Page 5 of Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors)

Brianne looked right at Gabe. A little pulse beat at the base of her neck and there was a question in her eyes but it was one he couldn’t answer. He didn’t belong in the world of charity polo things and giant summer houses that overlooked a vast expanse of shining sand and water. He was a street kid whose one good outfit consisted of a second-hand suit jacket and a pair of dark slacks. On the other hand, even though Eric’s parents didn’t come from money, they had it now, and Eric would one day inherit his father’s fortune.

“I’d love to escort you,” Eric said and then he gave Brianne an over-the-top bow that made her bright, tinkling laughter sound out again.

It was just as well, Gabe told himself. She deserved a guy like Eric. Privileged. Well-connected.

One who could give her all the things she deserved.

Chapter One

Six years later…

Brianne slowly scratched a heart in the sand with her immaculately manicured fingertip. Behind her, the muffled sounds of her wedding reception taunted her.Probably the most awkward reception in history, she mused, given the groom had never shown up. But her family and friends were doing their best to give her exactly what she’d asked of them—moving forward with the party in order to celebrate a new beginning, even if it wasn’t exactly the beginning they’d all been expecting.

Sighing, she scrubbed the heart out with her palm then wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her bent knees. It had been a beautiful day for a beach wedding on Coronado Island—upper seventies, low humidity, with ample sunlight that had faded to an evening that was just as wonderful. Now there was a light breeze, no clouds, and the starry sky stretched over the Pacific. She’d taken a huge gamble by having an outdoor wedding, even in Southern California, but she’d risked it in order to create the perfect, storybook start to her married life with Eric. The weather, unlike her fiancé, hadn’t let her down.

Not that she could really blame Eric for what he’d done. How could she?

Cringing, face flaming, she covered her face with her hands, still unable to believe she’d cried out another man’s name during an erotic dream.

Twice.

And not just any man’s name, but Eric’s best friend’s name. Gabe.

That was bad. Bad enough, if not tojustifyEric getting cold feet at the last minute and texting her he wasn’t coming, at least bad enough to cut him some slack.

Of course, most of the wedding party and guests weren’t feeling as sympathetic to Eric’s plight as she was because they didn’t knowwhyhe’d jilted her. They were horrified and angry, thinking the worst of him, and that was especially true of Gabe. He’d looked like he was ready to kill Eric.If he only knew, she thought.

God, what a mess.

Lowering her hands, she blinked away fresh tears as she imagined what Gabe would think ofherif he knew the whole story. How he would react to the news he’d played a part in breaking them up. He would despise her for hurting his best friend so badly. But he could never think less of her than she currently thought of herself.

She pulled her cell phone out of her little satin purse and stared at the text Eric had sent her. It was so like him. Brutally honest. To the point. Yet also gentle and kind.

I’m sorry, Brianne. It happened again. I can’t marry you until you figure out who you want—me or Gabe. Be honest. Is a small part of you relieved? No matter what the answer, I’ll always love you.

When she’d received Eric’s text, she’d been enjoying a rare moment alone in her dressing room while her bridesmaids were getting ready to walk down the aisle. She had read it, barely believing her eyes.

It happened again.

The dreams themselves weren’t so unusual. She’d had periodic dreams of Gabe since she was nineteen. But apparently she’d started to talk during the dreams, because several days ago, Eric had confronted her with what she’d moaned in her sleep.

Reading Eric’s text, she’d relived the horror on his face, the horror she’d felt, when he’d told her what he’d heard. Then, with trembling fingers, she’d put down her phone and stared at her reflection in the mirror.

It hadn’t mattered that she was wearing a beautiful gown, that her make up was flawless, and that her hair had been pulled to the side with a beautiful fresh gardenia.

All she’d seen was a woman so ugly she’d made a wonderful man doubt her love for him. A woman who couldn’t deny shehaddreamed of being intimate with his best friend, not just on the two occasions he knew of, but on numerous occasions in the past.

Brianne closed her eyes and was instantly swamped with guilt again, and not just because she’d dreamed of Gabe, or because Eric had felt compelled to call off the wedding, but because Eric was right.

Part of herwasrelieved.

It made her feel selfish. Disloyal.

Confused!

“Hey,” said a deep, husky voice she knew all too well, and her stomach came alive with butterflies.

Gabe.

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