“That’s horrible, Lauren.”
“You already knew about that, though.” I could hear it in his voice.
“Of course I did. Everyone knows.”
“So, is that one of the things people say about me? That I’m a recluse workaholic whose parents tragically died? I sound like a lot of fun.”
Gabe glanced my way. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who pities you. It is sad about your parents, though. That’s all. And that’s not pity, that’s empathy.”
I knew Gabe’s father had passed when he was ten. He knew how it felt to lose someone. And I’d just practically bitten his head off. “I’m sorry. I know you understand, and I appreciate you asking about them. I’m just…rattled today.”
Gabe smoothly maneuvered through the traffic on the freeway. “Why’s that?”
“Clive Warren was at Paragon this morning for some unknown reason.”
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “What did he want?”
I shook my head, still trying to piece together why he had been there. “I don’t really know. He didn’t ask for me. He wanted some of his old board materials. He got them, then he left. I watched the security tape. It was weird.”
“He’s familiar with the security protocols, right?”
“Yes. We established our most updated systems while he was still on the board.”
“So he knew that you’d see him on the tape.”
I watched the darkening sky fly by, my brow furrowed. “That’s right.”
“He’s sending you a message.”
“That’s what I thought.” I felt a knot of worry in my chest. “But what’s the message?”
“I don’t know, but I told you he was an asshole.”
“Do you actually know him?”
“I’ve had business dealings with him in the past. I was never impressed.” Gabe was silent for a few minutes, lost in his own thoughts. “I don’t like this, Lauren. What exactly did he want to meet with you about last night? Tell me the specifics.”
I explained Clive’s recent patent to him and how he wanted to dovetail his technology with Paragon’s impending launch. “But I could tell, just from his explanation over dinner, that his technology is flawed, and that it wouldn’t be a fit for Paragon.”
“And you told him that?”
“I told him that we weren’t in a position to take on a partnership. I wanted to be upfront. I wasn’t blunt, though. I didn’t share my thoughts about the flaws.”
“It sounds as if he still didn’t like what you had to say.”
I snorted. “Of course he didn’t.”
Gabe glanced at me. “A guy like Clive doesn’t enjoy being told no, especially not from a beautiful woman.”
“The fact that I’m a woman shouldn’t have anything to do with it.” Despite my curt tone, his use of the word beautiful pleased me.
“Think of it as a double-ego whammy. You said no to his technology, and then you went home with me.”
I bristled at the innuendo. Going home with him sounded salacious. “You just gave me a ride.”
“He doesn’t know that.” He grinned some more. “I’m sure that he was extremely angry when we left. He’d be even more pissed if he saw you in that dress tonight—especially since you wore a sweater out with him. Seriously, he would pop a blood vessel.”
I blushed furiously. “I think you’re being dramatic.”
“Don’t underestimate the power you have. That’d be a mistake, and you don’t make mistakes.”
“You’re definitely being dramatic.”
He was still grinning. “We’ll see about that.”
The restaurant in Saratoga, halfway up a mountain, was less ostentatious than the steakhouse but far more romantic with candles on each table and a roaring fireplace in the middle of the room.
Gabe took my coat and handed it to the attendant. With that simple act, I felt exposed beside him. Damn that dress. Gabe put his large hand on my back as we followed the hostess to our table.
When he touched me so close to my exposed skin, I felt sweaty and chilled all at the same time. I would think about the biological implications of that later, when I could form a coherent, scientific thought.
Our table was private, near the wall of windows, with a view of the stars. The lights from the city below didn’t spoil the sky all the way up here.
“This is beautiful.”
Gabe watched me. “I’m certainly enjoying the view.”
I sucked in a breath. Being near him in this sexy dress was much too exciting for me. I suddenly just wanted my lab coat and my laptop, with an army of data marching across it.
Instead, another server was pouring me another glass of wine.
Gabe didn’t try to order dinner for me. Even that small modicum of control was a relief. We read our menus in silence, both of us finally ordering salads and fish dishes.
“You don’t have to eat fish because of me,” I said, although I thought he was sweet. “It doesn’t bother me when other people eat meat. I’ve been a pescatarian since I was eight, so I’m used to it.”
“Why’d you become a pescatarian, then? That’s pretty young.”
“My father was a scientist too, and he was concerned about where industrialized farming was taking the environment.” I shrugged. “We all stopped eating meat in my house after a family meeting where we discussed it.”
“So you were a precocious, concerned citizen of the world even at eight. That’s adorable.” Gabe dug into his salad, and I let myself stare at him. He’d gotten more information out of me in a week than most of my employees did in a year. I didn’t care to share personal details about myself with others, but with Gabe, they just seemed to keep coming out.
I continued to study him. His short-cropped hair was thick. It looked as though it would feel bristly and springy beneath my fingers. He had an ever-present twinkle in his brown eyes, and his face was large and handsome, with a square jaw. He had a strong face. Everything about him looked strong, actually, as if all his muscles were constrained beneath his suit coat. What I liked best about the way he looked, however, was the smile that always seemed to be on deck, ready to come out swinging.
At thirty-two, Gabe was already a self-made man. He was a brilliant man, he was a powerful man, but he also seemed kind underneath all that. That glimmer of kindness was helping me relax around him, even though I didn’t want to relax.
He took a sip of wine. “I think I’m going to bash Clive Warren’s skull in.”
So much for my kindness theory.
“Excuse me?”
He leaned toward me. “I said, I think I’m going to bash Clive’s skull in. I don’t want him coming around you. I don’t like it, and I don’t like him. He was at Paragon this morning to threaten you. I’d like to threaten him back, except not at arm’s length. I’m gonna fight him.”
“You’re going to fight him? Are you protecting my honor?”
He kept his body angled toward me across the table, close enough that I could lean in and kiss him.