He rose to his full height again and said, “Afraid of the challenge, Heartbreak?”
“No,” she said emphatically. She had other ideas that deserved consideration. But those ideas would take capital, and having a movie under her belt would not only be an amazing achievement, but it would give her credibility and capital.
Damn this roller coaster.
“Are you submitting this elsewhere?” he asked.
“I was going to,” she admitted. “But I’m tossing around an idea that would put a different spin on the presentation of the series.”
He arched a brow. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”
She glanced at Gavin, catching him watching them. Her heart skipped. Even from across the ship she could feel his unwavering support. She’d hoped to tell him about her idea before she told anyone else, but she had the undivided attention of one of the most powerful men in media, and she’d be a fool to pass that up. “I’m thinking about working with performers to make live episodic productions.”
“Interesting. I haven’t seen that done.”
“Don’t get any ideas about stealing my brainchild,” she said, only half teasing.
He scoffed. “I have enough on my plate. Not to mention I’m not an asshole. I’m not sure this will translate well into a Broadway production. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
“I’m not sure of specifics yet, but I’m not thinking of Broadway. I’m thinking about doing it here. My friend just inherited an amphitheater, and there are performing arts companies all over the Cape. Tourists come by the thousands over the summers, and the local arts do very well. I’m thinking about maybe a three-episode series that’s produced weekly and runs all summer. If someone is here for a week, they can watch all three episodes. Say, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If they’re here for longer, they can watch one a week, or whenever they can fit it in. It would keep viewers coming back, and if it’s well written and appeals to locals, then perhaps I could even expand it to an indoor production over the winter to keep their attention. There’s never enough going on in the winter here. The audience would be smaller, so maybe the productions are limited to one week during the month. I’ve only just thought of the idea, so I don’t have it fleshed out yet.”
“That could be just north of genius.” His lips quirked up. “Or it could tank.”
“That’s helpful,” she said sarcastically.
“You didn’t ask for my advice, but I like the idea. It’s fresh and new, innovative. But I strongly suggest doing market research to see if it holds water.”
She tried to quell the urge to do a happy dance and said, “Market research. Of course.” She had no idea what kind of market research he meant, but Jana might.
“You’ll need capital to pull off something like that. You should consider rewriting the script as a movie and using that money to fund your theater projects. I can’t make any promises, but I’d be happy to read it when you’re done.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Now, what do you say we rejoin the others before your boyfriend comes to rescue you from the asshole industry rep?”
Her head was spinning, but when Gavin’s eyes locked on hers, one thing became crystal clear, and she said, “Gavin isn’t a rescuer. He’s more of a director.”
“Why is that?”
“He doesn’t fix. He has great vision, and he doesn’t take over or fix people’s problems. He’s like the wind. He nudges and guides, clearing the clouds so others don’t get off track on their path to fulfillment.”
LATER THAT EVENING, as Gavin grabbed Harper’s sweater from the backpack, he thought about the idea she’d shared with everyone over dinner. It sounded like a huge undertaking and a great new direction. He was glad their friends had chimed in, offering to help Harper succeed. He wondered how the woman who had looked like she was going to be sick at the sight of the man she’d chewed out on the plane had found the inspiration, and confidence, to take control of her career in the way she’d described. He’d offered to ask Beckett if he’d consider investing in the idea once she figured out exactly what she was doing, but she’d turned him down. She didn’t want to use familial connections if she could help it.
Once upon a time, Gavin had believed women would always disappoint him. But Harper never failed to surprise him.
Harper stood at the railing with the others as the fireworks began, her dress drifting around her legs, her hair lifting with the bay breeze. Vibrant starbursts exploded in the midnight-blue sky, raining down over the inky water. Gavin helped her put on her sweater and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She leaned back against his chest, covering his hands with hers as they watched the fireworks. She was so relaxed, so in the moment, and he was so into her, he wanted to stay right there forever, in a state of bliss, with their best friends, and world, celebrating around them.
“Isn’t this beautiful?” she said. “It’s been a great day.”
He kissed her cheek. “The day’s not over yet. I’ve been thinking about your idea. It’s going to take a lot of planning, and you’ll need space to do that.”
“I’ll figure it out. I want to talk to Jana to see if she thinks the concept will work, and to Tegan, because I think it would be fun to put shows on at her place, but they’re adult shows, so I’m not sure she will be interested.”
“It’s a brilliant idea.” He turned her in his arms and kissed her softly. She smelled like happiness and tasted like love. An enticing combination he knew he’d never get enough of. “You need an office, I need an office, and my sunroom needs some attention.” He kissed her again and said, “You can’t keep spreading all your papers out on the furniture and floor.”
Her brow wrinkled. “You don’t like my organization methods.”
He kissed her again as fireworks boomed overhead. “I love all your methods.” He kissed her neck. “And later, I plan on showing you just how much.”
She wound her arms around his neck, furtively glancing at the others, who were entranced by the lights in the sky. “Why wait?” she said seductively, her eyes dark and alluring. “Everyone’s watching the fireworks, and you always say I light you up…”
“Are you propositioning me?”
“Yes, Mr. Wheeler, I am. What are you going to do about it?” She arched her sexy brow.
Oh, he’d show her exactly what he was going to do about it.
He took her hand, hauling her into the cabin. He crushed her to him, kissing and groping as they stumbled down the stairs. They came to a lounge area, but Gavin wasn’t taking any chances of someone walking in on them. He threw open one door after another until he found a bedroom. He backed her up against the door, fumbling with the lock as they kissed. She arched into him, and he reached into the slits of her dress, grabbed hold of her panties, and tore them down. She kicked them off, and he dropped to his knees, spreading her legs so he could feast on her.
He lifted one of her long legs over his shoulder, ravenously devouring her. She clawed at his flesh, a string of pleas flying from her lungs. “Yes! Harder. Yourteethyourteethyourteeth!” Her greediness sent adrenaline pounding through his veins. He grazed his teeth over her most sensitive nerves, fucked her with his tongue, fast and hard. She rose onto her toes, gasping one sharp inhalation after another. “Yes! Don’t stop!” Her fingernails dug into his skin, and her head fell back as she cried out his name—“Gavin!”—and surrendered to the fierceness of her climax.