Chapter 1
Chapter 1:
Gabriela Haynes stumbled out of Room 1205 at the hotel before dawn, hair tangled, lipstick smudged, clutching her shoes with numb fingers.
Just before the company retreat, her world had caved inβher boyfriend caught red-handed with someone else. One heartbreak and two shots of tequila later, she had lurched down the wrong hallway and let herself into the wrong room.
The instant she crossed the doorway, she spotted a man inside. Gabriela tried to retreat, but her legs gave out and she tumbled right into his arms.
He went rigid with surprise. For a heartbeat, there was only his low, startled murmur; then he gently tilted her face up and pressed his mouth to hers.
She wanted to shove him away, but as his lips traced the line of her jaw and his steady heartbeat thundered beneath her palms, the alcohol and sadness blurred her senses. She melted into his warmth, helpless as her will slipped through her fingers.
By the time his hands tightened at her waist and he thrust into her, everything had already spiraled out of control.
Once their lovemaking was over, regret hit Gabriela like a sharp and merciless wave. She slipped out as quietly as she could, nerves jangling.
π’πππ’π»πze πΠΎππ³ librΠ°rπ oΥΈ
She glanced back at the gleaming number plate on the doorβand realized, with a jolt, that she had spent the night in Brenden Saundersβs room. He was the departmentβs general manager.
A breath escaped Gabrielaβs lips as relief washed over her.
Brenden had a reputation for womanizingβhis list of ex-girlfriends could fill a small phone book. A one-night stand with him meant nothing; he probably wouldnβt remember her, especially since the room had stayed dark. He hadnβt even gotten a good look at her.
She resolved to put this episode behind her, acting as if nothing had occurred between them.
Trying to wash away the remnants of their intimacy, she returned to her own hotel room and lingered under a steaming shower, then tugged a high-necked sweater over her head to hide the scattered hickeys on her skin.
No sooner had she finished dressing than Aubrey Holt, her ever-dramatic coworker, started pounding on the door. βGabriela! Open up! Something big just happenedβhurry p>
Gabrielaβs pulse stuttered. Dread pooled in her gut.
Could her night with Brenden already be out in the open? It wasnβt even sunrise yet.
Brenden held a high-ranking post at Apex Group, while she was just a lowly intern caught up in a mess she never meant to make. If word ever got out, Brenden wouldnβt lose a wink of sleepβhe already had a reputation for chasing women and left a trail of rumors wherever he went. But for her, the fallout would be brutal. An intern daring to get tangled up with a senior executive? Her career would be finished before it even started.
With shaking hands, she cracked open the door.
Aubrey burst in, practically bouncing with excitement, completely missing Gabrielaβs ashen face and the stiff, self-conscious way she moved. βHurry up! You have to come with meβguess whoβs here? The company heartthrob himself! Mr. Moss actually showed up here p>