by Unknown
“Considering its noon, and I’ve been here since six? Yes. Besides, I can always eat.”
As for Gabe…As she followed Lilah out the door, she promised herself that unsettling or not, she would think about him later.
Eight
A fter seventeen grueling hours of travel, Gabe had every intention of going home, taking a long shower and getting a good night’s sleep in his own bed. What’s more, after nearly two weeks of his brother Dominic’s constant company, he planned to do all those things alone.
So how he wound up standing rumpled and jetlagged in the deserted hallway outside Mallory’s Bedazzled office Friday evening was beyond him.
Unless it had something to do with the fierce anticipation that raced through his veins at the sight of her. Not yet aware of his presence, she sat engrossed in something on her computer. Despite the lateness of the hour she looked fresh and professional in a pale yellow wrap dress that brought out the sunny streaks in the curling mass of her hair.
Damned if he didn’t want to stride in, scoop her up, lay her down and—
“Are you going to say hello?” she inquired, eyes still riveted to the lighted screen. “Or are you just going to stand there and stare at me?”
He felt a stab of surprise. Then he felt profoundly pleased—and maybe a little relieved—that she also felt this powerful connection. “I haven’t made up my mind.” He took the first step through the doorway. “It’s a helluva pretty view.”
“You’re such a sweet-talker.” Despite the lightness of her voice, her hands resting on the keyboard had begun to tremble. The next instant she was on her feet, starting around the desk as if to meet him halfway, only to stop, draw herself up, seemingly rein herself in. “I—How was your trip?”
“Long.” Ever since his brother Jake had gone away to college, he’d considered being able to just pick up and go anywhere in the world at the drop of a hat one of the real perks of his job.
He never tired of seeing different locales, of immersing himself in other cultures, of pitting himself against whatever tried to come after a Steele Security client. The instant he’d go wheels up out of Denver, his focus would zero in on the task at hand, and there it would stay until the problem had been satisfactorily dealt with.
Until Belgrade. Where, no matter how hard he’d tried—and he’d given it one hell of a herculean effort—he’d been unable to banish Mallory from his mind.
She started to twine her fingers together, then caught herself. “When did you get back?”
He ordered himself to be patient, to give her a second to get used to his sudden presence, even though it was taking more willpower than it should have for him to hang back. “About an hour ago. We got lucky and were able to catch a flight a few days ahead of schedule.”
“You haven’t been home yet?”
“No. There was something I needed to get first.”
Her eyes sparked with an emotion he couldn’t identify. “What’s that?”
“What do you think?” Abruptly, he’d had enough. Forbearance was all very nice, but…Erasing the distance between them, he pulled her into his embrace, something taut inside him relaxing as she made a sound midway between relief and pleasure and locked her arms around his waist.
He wasn’t sure how long they stood there holding each other, his face buried in her hair, her cheek pressed to his throat. A little uneasily, it occurred to him that what he’d thought he wanted was sex, yet this simple embrace was fulfilling an equally compelling need.
“So how are you?” he said when he finally lifted his head.
She gave him one last squeeze, then leaned back and smiled up at him. “Great. Absolutely great.”
“You better be careful, Mal, or I’m going to think you missed me.”
“Well, maybe I did. A little.”
The admission pleased him. Perhaps too much.
“So.” She reached up, toyed with the open collar of his dark gray shirt. “How did you know I’d be here instead of at my apartment?”
He shrugged. “When I couldn’t get you on your cell, I called Stan.”
“Who’s Stan?”
“He’s the night security guy for this building. Both he and Rich, the day guy, moonlight for me when I need an extra pair of eyes or ears. I asked him to check the building log and he confirmed you were still here.”
“And let you in.”
He nodded. “He knows I can be trusted.”
“How deluded of him.”
His mouth twitched. “Does that mean there’s no way I can convince you to come home with me?” That hadn’t been part of his plan, either. When he’d realized he intended to see her tonight, he’d been sure he’d find that he’d exaggerated his desire to be close to her.
Clearly that wasn’t the case.
“I wouldn’t say that.” She gave him a look that he felt in the pit of his stomach. “Although actions do speak louder than words…”
“Amen to that.” He bent his head, felt her lashes tickle against his face as he skimmed his lips over her temple and along her jawline. He kissed the sleek softness of her throat, lingered there until he felt her melt against him, found her mouth. Their lips met and clung, and he let himself sink into her, driven by the grinding need for the taste and scent and feel of her that had been building in him almost from the minute he’d walked away from her thirteen days earlier.
By the time he eased back to rest his forehead against hers, her hands weren’t the only ones that were shaking. Less than thrilled with the discovery, he put a quick stop to it, assuring himself it was simply an outgrowth of being tired. “How’d I do?”
“How ’bout I tell you when I get my mind back?”
The words and her breathy delivery went a long way toward restoring his equanimity. “I take it that’s a yes?” He rubbed a circle on the small of her back. “You’ll come to my place?”
“I’d heard that you were quick.”
“Smart-mouth. Let’s get your stuff and go then.”
Stepping quickly around her desk, she shut down her computer and picked up her purse. “I’ll need to stop by my place and pack a few things.”
“No problem.” Hustling her out the door, he clicked off the overhead lights.
Minutes later they were in his SUV and on their way. “Nice night,” he observed, savoring the dry balmy air against his face.
“How was the weather in Belgrade?”
“Okay. Humid compared to here. How’s your job going?”
“Well, I don’t think you’ll find my picture in the dictionary next to indispensable quite yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Maybe working too hard, if tonight’s an example.”
She gave a throaty chuckle. “Hearing that phrase applied to me has to be a first. It’s also sort of ironic considering the source, who—correct me if I’m wrong—just came off at least a hundred-hour workweek.”
“Yeah, well—”
“Don’t you dare say that’s different,” she warned lightly. “The only thing different is that you’ve been working for years and I’ve been doing it about ten minutes. Besides, I found out just this morning that there’s an office pool on how long it’s going to be before I throw in the towel, and I sort of lost my head and bet a hundred dollars on never. So now I can’t afford to do anything but see this through.”
“Like there was ever any question of that,” he said with a snort.
She was momentarily silent, then reached over and squeezed his thigh. “Thanks,” she said softly. “That’s got to be one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Yes, well, it means a lot, coming from you. Which reminds me.” She twisted toward him on the seat as they slowed for a red light. “I also need to thank you for the wonderful presents. I can’t…you really shouldn’t have, but honestly, I love every single one.”
He glanced over at her and saw to his gratification the unguarded pleasure on her face. Truth to
tell, the first item, the briefcase, he’d bought purely on impulse while cooling his heels at the airport. The instant he’d seen it, run a hand over the buttery leather and taken a moment to appreciate its clever but elegant design, he’d known she had to have it.
Then, when he’d realized how much he enjoyed picturing her surprise when she received it, he’d been hooked on the idea of doing more, driven by a need to make her feel special—maybe even a little cherished—that he didn’t entirely understand.
Still, seeing the quiet glow on her face, it occurred to him that a subtle change seemed to have taken place in their relationship. That she might actually be starting to trust him just a little.
The realization brought satisfaction…and a razor-sharp prick of concern regarding the future.
“That’s odd,” Mallory said suddenly.
Shooting a glance her way, he frowned at the perplexed expression on her face as they approached the ramshackle old building she called home. “What’s odd?” he asked as he drove past the structure, pulling in at the only available spot at the curb a few doors down.
“My apartment’s dark.”
“Shouldn’t it be?”
“No. I always turn on the small lamp by the sofa when I leave. In case I’m late like this. I guess I must’ve forgotten to switch it on this morning. Either that or—” her keys in hand, she gave a slight, dismissive shrug and reached for her door handle “—the bulb burned out.”
“You’re probably right,” Gabe said at the same time that he caught her by the arm, tugged her around, plucked away the keys. “But on the off chance you’re not, you’re going to stay right here.”
“While you do what?”
“Go check things out.” He retrieved the Maglite from the glove compartment and snapped it onto his belt. “In the meantime—” he raised a hand to forestall the protest he could see forming on her lips “—I want you to be sure to lock the doors behind me when I leave. And promise me that you will not, under any circumstance, set foot from this car.” He leveled a look at her that had once set toughened soldiers quaking in their combat boots.
“Or what?” she shot back, completely unfazed.
As was often the case with her, he wasn’t sure whether to swear or laugh. “Or I’ll be worrying about you instead of paying attention to a potentially dangerous situation.”
“Dear God.” Her gaze locked on his face, she worried her bottom lip for a second, then stopped and squared her shoulders. “All right. I promise. As long as you swear you’ll be careful. And understand accept that if you’re not back in five minutes, I’m calling 9-1-1.”
“I’m always careful.” He leaned forward and gave her a fast, hard kiss on the mouth. “Plus I’m trained for this, remember? And chances are good I’ll be back in less than a minute with nothing to report.”
“Famous last words,” she murmured as he climbed out.
He waited a second, gave a quick nod of approval as he heard the door locks engage. Then he blanked his mind of everything but his current objective and headed inside.
Whoever had broken into her apartment was long gone by the time Gabe walked in to find her door hanging by a single hinge.
That, however, was where the good news ended, Mallory reflected, as he ushered her into his house hours later.
Apparently angered that she’d had nothing worth stealing, the intruder or intruders had thoroughly trashed her place. Her sofa and bedding had been slashed, the sparse contents of her kitchen cabinets dumped onto the floor, her lamps smashed and the Goodwill tables she’d been so proud of reduced to kindling.
Far more upsetting, someone had taken the time to paw through her underthings, lay them out around the room.
While everyone from Gabe to the police to the apartment manager agreed the destruction looked to be the work of teenagers, Mallory feared she’d been violated by someone who knew exactly what he was doing. That made her feel sick—and wonder if she’d ever find the courage to live in the apartment again.
She was doing her best to hide the tumult churning inside her, however. It didn’t seem fair to do otherwise, to reward Gabe’s kindness and his steadfast support with tears or a hysterical outburst.
Yet it appeared she wasn’t doing as good a job hiding her feelings as she thought when he switched on the lights in his bedroom and frowned, taking a good, hard look at her face. “You okay?”
She dredged up a smile. “I’m fine. Although I’m betting you can’t say the same. I think this comes under the heading of be careful what you wish for.”
Drawing her deeper into the room, he set down the bag she’d hurriedly packed by the ottoman. “How’s that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You ask me to spend the night, and now you’re stuck with me.”
“Is that what you think?”
She shrugged. “Honestly, Gabe, you don’t need to worry. I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to go back to my place. But until I am, I have a little money set aside, enough to rent a room somewhere. First thing in the morning I’ll start looking—”
“Screw that.”
“What?” She couldn’t have heard that right.
“Maybe I want to be stuck,” he said flatly. “God knows, I’m tired of worrying about you all the time.”
Her spine stiffened. “I thought we settled that. I’m not your responsibility.”
“No, you’re not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to you, dammit.”
If for an instant he looked a little taken aback at the forcefulness of his admission, Mallory barely noticed. She was too busy trying to breathe as his words kicked a major support out from under her defenses.
“I admit it made me feel a little crazy to find out that someone’s been sniffing around your door,” he informed her, pacing over to the window. “And when I think about what could’ve happened if you’d been home when the bastards broke in, it scares the hell out of me. But it’s just because I want you to be safe, Mal. If that’s a crime, you may as well convict me now, because it’s not going to change.”
He’d actually been frightened? For her? The one person on earth she thought of as totally fearless? Her throat went tight. “Gabriel—”
“As far as finding somewhere to stay,” he steamrollered on, “if paying your own way means that much to you, then fine—rent a room from me. I’ve got three that are empty. Although I wish like hell you’d just agree to share the one we’re standing in.”
“All right.” She swallowed. “I will. I do.”
“What?”
“If you want to be my landlord, at least temporarily, okay.” It would only be until she figured out where she went from here, she promised herself. “But do you think…could we discuss it later?” To her mortification, reaction was finally beginning to set in and her voice was starting to shake. “Right now, would you m-mind terribly—could you just hold me? Please?”
He was across the room and scooping her up before the last word was completely out of her mouth. With a sigh of relief, she looped her arms around his strong, warm neck and let him carry her over to the bed, where he sat and scooted back against the headboard with her across his lap.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a baby.” Except that she did. It was undeniably sweet to be able to lean on someone else—on him—if just for a moment. Burying her face in his shoulder, she closed her eyes, soaking up the heat that seemed to roll off him and radiate right down to her bones, displacing the chill that up until then she’d thought might never go away.
“I keep thinking about what might have happened, too,” she admitted. “And the thought of somebody touching my personal things totally creeps me out. And then, for you to say you care…” Her breath shuddered out. “Nobody’s ever cared before….”
“Shh.” Rubbing his hand over her back, he began to rock her in the universal motion of comfort she’d experienced rarely in her life. “Easy, baby. You’ve been through a lot tonight, but you’re okay now. I didn’t mean to ups
et you.”
“Oh, you didn’t,” she protested. “Not the way you mean.” Listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear, feeling the strength of the hard, lean body supporting her own, it dawned on her that she felt safe for the first time in months—maybe years.
For a second the irony of it stole her breath. That the one man on earth she’d always considered a threat to her peace of mind was now the one person she trusted…
It was the most unexpected gift of all. And it made her want to give back something equally important. Yet the only thing of value she had—even it was questionable—was a small measure of truth about herself.
She drew in a breath, forced herself to relax her hold on him enough that she could lean back, face him when she spoke.
“I wasn’t exactly up-front with you in the beginning, about being broke,” she said quietly. “I was irresponsible, and I did recklessly spend too much money, but…My father didn’t just steal from all those investors, Gabe. He cleaned out my trust fund, too.”
He stiffened. “Jesus, Mal. Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it was nobody’s business but my own. And I—” She hesitated, finding the next words even harder to say than she’d imagined. “I was ashamed that he would do that to me. I mean, I always knew I was low on his priority list. Somewhere above him having a faultless manicure but below whoever he was currently sleeping with. As a kid, I did everything I could to get his attention, pulling stunts that always got everyone who participated but me grounded for life, while my dad—he barely noticed.”
She sighed, slid her fingers into the open V at the top of his shirt, needing that contact with his warm smooth skin even as she realized the words were starting to come a little easier.
“I think that’s when I finally accepted it was no use. And decided that if he wasn’t going to care, neither was I—about him, about me, about anything. I was just going to have fun. So when he disappeared, it was a really rude surprise to discover how much it hurt. And then to find out he’d stolen my trust money…”
