Page 53 of Boss of Me

His eyes flash in the moonlight. Then he chuckles, sounding both amused and annoyed. “I see my brother has been running his mouth.”

I cross my ankles. “We’ve become friends.”

“Is that right?” Gunner gives me a lazy half smile. “You like him better than me, kitten?”

“I like everyone better than you.”

His deep laugh rumbles through the night air. I have to bite my lip to keep from smiling.

“Such a smartass.” He shifts closer, his muscular leg pressing warmly against mine. My heart stutters and my thighs clench beneath my skirt. I should move away from him, but I don’t. Truthfully, I don’t want to.

When a breeze blows my hair across my face, he brushes back the loose strands, looking into my eyes. “I’m not engaged to Laurene. Not anymore.”

I search his face. “But you might get back together, right? That’s why she’s here tonight, isn’t it?”

He stares down at me.

I find myself holding my breath, half dreading his answer even though his love life is none of my business.

He looks away without responding, staring up at the stars. “That was an incredible song you played. Your father wrote it?”

I let out a small breath and nod. “It was the first song he ever taught me.”

“Yeah?”

I nod again. “He used to give piano lessons to earn extra money. As a kid, I loved peeking around the corner and eavesdropping on him. He always knew I was there, but he pretended not to see me. One day after his student left, he sat me down at the piano and played one of his new songs for me. I loved it so much that I begged him to teach it to me. He did, and many other songs after that.” I laugh quietly. “We both knew I wasn’t a child prodigy or anything. We just cherished our father-daughter bonding time.”

Gunner smiles, his expression almost tender as he watches me. “That’s a wonderful memory.”

“It is,” I say softly. “I have lots of them.”

“Then you’re very lucky.”

I smile at him before we both fall silent, gazing out across the moonlit water.

“It’s really beautiful out here,” I whisper, as if not wanting to break the spell. “You must love living on the lake.”

“It’s nice.” He pauses for a few moments. “I was thinking about taking the boat out tomorrow. Maybe you’d like to join me.”

I swallow hard and lick my lips before looking at him. His gaze locks on my mouth, sending hot flutters to my core.

“I couldn’t keep my eyes off you tonight,” he confesses huskily. “I couldn’t focus on my guests or the conversations I was supposed to be having. I couldn’t think of anything but you.”

I stare at him, my heart pounding like thunder in my ears. “Gunner?—”

He touches a wayward strand of my hair, following it down to the end. His gaze lingers there before slowly, very slowly, lifting to my face.

Heat twists my insides. Heat and longing.

As we stare at each other, everything else ceases to exist—the starry sky, the shimmering lake, the distant music from the party. In that moment, it’s just him and me and our insanely powerful attraction.

Then a woman’s voice calls out, “Gunner!”

We both turn our heads to see Laurene standing at the other end of the dock. Even from a distance, her anger is palpable.

I look at Gunner.

He silently returns my gaze.