That pulled a chuckle from his lips. It was true. How could he not tell? I mean, Quinn was checking him out from the moment he stepped into the apartment. I smiled, then a thought came across my mind: we’d spent a good half an hour talking about ourselves, yet this was supposed to be a business meeting.
“Gabriel, what are we doing here?”
The question seemed to have caught him off guard a little as confusion spread across his features.
“We're here to eat,” he replied simply.
“You know what I’m talking about. I said a business meeting and you've turned it into twenty questions.”
“I want to get to know you.”
“In a business capacity or for your own personal torture?”
He paused for a moment, seemingly contemplating my question.
“Both.”
Dinner went by in a flurry of too much wine and the most amazing food I’d ever tasted. We talked about me, about where I came from and what I saw myself doing. I noticed pretty quickly he wasn't giving up much about him. I remembered his brother's words from his office: he wasn't one to talk about family. It intrigued me.
My heels nearly give out as we stepped out of Illusion, a combination of too much wine and that fact that Gabriel was playing footsy with me under the table for the last twenty minutes of our meal made my head spin. As I regained my balance, I shook my head and pulled off the Louboutins; class wasn't something I had a lot of. Gabriel’s chuckle had me standing up straighter as he took the shoes from my hands and pointed to the street. Leo and the town car were waiting for us.
“What about your car?” I asked, confused.
“Leo will pick it up later.” He smiled, guiding me into the back of the car.
My tipsy state wasn't helping me in sliding into the car. I still couldn't really breathe all that well from the dress, my feet throbbed with every movement I made and, to top it off, I was giggling like a school girl for no apparent reason. Wine and I were having a talk in the morning.
Finally able to sit my ass on the leather seat without the possibility of sliding off, I buckled myself in. Gabriel slid in gracefully, seemingly unaffected by the amount of wine he’d consumed, even though I knew full well we’d had the same measures. Gabriel buckled himself in and we were quickly moving through New York once again.
“Night cap?” Gabriel asked, flicking the switch for the whiskey tray.
I shook my head. I needed as clear a head as possible when I was in a confined space with him. My head was still fuzzy from the buzz of the wine and as he leaned forward to pour the amber liquid into his glass, the unique scent of him penetrated my nose.
Autumn rain and sin.
Chills ran through my body and goosebumps graced my skin. A small, barely audible whimper escaped my lips and I closed my eyes, praying he hadn’t heard it, but as I pried open my eyes, he was staring at me with something I could only describe as pure, unapologetic fire.
“Payton?” he questioned, his glass suspended in his hand.
“Yes?” I replied with a shaky breath.
I had no idea what was wrong with me, but right then, the mere scent of him was doing things to me that my normal sober self would shrug off and block out.
Gabriel pressed another button before speaking huskily.
“Leo, to Miss Miller’s apartment.”
I watched as he closed his eyes for a brief moment, seemingly lost in his own head. I didn't understand what had just happened. One minute I was inhaling his scent and the next I was about ready to climb him like a damn tree. What the hell had gotten into me?
The conversation went no further. We sat in silence for the rest of the journey back to my apartment; he lost in his own little world while I looked out at mine. The moment the car stopped, he all but bolted out of his seat and the car, opening my door and helping me out. Standing on the sidewalk, confusion completely took me over as I wondered what tonight was really about.
“Gabr—”
“Don’t,” he whispered. “I’m not worth the risk.”
Leaning forward, he placed a tender, lingering kiss on my cheek before turning and climbing back into the car, leaving me even more confused.
What the hell was that?
Rolling my eyes, I entered my building and stepped into the elevator. My thoughts drifted to him and every mixed signal he gave me tonight. One minute we were talking like two normal people in a restaurant, the next the tension was so thick in the back of the car I could've passed out. Shaking my head, I exited the elevator and opened my apartment door. Stepping inside, I was greeted with two passed out best friends.
Kicking the door shut behind me, I walked to my room and opened the closet for a blanket. I threw the blanket over both of them and made my way to the bathroom. I stripped down quicker than I ever had and stepped beneath the hot shower spray, washing away the ridiculous and conflicting feelings that had overpowered my mind since I stepped out of the restaurant.