“So, aren’t you a little curious as to why I’m in Mexico alone?” Jessica questioned as they made their way down a small wooden walkway.

Looking out onto the tumbling waves, the last of the sun falling asleep below the horizon, Gavin shook his head. “Not really.”

“You know, you’re really not a nice guy.” She pulled her hand away. Its absence didn’t affect Gavin either way. Still, she followed closely by his side.

“No. I’m too much of a nice guy,” Gavin mumbled, idly wondering where Emily was in that moment. Loneliness flooded his chest, but he welcomed its suffocating presence. This was something he knew. It was all too familiar to him. He almost considered it an old buddy.

“Right,” Jessica huffed, her tone tight with skepticism. “Well, considering what we’re about to do, maybe you can try to be a little… pleasant?”

Stopping just shy of his place, Gavin looked at her, his brow drawn up. “Look, I laid it all out. I can do sex, but I won’t do pleasantries. Take it or leave it.” For the barest second, Gavin felt ill to his stomach. He’d been raised to always treat women with respect, and he pictured his father’s disgust with the way he was acting. Still, the thought was fleeting. His old habit screamed, waving its self-medication in his face.

Shut down. Shut off. Disconnect.

Jessica pursed her lips. “Fine. Only because I need this more than you know.”

Once on his porch, Jessica whipped her crimson hair to the side, and Gavin was suddenly engulfed by the scent of her body. Her jasmine perfume aroused memories he was trying to forget. It shook him, nearly staggering his balance. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. Looking down at her wanting green eyes, he brought his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her hard into his mouth. She pressed her chest against his and let out a soft moan, her hands coming up to grasp his hair. Her moan, although filled with seductive, feminine yearning, wasn’t the moan he wanted to hear. Her lips, sweet in their own way, didn’t feel right locked on his. They didn’t mold to his like a piece to a puzzle.

Anger swelled, and Gavin started kissing her with ravenous intensity. He pinned her against the wall, reached for her thigh, and drew her leg up around his waist. She breathed out heavily as he roughed his hand under her sundress, skimming below her panties. In one swift motion, he had three fingers buried inside her. Her hips bucked against each hard thrust, and she clung to his neck, fisting the collar of his white linen shirt. Her pussy, though wet and as ready as any man could ever want, felt foreign, and at this, Gavin fingered her deeper, harder.

“Wait,” she purred, trying to catch her breath. She towed her head back and stared into his eyes. “What are you doing? Are you going to fuck me right out here?”

With a smug grin, Gavin backed away, leaving her panting body lax against the wall. “Not as fun as you originally appeared, I see,” he muttered, fishing his keys from his pocket. He slid them into the door, unlocked it, and held it open as he waited for Jessica to adjust her clothing.

Sighing, she picked up her clutch from the ground. As she walked past him, she rolled her eyes. Dropping the clutch onto an antique, claw-footed table in the foyer, Jessica’s gaze swept across his expansive beachfront home. “Nice place.” She faced him, her smile showing she was impressed. “So now, where were we?”

“You were about to strip for me.” Gavin tossed his keys onto the table and started unbuttoning his shirt. After slipping it off, he leaned against the doorjamb of the kitchen and crossed his arms as he watched her undress.

Jessica peeled the last piece of clothing from her body and moved toward Gavin. She took his face in both of her hands and pulled him into her mouth. It was then Gavin shoved Emily back into his aching heart’s closet, locked the door, and threw away the key. As he unbuckled his belt, one clear thought attacked his mind.

Emily would be proud he was taking a “void filler” to bed tonight.

With fear eating away at her stomach and a desperate ache for Gavin consuming her, Emily handed her bags to the flight attendant as she stepped into Blake Industries’ private jet.

Olivia raised a playful brow. “Hmm, maybe I need to break a few hearts in order to get special treatment like you… Yes. It’s been decided. While you’re gone, I’m gonna find me some rich dude, fuck around with his head a little, and get his brother to send me to where he is in absolute fucking luxury so I can reclaim his love.”

Emily stared blankly at Olivia, her mouth agape.

“You know I’m only kidding, Em.” Olivia laughed and grabbed Emily’s hand, tugging her toward the back of the jet.

Trying to keep up, Emily sighed and shook her head. “What are you doing, nut job? You’re not coming with me. Or is this something else you’ve decided on a whim?”

“This is Blake Industries’ new jet, and if you think I’m stepping foot off it before I see every inch, you’re just as flighty as I thought.” Olivia halted and snorted. “I just made a joke. Flighty, flight, fly, flying. Get it?”

“Yes. I get it, Liv. Wanna know what I’ve decided on a whim?”

Olivia tilted her head, her eyes wide. “You’re not changing your mind, are you? I said I was kidding around, Em. You know I’m your biggest fan right now. I know this is scary for you—the whole flying thing and Gavin possibly not taking you back—but you have to do this. The pilot doesn’t look drunk, well, not too drunk, so it’s pretty safe to say you’re in good hands. Besides, if you don’t go, you’ll never find out what could’ve happened with you and Gavin. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

Emily placed her hands on Olivia’s shoulders. “I’m not changing my mind, Olivia, but I’ve decided you’re no longer allowed to drink cappuccino.” Emily dropped her arms and smiled. “For someone who practically vibrates after one cup, two cups and you look like you’ve been smoking crack.”

“Oh. Right. My mother tells me the same, minus the whole smoking crack part.” Olivia reached for the back cabin door. “She usually says I look like I’ve committed a murder.”

“What are you doing? We can’t just go in there.”

Olivia whipped her head around. “Why not?”

“Because it’s Gavin and Colton’s private cabin.”

“Big deal.” Olivia shrugged and pushed open the door. “Like I said, I want the grand tour before I get off.”

Emily shook her head and watched Olivia disappear into the cabin. When the engines roared to life, she squeezed her eyes closed and clawed the tops of leather seats on either side of her. The vibrating sound immediately ignited her sickened fear of flying. She shivered. With a trembling breath and heart bouncing against her ribs, Emily mentally flipped through her one and only reason for being there.

Gavin…

Swallowing down her instinct to get the hell off the jet, Emily steadied herself, wiped away the sweat gathering on the back of her neck, and took two tentative steps forward. She tried to breathe deeply through her nose as she took another step, her fingernails nearly puncturing the cold leather. Grabbing the smooth, mahogany doorframe of the cabin, Emily peered in and found Olivia sprawled out on a king-sized bed, her lazy smile showing she was comfortable.

“You need to get up,” Emily stated. She shakily made her way across the room.

Smile faltering, Olivia sat up and pursed her lips. “You’re seriously no fun.”

“I know.” Emily frowned and rushed a hand through her hair. Her eyes darted around the room and landed on a blue Yankees cap hanging on a hook next to the minibar. Momentarily, she froze. Ignoring both her fear of flying and Olivia’s bitching about something as she slipped off the bed, Emily stared at the cap before moving toward it. Lifting her hand, she gently grazed her fingertips against it, her heart heavy with memories of Gavin’s smile shining in the sun as they sat at the game just a few months before.