Destination: Desire, Books 1-4

“Yep.” He grinned over at the ship’s captain. The two had been friends for the five years Gabe had spent his summers leading the off-boat expeditions on the Alaskan Adventure. He stretched his arms over his head, loosening up his limbs.

Oliver scratched his bearded jaw. “Maybe there’ll be hot babe in this bunch.”

“Right.” Gabe slapped his friend on the back. “And she’ll be traveling with her new husband on a honeymoon trip, so all you can do is drool and wish you were him.”

The other man snorted. “Only the crazy ones come on their honeymoons. Hubby can keep the crazy. I don’t need it.”

Gabe laughed. “That’s the spirit.”

The men lapsed into silence, gazing out over the harbor. Though the Adventure was a cruise ship, it was a small one. They had the berth space for forty passengers, plus the crew. Considering the big cruise liners could hold over twenty-five hundred passengers, the Adventure was a tiny canoe by comparison. But Gabe liked the smaller operation, liked that he got a chance to know people during the weeks onboard. Of course, that closeness also meant it was harder to avoid the annoying characters, but he generally got along well with everyone.

A satisfied grin stretched his lips. He’d spent far too many years in the Silicon Valley rat race, making buckets of money as a programmer, but toiling away until he was practically living in the office. His bosses had approved of his work ethic, but after the first flush of success wore off and the grind never seemed to get any easier, he’d started to hate every minute of it. On his thirtieth birthday, he’d looked around, realized life was too damn short to spend it miserable, and walked away without a backward glance.

That had been five years ago, and he didn’t have a single regret. He’d signed on to guide every kind of backpacking, hiking, biking, rock climbing, paragliding, ziplining, sailing, and rafting outdoor adventure all over the world. He made pennies compared to his previous salary, but he was more content than he’d ever imagined being. It was a trade-off that had been well worth it.

Oliver’s brows drew together. “Isn’t this the tour your parents are coming along for? Or is it the next one?”

“This one. They should be with the group boarding.” Gabe’s grin spread. His older brother had come along on several of the excursions he’d led over the years, but this was a first for his parents. While they’d all been worried about his career switch, after they’d gotten over their initial shock, they’d been remarkably supportive.

He was a fortunate man on so many levels. Great job, great family. Yeah, life was good.
With his mom and dad along, this should be an awesome trip.

“Here they come.” Oliver straightened, glancing down at his watch. “They’re early.”

A trail of laughing, bouncy people were headed toward the gangway. Some had already thrown themselves into the vacation mindset, and he could see an almost giddy freedom in their expressions. Gabe could easily pick out those who were still wound too tight, who really needed a break from their lives.

Well, they’d come to the right place.

He hadn’t spotted his parents yet, so he leaned forward to try to find them. He ran his gaze along the line of tourists. A tall woman who towered over her companion caught his eye, and he blinked. He took in her willowy length. She had a shock of hair so red it looked like living flame as the strands danced in the breeze. A laugh burst from her rosy lips, and her mouth formed into a wicked smile.

Wow.

That smile was enough to send equally wicked thoughts spinning through any heterosexual man’s mind. She had slight curves, but the wind flattened her top against her and cupped every one of those curves like a lover. He could almost see the outline of her beaded nipples, and while he knew it was a reaction to the cold, he couldn’t stop the automatic response of his body.

Damn, but he hoped this particular hot babe wasn’t here on her honeymoon. Because he wanted to meet her.

Oliver nudged him in the ribs, bringing reality back into focus. “That guy looks like an older version of you, so if that’s not your dad, I think your mom was lying to you about the mailman.”

“Yeah, that’s my dad.” Gabe raised an arm and waved.

He had to fight a wince as he realized he’d been so focused on the redhead that he’d overlooked the fact that it was his mother trotting along beside her. His father walked a few strides behind the women.

“I’m going to the bridge.” Oliver slapped him on the back and turned away. “Enjoy the family reunion.”

The moment they boarded, his mother dragged the redhead along to come greet Gabe. It looked like he’d get to meet her immediately, but with his parents watching the interaction. Good news, bad news.

Ah, well.

His mom glanced up at the redhead. “See, I told you I made good-looking sons. My older boy is just as hot, but he’s married already.”

The tall woman laughed and the sound was smoky and sexy. Nice. She looked even better up close than she had from a distance. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth, and they were so pale a brown they were almost pure gold.

He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Gabe Warren. Nice to meet you. And don’t let my mom fool you. She has to be diplomatic, but I’m much better looking than my brother.”

His mother chortled and his dad rolled his eyes.

“Anne Kirby.” Those golden eyes crinkled at the corners, and as she took his hand, her gaze did a quick flick over his body. Oh, yeah. That was interest flittering across her expression. Nice. A little grin tilted up one side of her mouth, a hint of flirtatiousness, but nothing overt. Since his parents were standing right there, he appreciated her restraint. Her skin was amazingly soft, but her handshake was firm and no-nonsense, and he liked that too.

“I’ll be leading the outdoor excursions on this trip.” He flashed his best smile at her.

Her voice was just a little throaty. “Well, I’m planning to take advantage of those.”

Maybe it was completely unprofessional to be thinking it, but he was hoping she’d be taking advantage of a lot more than his guide skills. The cruise company didn’t have a non-fraternization policy with co-workers or guests, thank God, though it was awkward as hell to be considering that in front of his family members.

“I’m going to go find my cabin and get settled.” She gave an easy wave to his parents. “Peggy, Vince, I’ll see you both for dinner?”

“I think we’ll see you at the ship orientation session first.” His dad pulled the itinerary out of his pocket to show her. Always on top of every detail, that was Dad.

“Great. I’ll meet you there.” Anne bumped her shoulder into his dad’s.

The three Warrens watched as she disappeared into the ship. Then his mom swung around, her expression full of the devil. “So you like her, huh? I totally called that. Your dad owes me ten bucks.”

Gabe arched a brow. “You were betting on this?”

Dad grinned unapologetically and shrugged. “Like you didn’t hop right into the betting pool with us when we were guessing when your brother would finally pop the question.”

“True enough,” Gabe agreed. He scooped his mother up, lifting her off the ground for a moment and rocking her. “Hey, you.”

“Hey, you.” She squeezed him tight. “It’s so good to see you, baby.”

“You too.” He set her down and ruffled her hair like she was a kid. She ducked away and swatted at him. He chuckled and turned to his father, who hauled him in for a back-slapping bear hug. “Glad you’re here, Dad.”

His dad leaned back and gave a pointed glance at the door Anne had just gone through. “Yeah, though we may be messing with your game plan.”

Gabe shook his head. “No plan. No game. I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been looking forward to this for a while and nothing will mess with that.”

He meant it too. As attractive as Anne Kirby was, his family had always been a top priority. He wasn’t going to ignore them in favor of a woman he’d just met. With any luck, he could multitask.

He’d have to, considering he was onboard to work.

Interesting times ahead. His favorite kind.