Rescue Me

by Faye Avalon

  He hadn’t planned to remind her of the barb she’d thrown at him, but it had cut deep. And her imperious manner was starting to piss him off. Besides which, that barb had caused him to question himself, to dig into his psyche, to consider that she might have been right.

  “I was upset at the time,” she said. “It was cruel of me to say that, and I apologise.”

  He shrugged, as if the nights he’d spent mulling that one over meant nothing at all. “Forget it.”

  “No, I can’t forget it. I can’t forget a lot of things.”

  Shit. He was right—she was going to blast him with more of his failings.

  “I’m sorry that I never gave you the benefit of the doubt, and that I was too willing to think the worst of you. I need to apologise for that as well.”

  Again, Gabe cautioned himself about taking that relieved breath. “If we’re apologising, maybe I should take the floor.” He looked at her clasped hands and wanted to reach across and ease the tension from her fingers. “I never meant to hurt you, Maddie. I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  She met his gaze, the confidence he’d glimpsed in them when she’d arrived wavering. “You did hurt me. By keeping things from me, denying me the right to make my own decisions, making me question my feelings...”

  “Maddie...”

  “I know why you did all that, but it wasn’t right. You treated me as if I was an incompetent airhead who needed saving from herself. It hurts to be humiliated that way.”

  “That’s not how—”

  “I should be thanking you in many ways. I thought I was doing the right thing agreeing to marry Oscar. Thought it was the only way to get control of the company back. If I’d gone ahead with it, God knows where we’d be now. Mallory Hotels would be embroiled in scandal, and Dad and I might both be facing charges.”

  “I’d never have allowed it to go that far.”

  She sighed, smiled a little sadly. “I know, and that’s one of the problems I have. You think you have to rescue me.”

  “Shit, Maddie.” Unable to keep still, Gabe stood and pushed away from the table. “You tie me up in fucking knots. First you say you should be thanking me, then you give me grief for stepping in to help.” He strode across to the window. “What the hell do you expect me to do? Stand by, say nothing, as I watch you make mistakes?”

  “No.” Her tone was conciliatory, but still he braced himself for another arrow heading his way. “What I expect you to do is tell me that you think I’m making them. I expect you to talk to me, not go off half-cocked with all guns blazing and intent on protecting me.”

  “I don’t know how not to protect you.”

  He hadn’t realised she was behind him until he felt the light brush of her fingers against his arm. “I understand that, too.”

  The tension inside him melted a little with that simple touch. He wanted to turn, pull her into his arms, make everything in her life blue skies and fluffy pink clouds. But she wasn’t the kind of woman who needed that.

  Right now he didn’t know what the shit she did need. He was confused as hell.

  “And how the devil am I supposed to talk to you when you don’t stay around long enough to listen,” he grated. “Twice you’ve refused to give me the chance to explain. Twice you’ve left without a goddamn word.”

  “I realise that. And I’m sorry for it.” Her hand caressed his arm. “Gabe?”

  He turned from the window, drew the scent of her deep inside him, letting it soothe and stroke away the pain that wrapped around his ribs.

  “Both times I was wrong, but I think we’re each guilty of a lack of communication. You don’t talk. I don’t listen.” She moved in to him. “I want to change that.”

  His nostrils flared, his heart pounding. Since he wasn’t entirely sure where this was going, he refused to do what he wanted and yank her up against him. “What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, I have a business proposition. Which is weird, considering I’m not a businesswoman. I don’t love it in the same way you and Dad love it. But I have this overwhelming need to create, and I love that. I’m good at it.”

  “Damn right.”

  She smiled. “What I’m proposing is that I work on your team of interior designers. I’ve brought you a portfolio of some of my ideas for renovating the London hotels, and if you want any more, I’m happy to let you have them. I’d have to fit the work around my course, but I’d do a damn good job for you. That way, instead of paying me a salary or retainer or whatever it’s called, you could take my salary or retainer or whatever and put it toward me buying shares in the company.”

  Gabe swallowed, trying hard to focus on what she was saying, when all he really wanted was to pull her into his arms.

  “I know you’ve worked out that deal with my dad so you’d both own fifty percent of Mallory’s, but I’ve decided I’d like a stake in the company, too. When you and Dad become joint shareholders, he’s agreed to sell me five percent. Will you agree to do the same? I know it would take me a long time to work off what it would cost to buy them, but that’s fine by me. And I want to buy them at the current market rate. I don’t want any favours.” She stepped back several inches. “What do you say?”

  * * *

  Maddie’s heart thumped so viciously, her head swam. She couldn’t tell what Gabe was thinking, although his dark eyes had the steely look they got when he wasn’t especially pleased with the world.

  For long moments, he remained silent. “You told me you wanted nothing more to do with me. That there was nothing you wanted that I could offer you. What changed?”

  Bloody hell. What did she say to that? That she’d been a stupid fool? That she’d been myopic and judgmental?

  That she loved him?

  How could she do that when he’d given her no indication he felt the same way?

  Did that make her a coward? A hypocrite? She’d accused him often enough of being secretive, of keeping his cards close to his chest, and was she now going to do the same?

  “What changed?” She took another step back and clasped her hands behind her back so he couldn’t see her twisting them. “I did. I took a long, hard look at myself and realised how unfairly I’ve treated you. I realised if I wanted something, I had to stop pretending to be what I’m not and fully become the person I am. Does that make sense?”

  He nodded.

  “I’m a designer at heart and I... No. I’m chickening out here. Full disclosure, yes?”

  “Sounds fair.”

  Why wouldn’t her heart slow down? Could he hear its frantic beat from where he stood looking harsh and intractable?

  “First, will you tell me how you managed to persuade Oscar to sell you the shares back at the same price they were when he won them from my father? During that time they’ve skyrocketed in value.”

  “Blackmail.”

  Maddie jerked back. She hadn’t expected the answer to come that easily—she’d expected the hedging and the ambiguity—but he hadn’t hesitated. “With what?”

  “If he didn’t sell me the shares, I’d go to the authorities with what I had on him.”

  “But after he sold them to you, you did go to the authorities.”

  Now he hesitated, pursing his lips and rocking back on his heels. “I have colleagues who’ve been on the receiving end of his dealings. They’ve taken huge losses. After I got the Mallory shares safely back from Kingston, I might have let something slip to those colleagues about the rumours I’d heard.”

  “So technically you kept to the deal you made with Oscar about not going to the authorities.”

  “Technically. I’m not proud of it, but I couldn’t stand back and watch colleagues get fleeced by the bastard. He didn’t deserve to walk away when people’s livelihoods had been destroyed.”

  “I’m glad he’s going down.” At her back, she clasped her
hands tighter. “Will you accept my proposition?”

  His steely grey eyes bored into hers. “Ten percent will give you the deciding vote in any transactions either your father or I might want to make.”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought you didn’t want any more dealings with the company.”

  “I changed my mind.” Maddie hoped he’d take the double meaning, that she’d changed her mind about the company and about him, but he gave little sign of having done so. While she hadn’t expected this to be easy, she’d hoped for a little more enthusiasm and maybe even some encouragement.

  The air seemed to buzz with tension as they stood looking at each other. Then Gabe said, “Okay. It’s a deal. Anything else?”

  Briefly, Maddie closed her eyes. What did she do now? Walk away? Throw herself at him?

  Letting her heart rule, she took another deep breath to calm her thumping heart, then loosened her hands and stepped forward. His eyes narrowed a little, but she was on a roll now.

  She placed her hands on his chest, felt his muscles hard and solid beneath her palms. She took comfort in the fact his heart was engaged in the same frantic beating as hers.

  “Yes, there is something else.” She took a shaky breath.

  After an agonising wait, he raised his eyebrows. “I already agreed to give you a job, plus five percent of my stake in Mallory’s. You want more? And I thought you said you weren’t a businesswoman.”

  A muscle tweaked at the corner of his mouth, but it was too soon for relief. He could still tell her that it was too late for them. That he didn’t return her feelings.

  “Well, since my negotiation skills worked pretty well so far, maybe now I want to discuss bonuses.”

  For long moments he just stared at her, and her heart sank steadily to her knees.

  “What kind of bonuses?”

  Since he still stood ramrod straight, giving no indication he intended responding positively, Maddie wouldn’t allow herself to hope. Not yet. “The kind that will benefit us both, but I guess the exact nature is open to further discussion.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Okay. Time to go for broke. “I love you, Gabe Harrington.”

  The grey flashed as his eyes widened, his nostrils flared. Beneath her hands, his heart rate kicked up even more. He actually looked flummoxed, and had she not been so terrified that he would reject her, she might have smiled at his reaction.

  Slowly, his mouth slid into a wide grin. “That being the case, I think we’ll need some privacy for this particular part of the negotiation. I’d better lock the boardroom door.”

  Joy and relief were a heady mix, and with a laugh, Maddie slid her hands around his neck. “Why, Mr Harrington. This is very inappropriate. And me, a new employee.”

  He laughed and swung her around. “You’re a bloody challenging woman, Maddie Mallory.”

  “But you’re man enough to handle me.”

  With a flutter of her lashes, she made him laugh again.

  “Know something?” he said, planting her on her feet but holding her tight against him. “I love you, too. Can’t live without you. How’s that for a revelation?”

  “Pretty handy. Now we’re in the same boat.”

  “Speaking of boats, I’m buying another yacht.”

  Still swimming in a lovely warm fuzz, Maddie widened her eyes. “For real? That’s great. You need to relax more.”

  He tightened his hold. “You can drag me around galleries. Bore the pants off me with tales of struggling artists and their promiscuous muses.”

  Maddie fell into his kiss, her hands linked around his neck, fingers sliding into his hair. When they drew back, she frowned in mock censure. “Not all their muses were promiscuous. And talking about art is not boring.”

  He circled them toward the boardroom door, kissing her as they went. “Not when you’re the one doing the talking.”

  “We need to do that a lot,” Maddie said as he turned the lock. “Talk, I mean.”

  “Agreed. And we also need to listen.”

  “Agreed. Gabe? There has to be full disclosure. I won’t accept anything less.”

  “Full disclosure? You mean like me saying I really want to kiss the fucking life out of you right now?”

  The breath left her as he lifted her onto the boardroom table. “Just kiss?”

  He eased her down until she was lying with her legs dangling over the end of the table. He pushed up her skirt and stepped between her thighs. “No. More. With you, I’ll always want more. I’ll never get enough of you.”

  Leaning over, he kissed her again, and Maddie swore that the air around them sighed, shifting back into place from the turmoil it had existed in prior to this moment. Like a jigsaw puzzle, she thought as the room spun pleasantly. Everything was in its rightful place with no missing pieces.

  He drew the edges of her jacket aside, popped the buttons on her blouse. Maddie reached up, about to undo his shirt. “Should you tell your staff that we don’t want to be disturbed?”

  He’d already released her breasts from her bra and was lowering his head. “Maybe. After.”

  Maddie reached into his shirt and found hot, hard muscle. “What will we say if they ask what we’ve been doing?”

  “We’ll tell them we’ve been navigating a particularly tricky business deal.”

  “Our very own hostile takeover.” She moaned when his tongue stroked over her nipple. “This deal might take a lot more negotiating.”

  He looked up, his grin quick and sharp. “Then find something to grab hold of, princess. You’re in the hands of the master.”

  * * *

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  Baring It All

  by Rebecca Hunter

  CHAPTER ONE

  IF THERE WAS anything Max Jensen hated more than thinking with his schlong, it was doing it in front of an audience. Natasha was late coming home, and instead of focusing on her sister, Alya, who happened to be Max’s assignment, all he could think about was Natasha and what kind of trouble she was getting herself into. Alya’s curvy younger sibling was a powerful distraction...but that wasn’t the only reason his mind kept wandering back to her. Max was in security, for fuck’s sake. Of course he was worried when she didn’t show up on time. He just also happened to want to get in her pants.