No, he’d never forgive Brian that. Alison had worked so hard, done endless double shifts as a cleaner to scrimp and save so her kids would never go without as she had, and in a single selfish act, Brian Bishop had shoved her into her own private hell.
Alison might have the heart to forgive him, but Gabriel wasn’t that good; as far as he was concerned, Brian Bishop could stay out in the fucking cold.
CHARLOTTE KNEW SOMETHING WAS wrong the instant Gabriel walked back into the office. He had a temper and she’d seen him angry before, but never like this. Expression dark, he walked past her without a word, and over the next half hour didn’t even growl at her once for a document or a file.
Worried, she went to the break room and poured him a glass of milk. Then, taking an apple-cinnamon danish from the airtight container of goodies she’d brought with her from her cooking class, she put it on a saucer and carried both into his office. Placing them on his desk when he didn’t look up from his work, she headed back out.
It was fifteen minutes later that she heard an incredulous “Milk?” from inside.
Her lips tugged up, her teeth sinking into her lower lip. “It’s good for you.”
Coming to the doorway, he bit into the pastry with its flawlessly glazed top and delicate filling. It had taken Charlotte three tries to get it exactly right, and she’d given him that third, perfect attempt.
“Mmm.” A deep sound of pleasure that melted things inside her it had no business melting. “This is fucking amazing.” His throat moved as he swallowed before taking another bite.
Charlotte jerked her attention away from the strong, kissable column of his neck before he saw her staring. “Was everything okay with your mom?” she asked quietly, knowing she didn’t have the right to poke her nose into his personal business, but worried about him.
“Yes. Some family stuff.” He finished off the danish and licked up a bit of glazing that had come off on his thumb.
Charlotte’s breath just stuck in her chest. It was so unfair how he could look like raw male temptation while eating a goddamn pastry. Which she’d given him. So she was responsible for her own torture. But it was worth it to see the shadows fade from his expression, his shoulders no longer so tense.
“Why don’t you ask me?”
She felt her eyes widen. Had he realized she was imagining him naked in bed while she fed him pastries and licked up the crumbs from his chest? Good God. “What?” she managed to get out.
“Why I dated Tiffany in the first place.”
Air escaped her in a quiet rush. Making a face at him, she said, “I think the letter D had something to do with it.”
Throwing back his head, he laughed. “I like it when you let your snark out, Ms. Baird.” Still grinning, he said, “In point of fact, I wanted to buy a property she owned and dinner was the only time she’d talk to me about it.”
Charlotte’s mouth fell open. “Are you telling me the Bishop was forced into a date?” She humphed. “Right.”
“I needed to eat, so why not?” His eyes gleamed. “I now have the property and my business association with Ms. Summer is complete.”
“Not a T-Rex?” she said sweetly. “I see some very sharp teeth.”
His smile deepened until the stupid melting inside her started up all over again. “Never for you, Ms. Baird.” Walking back into the office and thankfully missing her blush, he said, “Let’s get this done so we can both have the night free at least.”
FIVE O’CLOCK AND THE deal was done. By six, Charlotte should’ve been at home. Instead, she found herself standing in front of Gabriel’s apartment door, not quite sure how she’d ended up there.
Tired but exhilarated at their success, she’d been putting on her coat when Gabriel had unexpectedly taken her up on her offer to teach him how to make a pasta sauce that would impress his girl. Since it would’ve been churlish and too revealing of her own feelings to refuse, especially after she’d already admitted her exciting plans for the night amounted to a DVD and possibly some further pastry experimentation, she’d stupidly said yes.
She didn’t even know why she’d made that offer in the first place. Maybe to beat it into her thick skull that he could never be hers. Gabriel accepting the offer? That she hadn’t predicted—and as a result, she now stood three feet from the door to his apartment, the two of them having stopped off at the grocery store to pick up ingredients.
Her pulse raced, cheeks burning as her abdomen clenched. This time it wasn’t for the reason that had given her such scandalous pleasure this morning. She wasn’t comfortable being alone with a man in his home—this was the first time she’d been in this situation since Richard. However, as Gabriel keyed them in using the touchpad on the side of the door, she remembered Molly’s words.