Resisting Sin (Gold Diggers #1)

Episode 14 : Too Close

Hayley should get used to the kissing.

She would. As soon as butterflies stopped fluttering in her stomach every time Gabriel was close enough for her to smell the dark, spicy scent of his cologne. And her heart did not lurch in her chest as he closed the distance between their mouths. And her legs turn to jelly the moment his lips touched hers.

Soon.

Any moment now.

Why were his lips so warm? They pressed against her mouth so firmly yet gently. Her own lips felt so sensitive that each movement made her body vibrate with need. Oh God she needed ... wanted... something. As though reading her mind, his tongue seared a path of heat along the seam of her lips before dipping inside her mouth.

The moan that tore out of her jolted her out of her daze. She pulled away quickly and averted her eyes. Awareness of all the eyes around them forced her to look back at him.

His gaze was so dark, so full of heat that she felt her throat go dry.

"About time you two got here," said a familiar voice behind them.

The expression on Gabriel's face turned cool. He looked over her shoulder and grinned. "Missed us already?" he said.

She turned to see Emmanuelle saunter over to where they sat. The younger woman looked resplendent in a golden yellow cocktail dress. Hayley gave her a hesitant smile but Emmanuelle's gaze barely even skimmed over her. "Zenia's been looking for you. She keeps asking me if I was sure you were coming." She cocked her head. "Not very subtle, that one."

Hailey's heart thumped against her chest. Who was Zenia and why did she want to see Gabriel?

"You remember Hayley," he said, taking Hayley's hand in his.

Finally, Emmanuelle looked at Hayley. "Right. How was your drive over?" She threw a teasing glance at her brother before turning back to Hayley. "Did you know Gabriel hates helicopters?"

"It was fine," Hayley said. She didn't bother smiling at the girl anymore. If Emmanuelle wouldn't make the effort to be friendly, then neither would she. "Yeah, he hates headphones. So do I." She added that last part for purely petty reasons, never mind that she'd never flown in a helicopter her whole life.

"It does do terrible things to your hair." Emmanuelle turned to her brother and wrinkled her nose. "Rhino isn't here, is he?"

His eyebrow rose. "You actually want to see Reinheart," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't. I was ..." She cleared her throat. "It's a business matter. Is he here or not?"

"You know he usually doesn't show up until midnight." He was still looking at his sister suspiciously. "But he said he was coming. What kind of business, exactly—"

"Oh look, is that Zoey Kardashian?" Before Gabriel or Hayley could reply, Emmanuelle stalked off toward the direction of the person she supposedly spotted.

After a long moment of silence, Hayley said, "Did she mean Khloe Kardashian?"

Gabriel was trying to see whom his sister had left them to meet. "I'm not sure. I can't actually tell them apart," he said.

"There is no Kardashian named Zoey. I mean, there could be one, somewhere. But no one related to Khloe."

"That girl has always been a terrible liar." Gabriel shook his head.

"Is it weird that she wants to talk to Reinheart?"

"Yes." He turned to Hayley. "Extremely weird."

"They don't get along?" Hayley looked up as servers in crisp black shirts and pants arrived at their table carrying trays. With uniformed movements, they laid out salads, soups, and more appetizers on the tables.