Rock Kiss 02 Rock Hard(42)

“Be happy.”

Taking a deep breath, she told herself to cross the threshold when he pushed the door open. Gabriel had never done anything to make her feel unsafe.

But Richard had been like that too. At the start.

Her heart slammed into her throat at the whispered reminder from the girl she’d once been, her skin going ice-cold, and her lungs struggling for air. She fought to calm herself using every technique she knew.

She failed.

Stumbling away from the door, blindingly aware of the watchful steel of Gabriel’s gaze, she fell back against the corridor wall. The words she wanted to speak wouldn’t come, her throat choked up with the ugly, metallic emotion that had once again turned her into a quivering coward.





15

T-REX SETS A TRAP FOR CHARLIE-MOUSE





WRENCHING HIS VIOLENTLY PROTECTIVE response under control because anger was the last thing Charlotte needed, Gabriel put the paper bag full of groceries on the floor and pulled the apartment door shut. The despair he glimpsed in the clear hazel of her eyes made him want to punch something; it took conscious effort of will to keep a handle on his temper.

It wasn’t directed at Charlotte but at the person who’d hurt her. If he ever got his hands on the piece of shit, whoever it was wouldn’t have any unbroken bones left in his body.

“Let me take you to dinner,” he said, wanting to walk over to her, haul her close, keep her safe. The idea of anyone putting a hand on her, a bruise… His hand fisted by his side. Exhaling quietly, he worked hard to keep his tone as gentle as he could make it. “You can teach me the recipe over a glass of wine.”

Eyes wet, Charlotte looked away, her shoulders slumping. He’d never seen her like this—shy or not, Charlotte had held her own against him since the day he’d forced a promotion on her. This was breaking her, he realized. And he was responsible for manipulating her into this situation, into this position.

Not only had he wanted her in his personal territory, he’d just wanted her with him. Earlier, her quiet, thoughtful care had wiped away the gut-churning anger that had gripped him after his discussion with his mother. His and Charlotte’s resulting conversation had made him remember that he wasn’t that lost, angry boy anymore but a man who had a beautiful, smart, deliciously sexy woman in his life. It had been selfish, but he’d wanted more of her warmth and sweetness around him.

Because of that, he’d caused her pain. Him. No one else. So he had to find a way to fix it. “Remember how I told you I have three brothers?” It had been during a late-night work session, after the two of them broke for coffee. “Sailor, Jake, and Danny.”

She didn’t lift her head, but he knew she was listening.

“Well,” he said, “two of them are fathers, both of little girls.” Tiny, fragile creatures he couldn’t believe his rough-and-tumble siblings had helped create. “I babysit about once every month.”

She raised her head at last, a shaky smile tugging at her lips. “Really?”

The fist squeezing blood from his heart loosened a fraction.

“Hold on.” Stepping inside his apartment, he returned holding a sparkly pink purse smaller than the size of one of his palms, and an enthusiastic hand-drawn card that had the words “I love you, Uncle Gabe” spelled out painstakingly if crookedly in purple glitter pen, what looked like rugby balls raining from big, fluffy clouds.

“I didn’t know rugby balls had smiley faces.” Charlotte’s own smile grew deeper.

“Esme thinks they should, since they’re so much fun.” His five-year-old niece was a ruthless machine on the rugby field, having inherited the family love for the game as well as their competitive streak.

Stepping close, Charlotte took the card, traced the glittery writing with open affection. “They adore you.”

“I let them run roughshod over me, so yeah.” He dared touch a finger to her cheek. “Want me to pick them up to play chaperone? Their parents would love a night off.”

“No,” she said softly, her smile fading to leave her eyes stark in a face that was still too pale. “I’m sorry for acting this way. You’ve been nothing but professional.”

Gabriel realized this was it. He could either take the risk or lie to her. “No, I haven’t,” he said after dropping the girls’ things on the small table by the door where he usually left his car keys.

Charlotte’s eyebrows drew together over her eyes. “What?”

“I’ve been flirting with you, Ms. Baird.” He saw red paint her cheeks, but when she didn’t put space between them, he continued. “I told myself I shouldn’t since I’m your boss, but I’m afraid I didn’t follow my advice.”