Free Stealing the Bride by Brynn Paulin Page A

told them she was going on a cruise, not the wilds of Michigan.
    Daniel shrugged his wide shoulders to let his backpack fall to the ground then straightened to his full height of just over six feet. Despite spending hours online as a professional blogger and internet reporter, his figure was lean. With thick, wavy, black hair, which stuck a little to his forehead in this heat, and his light-blue eyes, he was any girl’s dream. Too bad he dreamed of only men—specifically Jacob. “A little birdie left her day planner open on the kitchen table with all the notes about her ‘cruise’ right there for anyone to see,” he said. “As your friends, it’s our duty to keep you safe.”
    “And stuff,” Jacob added as he, too, let his backpack drop. Jacob was nearly the same height and build as Daniel, making them appear the perfect match when they embraced, but otherwise, he was the photo-negative of Daniel in both looks and personality. Where his partner was fair-skinned with dark hair and light eyes, Jacob had a perpetual tan enhanced by his olive-toned skin. His blond hair sported sun streaks of near-white, and his eyes so dark brown they were nearly black. Another dream. Perfect for his job as a Broadway character actor.
    Daniel had a carefree personality and was always ready with a joke or a snappy response. Jacob seemed…more intense. More serious. The combination of light and intense kept her unbalanced in their presence.
    She couldn’t help her arousal whenever she was around them, either. Thank goodness, there was no way for them to know. Her current dampness could be attributed to perspiration, sort of, and they couldn’t possibly know the streaks of lightning pulsing in her middle. It was her curse to be attracted to two gorgeous gay men.
    Beside them, she felt like the girl who’d been hit by the ugly stick. While she was passable weight, too many hours behind a desk crunching facts for a high-profile, international lawyer kept her from being particularly toned or thin. In fact, amongst the New York svelte, she felt downright fat. Her mousy brown hair fell to mid-back and was usually kept in a ponytail to tame it. Right now, it was tugged into a messy braid to keep it from sticking to her body. Her features were plain, her brown eyes were boring and a profusion of freckles speckled her face and arms. Mostly, she didn’t notice the spots, but when she did and noted their abundance, she cursed her genes and her lack of sunscreen as a youth. Others probably saw them, but most of the time, she didn’t.
    Truthfully, she was quite comfortable with herself as she was, or she would have made changes. She was who she was, and her roommates were who they were. Men who inhabited a different echelon from ordinary people like her. An upper echelon. The beautiful people echelon.
    Unaware of her musing, Daniel turned and grabbed his backpack then hefted it onto the table she’d deserted. Opening the top flap, he dug inside and pulled out a Coke. He held it out to her, and she took it without thought, groaning at the cold against her palm. Her roommates knew her vices.
    He pulled out one for himself. “We thought it was odd that you’d take a cruise right before your wedding—and without your fiancé. Does Marco know you’re here?”
    “No. He thinks I’m visiting my cousin. Besides he’s in Vegas with my boss—his best man. A bachelor thing.”
    “Oh the wicked web we weave,” Daniel chortled, his eyes sparking with some secret knowledge that escaped her. Likely, he was teasing her.
    She glared at him. “Shut up. Look…I wanted to be alone. I needed to get my thoughts together—”
    “Before you marry the man who holds the Guinness Book record for boringness,” he interrupted.
    “Marco’s a nice man. There’s nothing wrong with him.”
    “You don’t love him,” Jacob added, dryly.
    Mara sighed. “Look. Thanks for the Coke, but I want you guys to leave. I’m trying to re-center myself and get one with