Rush (16 page)

But his rough possession of her had fueled another and now she was fidgety and tingly and she kept repositioning herself on the chair. Her pussy was hyperaware. Every time she moved, a curl of pleasure went winging through her belly.

This had to be a version of hell. Having Gabe across the room and needing to come again.

In an effort to distract herself, she tuned in to Gabe’s conversation. He was discussing an event—tonight? And telling whomever he was on the phone with that he would certainly be there, and that he looked forward to it. That was probably a lie. Gabe hated social events even if he was perfect at them.

He was too blunt and impatient to genuinely enjoy being congenial and cordial, but it was part and parcel of the business. He wooed investors, charmed them right out of their wallets.

Ash was the more outgoing, natural charmer. He had it in spades. Mia always wondered why, of the two best friends her brother had, she drifted toward Gabe. Ash was gorgeous. Right to his toes. And he had a killer, charming smile that slayed women everywhere.

But it wasn’t him she was attracted to. She viewed him more in the same vein as Jace. Indulgent big brother. Now Gabe? Never,
ever had she looked at him as a sibling. Her thoughts toward Gabe weren’t even legal in most states, she was sure. Maybe it was simply because Gabe was more remote, more mysterious. A challenge.

Not that she was stupid enough to ever think she could conquer that particular mountain. Gabe was Gabe. Unapologetic. Hardass. Never going to change. Which was too bad, because it meant she was going to have to spend a lot of time finding another man who lived up to him.

She could imagine herself forever comparing every man after Gabe to him. Not fair to the new man, and a useless waste of her time. There was only one Gabe. Enjoy him for the present and then get over him.

She let out a sigh. It sounded so much simpler than she knew it was going to be. She was half in love with him already, and that was before sleeping with him. Some crushes just never went away. They built, instead, into something permanent, obsessive and all consuming.

Even though she knew better, she couldn’t control the wash of emotions he evoked within her. Was it love? She wasn’t sure. There were a lot of words she could use to describe her fascination with Gabe. She hadn’t viewed any of her prior relationships as long-term. Nothing close to love entered the picture. They were fun. She mostly viewed her previous lovers with affection. But nothing came close to the way she felt about Gabe, and she had no idea if this was love or simply obsession.

Not that it mattered anyway. Love was just an entanglement she’d do well to veer as far away from as possible because Gabe would never return the sentiment. But the heart didn’t always listen, and this was one thing she might not have any control over whatsoever.

Caroline would tell her to suck it up, enjoy the ride and not worry over the future. Live in the now. It was good advice, some
she would do well to heed. But she also knew herself and that she would fret endlessly trying to analyze Gabe’s every word, every action and emotion, and make the relationship into something it wasn’t.

She sighed as the words she was trying so hard to concentrate on blurred before her. As first days went, she wasn’t setting the world on fire with her work ethic. Unless giving the boss great sex on his desk counted.

“I hope you’ve studied up on those profiles.”

Gabe’s voice jerked her to awareness and she yanked her head up to see he was off the phone and staring across the room at her.

“We have an event to attend tonight. A cocktail party put on by a potential investor for our California resort. Mitch Johnson. He’s in that stack of papers. You need to know everything you can about him and his wife, their three children, their interests and whatever else I’ve detailed. There will be others there as well, so make sure you familiarize yourself with the other names in that folder. But the most important is Mitch.”

It took everything she had not to let her panic show. Talk about jumping straight from the frying pan and into the fire!

“What time? And what should I wear?”

“What do you have? And I don’t mean that scrap of a dress you wore to the grand opening,” he said with a scowl. “I’d prefer something that covered more of you. I’ll be wearing a suit.”

She frowned, mentally going over her wardrobe. It wasn’t as though Jace wouldn’t have bought anything she wanted, but other than the apartment he’d purchased for her, she’d tried very hard not to run to him with frivolous things. Her wardrobe was modest at best, and the dress she’d worn to the grand opening was the only thing suitable for a more formal occasion.

Gabe checked his watch and then leveled another stare in Mia’s direction. “If we leave now, we have time to go buy you something appropriate.”

She shook her head. “That’s not necessary, Gabe. I’m just thinking over what I have that’s suitable for a party like this.”

He rose, ignoring her objection. “That’s part of the deal, Mia. You’re mine. I provide generously for what belongs to me. You’ll need more than just one new dress, but that’s all we have time for today. Perhaps the saleslady can ascertain your tastes, decide what looks good on you and gather other aspects of your wardrobe for us to pick up at a later date.”

She blinked in surprise and when she continued to sit there, Gabe shifted impatiently and gave her a look that told her in no uncertain terms to get moving.

She grabbed her bag, straightened her skirt and hurried toward him, her knees still shaking from their earlier explosive fuck on the desk. And that was only the first day! She couldn’t begin to imagine that if he were being patient and moving slowly what the future would bring.

chapter fourteen

Watching Gabe manage the saleslady was a bewildering experience for Mia. He cut through the selections with amazing precision, quickly vetoing the ones he didn’t like while immediately picking up on the ones he did.

She’d honestly never been on a shopping trip for herself where she didn’t make any of the choices. It was weird, but fascinating all at the same time.

It was obvious that Gabe had a definite eye for what flattered a woman. It was also obvious that he had no desire for her to wear anything remotely revealing. Sexy, yes. He’d picked out several selections that looked to die for and she could hardly wait to try them on. But there was nothing comparable to the dress she’d worn to the grand opening.

And when she did finally try on the dress he’d selected for her to wear tonight, she nearly fainted at the price tag. It was obscene. She tried to block it out as she surveyed her reflection in the mirror, but it was as if there were a neon sign blaring the price on the tag.

Still, she had to hand it to Gabe. The dress fit her like a dream and complemented her body and coloring. It was a red sheath that molded to her hips and then hugged her legs to just a few inches
above her knees. It was sleeveless, but the bodice wasn’t low cut, and while it bared her arms, it bared nothing of her front or back.

She never wore red. Maybe she considered it too…brazen. In your face. But the color looked fabulous on her. She looked like a sexy siren without baring her cleavage, though the material hugged her chest and clearly outlined the rounded mounds.

She looked…sophisticated. It was a look she liked. It made her feel like she belonged in Gabe’s world.

“Mia, I’d like to see it.”

Gabe’s impatient voice filtered into the dressing room. She was surprised he hadn’t just stripped her down in the retail area. The saleslady had closed the boutique for Gabe’s visit and Mia and Gabe were the only two customers inside the store. For what Gabe was shelling out, it didn’t surprise Mia that the woman was only too eager to comply with his wishes.

She opened the dressing room door and hesitantly slipped out. Gabe was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs in front of her room and his eyes blazed with immediate appreciation when his gaze settled on her.

“It’s perfect,” he said. “You’ll wear that tonight.”

He turned and motioned for the saleslady, who hurried over.

“Find her shoes to match this dress. You can put together the rest of the items we decided on along with any others you think will suit her and have them delivered to my home.”

The woman beamed. “Yes, sir.” Then she glanced at Mia’s feet. “What size are you, Miss Crestwell?”

“Six,” Mia murmured.

“I think I have the perfect pair of heels. I’ll go get them now.”

A moment later, the saleslady returned with a pair of silver heels that looked to be about five inches high. Before Mia could tell her there was no way in hell she could walk in those, Gabe frowned.

“She’ll kill herself in those. Find something a little more reasonable.”

Undaunted, the saleslady hurried away again and returned shortly with a pair of sleek, sexy black heels that at least didn’t look as though they were held up by toothpicks.

“Those are perfect,” Gabe said.

He glanced at his watch, and Mia could see he was ready to be done. Without a word, she ducked back into the dressing room and slipped out of the dress, careful not to wrinkle it. After she put her clothes back on, she handed the dress out to the saleswoman to wrap along with the shoes.

When she walked out of the dressing room, Gabe was standing, waiting for her. He put his hand on her back as they walked toward the front of the store, and it was like being scalded. Would her reaction to him ever diminish? Would there ever be a time he could touch her without eliciting a bone-deep shiver? It didn’t seem likely given the intensity of the attraction between them. They were like two magnets inexorably pulled together.

After taking care of the purchases with the saleslady, Gabe ushered Mia outside to the waiting car and they began the ride back to his apartment. Knowing Caroline was going to wonder what the hell happened to her, Mia pulled out her phone and texted her friend.

With Gabe. Not sure if I’ll stay over again tonight. Have an event to attend. Just went shopping, OMG. Will catch you up later.

Gabe glanced curiously at her but didn’t comment. She slipped the phone back into her purse but mere seconds later, it rang. It was Jace’s ring tone and she dug through her purse again.

Jace
, she mouthed to Gabe.

Gabe nodded.

“Hey, Jace,” Mia said as she answered the phone.

“Mia, how are things going? Everything all right?”

“Yes, of course. What about you? When are you and Ash going to be back?”

It was an answer she dreaded because she knew when Jace returned there was no way for her to hide that she was working for Gabe. And no way to know how much speculation or gossip Jace would hear regarding her and Gabe. She wasn’t prepared to face Jace with this yet. Maybe never.

“Day after tomorrow. Things are going well here. I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you were doing okay.”

In the background, Mia heard the soft laughter of a woman and Ash’s voice. Her eyes widened as she remembered the chatter she’d overheard in the bathroom.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“In the hotel suite. We have one more meeting tomorrow and then we’re attending a social event for potential local investors tomorrow night. We’ll catch an early flight out the next morning and be back in New York by early afternoon.”

If they were in the hotel suite, it was obvious that there was indeed a woman with Jace and Ash. It was clear there was a lot she hadn’t known about her brother. It was weird and kind of icky to suddenly know aspects of her brother’s sex life. No, thank you. She didn’t want to imagine him in some illicit threesome with Ash and another woman.

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“Let’s plan dinner together when I get back. I hate that I missed you at the grand opening. I haven’t seen much of you lately.”

“I’d like that.”

“Okay then. It’s a date. I’ll call you when I get in.”

“Love you,” she said, feeling a surge of affection for her older brother. He’d been such a vital component of her life. Not quite a father figure, but definitely a steadying, supportive presence from
a very early age. Not many men would have stepped in and taken care of a much younger sister when he himself had been so young when their parents died.

“Love you too, baby girl. See you soon.”

Mia disconnected the call and sat for a moment staring down at the phone, guilt flooding her. There was the argument that she was an adult and fully capable of making her own decisions. But there was also the fact that Jace and Gabe were best friends and business partners. Coming between them wasn’t something she wanted at all. And yet she couldn’t turn away from the uncontrollable pull between her and Gabe.

“Something wrong?” Gabe asked.

She glanced up and offered her best effort at a smile. “No, not at all. Jace wants to have dinner when he gets back in. Then she paused and frowned because Gabe had exclusive rights to her time. “I’m assuming that’s okay?”

Gabe sighed. “I’m not some bastard who’s going to isolate you from your friends and family, Mia. Especially not Jace. I know how close the two of you are. Of course you’re free to go to dinner with him. Afterward, though, you come to me.”

She nodded, relieved at his easy acceptance. Gabe was possessive and controlling. She knew this before the contract had been produced. She had no way of knowing just how far he’d take things or how literally the contract would be interpreted.

“Tell me something, Gabe.”

He looked at her in question.

“This job, as your personal assistant, is it just fluff? I mean I was introduced to everyone as your PA but then Eleanor is ordering in lunch for me and catering to me. It could be awkward for me. There’s already talk—”

He held up his hand, his eyes suddenly fierce. “What talk?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute,” she said impatiently. “What I want to know is if my job is going to have any real substance. You’re
paying me a lot of money and I’d rather earn it and not just on my back.”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You’re not some whore, Mia. I’ll spank your ass if you ever suggest such a thing again.”