See Jane Love - By Debby Conrad Page 0,47
as Janie mentioned having an affair, he should have run the other way and not looked back. What a jackass he’d been.
“Oh, by the way, Marcy loved that Jed didn’t get the girl this time. It came as quite a surprise. Tell me,” she said, leaning forward, “why didn’t he get the girl?”
Marcy Polk was Gabe’s editor at J & B, and Jed Belmont was the protagonist in his series. “Jed always gets the girl at the end. This will humble him a little.” Something Gabe knew a lot about. The pain he’d suffered walking out of Janie’s life is what propelled him to finish his last book. The raw emotions and the harsh realities that he’d wrote about were real. Pushing thoughts of Janie Callahan from his mind, he said, “Maybe we should order champagne. My treat.”
Doree waved a hand. “Don’t waste your money. We’ll do it next time, when you’re in a better mood.” Fat chance of that happening, he thought as Doree signaled for their waiter. “Check, please,” she said, pulling out a credit card.
Outside, Gabe put Doree in a cab, then hailed another one for himself. When they reached his apartment building, he paid the driver and hopped out. Through the glass doors, he saw a woman standing in the lobby who reminded him of Janie.
He swore. Every redhead he saw lately made him think of Janie. When was he going to stop thinking about her? he wondered, barely acknowledging the doorman as he stormed inside the building and headed for the elevator. He looked straight ahead with an unwavering gaze.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Janie’s mouth fell open as Gabe walked right past her without a single look her way. He must be angry about something, she thought, wondering if maybe she should leave and come back later. Then, squaring her shoulders, she hurried to catch up to him.
“Gabe?” she said just as the elevator doors opened. She saw his broad shoulders tense and then, slowly, he turned around to face her.
Although she’d never forgotten a single detail of his face, he looked different somehow. Tired maybe, she decided, seeing the dark circles under his eyes. And his tan had faded a little. But dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, he still had that deliciously, sexy, bad-boy image.
“Janie,” was all he said as his eyes showed a hint of a smile.
Her memories of him were vividly clear. The way he’d kissed her, touched her, and made her come apart at the seams. A shiver ran up her spine, remembering, and she tried to throttle the dizzying current racing through her. This wasn’t the time to reminisce.
He looked her over slowly, seductively, his heated gaze lingering on her breasts a little longer than necessary, as far as she was concerned. She’d taken her wool pea coat off in the lobby, now wishing she hadn’t. Crossing her arms, she draped the coat in front of her and swallowed thickly.
After his thorough inspection, he said, “You look great.”
She wasn’t so sure she believed him. She’d had a nauseous stomach for the past two months. Most days her skin had a green tinge to it.
“What brings you to New York?”
“A little of this, and a little of that,” she said, avoiding his dark eyes. “I was hoping we could talk.”
His gaze ran over her once again, as if he were searching for something. Could he possibly suspect why she’d come?
Sara had begged her to call Gabe on the phone rather than confront him in person. But Janie had refused. She needed to see his reaction firsthand. And when she told him, how would he take the news? Would he be angry or happy? Oh, how she wished she knew.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he said, grazing her elbow and leading her into the elevator. She was conscious of his warm hand through the sleeve of her sweater.
When the doors closed, Gabe stuck a key in the lock marked Penthouse, and Janie’s brows shot up. The high-rise looked pretty pricey as it was, but the penthouse? They rode to the top of the building without speaking, Gabe occasionally glancing her way. Her knees were clacking so loudly, she was afraid he’d hear them over the hum of the elevator.
Moments later, the doors opened inside a fancy foyer and they stepped out. Gabe unlocked the door and held it open for her to enter. The apartment was enormous with gleaming hardwood floors and lots of windows.