Very rarely had I seen a man as handsome as him with his perfectly chiseled features and long, chocolate brown hair. He had just enough stubble on his face to make it sexy without looking sloppy. The heat in my face only grew as I imagined what that might feel pressed against my thighs.

“Are you having fun?” he asked me, though he cocked an eyebrow at Lila.

“Yeah, it's all been a bit… eye-opening… to say the least,” I laughed.

The waitress brought us our drinks and I took a sip. I was surprised to find a fruity cocktail that wasn't too sweet, nor too heavy on the alcohol. It had a light coconut flavor with a creamy texture, and it was really good.