Free Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) by Virna Depaul Page B

at all. Every time he was near her, his heart did little flips and his hands got sweaty. Not to mention what happened to other parts of his body, especially when she was looking as sultry and luscious as she did now. With Bri, he had tried to apply an “out of sight, out of mind” policy, and usually it worked. But usually, she wasn’t begging him to sleep with her.
    “Come on, babe,” he said, gathering his resolve and standing up. “I’m taking you home.” She looked up at him with big, luminous eyes, and he almost had a change of heart. He wanted her so badly. But he was going to do the right thing. He would have killed anyone who tried to take advantage of her while she was so vulnerable—he damned well wasn’t going to be the one who deserved a good ass kicking.
    “Up,” he repeated, averting his eyes from her beautiful face. He held out his hand, and after what seemed like an eternity, she took it. Gabe pulled Brianne to her feet. “Let’s get you to bed. Alone.”
    “Okay,” she snuffled. He placed his arm lightly around her shoulder and guided her out of the club.
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    “You’re going to do what?” Gabe asked Brianne as they sped out of downtown to her apartment in Silver Lake. She had sobered up enough that she wasn’t throwing herself at him, but he was relatively sure she was still plastered because she had just told him her newest event idea.
    “Glamping. Haven’t you heard of it? It’s like camping for the Beverly Hills set, isn’t it?” She sat demurely next to him in the passenger seat, her hands folded in her lap. She suddenly looked unsure that she was talking about the right thing.
    “Yeah, that’s what it’s called, and that’s what it is, but you’re going to do it? For a contest?” he asked, incredulous. He checked in the rear view mirror of his convertible as he switched lanes on the Ventura Freeway to get off on the 2.
    “Don’t sound so shocked,” she said, with a scoff that turned into something of a drunken snort, telling him she wasn’t as together as she was trying to make out after all.
    He rolled his eyes with a smile. “Bri, you thought you had measles when a mosquito bit you. That’s not outdoorsman—or rather, outdoorswoman-like behavior. You’re just not a nature girl.”
    “I could be!” she protested, then sighed. Her head lolled back onto the rest, and she grinned at him. “Crap. You’re right. I know you’re right. Do you think you could help me?”
    Bri never ceased to amaze him. Sometimes she was all patrician, upper-class elegance, and then she was girlish and full of uncertainty. He pursed his lips. I walked right into that one.
    He knew he should avoid spending time with her, knew that being around her did nothing good for his sanity, but he also knew how vulnerable she was at the moment, and how important her career and reputation were to her. She thought of herself as a screw-up when it came to relationships, and he certainly wasn’t going to let her start thinking she was a screw-up at work, too. Bottom line, they were friends, and he’d always be available to help her out.
    “Yeah, of course I’ll help you, but I think before you get too wrapped up in all your plans, it might be a good idea to do a trial run. If you want, I can take you out for a night.”
    Spending even a single night alone in a tent with Bri would be torture for him. But he didn’t want her investing a whole lot of time and effort into something only to find it was a big no-go because she couldn’t deliver on it.
    “Um…sure. I think a trial run is a great idea,” she said quickly. “I can’t arrange for my guests to do something I have no experience with.” She began to rattle off some nonsensical thoughts on how they should have color-coordinated marshmallow roasters. Gabe tuned out, and focused on the road. He let her talk, nodding and making assenting noises when she paused. Eventually, her words got slower and quieter. Sure