When Beth didn’t answer, Gabrielle smirked at Shane. “Tyler is her brother, her very protective older brother,” Gabrielle clarified.
“Beth’s an adult, Gabrielle,” Shane said. “She doesn’t need her brother’s – or anyone else’s – permission to date.”
“Obviously you haven’t met Tyler,” Gabrielle countered. “Or have you?” she said, cocking an eyebrow at him.
“He hasn’t,” Beth said, sitting up. This couldn’t go on. She really needed to find out why Gabrielle was so hostile toward Shane. Beth had dated before, and Gabrielle had never acted like this.
Shane went back to typing on his laptop.
“I need a shower and tea, in that order,” Beth said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She smoothed her nightgown down over her thighs, trying to obscure the fact that she was bare ass naked underneath.
“Missing something?” Gabrielle said, as she bent over and picked Beth’s panties up off the floor.
“So that’s where those went,” Shane said, looking up with a deadpan expression.
Beth didn’t know how he managed to keep a straight face. She certainly couldn’t. She burst out laughing, mortified that every person in the room knew she was pantyless – and could probably guess why. It was either laugh or cry.
Even Gabrielle had to fight a grin. “Go take your shower,” she said to Beth, throwing the panties at her. “I’ll put the kettle on for your tea.”
Beth grabbed her robe and pulled a pair of clean panties out of her dresser drawer.
Shane looked up from his computer. “Need any help in the shower?”
“Um, I don’t think so,” she said, hastening out the bedroom door. She heard his chuckle as she escaped down the hall.
She’d had enough excitement for one morning.
* * *
Beth took the quickest shower ever, not wanting to leave Shane and Gabrielle unsupervised under the same roof for long. She was afraid they’d start brawling next.
Back in her bedroom, she hid in her small walk-in closet and dressed quickly in shorts and a t-shirt.
“I need to talk to Gabrielle,” she told Shane when she came out. “Alone. Do you mind waiting up here? I’ll bring you some breakfast.”
“Not a problem,” he said. “Good luck, because I think she hates me.”
Beth chuckled. “She doesn’t hate you, Shane. She just – ” To be honest, she wasn’t sure how Gabrielle felt. “Let me talk to her.”
Beth headed downstairs and found Gabrielle in the kitchen pouring herself a cup of coffee.
“The water’s hot,” Gabrielle said, pointing unnecessarily at the kettle whistling loudly on the stove.
“Thanks.” Beth grabbed a mug and filled it with hot water, then opened the cupboard and grabbed her box of Lady Grey. “Gabrielle, why are you so hostile toward Shane?”
Gabrielle frowned as she glanced at Beth. “I’m sorry if I was rude.”
“Why do you dislike him so much?” Beth said, dropping her tea bag into her mug to let it steep. “You hardly know him.”
Gabrielle shrugged. “Beth, Shane’s....” She stopped to pour a couple splashes of cream into her coffee and stir.
“Shane’s what?” Beth said.
“He’s too old for you,” Gabrielle said.
“That’s what’s bothering you?” Beth said. “He’s too old for me? He’s ten years older – so what? That’s not the end of the world, Gabrielle. My dad was twelve years older than my mom, and they were very happy together.”
Gabrielle shrugged. “He’s still too old for you. And you know Tyler will throw a fit when he finds out.”
“Since when do you care what Tyler thinks?” Beth said, fishing the tea bag out of her mug. “Gabrielle, I like Shane. He’s been wonderful to me, even when I was difficult. He’s never demanded more than I could give. He’s kind, funny, patient, gentle... and he’s a really good kisser.” Beth grinned. “Gabrielle, I really like him. Please, give him a chance.”
Gabrielle looked at Beth, her expression inscrutable.
“What?” Beth said. “What are you not telling me?”
Gabrielle’s brow furrowed. “You must be hungry,” she said, surprising Beth with the abrupt change of topic. “There are scrambled eggs and bacon in the warming tray, enough for both of you. I’m going to take my coffee out back.”
And then Gabrielle walked through the French doors to the back patio, leaving Beth to wonder what her best friend wasn’t telling her.
* * *
Beth stood in the kitchen sipping her tea as she replayed her conversation with Gabrielle in her head. Gabrielle’s behavior simply didn’t make any sense.
She made up two breakfast plates, a second cup of tea for herself, and poured a cup of Gabrielle’s freshly-ground coffee for Shane. She carried the tray up the back staircase, praying she wouldn’t drop it. When she walked into her bedroom, Shane jumped up to take the tray from her.
“Thank you,” he said, eyeing the food and coffee appreciatively. “Black. You remembered.” He smiled at her.
“You can thank Gabrielle for both the breakfast and the coffee. All I did was pour.”
“I’ll be sure to thank her,” Shane said.
As they leaned against the headboard and ate, Beth pondered possible reasons why Gabrielle was so hostile toward Shane when she didn’t even know him.
She didn’t know him, right? She’d assumed they didn’t already know each other, but maybe that wasn’t true. Maybe they’d met before; maybe they had a history. That would explain a lot. For one second, she wondered if they’d dated before, but she dismissed that idea just as quickly. She would’ve remembered Gabrielle mentioning him. Maybe they’d just hooked up once. Feeling sick, Beth put down her fork.
There was only one way to find out. “Can I ask you something?” Beth said.
“Of course. Anything.”
“Do you and Gabrielle know each other? I mean, from before yesterday? Have you met before?”
Shane paused a moment too long, and she knew the answer before he even said it.
“We met before, yes.”
Beth looked at him, his expression giving nothing away. Her heart started racing, and she realized she was dreading hearing the details. At least he’d been honest with her.
“Did you date?”
He seemed genuinely surprised by her question. “Date? No,” he said, shaking his head.
“Did you sleep with her?”
Shane nearly choked on the coffee. “God, no!” He looked askance at her.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “I figured you already knew each other somehow. It’s the only explanation for her behavior that makes sense.”
“I met her before, just once, at a business meeting. We never dated, and we sure as hell never had sex.”
“What kind of business meeting?”
He was walking a fine line now. He couldn’t divulge that he’d met Gabrielle through Tyler, and yet he refused to outright lie to Beth.
“Remember, I said Peter Capelli owed me a few favors? That’s because I’ve done a lot of work for him.”
“Security work?”
“Yes.” Peter was the owner of Renaldo’s, and Gabrielle worked at Renaldo’s. He let Beth connect the dots, and he felt like a bastard for doing it.
“So you met her at the restaurant?” Beth said, trying to piece it together.
“No. It was in my office.” At least that much was true. He was grasping at straws now, trying to minimize the subterfuge. He hadn’t exactly lied to her, but he’d let her make an incorrect inference. But it was practically the same thing, and he knew it.
“Oh,” she said.
He gave her as much honesty as he could afford at the moment. “Beth, sweetheart, I have no personal interest in Gabrielle whatsoever, beyond the fact that she’s your roommate and friend.”
Shane set his coffee on the nightstand on his side of the bed and turned to Beth, taking her hand.
&nbs
p; “Please don’t read anything into my having met Gabrielle before. It was at a client meeting. She attended one meeting, because she needed to be briefed on a case. I saw her only the one time.”
“Then why is she so hostile toward you?”
He shrugged. “I think she may have disagreed with an opinion I expressed at the meeting. I really can’t say more than that because of client privilege.”
* * *
After they finished breakfast, Shane collected his things. “I’ll be back at six to pick you up,” he said, and then he gave her a long, lingering kiss.
Beth waved from the front window as he headed toward his car. When he was out of sight, she went in search of Gabrielle. Not surprisingly, she found her friend in the backyard tending the herb garden.
“Shane told me you two met before,” Beth said.
Gabrielle looked at Beth. “Really?” She seemed genuinely surprised.
Gabrielle wiped her cheek with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge of soil on her face. Beth reached up and brushed it off.
“He did,” Beth said. “I asked him if you two had met before. It was the only explanation that made sense.”
“And what did he say?”
“He said you two met once, in his office.” If Shane had lied to her, she needed to know. “He said it was at a client meeting. Is that true?”
“Yes,” Gabrielle said. “What else did he say?”
“He said you disagreed with his opinion on something. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is,” Gabrielle said, ripping out a scraggly weed with more force than was necessary.
“He couldn’t say any more than that because it’s privileged client information.”
Gabrielle nodded. “How convenient for him.”
“But is it true?” Beth said, half afraid to hear the answer.
Gabrielle looked at her, frowning. “Yes,” she said, sounding reluctant.
“I thought maybe you two had dated before,” Beth admitted, starting to feel silly. Surely if that had been the case Gabrielle would have told her from the start.
Gabrielle scoffed, wiping the tip of her nose with the back of her hand. “I don’t date control freaks,” she said.
Beth grinned. “You think Shane’s a control freak?”
Gabrielle glanced at Beth. “You’re kidding, right?”
She shrugged. “He seems pretty easy going to me.”
Gabrielle laughed. “He would control when the sun rises and sets, if he could figure out how to do it. He’s trying to make a good impression on you. He doesn’t want to scare you off.”
“You don’t like him, do you?” Beth said.
Gabrielle sighed, her shoulders dropping. “If you like him, I’m willing to give him a chance and see how it goes. Truthfully, Beth, he might be just what you need.” She stood up and brushed the loose dirt from her pants. “You’re seeing him tonight? At his place?”
“Yes.”
Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed. “Are you spending the night?”
Beth shrugged. “Maybe. I haven’t decided.”
“Are you ready for that?”
“I hope so,” Beth said. “I want to be.”
Gabrielle frowned, seeming far from convinced.
“He knows, Gabrielle,” Beth said.
“He knows what?”
“That I have issues. I haven’t told him why, but he knows about the panic attacks. I chickened out on him last night at his apartment, and he was okay with it. He didn’t get mad, and he didn’t make me feel bad about it.”
Gabrielle sighed. “If he treats you well, I’ll be his new best friend,” she said. “I mean that. All I care about is you. As long as you’re happy and safe, I’m happy. But if he hurts you, I’ll make damn sure he regrets it. I mean it, Beth. Text me tonight and let me know if you’re staying overnight or not and when you’ll be home.”
“I will.” Beth bit back a smile. Talk about control freak! Gabrielle was as bad as Tyler; she often suspected they were double-teaming her.
Gabrielle nodded. “Okay, then. We’re good.” She hugged Beth. “I need to take a shower and get ready for work. Call me tonight if you need me. You know I’ll come running. I’d be more than happy to kick his ass if need be.”
They walked back into the house together. While Gabrielle ran upstairs to take a shower, Beth started on the breakfast dishes. Shane wouldn’t be picking her up until six that evening, and that meant she had plenty of time on her hands to fret about what she should wear and a hundred other things. She was too nervous to do much else.
Chapter 14
A few minutes before six, Beth set her overnight bag on the floor by the front door. She didn’t know if she could go through with spending the night with Shane or not, but she wanted to be prepared just in case. But she didn’t want to look too eager, so she walked away from the door and took a seat on the sofa in the front parlor. From there, she had a clear view of the sidewalk out front.
She’d only known him for a little over a week, and she was already tied up in knots. She wanted this, she really did. She’d never been so attracted to a man in her life. But she didn’t know if she could go through with it without freaking out – and that was the last thing she wanted him to see.
She’d taken her time getting ready that afternoon, trying to cover every contingency. She’d showered and shaved her legs and underarms. She’d taken time with her hair, arranging it in a loose updo that made her look more sophisticated. She’d applied a little bit of mascara and a pale smoky eye shadow that nicely complemented her eyes. She’d brushed her teeth and flossed to within an inch of her life.
When it came time to decide what to wear, she’d been at a complete loss. She wasn’t a fashion hound by anyone’s definition. She knew people who spent more on one pair of shoes than she spent on clothes in a year. She preferred to shop at thrift shops and consignment stores, and she loved vintage things. Occasionally she’d splurge and buy something from one of the indie boutiques in the city, but that was rare as she just couldn’t justify the expense. After all, it was just clothes.
She settled on one of her favorite outfits – a linen dress with an empire waist and a low, square neckline that made her look like she might actually have some cleavage. Her bra and panties were plain white cotton, but there was no help for that. She hadn’t had the inclination to go shopping for something better.
She’d looked at the full-length mirror hanging on the back of her closet door and wondered what Shane would think. She was certain his usual dates wore slinky designer dresses and four-inch stilettos – like that woman they’d run into at Clancy’s. Beth couldn’t compete with women like that, and she didn’t even want to try. If that’s what he wanted, he was in for disappointment.
As she’d studied her reflection, she realized she liked the way she looked. If he was disappointed... well, she couldn’t help that. She wasn’t going to try to be someone she wasn’t.
She was checking her purse for the necessities – inhaler, house key, credit card, phone – when she noticed movement out front. There he was. He’d double-parked in front of her house.
Her eyes widened as Shane got out of the car. “Oh, my God,” she breathed.
He was stunning in a dark suit, white shirt, and black tie. His blue eyes were the only spot of color on him – well, his eyes and the bouquet of blue Forget-Me-Nots in his hand. It was such a simple thing, but the tears welled up. No one had ever had cause to bring her flowers before.
Her hungry gaze followed him as his long legs ate up the distance between his car and her front stoop, his stride both controlled and graceful. He caught sight of her in the front window and gave her a small wave and a smile that made her belly do a somersault. She waved back, then jumped up from the sofa and ran to the front door to let him in.
His hot gaze swept over her. “Beth.” His voice was low and warm, and it flowed into her like melted honey.
She smiled, her cheeks flushed. “Hi.”
Shane closed the door behind him. “You look beautiful,” he said, his voice a little rough.
The house was quiet, the only sound that of the steady tick-tock of the grandfather clock in the hallway. Shane stared down at her for much too long, which only made her more nervous. The intensity of his gaze rendered her speechless. When the grandfather clock began to chime, she jumped.
He smiled gently. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Just a little nervous, I guess.”
He nodded, as if he could relate. Then he handed her a bouquet of the delicate blue flowers accented with baby’s breath and tiny ferns.
“Thank you, Shane. They’re lovely.”
“They match your eyes.”
He followed her to the kitchen where she arranged the flowers in a crystal vase and set them in the center of the kitchen island countertop.
“Ready to go?” he said.
On their way out, she grabbed her purse from the hall table and reached down to pick up her overnight bag, but he beat her to it.
“I’ve got it,” he said. And then he opened the front door for her.
When they pulled into the parking garage at Shane’s building, he parked in one of the spots near the bank of elevators marked “reserved.” Apparently, owning the penthouse floor came with some pretty nice perks.
Shane summoned the private elevator that led to his floor, and a moment later they were on their way up.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said, reaching for her hand. “I can see the wheels turning.”
Beth shook her head, not wanting to go there. Her mind was a chaotic mess at the moment as her anxieties and inadequacies assailed her. Her heart was already racing, and she was trying hard to tamp it down before it got out of control. She took a deep, steadying breath. Just keep it together and don’t make an ass out of yourself.
“Beth.”
She sighed, recognizing the tone. He wasn’t going to just give up. “I was thinking about the last time I was here.”
Shane set her bag on the elevator floor and took her in his arms. She slipped her arms inside his jacket and around his waist, delighting in the strength and the warmth of his muscular torso.
Vulnerable: (McIntyre Security Bodyguard Series - Book 1) Page 12