She shook her head and smiled back.
Dillon straightened and quickly turned around at the sound of the doorbell chiming. He groaned out as Gavin made his way over to answer it. When he opened it, Emily watched him greet two men, both appearing to be Gavin’s relatives. The younger of the two was good looking with the same sharp-chiseled features and hair color but had a body slightly heavier than Gavin. The senior, however, was Gavin’s twin—fast-forward twenty years—with a hint of silver hues sprinkled throughout his hair. His wide grin flashed with practiced ease as they all walked into the kitchen.
The older man’s brows arched over his blue eyes as he patted Dillon’s back. “You’re looking a little rough around the edges, son,” he chuckled.
“Good morning, Mr. Blake,” Dillon stood up to shake his hand. “Yeah, I drank a little too much last night.”
“Well, prepare to drink a little more today, youngling,” he quipped, holding up a bottle of Grand Marnier and a couple of fishing poles.
Shaking his head with a smile on his face, Dillon looked to Gavin. “Your old man’s going to kill me today with the drinking, isn’t he?”
“I’m pretty sure those are his intentions,” he laughed and settled back into his seat. “Right, Pop?”
“Absolutely,” he laughed. He then glanced in Emily’s direction, a charming grin touching his lips. “So who do we have here?”
Dillon curled his arm around her waist. “This is my girlfriend, Emily. Emily, this is Gavin’s brother, Colton, and his father, Chad.”
“It’s very nice to meet you both.” She smiled and shook their hands.
“Emily, do you have any sisters for my brother?” Colton motioned with his thumb in Gavin’s direction. Gavin rolled his eyes as he downed the last of his coffee. “My mother wants him married off soon.”
“Unfortunately, the only one I have is married,” Emily laughed.
Colton tossed his arm around Gavin’s neck. “Oh well, little man, the search shall continue.”
With his arms crossed, Gavin let out a sigh and once again rolled his eyes at his brother’s “non-mission” of finding him a woman.
Eventually, Trevor, Joe, and Chris made their way downstairs to join the group.
“What the hell do you have on?” Gavin laughed, his eyes wide on Trevor’s attire.
Wearing his finest fishing hat and vest scattered with hooks and little plastic worms, Trevor sniffed haughtily. “Whatever, dude.” He poured some coffee into a Styrofoam cup and turned back to Gavin. “At least I get on the damn boat.”
Each of the men—except Gavin—broke out into laughter. He just shook his head with an amused grin on his face and let the partial insult slide.
Trevor slapped him on his back. “Is the Gavin Blake speechless?”
Standing up to refill his coffee, Gavin smiled. “Go ahead, lay it on me, assholes. But, in my defense, it comes from my mother’s side of the family.”
Emily drew up a confused brow. “You don’t go on boats?”
Gavin’s smile was slow, making his blue eyes sparkle. “Technically, I can, but not when the water’s choppy like this morning.” He took a sip of his coffee. “I get slightly seasick.”
Dillon stood up, walked over to him, and slapped him on his shoulder. “Slightly? You wind up praying to the sea gods to get you through the trip without puking.”
Shaking his head, Gavin tossed his boat keys to his father. “Okay, each and every single one of you need to get the hell out of my house now,” he laughed. “And that’s including you, too, Pop,” he quickly added.
Chuckling, Chad walked over to his son and patted him on his back.
The conversation and laughter flowed while the men took a few more minutes preparing for a day out on the water. Making sure they had enough ice, food, liquor, and night crawlers to last until the afternoon, they felt they were good to go. Emily trailed behind, following Dillon to the door to kiss him goodbye and let him know to take it easy on the drinking. She watched the group make their way into the dewy morning air and down to the boat.
After closing the door, Emily turned and found Gavin sitting at the island where he resumed his position—coffee in one hand and his eyes intent on his morning paper. She went to walk upstairs, figuring now would be a good time to wake Olivia and Tina, but before she could, Gavin called out to her and asked her to take a seat with him.
As she moved toward him, she gave herself a fierce mental talk. She enjoyed hanging out with him a little too much last night, and because of that, she had more than just a physical attraction now. Tingles of something she had never experienced raced through her, and a strange anxiety permeated her bones by his close proximity—more so than before.
And that…that wasn’t good.
As she took a seat next to him, Emily tried to ignore the way his just-fucked-looking black hair went in every direction. It made him look…well…even hotter.
Tossing a hand through that just-fucked-looking black hair, he placed the newspaper down and smiled. “I wanted to give you fair warning that within a few hours the house is going to become a little…chaotic.”
“Oh, how so?” she asked, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. “I thought your guests wouldn’t be here until after three.”
Gavin’s eyes flicked down to her thighs and then back to her face. He tried to swallow. “Well, the caterers and the company that sets up the tents will be here soon. If you like, we can go down by the beach or get in the pool together.”
Emily shifted nervously, her gaze holding steady on his.
“I mean, you…you can go down by the beach or in the pool,” he corrected quickly. Jesus Christ. He slowly dragged his teeth over his bottom lip.
Watching his lips a little too intently had her pushing her seat away from the counter to stand up. “Yeah, I’ll see.” She walked over to the stairs. “I’m just going to…uh…go wake up Olivia and Tina now.”
He nodded, and she trotted up the stairs.
Emily gave a quick knock at the door, and Olivia yelled out for her to come in. When she entered, both women were already in the midst of getting ready to leave.
“Why are you packing now?” Emily asked. “I thought you two weren’t leaving until after three.”
Olivia tossed the last of her items into her backpack. “Tina’s mom is sick, so she called asking if we could get out there earlier to help cook.” She stretched her body out. “Ugh, I’m really not looking forward to this drive back either.”
Emily pressed her lips into a tight line and sank down onto the bed. Letting out a sigh, she leaned against a pillow, noticeably flustered.
Olivia looked at her. “Why do you look so freaked out about us leaving? You knew I wasn’t staying the whole weekend.”
“Because he didn’t go fishing with everyone else, and I’ll be stuck here alone—with him.”
“That’s right—the whole seasick thing. I forgot.” A mischievous grin slid across Olivia’s mouth. “Why would you be upset about being here alone with him? I say it’s the perfect opportunity to get a little taste of something…yummy,” she laughed.
“Damn it, Olivia!” Emily spat. “I’m not kidding anymore! Stop with your bullshit!”
Olivia stood aghast, like a deer in headlights, as Emily pushed to her feet and tore past her. Stalking down the hallway, Emily entered her room, tossed her suitcase on the bed, and started packing her things.
Olivia cautiously entered the room. “What the hell are you doing, Em?”
“I’m leaving with you guys,” she hastily answered. “I’m not staying here alone with him.”
Olivia walked over to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Friend, calm the fuck down, okay?” Emily pulled away and continued to pack. “Em, his mother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew should be here soon. It’s not like it’s just going to be the two of you.”