“But you’ve been a good man to me.” She bit her lip. “Don’t you see that?”
“And I’ve also put you in danger.”
She held her hand up. “Wait. Just wait. Do you want me to stay?” she asked. “That’s all I need to know.”
“Do you want to stay?”
Laura stomped her foot. “You answer my question first. Do you want me to stay?”
He stared at her.
Neither of them spoke.
She looked away and closed her eyes.
“Yes,” he said. “I want you to stay. But I want to know if you want to stay.”
She nodded her head. “Yes, I want to stay.”
“Why was that so hard?”
She chuckled. “I don’t know.” She covered her face with her hands. “This is all so confusing.” She looked down his body. “You really need to take a shower.”
He nodded.
“Is the man … dead?”
“Yes. I’ve been having a few troubles with the mafia trying to encroach on my turf. I don’t like it. They know the rules.”
“The mafia?”
He raised his brow.
“Okay, okay, so the mafia exists. I kind of should have known that one.” She nodded. “So, what do we do from here?”
“You need to give up your apartment.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Will you be willing to allow me to have my books here?”
“I’ll call my men and have your apartment empty within the hour.”
“Wow. This is moving really fast.”
“I’m trying to take care of you.”
“It’s all new to me.” She took a deep breath. “Don’t you want to shower?”
“You’ve got to come with me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want you running.”
“Oh, come on. You think I’m going to run?”
He folded his arms.
“This is ridiculous.”
“I don’t know if it is or not. I need you to come with me.”
“This is turning into the strangest week of my life,” she said.
“You should have taken the vacation.”
She burst out laughing, already several steps ahead of him. He admired the curves of her ass.
“Wait. Was there anyone else killed?” she asked.
“No. There were no other casualties. I lost a guy, and the mafia, all of their men died.” He watched her, waiting for her to break. She didn’t.
“And you didn’t get hurt?”
“I’m safe and sound, babe. Did you think they could get me that easily?”
“Gabe, there were guns and lots of shots.”
“I only cared about getting you to safety.”
“I’m safe.”
“That’s all that matters.”
She stepped into the bathroom and went to the shower, turning it on.
He unbuttoned his shirt and stripped out of the rest of his clothes. Once naked, he stepped into the water, his gaze staying focused on her. The water in the shower basin turned red as it trickled down the drain.
“Do you want to come in?” he asked once the water ran clear.
She didn’t say anything but removed her clothes. He held his hand out and she took it, stepping beneath the spray.
He pulled her close and slammed his lips down on hers. She wrapped her arms around him.
“I hope you don’t regret this.”
“I won’t. I don’t make decisions I regret.” He sank his fingers into her hair. “I can’t promise you sweetness and romance.”
“I don’t care what you can offer. All I want is you.” She silenced anything else he was going to say with a kiss.
He ran his hands down to her ass to hold her close. She’d sealed her fate with him. He wasn’t ever going to let her go.
Chapter Eight
“I worry about you,” Charlotte said.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I promise. You know me. I can take care of myself.” Laura smiled at the older woman. She’d been living with Gabe for three weeks. On several occasions, he’d tried to get her to quit both of her jobs, but she refused.
“That is taking care of yourself?” she asked, pointing toward the guard, Derek, in the corner.
“He’s no one.”
“Honey, you’re delusional if you think I don’t know who that is,” she said. “You think I haven’t heard the name Gabe Moore spoken about around here? I have.”
“He’s not that bad.”
“He’s not bad to look at, but you and I both know if you’ve got guards, then it can only mean one thing. He’s bad news.”
Laura rubbed at her temple. “Do you want me to quit? Are you uncomfortable with him being here?”
“I don’t care. He’s eye candy, all right. My main concern is you. You’re far too trusting.”
This made Laura burst out laughing. “You think I’m too trusting? It took you months to find out anything about me.”
“So, you hold a lot of things back, but that doesn’t mean a part of you isn’t weak. I earned that trust. What has that man done?” she asked.
“Gabe has … he’s done a lot.”
“There’s more to life than just sex.”
This time, she did roll her eyes. “Please, stop. I don’t think I can talk about sex with you.”
“You think I haven’t had my share of sex? I’ve had plenty of men, believe me. It’s why I was able to spot a good man over a bad one.”
Laura put down her towel and turned to her friend and boss. “Okay then, if you’re so good at spotting people and their personalities. Tell me, is Gabe a good man?”
Charlotte sighed. “It’s not going to make a difference what I say.”
“But it means a lot to me.” She walked up to Charlotte and wrapped her arms around her. “You know I consider you my only friend. I love you so much.”
“Honey, you’re going to make me cry. It’s pitiful that your only friend is an old lady.”
“Stop it. You’re not that old.” She kissed Charlotte on the cheek. “Please, tell me.”
Charlotte turned toward her. “I think Gabe is a bad man. He does a lot of bad things. I’ve heard the rumors. Seen the news. I know what I’m talking about.”
“You think I should break it off?” She refused to tell Charlotte about the warning Gabe had given her. It was intense to even think about.
“That’s the thing, Laura. He’s all of these things, and yet he has men staying to protect you. That means something. If he cares about you, then I’m happy for you.”
Laura paused. “That doesn’t actually answer my question.”
“Some things are not about being good or bad. You can have bad men do good things, just as you can have good men do bad things. My opinion, when it comes to Gabe, how does he make you feel?”
Laura stared down at her hands, thinking about her feelings for Gabe. “He … he makes me feel alive.”
Charlotte smiled. “Then that, my sweetheart, is all you need.” She tapped her on the cheek. “And you can work here for as long as you’d like to. You know me. I love the company.”