• • •
When Gabe got out of the car at his office building, he hadn’t taken three steps toward the entrance when Jace came out, a deep frown on his face. It was obvious that he’d evidently been waiting on Gabe. Shit. He wasn’t supposed to be back until tomorrow. He hoped to hell Mia had handled things well between her and Jace. But judging by the look on his friend’s face, whatever it was she’d said or how she’d explained the situation hadn’t satisfied him.
“We need to talk,” Jace said curtly when Gabe drew abreast of him.
“Okay,” Gabe said calmly. “What’s up? Problems in California?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. It just pisses me off. You know good and damn well why I met you out here.”
“Mia,” Gabe said with a sigh.
“No shit. What the hell is going on, Gabe? Any reason you didn’t tell me of your plan to hire my little sister?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you on the street,” Gabe bit out.
“My office will do,” Jace said.
Gabe nodded and the two men reentered the building and got on the elevator. There were several others in with them and they remained silent as they rode up to their floor. When they got off, Gabe followed Jace into his office just down the hall from his own.
Jace shut the door behind him and then paced to the window before turning to stare at Gabe. “Well?”
“I don’t understand what you’re pissed about,” Gabe said mildly. “I told you I saw her at the grand opening. She was looking for you. I danced with her, we talked, I told her to get her ass into my office the next morning, and then I sent her home in a car.”
“You could have filled me in on those developments. Hell, I saw you the same morning you told Mia to come into your office.”
Gabe nodded. “But I had no idea how she’d respond to my offer. No sense getting you worked up if she refused. I don’t need your permission to hire a personal assistant.”
Jace’s expression darkened. “No, but you damn well need my permission where it concerns Mia. She’s mine, Gabe. All I have left. The only family I have left and I’ll protect her with my dying breath. She’s not in your league.”
“Oh for God’s sake. I’m not some heartless bastard who’s going to skin her alive. I’ve watched her grow up too, Jace. I’m not going to be mean to her.”
Even as he said it, guilt flooded him. He was so going to hell. Burn in hell. For an eternity.
“Just make sure you don’t hurt her,” Jace said in a carefully controlled voice. “And I mean in any way, Gabe. You keep your hands off her. You respect her absolutely. Don’t ever cross the line with her. You’ll answer to me if you do.”
Gabe swallowed back the surge of anger at Jace’s threat. He couldn’t blame Jace for protecting Mia. In his place he’d be doing the same. But it irritated him that Jace had so little faith in him that he thought he’d destroy an innocent.
But wasn’t that what he was doing? Using her for his own pleasure? Uncaring of anything but the fact he possessed her?
“Understood,” he said through clenched teeth. “Now if we’re done, I have work to get to.”
“Ash and I have an early dinner tonight. Business thing. We’ll wrap up early, though. Want to meet for drinks after?” Jace asked casually.
It was a peace offering. After the dressing-down, Jace was attempting to smooth it over. Let Gabe know that things were cool. Fuck. Gabe had plans with Mia. Nice dinner. And fucking was definitely on the agenda.
Hell. But he didn’t want to fuck things up with Jace and Ash either. If he was going to pull this off he had to find a very delicate balance between keeping his time with Mia secret and also not withdrawing from Jace and Ash.
“Make it later. Nineish,” Gabe said, already working it out in his head how to handle it with Mia.
Jace nodded. “Works for me. I’ll let Ash know.”
chapter nineteen
Mia looked up when Gabe entered the office and a flutter began deep in her belly when he locked the door behind him. She knew what that meant. She regarded him cautiously as he stalked toward her, his eyes glittering with lust—and need.
“Gabe…” she began. “Jace is here. I mean he’s back early.”
He never paused. He hauled her out of her chair and propelled her toward his own desk.
“Neither Jace nor Ash will disturb me when my door is closed. They’re busy making plans for their business dinner tonight.”
The sentences were clipped, as if he didn’t like having to explain himself. Well fine, but she wasn’t going to be blindsided by her brother trying to get through the door when Gabe was doing God knew what to her behind that locked door. Jace and Ash were both used to having unfettered access to Gabe’s office. She had no idea how he was going to continue their office debauchery with her brother lurking.