No, I’m intimidated by the flutter of protectiveness in my ribcage that happens when I see Gabe standing outside, waiting for me, hands tucked into the pockets of his triple XL tux. He nods at guests who walk past him through the glass doors, almost bashful. A shy giant who steals personal possessions and is ready to throw down for the chance to taste me first. He’s more than meets the eye. A lot more.

If only I could stick around long enough to find out.

I’m thanking the Uber driver and climbing out to meet Gabe before I’m aware of my actions, the cold air kissing every inch of my bare skin. He sees me coming and his lips part slightly, a white puff of breath momentarily obscuring his face. Not so much that I can’t see his relief, though.

“Elise. You look…unreal.” He approaches me like a football player waiting on-field for the kickoff, focused and already taking off his jacket. “I wasn’t sure you would come.”

“Why?” I raise my chin with way too much attitude to counteract the unfamiliar sensations he’s stirring inside of me. “Because you stole my ID? Again? Except you took it out of my wallet this time?”

His ears darken. “I wanted to send you flowers so bad,” he says gruffly, draping the warm material around my shoulders. “Why do you never have a goddamn coat?”

My lips tingle when he scolds me in that worried tone of voice. “I didn’t have one that matched this dress,” I manage.

“That dress…” His chest rises and shudders back down. “I hate dancing, but someone’s got to dance with you looking like that.”

“You will.” I allow him to take my right hand. Hold my breath as he brings it to his mouth and kisses the pulse at the small of my wrist. “That’s why I’m here, right?”

He makes a scrape of a sound. “Right.”

We intertwine our fingers like we’ve done it hundreds of times before and there’s an answering clench in my stomach. It’s different than the comforting tingles I get for Banks. Or the agitating hunger Tobias inspires in me. My reaction to Gabe is protectiveness wrapped in lust, but I can tell he also wants to guard me. I’m his defender when I hold his hand, while also very well aware he would do the same in a heartbeat. That certainty is etched deep, even after such a short period of time.

“Are your brother and Candace already inside?” I ask quietly.

He swallows, something like dread playing in his gaze. “Everyone I know is inside.”

I push up on my toes and kiss the underside of his bearded jaw. “Good.”

Without stopping to address the question in his eyes, I nod at the doorman and pull Gabe through the entrance. We’re guided by tall, flickering candle pillars to an elevator and brought up, past a dozen floors of hotel rooms and conference centers, to the very top of the Conrad. Music starts to pound in the rhythm of a heartbeat before the doors even open—but when they do, I’m struck by a rare, uncharacteristic fear that I’m out of my league.