“Where’s Gavin?” Nathan asked, glancing around.
“He took my date to look at the auction items in the next room,” Luke said, appearing relieved at the change of subject.
“We’ll have to bid on some of those too.” Nathan looked down at Chloe with a smile. “For the cause. I hear Luke donated an autographed football you might like.”
“I’d love that, especially knowing it’s supporting the foster kids,” she said. It seemed safe to agree to that. An autographed football couldn’t cost all that much, could it?
“Trainor, you actually came.” Another tall man, this one dark where Luke Archer was blond, strolled up to the group accompanied by a young, very trim woman. “I didn’t think you would.” He turned a flashing smile on Chloe.
“Good to see you too, Miller,” Nathan said with an amused edge to his tone. “Chloe, this is Gavin Miller.”
Gavin projected a cynical, devil-may-care attitude in contrast to Luke’s almost palpable discipline and self-control. The author’s striking green eyes held a glint of mischief. Yet she noticed dark circles under them. “Chloe, the pearl beyond price, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Instead of shaking her hand, he gave her a brief hug. “Allow me to present Elyssa Lauda, Luke’s personal trainer. And a very lovely one at that.”
That explained Elyssa’s perfectly defined arm muscles, but Chloe was puzzled by Gavin’s description of herself. As she shook hands with the trainer, she caught an exchange of glances between Nathan and Gavin, one warning, the other challenging. Something was going on between these men that Nathan hadn’t clued her in on.
Miller maneuvered himself around to stand beside Chloe. “So tell me how you and Nathan met. Being a writer, I’m always interested in the backstory.”
It figured he’d lead with an awkward question. “I worked for him, briefly. I’m temping between permanent jobs.”
Interest flared in the writer’s green eyes. “An office romance, then.” He raised his dark eyebrows at her. “So you spent hours in his company and still agreed to go on a date with him. You’re a brave woman.”
Nathan slid his arm around her waist. “Foolhardy might be a better word,” he said. “Not to mention the fact that for the first few days of our acquaintance, I had the flu.”
Chloe was surprised he would admit that, but she played along. “And germs make him cranky.”
“I’ll bet.” Luke joined the conversation, startling Chloe. She looked up to see the three men locked in a staring match.
“Chloe and I are going to take a look at the auction offerings,” Nathan said. “We’ll meet you at the dinner table.”
He guided her away from the group toward another door, stopping a server with a tray of filled champagne flutes to take two of the slender glasses. Several people greeted him, but he just nodded and kept going, his arm like a steel band around Chloe’s waist. As soon as they reached the next room, she slipped out of his grasp and turned to face him. “So what’s going on with you, Luke, and Gavin?”
His expression became unreadable and he took a swallow of champagne. “Just some typical male posturing.”
“About what?”
He looked away for a long moment. “You notice Gavin brought his agent and Luke brought his trainer.”
“So?”
“I’m the only one who brought an actual date.”
“How do you know those aren’t real dates?”
“Because Luke and Gavin don’t look at them the way I look at you. They don’t find a way to touch them at every opportunity like I do you.” Nathan smiled down at her with something in his eyes that made it hard to breathe. “They’re jealous, plain and simple.”
“About me?” Chloe was flabbergasted.
He slipped his arm around her again and brushed his lips against the side of her neck, sending shivers rippling over her skin. “I’m the only one who gets to do this. And this.” He shifted his hand to press it against the thin lace covering the curve of her behind. The splay of his fingers reminded her of what they’d done before they’d dressed to come to the party. Heat bloomed between her legs.
“Stop distracting me,” she grumbled. “Why didn’t they bring real dates?”
“I assume they don’t have any to bring.” His lips curved into a gloating smile. “Forget about them, let’s donate some money to the kids.”