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  “Be safe,” I tell her, reaching around her to open the driver’s side of her vehicle.

  She climbs behind the wheel and I close the door, sealing her inside before I demand she stay. She starts the engine, but wisely keeps her window closed.

  With a little wave from the other side of the glass, she backs out, leaving me standing in the dim pool of light on the darkened pavement.

  7

  ~ Evelyn ~

  After more than an hour of avid interrogation about my unexpected late-night encounter with Gabriel Noble from my friends over lunch at Vendange, one of our favorite spots in the city, seeing him in the boutique when I return almost seems like a mirage.

  I enter through the front doors on Madison Avenue, having caught a taxi to the restaurant. A few customers are browsing the store, aided by the handful of sales associates who help with foot traffic during regular hours. I smile and nod, greeting them as I walk past the display tables and mannequins where just last night I’d been chatting with a man I thought I couldn’t stand and doing my damnedest not to make a fool of myself by inviting him home with me.

  Now, he’s back at L’Opale. I catch a glimpse of Gabe’s broad shoulders, tapered waist, and much-too-fine ass in the short hallway past the dressing rooms. He’s wearing his typical uniform of dark suit pants and a white shirt, but at the moment his jacket and weapon holster are off and his long sleeves are rolled up over his tanned, muscular forearms. Although he’s got his back to me, he swivels a glance over his shoulder. Our eyes meet across the length of the boutique and I feel the heat of that connection lick through me like a flame.

  But it’s there and gone in an instant. As if I imagined it.

  As if there hadn’t been a volcano of attraction ignited between us last night.

  With nothing more than a polite nod, he continues on down the hall.

  I know I’m seriously out of practice when it comes to men and dating, but could I have read him that wrong? The pang of confusion--of a deeper disappointment than I care to admit--lingers as Megan rushes to me across the sales floor, wide-eyed and smiling.

  “We have company.”

  “I see that.”

  She’s a little breathless, a little flushed in the face, as if being around Gabriel Noble has addled her brain as much as it apparently did mine last night.

  “I didn’t realize we were getting new security equipment installed today,” she whispers.

  “Neither did I.”

  Meg follows alongside me as I head for the hallway to investigate. I hear Gabe’s deep voice coming from the back of the shop. And Katrina’s, pitched in a light, breathy tone she never uses with Megan and me. My whole body tenses when I enter the small space and see her leaning over Gabe’s shoulder as he taps something onto the keypad of an electronic panel, newly installed near the rear exit.

  “So, as of today our keys no longer work on this door?”

  “Right,” he says, without looking up from his work. “Everyone will have their own four-digit code for the alarm panels on both points of entry into the boutique. It’s more secure than having keys floating around, and it also means we’ll have an ongoing record of traffic and access. If you know what you want to use for your code, you can set it right now.”

  “All right,” she replies in that feminine rasp that’s setting my molars on edge. Kat may be fifteen years older than me, but she doesn’t look it, and she’s working everything she’s got on Gabe. She leans in to him even closer and taps her red-lacquered nail on the pad, reciting the numbers as she types them. “Six, nine, six, nine.”

  I clear my throat. “Kat, could you help out front for a while, please?”

  She pivots toward me, her smile a little guilty, yet challenging at the same time. It takes her a second to answer. “Sure. I’d be happy to.”

  We have ample sales staff on the floor, and while I’m certain she knows that, too, she isn’t going to argue with a direct request from me. Nevertheless, she takes her time sashaying up the hallway.

  Gabe is turned around now, and I wait to see his gaze follow her out, but his hazel eyes stay rooted on me.

  I fold my arms. “You certainly move fast. I thought you were only writing up a report today.”

  Before he offers an answer, I hear my brother’s voice coming from behind me.

  “No reason to delay putting in some new locks and cameras,” Andrew says as he walks out of the electrical room and pauses to give me a light kiss on the cheek. “Especially if you think someone was messing around with the back door last night.”

  I blow out a sigh at his sober look. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it at all. I’m sure it was nothing.”

  “I hope you’re right. In the meantime, Gabe’s made some solid recommendations for upgraded security measures.”

  A clipboard rests on a table next to some opened equipment boxes and tools. I walk over and flip through the first few pages of schematics and handwritten notes, scrawled in an aggressive, confident print that I find just about as sexy as the man who wrote it. “No plans for razor wire or surface-to-air missile defense systems?” I arch my brows at Gabe. “That’s a relief.”

  A smirk plays at the edge of his mouth while my brother scoffs, unaware of our inside joke from last night.

  “I realize you think I overreact,” Andrew says. “But believe me, I know the kind of animals who live in this city. I want you to be safe.”

  I tilt my head at him. “You always overreact, but at least you’re consistent.”

  “Very funny.” He frowns and lowers his voice, looking so much like our father I can’t help but smile. “Cut me a break here, okay? It’s not like you never had to deal with a stalker or two over the years, Eve.”

  My breath freezes in my lungs at his use of my old nickname, especially in front of Gabe. I don’t like flashing my former career around. In fact, I’d bury it if I could.

  But when I glance at Gabe, there is no surprise in his expression. No confusion.

  The first day we met, he had no idea who I was. He definitely didn’t recognize me from my runway days. But he knows now. He knows because Andrew has told him, I have no doubt.

  And from the way he averts his eyes as I stare at him, I’m betting he knew before our brief, but enjoyable conversation last night.

  What else might my brother have told Baine’s new security chief about that awful part of my life?

  I feel suddenly exposed and vulnerable. I hate the feeling.

  I hate that I’m standing here wondering if the connection I felt between Gabe and me last night really was an illusion. Maybe the charm I believed was authentic was only him changing course from the arrogant bastard I met in the garage to a smooth tactician looking to get into my good graces--or into my bed--after realizing who I was . . . who I used to be.

  He wouldn’t be the first to try.

  Except Gabe had been the one to turn me away.

  When I touched his broken, brutally handsome face, he’d stepped out of my reach like he’d been burned. Now, he seems unwilling to look at me at all.

  I glance at my brother, forcing a flat edge into my voice. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the public eye. And besides, no one’s ever gotten close enough to hurt me.”

  No, I did the worst damage to myself.

  Thankfully, Andrew doesn’t say the words I know we’re both thinking. If he did that in front of Gabe right now, I don’t know if I could forgive him.

  In the lengthening silence between us, Gabe exhales a breath. “I’m going out to check the motion sensor on the parking lot floods.”

  Andrew nods, waiting for him to leave before he speaks again. “Tell me something, Evie. If Gabe hadn’t responded to the shop last night because of the power outage, would you have told me you were working late and thought you heard someone trying to break in?”

  “Break in? That’s an exaggeration.”

  “We can’t be sure.” Andrew’s voice is stern. “The question is, would you have
told me?”

  “Probably not. Like I said, nothing happened, and I don’t want to give you any more reasons to worry--”

  “I’m your brother, damn it,” he reminds me, his black brows furrowing over his flashing green eyes. “If you don’t want me to worry, you should’ve been born into a different family.”

  As tight as we’ve always been, I know when my growly big brother is reaching the limits of his patience. I try not to push him past that line, but there are times--like now--when all we seem to do is cross swords.

  His broad mouth flattens with his scowl. “Gabe told me you lost your purse the other day, along with your phone and wallet.”

  “Of course, he told you.” I scoff, shaking my head. “I wish he hadn’t. It wasn’t his place to tell you that. And for the record, I didn’t lose anything. My purse was here in the shop the whole time.” A slight stretch of the facts, but I’m not feeling particularly charitable with them at the moment.

  Andrew gives me an exasperated look. “You’re pushing yourself too much again, Evie. The boutique is taking off faster than anyone could’ve expected. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and I have no doubt this is only the beginning for you. But I don’t want to see you take on more than you can handle. I don’t want to see you burn out. And I’m saying that not only as your brother who loves you, but as your partner in this business.”

  “I’m going to pay you back, Andrew.”

  “Not the point.” He shakes his head. “I’m not worried about the money. This shop is yours.”

  “No.” I lift my chin. “I owe you, and I’m going to pay you back as soon as possible.”

  “Fuck the money.” He curses under his breath. “It’s always been my job to protect you. I failed you once. I won’t stand by and let it happen again.”

  “No, Andrew. It’s never been your job.” Even though I know he’s coming from a place of love, his doubt scares me. I pull away from him, my pulse pounding in my ears. “I am not your problem to solve. And dammit, I’m not a child, either.”

  The back door opens and Gabe steps back inside. There’s no masking the awkwardness of my argument with my brother, so I don’t even try. Leaving them both in my wake, I head into my office and close the door.

  I work for several minutes in the solitude before a knock sounds. “Yes?”

  I’m expecting one of my coworkers, or maybe my brother refusing to let go of a case he doesn’t yet consider closed. Instead, I glance up from my desk to find Gabe filling the space of the open doorway. “Beck was called away on other business, so I’m wrapping things up now and then I’ll be heading out. I took the liberty of programming a back door access code for you.”

  He steps in and places a sticky note with the four-digit number on my desk. “Okay. Thanks.”

  “The panel controls the new electronic deadbolts,” he says, speaking in a calm, businesslike demeanor that only agitates me further. “As for the interior cameras and motion sensors I’ve recommended, those are on order and should be here soon. We’ll have an electrician come in next week to take a look at the utility room before we start implementing the new equipment and install the full security system.”

  “Why are you telling me all of this? You report to my brother, right, Boy Scout?”

  As intended, that irks him. I see the flare of irritation disrupt some of his maddening control. Scowling, he steps farther inside my office. I can’t help but notice he doesn’t ask for permission, just invades my space as if he belongs here. As if he knows I won’t turn him away.

  “What’s going on, Evelyn? Have I done something to upset you?”

  I lean back in my chair. I’m not sure I want to have this conversation, but for some reason having clarity means more to me than my dignity. “Last night. Why didn’t you mention that you knew about my modeling career?”

  He shrugs. “It didn’t seem relevant to anything we discussed.”

  I study him for a moment, looking for cracks. Looking for signs that he is anything other than what I see--a strong, stoic man. A man who’s comforting and sexy. Trustworthy.

  “What else has my brother told you about me?” God, I hate how anxious my voice sounds. I dread that he might have heard about the self-harm or the addictions, or about the months I spent in recovery from both, alternating between fighting to get better and wanting to die.

  Gabe closes the door behind him and slowly shakes his head. “Beck didn’t say anything else. Only that he cares about you.”

  “Was that before or after you told him I’m so incompetent and overworked that I lost my purse?”

  “I didn’t say that.” His square jaw tenses as he looks at me. “I didn’t intend to betray any confidence in mentioning what you said in the garage. For that, I apologize.”

  “My life is none of your business.”

  “Agreed.”

  I want to hold on to my anger, but it’s not easy. Not when Gabe seems so steady in his calm. And I cannot deny that seeing him again is wreaking havoc on my senses. He approaches me around the other side of my desk, his presence consuming space and oxygen, making me lightheaded and breathless with every step that brings him closer.

  My heart pounds in my breast as he stops only a few paces from me. I should feel trapped. Instead I stare up at him in silent anticipation, my blood racing, my skin tingling everywhere his gaze lands on me.

  “You’re pissed at me,” he states flatly, but the low tenor of his voice is anything but emotionless. “Right now, I don’t think your anger has anything to do with your brother or anything he might have told me. You’re not even pissed at me because of anything I may have told him while doing my job.”

  “And you’re this insightful about my feelings having only spoken to me a couple of times?”

  “Yes.”

  I scoff, but it only makes him smile. His dimples flash momentarily, drawing my gaze to his mouth. Big mistake, because now I can barely look away.

  He makes a noise in the back of his throat, deep and knowing. Arrogantly male.

  “I think you’re pissed because I didn’t kiss you last night.”

  Indignation launches me out of my seat. “And I think you should leave now.”

  He nods, unfazed. “Yeah. So do I. But not until we clear something up.”

  We are facing each other, only a few inches separating our bodies in the privacy of my closed office. I could back away if I want. The other side of my desk provides an easy escape.

  But that’s not what I want.

  He knows it as well as I do.

  “I don’t care about what happened in your past. Who you were. Why it ended. I’m not going to go digging anywhere to find out, so if you want me to know, you’ll have to tell me yourself.”

  He won’t uncover anything, even if he tried. Other than an internet rumor or two when my troubles first began, Andrew has taken great strides--and gone to significant expense--to make sure the ugliest photos and tabloid stories have been buried. I’ve held on to some of the worst pictures myself, if only to remind me of all that I’ve overcome to get where I am now.

  Gabe shakes his head on an uttered curse. “You think I don’t have a past? You think I haven’t spent years trying to carve some semblance of a new life for myself after everything that happened to me over in that desert, or in the years that came before that? Think again.”

  His gaze sears me as it travels every inch of my face. This man is steady and strong, but he burns hot. I can feel the intensity of his arousal in the heat that fills the space between us. I can see how tightly reined he manages his control, but he is on the verge of losing it.

  He reaches out, stroking his thumb along my jawline. His fingers splay against my cheek and a moan builds in my throat. He shakes his head, whether in warning to me or himself, I can’t be certain.

  “Do I want you, Evelyn? Hell, yes. You’re all I thought about after I got home last night. And today, I couldn’t get here fast enough, just to see you again.”


  “Stop.” The word gusts out of me on a sigh. “Stop saying all the right things.”

  “I’m just being honest.”

  “Maybe you’re just saying what you know I want to hear. Maybe you’re just looking to put a notch in your bedpost. Another conquest to brag about.”

  “Do I strike you as the kind of man who would do any of those things?”

  “No . . . I don’t know.” God help me, I’ve never known a man who could strip away my defenses like Gabriel Noble is doing now. I cling to my indignation, but it’s a wall made of sand.

  He lifts my chin on the edge of his knuckles. “Well, I’m not that kind of man. And if I were, you would’ve already been naked beneath me--either in one of our beds, or right up against your car in the parking lot last night.” When my eyes widen in shock, he pins me with a carnal look. “Tell me that’s not what you wanted me to do. In case you forgot, you were the one who touched me first.”

  “Did you also put that in your report to my brother and Nick today?” My heart is pounding as I say it, every cell in my body feeling electric under the intensity of Gabe’s stare.

  He doesn’t react to my jab, just holds my gaze in abject seriousness. “No, they don’t know any of this. They never will. But I can’t let this happen between us, Evelyn. That’s what you need to understand. Your brother trusts me as a friend, as a colleague. Nick does too. I won’t risk that, not for anything. No matter how much I want you.”

  “No. Of course, not,” I reply, before I can stop myself. “After all, you don’t want to tarnish that Boy Scout honor of yours.”

  His scowl deepens, turning almost savage. Yet his voice is utter calm. “Is that really what you think?”

  He doesn’t wait for my answer. He steps forward, his muscled frame consuming the space that separates us while his hands reach out to me, both palms curving around the back of my neck, taking me into a hold that is possessive and hungered. His mouth claims mine--no permission, no apology. Only raw, consuming need.

  A moan builds in my breast. When I part my lips to let it free, Gabe’s tongue sweeps into my mouth. His kiss is wild, hot. Obliterating everything in its path. Including my anger and doubts. I melt into the firmness of his body pressed against me. The hard ridge of his arousal makes the fire smoldering inside me erupt into a desire I’m not at all sure I can contain.