“Sandro?” Theresa asked with an eye roll, once Bryce’s eyes were on her and the man shook his head.

“Surprisingly not. Gabe.” Every eye in the room focused on Bobbi, who felt her blood pressure rising.

“That . . .” Words failed her and she shook her head.

“Well it is getting late and we all have work in the morning,” Theresa pointed out. “And you have a long drive ahead of you, Bobbi.”

“And since none of you are going to buy any of this stuff, we may as well end now,” Bronwyn said.

“Hold on, I didn’t say I wouldn’t buy a pair of the . . .” Lisa glared up at Bryce, who was reading her lips avidly. “Do you mind?”

He laughed and left the room with a wave. The group disbanded soon afterward and Bobbi was left to seethe on the drive home. The roads were fairly empty, which cut ten minutes off her drive. She nearly bypassed her own driveway to head over to Gabe’s but common sense prevailed; she would confront him in the morning. She’d had just about enough of him this weekend.

CHAPTER SIX

She let herself into the house, annoyed to find that the alarm was off. She sighed at her father’s carelessness. There were security guards all over the premises, and the property was surrounded by a large electrical fence, but he had to do his bit too. As she headed for the stairs, she heard the explosive noise of an action movie coming from the den and changed course, meaning to give her father a piece of her mind for his negligence.

“The alarm won’t just set its . . .” Her voice trailed off when Gabe’s tall figure rose from one of the large leather recliners.

“You’re back,” he stated unnecessarily. She didn’t respond, and a quick glance around the room confirmed that her father wasn’t present.

“Where’s my dad?” she asked.

“He’s asleep.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I was waiting for you to come home. I was concerned about you.”

“You have no right to be concerned about me.” She tossed her bag onto one of the chairs and folded her arms across her chest, trying to appear in control despite the fact that her stomach was swarming with butterflies.

“So what did you and that Kyle guy talk about this afternoon?” he asked, choosing to ignore her last statement, as he took a step toward her. She maintained her position, refusing to step back even though the distance between them now seemed too close for comfort.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but he asked me out.” Her voice was starting to sound shaky; he took another step toward her and Bobbi started to feel like prey.

“You’re not going out with him,” he murmured confidently, his third step bringing him to within an inch of her. She kept her gaze trained on his chest, refusing to meet his eyes, hating that he knew her so well.

“What makes you so sure of that?” She tried to sound strong but instead her voice emerged on an uncertain whisper, and he used his forefinger to angle her chin until she met his eyes.

“Because you want me.”

With just four words one of her deepest, darkest secrets was out in the open. It lay exposed and writhing like a wounded animal between them and Bobbi was absolutely helpless to deny it. She knew that the truth was there to see, on her face and in her eyes. He could hear it in her ragged breathing and feel it in her racing pulse when he reached down to cup her fragile neck in the palm of his hands. He used his thumbs to stroke the underside of her jaw, sending shudders of pure sensation through her already trembling body.

“Gabe . . . ,” she whispered, wetting her lips as her eyes fell to his mouth. She watched that mouth stretch into a beautiful smile and then form the most miraculous four words in the world.

“I want you too.”

“Oh.” The sound was a gasp of wonder and disbelief. How was this possible?

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that kiss,” he went on to say. “Or how your hands felt on me. How in the hell have I not noticed your gorgeous body before?”

“Stop,” she whispered, and his eyes darkened in confusion.

“What?”

“Stop talking . . . ,” she clarified, before going on tiptoes and plastering her mouth to his. His breath was half gasp and half groan as he leaned into the kiss and took control of it. His hands left her neck and buried themselves in her hair, tugging her head back so that he could deepen the kiss. She parted her lips and his tongue swept in, bringing with it a tidal wave of sensation. She savored every taste, every smell, every sensation . . . She didn’t know how her hands had gotten under his shirt but they were on his hard chest, exploring the contours, the firmness, the dusting of hair, then around his waist up his strong back until her fingers were digging into his wide shoulders.

She was vaguely aware of him shifting her until her back was braced against the wall. He lifted his head, his eyes glazed, his cheeks flushed, and his mouth swollen.

“Okay?” he asked, and she nodded. He barely seemed to register the movement before his lips were on her neck, licking and sucking their way down to her collarbone and nuzzling aside the strap of her tank top.

“These damned tops of yours drive me crazy,” he said thickly, bringing a hand up to assist with the task. Bobbi watched in a daze as he pushed the strap down her shoulder, around her bent elbow and then picked up her wrist to slip it completely off. He repeated the process with the other strap, until just the slight slope of her breasts held the garment up. He paused to inspect his handiwork for a brief moment before manacling both of her wrists in one of his hands and pinning them to the wall above her head.