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Instead, her attention was fully focused on Gabe looking every inch the dapper female James Bond-type in a suit that clung to her muscles. As much as she looked insanely hot in that outfit, Lori was mentally removing each garment and feasting on the package held within it. She was already imagining Gabe on her back in just the open shirt and bow tie draped around her neck. The view from where she liked to be, on her knees, was the most exquisite thing of beauty she’d ever seen. And better yet, she could be confident that the reality would far exceed anything her mind could conjure.

She caught their reflection in the wall of mirrors and smiled. They made quite the couple.

Lori gently peeled her dress away from her recently tattooed hip, which was still tender, and gave it some air. With the old and ill-advised tattoo finally obliterated, being naked in front of Gabe had gotten easier, and her brief stumble into body issues was all but forgotten, helped enormously by the lustful look in Gabe’s eyes every time she shed her clothes.

Rosie tapped her shoulder lightly. “I can practically hear your thoughts, vampy.”

“You should talk,” Lori said. “You can’t put a piece of paper between you and Shay.”

Rosie smiled and licked her lips. “You should be happy about that. I’ve finally forgotten all about your journalist friend. See, I can’t even remember her name.”

“I’m sure her soldier lover will be ecstatic to discover her competition has given up.” She leaned closer to Rosie. “Everything’s going okay with you two?”

“No sign of lesbian bed death here, no.” Rosie raised her champagne glass and glanced at Shay, who was laughing with RB. “Here’s to new beginnings.”

Lori clinked her glass to Rosie’s then took a sip.

“I have six hundred thousand online,” the auctioneer yelled.

Lori almost choked on her alcohol.

“Careful, sweetheart,” her mom said as she rubbed her back from behind.

“Are you okay?” Gabe asked.

Lori looked up into Gabe’s concerned eyes. She’d always be okay as long as Gabe continued to look at her that way. “I’m fine. I’d zoned out and didn’t realize where we were with the numbers. That was a shock.”

Gabe smiled. “I told you Woody had been drumming up interest.”

“I didn’t dare to hope that interest would turn into a figure like that.”

Lori’s mom put her hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “That’s a lot of horse and hound food,” she said.

“Six-fifty,” someone in the room shouted.

Lori grasped Gabe’s forearm. “Is this real? Were you expecting this?”

Gabe wrapped her arm around Lori’s waist and pulled her in tight. “I was hoping.”

Lori looked at the stage. The auctioneer squinted at his assistant, who was monitoring the online bids, then he consulted the computer screen himself. He appeared to have to steady himself before returning to the mic.

He caught her gaze and smiled widely. “I have an online bid for…one and a half million dollars!”

Lori leaned hard into Gabe, and the entire room gasped. The team from the garage looked just as stunned as Lori felt.

“Are there any bids in the room?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t expect a response. The room fell completely silent. “Going once for $1.5 million…”

Lori tugged on the lapel of Gabe’s jacket. “Did I hear that right?”

“If you heard 1.5 mill, then yeah, you did.” Gabe kissed the top of Lori’s head.

“Going twice…”

Lori scanned the room. The audience seemed to have been stunned into silence, and she couldn’t see a single bidder paddle even halfway to being raised.

“SOLD for $1.5 million to Elodie Fontaine!”

The room erupted into cheers, and there were hugs all around from Gabe’s team. Solo stood shaking her head, looking bewildered.