I thought for a beat, making sure I didn’t need to make a run anywhere. “No, I want to get back to the hotel because Gabe’s there.” I paused to check the time on my phone. “He should be finishing up his photoshoot soon himself.”
“He seems to really like you,” Demetria continued once we got in the car.
“I like him, too.” I cleared my throat. “As a friend.” I hoped that statement didn’t sound as much like a lie to Demetria that it sounded to me. My throat almost clogged before I could fully get it out.
“A friend with benefits?”
I turned sharply to her with wide eyes.
She threw her hands up and laughed. “I’m saying, Lena. He’s cute, and the way he refused to let go of your hand while he was in your room.” She made a funny noise at the back of her throat, her eyes gleaming. “Does this mean you’re over Nate? I’ve never seen you with anyone else, even when you two would break up before.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. I was long over Nate. The thought of him repulsed me. Instead of an answer, I turned away from Demetria and stared out the window. Gabe wasn’tcute,as she’d put it. The man was fine as all hell.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” Demetria said after about ten minutes of riding in silence.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “Nothing is going on between Gabe and me. We’re sleeping in separate rooms. Anyway, that’s all the business stuff for today, right? What time is the commercial shoot on Saturday morning?”
“You have to be there by seven.”
I groaned, hating the early morning call time. But the next day was Friday, so at least I had a free day aside from attending the exhibition fight with Gabe. Eli Gatlin was fighting that night.
“Will you need me for anything tomorrow?” Demetria asked once we pulled up to the hotel.
“No, I don’t think so. Thanks for your help today,” I told her. “I’m going to, uh, head up to my room,” I lied.
“Do you need any help tonight?”
I shook my head. “No, trust me, you did enough by helping me wrangle my parents earlier.” I gave her a warm smile and squeezed her elbow. “I’ll see you bright and early on Saturday.”
She nodded and remained in the car. It’d take her back to her apartment while I headed inside through the private entrance.
The truth was, I wanted to get inside quickly to see Gabe. While my phone had been on silent, he’d sent me a few texts asking how my shoot was going and when I would be back.
As I passed through the lobby, I headed toward the hallway that led to the room where his photoshoot was. I’d gotten done earlier than expected, and his had run over. I didn’t think it would hurt to pop in and see him in front of the camera.
I heard voices and the sound of rock music coming from one of the opened double doors of the large ballroom, where the shoot was. A few people came in and out.
One of them was Eli Gatlin. He held a phone to his ear with a concentrated look on his face. Gabe had told me Eli wasn’t a part of the shoot, which was why I was surprised to see him there.
“Hey, Eli.” I waved.
He paused and peered at me with a wrinkle in his brow. “Hey,” he said as he hurried past. “Is she okay?” I thought I heard him say as he continued down the hall.
I looked back, wondering what that was all about, but started for the ballroom again.
When I stepped inside, people were scurrying about, music playing, and cameras and lights all set up. It was very similar to the shoot I’d left not too long ago, except there was double the amount of people at this shoot.
I looked toward the back of the room where the backdrop and photographer set up. In the midst of it all, stood Gabriel, shirtless in a pair of briefs. I could tell that he’d been slathered in oil to make his sun-kissed muscles pop even more. His body was a work of art.
The photographer moved, and I could see his face from where I stood. A grin spread over his face, causing my heart to flutter in my chest. Right then, a brunette woman blocked my line of sight as she moved in close to Gabe. She wore a pair of blue jean cutoffs and a tank top.
I watched as she lifted on her tiptoes and whispered something in Gabe’s ear, and then laughed. The move looked intimate, and my heart lurched in my chest.
I froze, and something fiery moved through me.
“Son of a bitch,” I murmured. In a flash, the memories of all the texts and phone calls I used to get from various women claiming to have slept with my ex came flooding back. The whispers I would hear when we would go out or the giggles from others about what Nate was doing and with whom.
I closed my eyes tightly, and when I opened them the woman was still there. Still standing too close to him. Maybe Gabe had booked our separate rooms for a reason. He’d said he wanted all of me, and I wasn’t willing to give all of myself to him, so maybe he moved on to someone who was.
