His body reacted instantly, his physical hunger fighting to take over. His blood roared, his hands itched to haul her into his lap. But he pulled back on the reins and forced himself to take this for what it was. Comfort. She was affected by what he’d shared. And he had to respect that by not taking advantage.
But that wasn’t to say he couldn’t enjoy the fuck out of her soft heart. He did so by parting her lips and deepening the kiss. When her tongue met his, the sound of enjoyment she made had him reaching for her.
The hard knock that landed on the suite’s outer door fucked him before he even touched her.
She pulled back with bright eyes and a soft smile. “Shoot,” she whispered.
“I will. Whoever’s out there,” he promised.
She laughed in a surprised burst.
He’d been serious.
Another knock sounded and she sobered as apprehension crept onto her face. “Are you expecting someone?”
He sighed. She didn’t need this shit in her life. “It’ll be Alek. Maybe Jak. Quan would knock more politely.”
Her features tightened as he brought her to the sofa and gave her a nudge to sit—sue him if his hand lingered on the curve of her hip a little longer than was necessary—before going over to let the cock-blocker in.
Alek stood with his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, his navy shirt untucked. Quan was in the middle of the corridor also dressed in jeans, but a gray hoodie covered his frame. Micha, dressed in clothes more appropriate for the office, was behind them. The boys-club interest on all their faces had Gabriel rolling his eyes.
“About time.” Alek checked him out, his scrutiny becoming more focused when he reached his face. “No palm prints.”
“Not even a scratch,” Quan observed.
“What do you two want?”
“How is she this morning?” Alek asked.
Gabriel stepped back with a sigh. “Come see for yourselves.”
They entered the suite and he closed the door on a smirking Micha before following to join his boys in their ogle of his beauty. But the minute he caught sight of her, Gabriel knew something wasn’t right. She’d moved to sit in the chair next to the fireplace. Her back was straight, her legs crossed, and her long foot was bobbing.
“Good morning,” she said with a false brightness, her eyes hard, head tipped to the side. “Is it time to gawk at the hostage already? Sorry you wasted a trip. There won’t be any show today. It seems I got all that panic and terror out of my system last night. Oh, but wait.” She laughed without humor. “That’s right. You were here. Watching,” she stated flatly, the smile going south as she leveled them with a look that made even him uncomfortable. She pushed to her feet and looked at him. “Would you like me to leave the room so you can discuss the prisoner in private?”
“You’re not a prisoner, smartass.” Gabriel gave his boys a clap on the shoulder. “And they already feel like shit about what happened.”
“They should. Do either of you have girlfriends?”
The boys shook their heads.
“Surprise,” she murmured, then corrected herself. “Actually, that is surprising. Anyway, I’m assuming you have mothers.”
More negatives.
She puffed out a sigh. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry for your loss. But, listen, you’ve each had a woman in your life along the way. Or a man?”
Gabriel grinned and shook his head when she looked inquiringly at him.
“Okay. Women, then. Sister, maybe?”
Quan raised his hand as if he were in school.
“There’s one. You,” she said to Alek, “have had a woman. You’ve loved one along the way. Right?”
Alek’s skin turned gray as he no doubt thought of Sacha. Quan would be thinking of Jia, his younger sister who lived in Vancouver.
“Now picture someone holding her against her will. Imagine her screaming and crying, begging the others in the room to help her because she’s scared and confused about what’s going on. Then imagine those capable of aiding her turning their backs on her.”
Sickened by Eva’s view of last night, Gabriel wanted to go to her but wasn’t sure he’d be welcomed. “Interfering wasn’t an option for them.”
“Why?”
“Because they won’t undermine me.”
Her brows arched. “Why not? Aren’t you friends? Friends are allowed to disagree with each other.”
“Aside from being my friends, Quan and Jak also work for me.”
“Okay. I’d forgotten that. And Alek?”
“I do feel like hell about what happened last night,” Alek offered before glancing over. “She know about us?”