by Tamara Hogan
Gabe closed his eyes. He was a dead man.
Chapter 5
“Lorin, we can’t see you. Could you move closer to Gabe?”
I’m practically in his lap already. “Sure,” she replied to Willem Lund, who was helming the hastily called meeting from the Sebastiani Labs boardroom. When she’d suggested to Gabe that they dial in to the meeting from the workroom, her only thought had been keeping Gabe out of her cabin, its floor space dominated by the sturdy double bed. Gabe’s laptop had an integrated camera—ideal for the conferencing needs of the person at the keys—but for two people? Completely inadequate. “Should have brought my own,” she muttered, shifting the chair closer to Gabe.
“Why didn’t you?” Gabe took a big slug off his—her—thermal coffee mug.
He’d missed a patch when he shaved that morning. Five black bristly hairs stood at the side of his Adam’s apple.
“Lorin, we still can’t see you,” Elliott called.
She tore her gaze from Gabe’s moving throat.
Shit. Someone needed to commit her to the nearest psychiatric facility. Her idea to take a nice, friendly sauna with Gabe last night had been utter freaking lunacy. Who could have predicted that Gabe Lupinsky would look so great nearly naked? For all the excess yardage in those unexpectedly exuberant surf shorts he’d worn, the thin fabric clung quite faithfully to his dimensions. She’d wanted to take him in her hands. She wanted to see him, taste him.
Take him.
“Sitting side by side won’t work,” Gabe said. “Your shoulders are almost as wide as mine are.” He pushed her chair, with her in it, forward a few inches. “There. Now lean in.”
His damp, warm breath drifted across her neck. The position put Gabe not two inches behind her. The heat of his body bled into hers.
“That’s better,” Willem said.
Better for whom? Lorin disguised her reflexive shiver by tipping her head and scratching under her ear.
“Fighting already, I see.” Elliott’s amused voice made Lorin suspect that he knew the true source of their tension.
Gabe shifted his weight in the squeaky-wheeled office chair, clearly uncomfortable.
It was all her fault.
Last night during their sauna, Gabe had prattled on about their breakdown of responsibilities, their processes and procedures, with an erection tenting his shorts, asking cogent, focused questions, mentioning their reporting relationship a lot more often than necessary.
How convenient for Gabe that he could ignore basic biological functions, could ignore… her not-very-subtle pass.
She closed her eyes in mortification.
“Could you stop squirming?” Gabe grumbled from behind her.
Lukas looked up from his mini, nostrils twitching.
Damn it.
“I know some of us have other meetings in a half hour, so let’s get started,” Willem said. “Recording started. Let’s take roll, please. Elliot Sebastiani.”
“Here.”
“Lukas Sebastiani, Jack Kirkland, and Bailey Brown, representing Sebastiani Security.”
There was a trio of responses from the side of the table closest to the window where the Sebastiani Security contingent sat together. The slight blurring in the windows at their backs indicated the security shades were fully engaged. “Good to see you when you’re not diving for the corner, Lorin,” Jack added with a smile.
She smiled back. “Hi, Jack.”
Beside her, Gabe cleared his throat.
“Wyland.”
“Present.”
From across the table, Bailey mouthed something that looked a lot like “unfortunately.”
“And Julianna Benton from Physical Sciences Ops. Welcome.”
“I’m glad to be here,” Julianna said. The gorgeous redhead was Alka’s—now Gabe’s—operations manager.
Gabe leaned forward, placing his hand on Lorin’s shoulder for balance. “Apologies for the short notice, Jules.” To the room at large, he said, “Julianna will be coordinating some of our work while I’m on-site here with Lorin.”
Lorin’s head whipped to Lukas. “Security clearance?”
“Completed and upgraded late last night,” he responded around a jaw-cracking yawn. “You should have a copy in your Council email.”
Of course she did. And her question to Lukas simply exposed the fact she hadn’t even cracked her laptop open that morning, much less read her email. Upon waking, she’d been in such a twitchy state that, after two self-administered orgasms, she’d gone for a punishing run, barely making it to the workroom in time for the meeting. And despite the light burning in Gabe’s tent long into the night last night, this morning he looked disgustingly poised and alert. Somehow, he’d managed to get his Council work environment installed, configured, and functioning without her help.
Just how much work had he knocked off last night while she’d been taking care of… business? She was out of the loop, and it was her own damn fault.
Lorin shifted her weight to the side as Gabe leaned in to use the keyboard, opening a chat window with Julianna. On-screen, Lorin noticed Julianna’s tiny smile as she read what Gabe quietly typed.
How… cozy. Was there more than business between them? The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Last night in the sauna, after declining her clumsy pass, Gabe had kept a careful distance between them. Mr. Scruples wouldn’t screw around on his girlfriend.
Her face flamed, but she kept her tone cool. “There’s no reason for Gabe to be stuck here when the box—and the action—is down there,” she said. She turned toward him, bumping into his chest with her shoulder. “Go home, Gabe. Where you belong.”
Their gazes locked in a private battle. “For the time being, I belong right here.”
“Yes,” Elliott seconded. “Lukas and I feel better knowing there are two of you there, especially with the visitor you recently had.”
“Nothing on that footprint so far,” Lukas added. “We’ll keep on it.”
Lorin blinked. When had Gabe sent Lukas—
“Shall we look at the agenda Gabe sent?” Willem said.
An agenda? Of course Gabe had sent an agenda—and the first thing on it was a quick review of her own quarantine results. All the tests had, so far, come back negative. Her clean bill of health was great news, but the fact it had been mentioned at all simply re-emphasized that she’d made a huge mistake in the first place. Julianna’s sympathetic expression made her feel even more stupid. Wyland continued with an update on the box itself, which had been catalogued, carefully crated, and placed in the archives until they were ready to examine it.
Gabe was up next, and the rest of the meeting went very smoothly—too smoothly. The details Gabe walked them through were well thought-out, exhaustive, and smacked of fait accompli: while Gabe and Lorin worked the dig for two more weeks, Julianna would coordinate a retrofit of the secure lab located in Sebastiani Labs’ sub-basement. Once the buildout was complete, they’d run the box through a battery of tests. After reviewing the results, the box would be carefully opened, and the items inside extracted, carefully catalogued, and then analyzed.
“Lorin will coordinate expansion of the grid in the area where the box was found,” Gabe said, looking at his watch. “The summer crew starts arriving in a few hours.”
“We’re keeping the discovery of the box confidential for now, correct?” she verified.
At her side, she felt as much as saw Gabe nod.
Elliott concurred. “No need to tell the students anything specific until we know what we’re dealing with.”
She sighed. “I know it’s the right decision, but these workers were selected for their brains. It’s going to be a challenge.” Shooting a glance at Gabe, she said, “Explaining Gabe’s presence here will be challenging enough.”
Elliott’s hooded gaze encompassed them both. “I have every confidence that the two of you will come up with a convincing explanation.”
At her side, Gabe sat up straighter
. He’d felt it too. Elliott’s patented “nested Russian doll” requests were powerful—an order at the core, couched as a request, wrapped in an expression of confidence that made his employees kill themselves to fulfill his expectations.
Gabe leaned forward, pressing his hard, muscular chest against her shoulder blade, quirking a smile and gesturing with his hand while he and Julianna discussed the specific chemicals, tools, and equipment Gabe required for his work. His voice vibrated through her torso, painfully acute, but she couldn’t quite seem to find the muscular will to shift her body away, or to ask him to move. There was a smudged fingerprint at the rim of his glasses, and she could smell the coffee on his breath when he laughed.
As the meeting went on, there were no disagreements, because Gabe gave everyone an opportunity to build upon the plan. He asked for input. He accepted feedback gracefully. Though Lukas scowled, no doubt mentally beating the bushes for risks he hadn’t yet seen or considered, Elliott, seated at the head of the boardroom table, smiled like a pasha.
Lorin sat silent and numb. He’d thought of everything. In a mere twenty minutes, she’d officially and totally lost control of her mother’s project, her own contributions relegated to tasks and sub-tasks on a freaking project plan.
Finally, Julianna snapped her stylus into her e-tablet with a decisive click. “Gabe, I’ll have an updated lab status to you by noon.” She turned toward Elliott Sebastiani. “Thank you for the opportunity to work on this project, sir. And Lorin?” Julianna’s gaze met hers from the open window on the desktop. “Congratulations on your find.”
There was no wordless warning in Julianna’s expression, no evidence that she knew Lorin was fighting not to jump her lover’s bones. Gorgeous, smart, and… nice. She had no defense against nice.
Lorin thanked Julianna, choking out something she hoped was appropriate, and then shoved out of the chair, its legs screeching against the floor. “Excuse me,” she said, walking quickly to the door.
“Lorin?”
She kept walking, ignoring the question in Gabe’s voice. “I’ll be up at the site.”
Ducking out, she hurried down the stairs. With each step away from the workroom, she lengthened her stride. Before she was halfway across the compound, she was running full-out, running like the wind.
***
Gabe threw his pen down on the battered desk in disgust, his concentration shot. What was wrong with Lorin? He’d expected some fight from her at the meeting, some healthy give-and-take. He’d looked forward to it. But she’d been too quiet, and when she left, she’d looked positively… wounded.
Just when he thought he had a bead on the woman, she did a one-eighty on him.
His Bat Phone chirped. He plucked it off the desk, looked at the display window, and swore. Something must have gone to hell in a handbasket for Lukas to be calling him not a half hour after they’d all left the same meeting.
“Lukas. What’s wrong?”
A pause on the other end. “Why does everyone always ask that?”
“Lukas, you manage risk for a living. Go figure. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to let you know that the footprint run finished and came up empty.”
Gabe heard Lukas’s vocal shrug and sighed. Even if they managed to identify the make of the shoe, they would then have to match the shoe to its owner—and all this for a piddly trespassing charge that probably wouldn’t stick.
“You said there was no indication that the person got into Lorin’s cabin? Nothing missing?”
“No,” Gabe replied. “The lock wasn’t tampered with, as far as I could tell. Lorin mentioned that it’s not unusual for them to get the occasional curious local wandering through. Whoever it was could have just smashed the window if he really wanted to steal something.”
Lukas responded with a noncommittal “hmm.” “Well, keep your eyes peeled.” He cleared his throat. “So, have you seen Lorin?”
The hair rose on Gabe’s neck and forearms, a prickle of primal awareness. “Do you need to talk to her? Is she not picking up?”
“Like she’s even carrying her phone.”
“Do you need me to pass along a message? Is Alka okay?” Gabe’s stomach churned like a washing machine. Alka was gearing up for her long-planned trip to Peru and Chile, but she wasn’t scheduled to leave until next week sometime.
“Yes, yes, everyone’s fine. I didn’t mean to worry you.” Lukas fell silent, worrying him even more. “Are you seeing anyone right now?”
“What?” Gabe’s eyebrows flew into his hairline. “Lorin just made the find of the millennia, and you want to talk about my sex life?” Or lack thereof?
“Ah, shit,” Lukas muttered over a thunk in the background. Gabe winced as he visualized the other man’s heavy boots being propped onto something delicate—probably Elliott Sebastiani’s prized Eames table.
“I told Scarlett she should call you instead.”
“What?”
Lukas sighed audibly. “Did you notice how agitated Lorin was at the meeting?”
“She usually is. Agitated, I mean. By me.”
“She was agitated—and aroused—by you.”
“What?” Blood rushed to his face and parts farther south. “Lukas—”
“You two were spilling so much sexual energy during the meeting that I had trouble concentrating. Lorin really needs to get laid. So, if you’re not seeing anyone…” Lukas’s voice trailed off casually.
Gabe’s eyes bulged. Was Lukas really suggesting—
“She’s a Valkyrie, remember?” Lukas interrupted. “You have to do something, Gabe, because she’s bouncing off the walls.”
Do something? Like have sex with Lorin? “Are you serious? I think your brother might have a slight problem with what you’re suggesting.”
“Nah, Lorin and Rafe aren’t sleeping together anymore,” Lukas responded. “So, she isn’t involved with anyone right now, and I know you and Kayla broke things off awhile ago. If you aren’t seeing anyone, maybe the two of you can… scratch a mutual itch.”
Lorin wasn’t sleeping with Rafe Sebastiani. The information bounced in Gabe’s brain like a pinball on a hot table.
No. Gabe yanked the mental reins. Who Lorin was or wasn’t sleeping with didn’t matter—despite the incendiary offer she’d made to him in the sauna last night.
Food, fight, fuck. How many times had he heard the Valkyrie adage? It had new significance to him now, because damn it, Lukas was right—Lorin had a problem. He mentally scrolled through the options. Lorin appeared to have the food part handled. Fight? He shook his head. Nope. He’d run with her, sure—but hit her? Fight with her? Nuh-uh, not gonna happen. But fuck? Oh yeah, he could imagine that. Had imagined it, over and over again, in dozens of variations.
“I know you want her, Gabe.”
It would be useless to deny such a thing to an incubus of Lukas’s skill. “Who wouldn’t?”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“Lukas, she reports to me.”
“So?”
“I provide her with work direction. I sign off on her budget, her salary, her bonuses, until Alka gets back.”
“And as a member of the Council, she makes decisions impacting all of our species on a regular basis. She could have you arrested with a single phone call.” Amusement filled his voice. “Do you really think she’s worried about bonus money?”
Probably not, and their relative financial standing was just one more roadblock standing between them. “How about the fact that she finds me as annoying as I find her?”
Lukas had the balls to laugh at him. “Sexual tension, man. Off-the-scale sexual tension.”
He’d have to take Lukas’s word for it. He hadn’t had sex in so long that he’d almost forgotten what sexual tension felt like. “Don’t you think Lorin can find her own partner?”
“Sure she could, but you’re both there, both healthy, unattached adults who are attracted to each other. She has to leach off some energy somehow. I’d rather sh
e does it with you than with some random guy she picks up at Tubby’s.”
Now he knew why she’d made a pass last night. Lorin didn’t necessarily want to sleep with him; she just had to sleep with somebody. The very thought of Lorin picking up a stranger at a dive bar enraged him. “So this is… a risk management recommendation.”
“If you like.” Lukas’s voice was dry as dirt. “She wants you. You want her. She needs to leach off some energy—soon—or she’ll be worthless. Sounds like a win/win to me.”
“I’ll take your recommendation under advisement.” Now that Lukas had planted the idea of having sex with Lorin in Gabe’s head, he wouldn’t be able to think about anything else.
“One more thing.” Gabe blinked at Lukas’s suddenly serious tone. “You might want to reassure Lorin that she still has a leadership role on this project. She didn’t say much of anything at the meeting.”
“Yeah.” Everyone had offered feedback on the plan except the one person whose feedback was most important.
He’d blown it.
He said as much to Lukas, who didn’t disagree. “We’re always doing something that women find highly annoying. A blanket apology goes a long, long way.”
“A long way towards what?”
Lukas’s knowing laughter rang in his ear. “Good-bye, Gabe.”
Chapter 6
“Paige! Good to see you!”
Crap. Lorin had returned, but his apology would have to wait. Gabe stopped in the doorway of the workroom and watched Lorin wrap her arms around the smallest woman he’d ever seen. Dressed in shades of pink from head to toe, the top of Paige Scott’s head barely came up to Lorin’s chest, and then only with an assist from the dandelion-fluff white-blond ponytail perched on top of her head.
“Ewww, you’re all sweaty,” Paige complained. “Have you been running?”
Gabe caught the annoyed look Lorin shot his way before she answered. “Chopping wood for the sauna.”
