Kiss of a Stranger (Lost Coast Harbor #1) by Lily Danes, Eve Kincaid

to fly. To be so far above all her fears about money that they could never touch her again.
    She had to find a way to get on that deal. If Oliver wouldn’t fight for her, then she’d talk to the other man on the deal.
    Good thing he’d just invited her to his party.

Chapter Six
    T he day ended at five o’clock. Gabe had been thinking up excuses to linger on the docks while Maddie worked late, but at four-thirty she locked the office door behind her and hurried north, following the coastal road toward her house.
    Twenty-five minutes later, Gabe ran after her.
    He should be meeting with Adam, finding out what the man’s investigation had uncovered. If not that, he should be trailing Hastings to learn the man’s schedule and habits. Instead he chased a woman just because he wanted to know what she was doing.
    No one answered when he knocked on the door, and they didn’t answer when he pounded. The front door was locked, and he didn’t have keys.
    His bag was still in there. It was plain rude to keep him away from his stuff. That was the only reason he was annoyed.
    “Down boy.”
    Gabe spun toward the unfamiliar voice. A woman stood at the bottom of the steps, looking like she owned them. No, she looked like she owned the whole world. She was pretty as hell, with big brown eyes and a nice set of curves, but her softness was undercut by a wild mane of bleached blonde hair. It was the perfect mix of sweet and hard, and his dick barely noticed.
    Celibate for more than half a decade. He ought to be feeling something . Wasn’t that why he was so attracted to Maddie? Because she was there, and she looked good, and it had been a damn long time?
    This woman was those things, too, and he didn’t care.
    Fuck. He was in trouble.
    “Is she here?” he asked.
    “Did she answer the door? Then no.” The woman scanned him up and down. “Where the hell did you come from, and can I order more?”
    “Sure thing. Just ring up the fine folk at San Quentin and ask them to send their best men your way.” He watched her, waiting for a sign of revulsion.
    Her eyes widened. “And you’re here for Maddie? Wait, is that your bag in there?” He was pretty sure he heard her add, just under her breath, “About damn time.”
    “You her friend?”
    “Best friend, almost ex-roommate, constant pain in her ass.” Her eyes narrowed. “Protector against no-good ass clowns. You’re not one of those, are you?”
    “Depends who you ask. Gabriel Reyes. Gabe.” He stuck out his hand. Something about this woman made him want to get on her good side—and stay there.
    Underneath her smile, he didn’t doubt she meant every word. Fortunately, the more he thought about the limited information Maddie could access in the shipping office, the more he believed he might be able to leave her out of his plans.
    Though he should still keep an eye on her. Just in case.
    “Bree Rogers.”
    “Like Adam?” In small towns, having a common last name often meant some relation.
    “You know him? That’s my brother. He’s a neanderthal, but usually I like him. He also likes to protect women from no-good ass clowns, and he thinks of Maddie as a sister. In case you were wondering. How do you know Maddie?”
    “I work with her. You know where she is?”
    “Yep. On a date.” The words were breezy, but her eyes were sharp, watching for his reaction.
    “A date?” Gabe repeated stupidly.
    “Uh-huh. It was supposed to be coffee, but she said something about celebrating the promotion she got at work today. Guess it got upgraded to dinner.”
    “Promotion?” He couldn’t seem to string a complete sentence together.
    “Didn’t you hear? She’s leaving the docks. She’s now Oliver’s executive assistant.” There was pride in her words, for her friend’s success, but something else. Frustration? “She’ll be working on all the Hastings stuff, not just the shipping side.”
    Gabe kept his features still. “How about that,” he managed. “Guess I’ll