She glanced at Dane, who sat motionless on the bed, watching her. His eyes were dilated with passion. A passion so deep, she almost expected him to jump out of bed and grab her. Throw her back onto the bed and have his wicked way—again for the umpteenth time. She would let him.
“I’m hungry. I’m going to see what’s in my cupboards. You’re more than welcome to eat something before you leave.” She didn’t wait for a response, especially since she didn’t want to hear him confirm he would be leaving.
Damn the man for making her believe they could have something real. But what kind of relationship could they have if he always wanted to work? She refused to beg for his attention. He either wanted to spend time with her, or he didn’t.
Opening the fridge with a trembling hand, mad at herself for caring so quickly about the obstinate man, she had to blink a few times to focus on what she was seeing.
Eggs. Milk. Bacon.
Well, why not? He wanted to leave her already to work when that’s all he ever did with his time. She’d make him a breakfast fit for a king and show him what he’d be missing.
She pulled the eggs and milk out, taking care not to slam the eggs on the counter. But damn it, she wanted to smash every egg in sight. Preferably at Dane himself. It had been crazy to think he would spend the day with her. She should’ve realized she wouldn’t be able to keep him from work long. His work was his livelihood.
She grabbed the counter as a sharp pain hit her. She’d never be able to compete with his work. Not even after a glorious night together. It’s like it never even happened with the way he barely blinked about leaving this morning.
How foolish she had been to think what they’d shared was even an ounce of love.
She sniffed, hoping to prevent a tear from escaping. She would not cry. Nope.
Would. Not. Cry.
This was ridiculous. Why should she cry over that irritating man?
Why was she so upset? This was new—whatever this was between them. She shouldn’t expect him to stay. He spent the night, and she should be thankful for that.
Time away, some space, was normal in any new relationship.
As the pain weaved a treacherous path through her heart, it was hard to remember that.
She pulled an onion from the fridge and grabbed a cutting board and knife. Chopping with a delicacy and familiarity like she was born to do it, she diced the onion. Her hand shook, squeezing the knife tighter when a warm pair of hands wrapped around her waist.
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Gabriella.”
Sinking into his body, she sighed. “You didn’t upset me.”
Liar!
She promised not to lie again.
His hot breath fanned her neck. “I thought we said you wouldn’t lie to me again.”
Damn it. Even he knew she was lying.
Dropping the knife, she twisted around in his arms. “I told you I’d have to compete with your job, and I already am. I don’t like it. But this thing between us is new. So, I understand. Go to work today. It’s fine.”
He framed her face and stared for a moment before touching his lips gently to hers. “From sunrise to sunset, my mind is used to thinking about work. Even after the sun goes down, work is on my mind. That’s my life. Suddenly, you walk into my office with this attitude and spunk and this gorgeous ass and legs, and now my mind is struggling to focus on work. What’s between us scares me a little bit. You surprised me this morning, and I have no idea why. Because when I think about spending the day with you instead of work, it sounds much better.”
He lifted her onto the counter, pushing the cutting board of onions away. Pulling her close against his body, he grabbed another kiss. Slowly. Tenderly. “Please give me time to rework my brain around work. You will have a place in my life. I promise. I might make a few mistakes along the way. It won’t be easy to toss my work to the side.”
She wrapped her legs tighter around his waist, whispering fiercely, “I’m not asking you to toss your work to the side. I didn’t mean to make it sound like that. But it is Sunday. It’s the weekend. You can take some time for yourself on occasion. And the weekend seems like the perfect time to do that. I give you permission to ravish me silly at any time today, too.”
A devilish grin punctured his handsome face. His eyes glittered with desire. “You tempt me now to ravish you right here on this counter. You didn’t let me finish. I’d love to spend the day with you.” He kissed her lips, then began a soft trail down her neck.
She opened her neck to give him better access. “You said you had to get things done today.”
“It can wait until Monday. It normally can. But I’m used to doing it right away. Don’t worry, Gabriella. I’m right where I want to be.”
Oh, God, she loved it when he said those words.
His kisses left a scorching touch as he made his way to her ear. “You smell delicious. You left the bed too soon. We didn’t have morning sex yet.”
“I only smell the onions. Are you telling me I smell like onions?”
He chuckled, nibbling on her ear. “I love onions. I’m curious to know what you’re making, but not that curious.”
She laughed, holding on tight as he lifted her from the counter and started walking. “Where are you taking me?”
“I told you. You left the bed too soon. I want what my mind was thinking about before you left.”
“Oh.”
“You’ll be saying more than that in a few minutes.”
Her eyes shined with laughter as he tossed her onto the bed, then joined her. It was the first time she noticed he was still gloriously naked. He had walked out of her bedroom and into her kitchen with every intention of bringing her back to the bedroom.
Perhaps she had worried for no reason at all.
Her spine tingled with anticipation as she saw the predatory gleam in his eyes. He was about to devour her. And she couldn’t wait. Food definitely could, though.
“I wish I could say I’m sorry for not going to the stadium, but I like right where we are,” Dane said, wrapping his arms around Gabriella a little more snuggly.
Was he being too clingy? He had a hard time keeping his hands to himself. If she was in his reach, he pulled her closer.
“You’re right. It would’ve been nice to go to the stadium today, but I’m all for hanging out on the couch and watching the game on the TV. I’m glad you stayed.” She wiggled until she was settled the way she wanted in his arms.
“You’re hard to resist.”
He meant that. It had taken extreme control to resist her when she worked for him. And he shouldn’t let his mind wander to work for even the smallest of reasons because part of him was dying to get things done. This was a very new and unfamiliar territory for him. Just relaxing. He never just relaxed.
She smoothed a hand across his cheek. He needed to shave, yet he liked how she rubbed his cheek back and forth as if she loved the feel of his stubble.
“But you’re itching to go to work, aren’t you?”
How could she tell? So odd. No one could ever read him this well.
He kissed her lips, then laid a tender kiss on her forehead. “A little. My work is important to me. But now, so are you.”
She leaned her head against his chest, sighing with contentment. At least, he hoped that was contentment he heard. Had he said the wrong thing admitting she was right? Should he’ve denied it?
“Well, I’m glad you stayed.”
“Me too.” He kissed the top of her head before he said something else that would ruin the moment. Because he swore a bit of tension swirled between them.
Suddenly, she sat up. “Want some popcorn?” Then she extracted herself from him before he could even answer.
The minute her warm body left him, he wanted to yank her back down. He enjoyed sitting on the couch, doing nothing but holding her. Even though his fingers tingled like he should be doing work.
“I guess I could use a snack.” He looked confused when she started
toward the hallway that led to the bedroom. “That’s the wrong way.”
Although he’d follow her in a heartbeat if she was looking for a different kind of snack.
She glanced behind her shoulder with a sly smile. “I have to use the bathroom first, silly.”
“Oh, my bad. I was thinking you wanted a snack of another variety,” he said with a chuckle, ready to leap off the couch if she agreed.
“Perhaps I am. Let’s see what kind of fun we can have with popcorn.”
She disappeared down the hallway with those parting words. His cock immediately stood at attention, waiting for her to get back. Screw the popcorn. He would devour her body on the couch without any food. Although he did enjoy her spirit and sense of adventure.
He groaned at the TV when another run scored from the opposing team. Gabriella distracting him with her gorgeous body would not upset him at all. But he hated watching his team lose.
He jerked his head toward the front door when a knock sounded. Glancing toward the hallway, he listened for the bathroom door to whip open but heard nothing.
The knock sounded again. Not persistent, but also not like whoever was on the other side was planning to leave. He stood up and ambled his way to the door, peeking through the hole before unlocking the door.
Raising an eyebrow at the visitor, he unlocked the door and swung it open.
“Good afternoon, Jaxson.” He made sure not to let any jealousy tinge his voice, although he wasn’t fully cordial about it either.
Why was Jaxson here? How often did he pop by unannounced to her apartment? He wanted to know, but not enough to ask. It annoyed him, but it could also lead to an argument. The last thing he wanted to do was get into it with Gabriella’s friend and have her upset at him for starting it.
But if the man wasn’t going to announce his intentions to Mia, that didn’t mean he needed to revert his attention to Gabriella. His Gabriella.
Okay, so he was still jealous of the guy.
“I didn’t expect you to still be here.” Jaxson wasn’t as good about keeping his emotions out of his tone of voice. Dane heard the shock. Maybe even a bit of jealousy.
Why was he jealous? He was supposed to like Mia.
“Well, I am.”
“So you are.”
They stood staring at each other, not saying another word. Mere words weren’t needed. It’s as if they told each other with their heavy stares what they wanted to say. Dane arched his brow, letting Jaxson know that Gabriella was his. Jaxson smiled back with a smirk that couldn’t be disguised, but it had a slight reassurance he had no intention to swoop in.
“Well, this isn’t awkward.” Jaxson chuckled as he shifted on his feet. “Can I come in?”
He didn’t want to let him in, but he knew he couldn’t slam the door in his face without seeing Gabriella’s wrath.
“Sure.” Dane backed away from the door, figuring Jaxson could shut it himself. Otherwise, the temptation might be too great to slam it himself.
“How’s Mia?” He turned around when Jaxson slammed the door harder than he expected.
“Why would I know?” Jaxson asked, confused.
“Why wouldn’t you know?”
“Why should I know?”
“Shouldn’t you?”
“Why should I?”
“You don’t think you should?” Dane countered, wondering what Jaxson’s problem was when it came to Mia.
He liked her. He should just tell her.
“This is turning into awkwardness again. I don’t get it.”
Dane shook his head. “I know you don’t. That’s the problem.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Jaxson clenched his fists. “You have a problem with me, Dane?”
Dane stepped closer, getting toe-to-toe with him. “Only if you get between Gabriella and me. You seem very close to her. I didn’t think I had anything to worry about last night when you left with Mia. I could see how you felt. Yet, here you are at Gabriella’s, and you have no idea how Mia is.”
“You feel threatened by me?” Jaxson asked with a laugh. “Wow. You must like Gabby a lot. I’ve never gotten that reaction, and yes, I’ve always been around the losers she’s dated.”
A muscle ticked in his cheek as he clenched his jaw tight.
Was this asshole insinuating something? That he was a loser? He’d hate to have to hit Jaxson and get Gabriella upset at him. But if Jaxson kept it up, he couldn’t be sure he’d be able to control his temper.
“I can see why they never lasted. You hang around too much.”
“Oh, is that the problem she has? It’s me?” Jaxson stepped closer. “No, the problem is they’re all losers. They can’t handle the type of woman she is. Can you handle her? Why do you feel threatened by me?”
“Why haven’t you checked on Mia?”
Jaxson backed up a step. “Why would I?”
Dane laughed. “Are we going through those series of questions again?”
“No, we’re not. Excuse me,” Jaxson said as he brushed by him.
Oh, the nerve.
Dane was tempted to push him but refused to fight with Gabriella again. And that would cause an argument. Not to mention, it was such a childish gesture. He wasn’t in middle school, fighting for the attention of the most popular girl.
Why was he acting jealous anyway? He knew Jaxson liked Mia. He saw it plain as day last night, even now as Jaxson tried to avoid it.
Yet, he couldn’t control the jealousy that coursed through his veins when he thought about how close Jaxson was with Gabriella.
Perhaps that was the problem. He wanted that closeness with her. And he didn’t want to share it with anyone else.
Sharing had never been one of his strong suits. Especially having a brother who always wanted everything he had, taking it without a thought. Champ didn’t know what sharing meant. He wanted something, he took it. Mostly taking what was his, which he refused to allow and would snatch it back. Then hearing his father say more times than not, “Share with your brother, Dane. You’re older. You know better.”
Damn it! He wasn’t sharing now. This was his time with Gabriella, and he didn’t want to share a moment of it with anyone else, least of all Jaxson. Not going to happen.
He walked back into the living room just to see Gabriella walk from the hallway and grab a quick hug from Jaxson. Seeing red was a saying he never understood until that moment. But, boy, he was seeing hazes and hazes of red.
Did Jaxson always hug her in greeting? Why the hell would he need to?
“How’s your day going?” Gabriella asked Jaxson as if nothing was wrong at all for him to stop by.
She glanced at him and watched as the confusion slowly emerged. He realized his anger must have shown quite prominently. Jaw clenched. Fists tight. He was ready for an all-out brawl.
Which he could not do. Nope. He refused to fight once more with Gabriella. It was too painful, seeing the hurt in her eyes, knowing he put it there. Trying to remove the fierce emotion coursing through his veins took an amount of strength he didn’t know he possessed. But for Gabriella’s sake, he plastered on a fake smile.
“Fine. I wanted to see how you were doing.” Jaxson glanced at Dane, then back to Gabriella. “How’s Mia doing?”
Gabby grabbed a few strands of her hair and toyed with it. “You know, I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to her today. I was planning on calling her later.”
“Or,” Dane said with a little too much enthusiasm, “you could always check on her, Jaxson. That would be a great way to show you care.”
Dane leaned against the wall and crossed his arms with a real smile this time. He perversely enjoyed the way Jaxson squirmed and shifted on his feet.
“I’m sure Mia wouldn’t want me to bother her like that,” Jaxson replied. A little too quick. A little too defensive.
“Yet, you have no problem bothering Gabriella like that.” His tone was clear, letting Jaxson know he didn’t like it.
Gabby raised her eye
brows. “Am I missing something here?”
“Of course not, sweetheart.” Dane stood up from the wall and walked over to Gabriella, kissing her deeply. “I’ll get the popcorn started. You want some popcorn, Jaxson?”
“Gosh, Dane, I’d love some popcorn,” Jaxson said with a smooth smile.
Dane resisted the urge—again—to throw a punch in his face and walked out of the room. Damn, the man had nerves.
If he didn’t want to avoid getting Gabriella upset, he would’ve knocked him on his ass.
10
Gabby propped a hand on her hip and delivered a nasty glare that said Jaxson better start talking and fast. “Well?”
Jaxson leaned closer. “Your boyfriend is one jealous man, Gabs.” He laughed. “Holy shit is he jealous. He does not like me coming to see you. He knows I do that a lot, doesn’t he?”
Gabby smirked. “Well, I can’t say we talked a whole lot, Jaxson. So, no, he doesn’t know that yet, that we are very good friends. Friends. Only friends.” She sighed. “He’s not my boyfriend.” Yet.
She hated to voice it because it implied they really didn’t talk. Well, they did. But not about that.
Could she say he was her boyfriend? Had they moved to that stage? He was still here, so maybe she could say he was her boyfriend.
Jaxson rolled his eyes and stepped away, putting his fingers together like a cross. “TMI, Gabs. I don’t need to know what you two were doing all night and today. I can figure that out on my own. He’s a little intense. He had no problem getting in my face about you…or Mia.”
“He can be abrupt, yes. But he means the best. I like him, Jax. I really like him. He’s not like the other guys I’ve dated. He’s different in a good way. You could check on Mia.”
She saw the surprise flash across his features. “Are you kicking me out of your apartment? I’m wounded.”
“No, you’re not. I might not get as much time with him as I want, so I want to take advantage of it when I can.” She raised her brow again, pursing her lips with devious intent. “And you ignored the part about Mia. Is there a problem for you to check on her? It was a very sound suggestion by Dane.”
The Wrong Brother (a perfect for you novel Book 1) Page 12