She was in what had to be her prick husband’s car, her bright head leaning on the passenger window, expression vacant.
“Take me to the airport,” he rasped.
† † †
As Gabriel reached for his ringing cell that he’d thrown on the corner of his desk, he became aware he wasn’t alone in the office area of the suite.
“Yeah.”
“Just checking in,” Alek said. “She okay?”
“Yeah. I think so.” The “she” in question was looking out the windows into the darkness as she slowly made her way over.
“Good. No news yet. Later, brother.”
Gabriel hung up and put the phone back.
Eva didn’t look at him as she paused by the bar. “What was that about?”
His attention was divided between that goddamn body of hers and the way she was now rearranging the bottles and decanters from shortest to tallest. “Alek was checking to make sure you’re okay.”
She scoffed under her breath. “Another idiot,” she muttered, turning to face him now that she was finished her unusual task. “If he was truly concerned, he’d be in here kicking your ass for holding me against my will.”
He had to force his gaze up from the perfection of her mile-long legs. “He’d like that.”
Her brow fluttered. “Like what?”
“You foolishly thinking he could kick my ass.”
Her lips thinned as she drew nearer. “Is Gabriel even your real name?” she surprised him by asking.
“Yes. My mother named me after her father.”
“I don’t want personal details,” she snapped.
He leaned back in his chair. Why? Because knowing shit about him made him less of a monster?
“So, Gabriel Moretti.” She shifted the lamp on the desk so that its base was aligned perfectly with the blotter. “Does that mean TarMor is Tarasov/Moretti, and not Moore like the world thinks?” The two pens he’d thrown on some flyers were tucked into a half-full holder and the flyers were folded and placed neatly alongside his date book.
“That’s right,” he said, totally engrossed in watching the beauty of her hands as she fiddled. “Alek and I grew up together, and we started the firm ten years ago. It was nickel-and-dime stuff for the first while, but at least it was ours. Once Markus came on board, we expanded, and it became more of a time sucker. But worth it because we found success without the requisite blood on our hands.” His bad. He’d let slip more personal details.
“I quit, by the way,” she said as she flipped the pens in the holder so that they were all uniformly ink-tip down. “I know two weeks is courtesy, but I don’t feel that’s necessary under the circumstances. And would you consider getting me my own room? I could use the privacy.”
The smile he felt pull up the corners of his mouth was smug. The enjoyment he got out of interacting with her he kept hidden. “Nah. You’re right where you belong. And I don’t accept your resignation.”
Even though she wasn’t at a hundred percent—she’d obviously slept for a while—her eyes sharpened with afront. “You can’t force me to work for you, Gabriel.”
Why did the simple sound of his name on her lips make him hard? He leaned his elbows on the desk so she wouldn’t see the outline in his pants. “Why not?”
Confusion pulled her brows down. “Why not? Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because every time you’ve opened your big mouth since I met you, all you’ve done is lie to me?”
He gave her an impatient look. Were they back to that? “After everything I told you, about your father, his enemies, my brother, do you still not understand that I had no choice? Why can’t you see that I needed you close to me however I could get you there?”
She was staring at his big mouth as she blurted, “You didn’t have to have sex with me.”
Mmm. He leaned his head to the left and felt a satisfying crack in his neck. “Yeah, baby, I did. I just couldn’t help myself.” And that was the God’s honest truth.
When her breath caught and her eyes widened, he got up and walked over to the bar to pour them some brandy. It was either that or strip and fuck her on the desk. For some reason, he didn’t think she’d go for that.
She scooted her tight ass into a leather chair when he approached, bringing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. As she stared up at him with those big sapphire eyes, she suddenly looked young and scared, and Gabriel wanted to give himself