Rush(5)

“I just wish I knew what he wanted,” Mia said, worry evident in her tone.

“If you have to wonder that after he threatened to fuck you on the terrace then there’s no hope for you,” Caroline said in exasperation.

She made a show of checking her watch and then leveled a pointed stare in Mia’s direction.

“Girlfriend, you’ve got less than an hour to get ready before you have to leave. I suggest you get off the couch and go make yourself look fabulous.”

“I don’t even know what I’m going to wear,” Mia muttered.

Caroline smiled. “I do. Come on. You’ve got a man to dazzle.”

Dazzle? Mia wanted to laugh. If anyone was dazzled, it was her. She was so befuddled by the events of the night before that she was going to be a walking disaster if and when she actually made it into Gabe’s office.


• • •


Gabe fingered the contract he’d taken out and stared at the front page, silent as he contemplated the exact path he wanted to take with Mia. It was new for him to spend any time pondering how he handled his approach. He only did things one way. Straightforward. He treated his personal relationships as he did his business. There was no room for emotion, even in a relationship. He’d got caught with his pants down once—completely blindsided if he was going to be brutally honest with himself—and he’d sworn it would never happen again.

There was nothing like being made a complete fool of by a woman he’d trusted implicitly to ensure he didn’t travel that path again.

It wasn’t as if he’d sworn off women—he liked them too much. Loved the feel of a submissive woman under his hands and tutelage. But his approach had changed. The way he dealt with them had changed. He hadn’t had a choice.

But Mia…

He couldn’t pretend she wasn’t different from any other woman he’d had. She was. She wasn’t just another female face that he might view with affection, but keep his distance from any messy entanglements. The women he chose to be with knew the score. They knew what was expected of them and what they could expect in return.

Mia was Jace’s baby sister. Beyond that, she’d been a girl he’d watched grow up. Hell, he’d attended her high school graduation. He’d scowled at her prom date when the little prick had come to pick her up. He’d enjoyed watching the jerk’s balls shrivel up when he, Jace and Ash had told him in no uncertain terms what would happen if he disrespected Mia in any way.

He’d seen her when she’d visited Jace at holidays and when she was out of school. He’d even gone to her college graduation.

That had been a hell unto itself, because Mia had blossomed into a stunning young woman. She no longer had the look of a much younger, innocent girl. He didn’t even want to think of how many lovers she’d had. It would just piss him off. He wasn’t concerned with them anyway, because they were in her past and that’s where they were going to stay.

Mia didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be his. He just hadn’t quite settled in his mind how bluntly to put his approach. She was…different. Younger, yes, but she was quieter, more naïve maybe. Or perhaps that was merely his perception. Who really knew what she did away from Jace’s eagle eye?

No matter how he decided to approach her, it had to be done with finesse, and in such a way that he didn’t completely overwhelm her and scare her off before he ever got in the door. Because there was no way in hell he was backing down or taking no for an answer when he’d finally decided to make his move.

And then there was the whole bloody issue of Jace. That was one factor Gabe hadn’t figured out, but there was no sense in addressing it now before he even reeled Mia in. Jace would simply have to be dealt with later.

A noise at his door had him glaring up in annoyance. His instructions to the receptionist for HCM had been explicit. He wasn’t to be disturbed. By anyone. And it wasn’t time for Mia to have arrived. He had over an hour yet.

Jace and Ash sauntered through the door and Gabe’s irritation only grew. What the hell were they doing in the offices today? They were both supposed to be on a plane to California to meet with a contractor to go over plans for a new resort.

All three men traveled extensively, often splitting the duties of overseeing foreign and domestic projects. And they had several in various stages of work at the moment, including a hotel about to break ground in California, one still in the early planning stages in Paris and a potential site in the Caribbean for a luxury resort. Lately, however, Gabe had been stuck in the city overseeing the finishing touches of the Bentley, their newest luxury hotel in union   Square. He was the closer. He was too anal to trust even his best friends with that task.